Chapter 976 - 982, - 983: Eastward Tour, Returning Home

In mid-February, the Emperor of Da Wei decided to set out east on tour in the near future, to display imperial authority, inspect the local administrations, and understand the people’s livelihood.

After Chen Mo got the idea of going to the River Sea for a trip, he shared it with Wu Mi, but Wu Mi had a different opinion.

Wu Mi said, ever since he ascended the throne, he hadn’t often held audience in court—if he wasn’t running here, he was running there. Once or twice was fine, but if it happened too often, it would inevitably make the ministers feel the Emperor was neglecting state affairs, and would set a bad example for later emperors.

If he wanted to go to the River Sea, that was fine, but he had to find a reason that would convince all the officials.

And going east on tour was a pretty good reason. After several years of campaigns, Chen Mo had swept clean the Central State and founded the Xin Dynasty; last year he even "unified" Jin Xia. Although the realm was peaceful now, the new dynasty still faced multiple challenges, including local magnates carving up territories; in some remote places, the imperial decrees didn’t even reach.

An eastern tour was not only a symbol of power, but also an important means to strengthen centralization and propagate his governing philosophy.

When the time came, he could simply include the River Sea in the route of the eastern tour.

Besides, hadn’t the officials been wanting Chen Mo to go to Ziwei Mountain for Fengshan all this time? He could take advantage of this eastern tour to do it.

After Chen Mo accepted Wu Mi’s suggestion, he brought the matter up at morning court and gained the approval of most officials.

The few who opposed it only raised objections from the "money" angle.

After all, when the Emperor went east on tour, the pomp and circumstance certainly couldn’t be small; this represented royal dignity. The duration of the tour definitely wouldn’t be short either, since he had to visit many places. With a grand entourage came enormous expenditure of manpower, materials, and funds.

And every place the Emperor visited, the local officials would definitely have to receive him.

When receiving the Emperor, they certainly couldn’t make it look too shabby.

This would lead to extravagance and waste, and there might even be officials who profited from it.

In response, some officials offered a different opinion, saying that Your Majesty could issue a decree that local officials were allowed to keep everything as simple as possible when receiving him.

In short, regardless, the eastern tour was decided.

Next came arranging the route of the tour, security measures, and so on. Once everything was properly prepared, they could set the exact time of departure.

...

When news of the eastern tour reached the Harem, the concubines all surged into Weiyang Palace and found the Empress—obviously, they also wanted to accompany this tour.

The three who were the most excited were Liang Ji, Xiao Yunxi, and Xu Ying.

They had all served as Empress before, and all cared more or less about fame and status.

And the Fengshan at Ziwei Mountain was likely to be a great event recorded in the histories; even the people who accompanied would be noted. If they could attend, their names would be preserved in the annals.

Chen Mo had just arrived at Weiyang Palace and hadn’t even taken off his Emperor’s Robe when a crowd of concubines directly surrounded him.

Han Anniang didn’t care about the reputation of accompanying the Fengshan, but this time Chen Mo’s eastern tour wasn’t a military campaign, so womenfolk like them wouldn’t get in the way if they went along. So Han Anniang also wanted to go.

She had even received guidance from a wise person; she pressed her lips together and said softly, "Erlang has led troops to war several times, and even went down to Jiangnan without taking this humble wife. This time, Erlang, surely you can’t leave me behind again."

"Husband, husband, from childhood to now, I’ve never seen the sea. I don’t even know what the sea looks like. Husband, aren’t you going to the River Sea on this eastern tour? Take me along too." Yi Shiyin stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Chen Mo’s, and started acting spoiled.

"Your Majesty, this concubine has never seen the sea either," Song Min also said softly at this moment.

Once the three spoke up, the other concubines naturally couldn’t sit still.

Nalan Yiren said, "All my elder sisters have witnessed my Medical Skill. If you don’t take me along by your side, you probably won’t feel at ease."

Yue Ruyan cleared her throat and said, "I am an Upper Third-Grade Martial Artist, and also a woman, so I can protect the Empress and Ms. An’niang at close range."

Xia Zhining, Xia Zhiqing, Xiao Yunxi and the others also spoke up one by one—they all wanted to go along.

There were also some who didn’t speak up, such as Zhao Yushu, Madam Gan, Madam Xiao, Zhihua, and Wanyan Ya.

They were only low-ranking consorts and didn’t have the thick skin of Xu Ying. They wanted to go but didn’t quite have the confidence to open their mouths.

As they kept talking, all the women’s gazes suddenly turned to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo himself didn’t really mind. He hadn’t been holding any beauty-selection, and the concubines in the Harem, plus the three tribal beauties Chang En had brought back from Jin Xia some time ago, totaled only twenty or thirty at most. Taking them all along was no big deal.

He immediately waved his hand. "You can all go. Mi’Er, bring all the children along too."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Liang Ji, Xiao Yunxi, and Xu Ying, and he added, "But the Fengshan is not the same as the eastern tour—there are rules about who can be brought. The Ministry of Rites will draw up a protocol when the time comes. You definitely can’t go up there with me. For the Fengshan, at most I’ll bring Mi’Er."

The three women’s brows furrowed; they suddenly felt a bit disappointed. After glancing at the other sisters beside them who were silently watching, they could only give up and hum reluctantly in acquiescence.

Low-ranking consorts like Zhao Yushu didn’t have so many thoughts. Hearing that they could go along, her face lit up with joy as she turned and said, "This concubine will go pack things..."

Chen Mo found it somewhat amusing and raised his hand. "Wait until the Cabinet plans the route and submits it for my review, then I’ll make the final decision. And as for selecting personnel, that will take at least about a month. There’s plenty of time; no need to rush like this."

...

At the end of February, the route for the eastern tour was finalized: they would go by water first, and after disembarking at Qingzhou, continue by land.

For this eastern tour, Chen Mo planned to take along Geng Songfu and Chen Cultivator, while Zuo Lianglun and several other Cabinet members would assist in overseeing the realm, and Chang En would also remain in the Capital.