Madam He glanced at He Ziming and said:
"Your mother is not one to stubbornly cling to her views. From my recent observations, Lan Er is indeed an admirable girl.
Just as you said, she is not only beautiful but also well-read and sensible.
By any measure, her conduct and demeanor are no less impressive than those of the great ladies of the capital.
Most importantly, this girl is also diligent and perceptive, handling everything with great capability.
Since your elder brother has decided to resign from his post, I believe there is no need for us to have too many requirements regarding her family background when it comes to his marriage.
Your elder brother fancies her, and the girl is satisfactory in every aspect, so as her mother-in-law, I have no reason to object."
In fact, even before He Zhiran returned, Madam He had already told He Ziming that she had no objection to this marriage. As long as his father agreed, their wedding could be scheduled.
After all, He Ziming was no longer a young man, and his peers already had several children.
However, when she expressed her stance to He Ziming previously, she did not go into such detail or solely mention Lan Er's strengths.
He Ziming never expected his mother to have such a positive impression of Lan Er.
"Mother, do you really think Lan Er is that good?"
What Madam He had just said was her true thoughts.
"Of course. Your mother does not casually praise just anyone."
At this moment, He Ziming felt immensely fortunate. He had initially thought that even if his mother agreed to his relationship with Lan Er, it would only be because she could not dissuade him.
Now, he only wanted to share this good news with Lan Er and did not bother asking about the situation with his sister and brother-in-law in the capital.
Madam He was also considerate. After her daughter and son-in-law had been away for so long, they could finally reunite with their two little ones. She left together with He Ziming.
Although she was also concerned about the situation in the capital, there was no harm in asking about it later.
On the third day after Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran returned home, the imperial edict arrived. Unsurprisingly, its contents were in accordance with Mo Jiuye's requests.
Although Mo Jiuye had agreed to Nan Yu's suggestion that the Mo family return to court service, he hoped that the title of King of Defending the West would be given to his eldest brother, Mo Qing. If the old man was unwilling, there were still many other elder brothers in the family.
However, when he and his brothers raised this matter, they were met with almost unanimous opposition.
Mo Qing was the first to object to becoming the King of Defending the West. Apart from his advanced age, his legs were not in the best condition. Although it did not affect walking, he could not fight in battles anymore.
Moreover, the King of Defending the West would be responsible for managing all affairs within his fief. Apart from Mo Jiuye, he felt that none of his other sons, including himself, had the capability for such a role.
His other elder brothers shared the same sentiment. They were all well aware that this title was obtained through Mo Jiuye's efforts, and they had no ambitions for it. Furthermore, as their father had said, they indeed lacked Mo Jiuye's capabilities.
Undoubtedly, the position of King of Defending the West belonged to Mo Jiuye alone.
Mo Jiuye did not decline either, for in order to develop his fief, he would need his wife's assistance, and taking this title would make it easier for him to protect the secret of her spatial abilities.
The moment he received the imperial edict, Mo Jiuye became the second holder of a non-imperial surname to be granted a royal title in the history of the Da Shun Dynasty.
Along with the edict came two military tallies.
The men of the Mo family were not unfamiliar with these tallies, as they had used them before when commanding the armies.
They also understood that Emperor Shunwu had given them two tallies because, as stated in the edict, Mo Jiuye had been appointed as the King of Defending the West, responsible for guarding the western borders of Da Shun, while the Mo family would also dispatch someone to take charge of the southern borders.
One tally was for commanding the troops in the west, while the other was for commanding the troops in the south.
Of course, it was up to Mo Jiuye, as the King of Defending the West, to allocate these tallies.
The imperial troops dispatched to support the western borders were already on their way. Since the messenger carrying the edict traveled by swift horse, he arrived much faster than the main army.
Therefore, the Mo family needed to reach the western borders first and lead the soldiers stationed there to defend against the enemy before the main imperial army arrived in another two or three days.
Additionally, a portion of the imperial army was heading to the southern borders to await the commander dispatched by the Mo family.
Furthermore, Emperor Shunwu symbolically awarded the Mo family some items as compensation.
The gifts appeared rather meager, but Mo Jiuye did not pick on them. No one understood better than him that the imperial treasury had been emptied by his wife's spatial abilities. It was already difficult for Emperor Shunwu to provide these gifts as rewards.
These items were likely confiscated from the villainous Xue. If it were not for Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran's earlier consideration to leave some wealth for Nan Yu, the Emperor might not have been able to offer even these gifts.
Although the Mo family had been exiled to the northwest, they had experienced all manner of luxuries when they were in the capital.
How could such insignificant items hold any value for them, especially since their living conditions in the northwest were no worse, and perhaps even better, than in the capital? Let alone these trifling items, even more precious rarities would not catch their eye.
While they did not value these gifts, none of the Mo family members showed any disdain in front of the imperial messenger.
Not only that, when receiving the edict, Mo Jiuye specifically instructed all the male members of the family present to make an appearance. This was to serve as the best evidence for Emperor Shunwu that the Mo men were all alive and well.
Indeed, the imperial messenger was an elderly man from Emperor Shunwu's inner circle, and he was familiar with the Mo family men.
When he saw so many of them appear before him, he initially felt a sense of disbelief.
To confirm that this was not an illusion, he even vigorously rubbed his eyes in front of the Mo family.
Mo Jiuye saw no need to provide further explanations. His sole purpose was to ensure that the messenger reported what he had witnessed to Emperor Shunwu. Any additional details, he felt, would be unnecessary.
The messenger was also a perceptive individual. Since the Mo family was unwilling to explain, he would simply report what he had seen.
Considering the messenger's long journey, Madam Mo instructed the household to prepare a sumptuous banquet to host him.
As an imperial attendant and a confidant of Emperor Shunwu, what exquisite delicacies had he not tasted in the palace?
Yet, he was won over by the Mo family's lavish feast and voluntarily divulged Emperor Shunwu's secret.
Apparently, Emperor Shunwu was indeed in poor health. Over the past year or so, he had frequently experienced numbness in his limbs and uncontrollable drooling.
After examination, the imperial physicians diagnosed these as precursors to a stroke. Had it not been for medication and treatment, he might have already become partially paralyzed.
Only a few people, including the messenger himself, knew about this.
Emperor Shunwu had issued an edict, forbidding anyone from revealing even a hint of this, or they would be charged with the crime of deceiving the emperor.
If not for this, he would not have attempted to groom the fourth prince, leading to the incident where the empress' faction was accused of treason.
