That smile contained some helplessness, some mockery, and some … sadness.
"That's it?" Chu Mo asked softly as he looked at the eunuch who delivered the edict.
The Third Prince, Xia Hao, was so shocked by the contents of the secret edict that he couldn't speak. When he heard Chu Mo's tone, he was instantly infuriated. He laughed coldly and said, "I bestow upon you the title of King Chu and bestow upon you 18 death-exemption medallions. The title of King will be passed down from generation to generation. Eighteen death-exemption medallions … can be passed down to your descendants … Even princes like us can't receive such a reward. What are you dissatisfied with?"
Xia Hao's words were a little harsh. Chu Mo didn't say that he was dissatisfied. Although everyone could see that Chu Mo was upset, he didn't say it himself, right?
Fan Wudi stood to the side, his gaze cold. The old general had always been straightforward and never liked to hide anything. But this didn't mean that he didn't understand the ways of the world. If he really didn't understand anything, how could he have risen from a lowly soldier to a general?
There were many brave and straightforward generals, but how many of them could become a general for a month?
Fan Wudi had always disliked this Third Prince, especially after Xia Hao and his own grandson had gone against each other. The old general's evaluation of this prince had fallen to rock bottom.
Hearing what Xia Hao said, Fan Wudi finally couldn't suppress the anger in his heart. "Whatever reward Chu Mo receives, he earned it with his own military merits! You're just a prince without any achievements. What right do you have to be mentioned in the same breath as him? You … who do you think you are? "
Xia Hao's handsome face immediately turned livid and even a little purple. He glared at Fan Wudi. "How dare you speak to me like that?"
Slap!
There was a crisp sound.
Xia Hao was slapped hard in the face.
Chu Mo stood in front of Xia Hao and stared coldly at Xia Hao. "You are only a prince now. You haven't been conferred the title of King yet. Calling you Your Highness is a kind of honor, but don't forget your status. You don't have the qualifications to be arrogant in front of me. "
Chu Mo's words infuriated Xia Hao, and he was about to explode. A strategist beside him hurriedly pulled him back and whispered, "Your Highness … please calm down!"
Xia Hao's chest heaved violently as he glared at Chu Mo. After a while, he suddenly laughed, "So what? Be it King Chu or the Death Exemption Medallion … the final victor is me! Chu Mo, you can be at ease and be the King of Chu! "
The malevolence in Xia Hao's eyes gradually turned into complacency. He sneered at Chu Mo and said, "The world will ultimately belong to the Xia Family!"
These words were heard by Fan Wudi's high-ranking officers and the officers of the miners' corps. Their gazes toward Xia Hao were filled with disgust.
He Xu cupped his fists at Chu Mo and said, "Young Master, I wish you a bright future. I still have military affairs to attend to, so I won't be seeing you off. I'll take my leave first!"
Now that Chu Mo had left, He Xu was the commanding officer of the miners' corps. This corps answered directly to the emperor, and no one else could interfere.
Therefore, He Xu's actions weren't directed at Chu Mo. He only felt gratitude towards Chu Mo. He really didn't want to see Xia Hao's ugly face, so he wanted to leave immediately.
"Wait …" Xia Hao smiled faintly and said, "Imperial Father has ordered that the miners' corps stay here temporarily and cooperate with my army to attack Da Qi …"
"What?" He Xu raised his eyebrows and looked at Xia Hao.
Xia Hao leisurely took out a secret edict from his bosom and handed it to He Xu. He said indifferently, "This is Imperial Father's secret edict!" He looked at Chu Mo as he spoke.
You have a secret edict, but so do I!
Chu Mo didn't have much of a reaction. The miners' corps hadn't been his to begin with. Although He Xu and the other miners were grateful to him, deep down, they were more loyal to Da Xia and the royal family.
He Xu really felt a little uncomfortable!
Just as General Fan Wudi had said, you're just a prince who hasn't made any contributions. What right do you have to show off in front of these soldiers? We take orders from the royal family, but you, Xia Hao … don't represent the royal family!
Why are you being so arrogant?
Actually, Xia Hao wasn't a brainless person. He was born into the royal family and had received the best education from a young age. How could he not know how to behave?
However, deep down, he really hated Chu Mo. Anything that had to do with Chu Mo would make him feel like he was going to go crazy.
When he saw that He Xu and the other miners were all extremely respectful towards Chu Mo, the anger in his heart soared even higher.
He Xu took the secret edict, opened it and glanced at it. Then, he said with an ugly expression on his face, "Got it. Let me know when there's any military news!"
Then, He Xu led the troops and cupped their fists at Chu Mo and Fan Wudi before leaving.
All of Fan Wudi's soldiers had long faces as they said their goodbyes to Fan Wudi, and then left.
In the end, only Chu Mo, Fan Wudi, the eunuch who had delivered the edict, Third Prince Xia Hao and a few of his trusted subordinates were left.
The little Shiba Inu was dozing off in Chu Mo's pocket, while the big rooster was nowhere to be seen. In any case, the rooster would always be able to find Chu Mo, so Chu Mo wasn't worried.
When he saw that the generals and the miners weren't paying any attention to him, Xia Hao had an ugly expression on his face. However, he still had a lot of confidence in himself.
"The world is bustling, and everyone is motivated by benefits. As long as This King gives these people enough benefits, they will quickly switch allegiance to This King! " Xia Hao sneered inwardly. Then, he looked at Chu Mo and Fan Wudi and said arrogantly, "Take care, you two. I won't be sending you off!"
Fan Wudi glared at him. As a veteran general who had made great contributions to the country, he really couldn't stand Xia Hao's attitude.
However, Chu Mo gently tugged at Fan Wudi. "Let's go, Grandpa. You said that you're tired and want to retire …"
Fan Wudi sighed. In an instant, he seemed to have aged more than ten years. He nodded and said, "Alright, let's go!"
The corners of Xia Hao's mouth curled up. He looked extremely pleased with himself.
Even the eunuch who delivered the edict couldn't bear to watch this scene, but he couldn't say anything. He thought to himself, 'Put away the bow when the birds are done, cook the hounds when the hares are done …' Although it seemed like the emperor had given Fan Wudi and Chu Mo a huge reward, in reality, wasn't it another way of getting rid of the donkey when it was no longer needed?
It was probably because Chu Mo was too powerful, so powerful that even the royal family was afraid of him. Otherwise, these rewards … probably wouldn't even exist. It might even lead to a fatal disaster!
As the emperor's favorite, he had seen this kind of thing too many times.
Fan Wudi took one last look at the army camp behind him and shook his head slightly. "Let's go!"
Chu Mo smiled and held his grandfather's hand. He said softly, "It's alright."
His smile was full of cracks.
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