The 171st day of the Great Turmoil.

Chen Mo’s envoy sent to Youzhou returned, and as he expected, King Yan agreed to his peace talks.

Besides the Imperial Court needing to issue an edict to publicly announce the legitimacy of King Yan’s territorial expansion, all the cities he occupied must be placed under Youzhou’s jurisdiction. Furthermore, the Imperial Court must appoint him as Governor of Youzhou.

This way, he could openly recruit heroes from all around the world.

Chen Mo agreed to these demands without hesitation and entered the palace to see Zhao Chong, issuing the decree that day.

After resolving matters with Zhao Chong, Chen Mo, in the name of the Imperial Court, called on all the vassal princes to crusade against the Yellow Turban Bandits in Jizhou.

Chen Mo didn’t care how many vassal princes would heed the call; as long as they could restrain the bandits in Jizhou while he headed north, it would be the best outcome.

Additionally, Chen Mo hoped this edict would intimidate the bandits in Jizhou, preventing them from causing trouble while he was heading north.

After doing all these, Chen Mo finally started dealing with the aftermath of heading north.

Currently, the combined forces of the Imperial Guard and the Three Ministries in the Capital total around 500,000 men.

Chen Mo decided to leave 100,000 to defend the Capital, with Huangfu Hao taking the position of the main general of the Capital, and entrusted Wu Lu with overseeing the court affairs, keeping a close watch on Prime Minister Hu Sheng and Grandmaster Shi Si.

Of course, this was just on the surface.

In private, Weiyang Palace.

During his return to the Capital, Chen Mo didn’t bring any women with him, so every night he would come to Weiyang Palace to sleep and leave at dawn.

In the bedchamber, Chen Mo lay obediently on Xiao Yunxi’s soft couch, enjoying the leg massage service from both Xiao Yunxi and Xiao Qing’Er.

A brass heater burned inside the hall, and the window was slightly ajar for ventilation, allowing the sound of the howling wind outside to be heard.

"Yunxi, after I leave, help me keep an eye on Empress Dowager Hu in Yong’an Palace. I understand she’s a remnant of Nan Zhou, the royal bloodline of Nan Zhou. I worry that while I’m away, she might secretly cause trouble."

At this moment, Chen Mo ceased to hide his concerns from Yunxi.

"Remnant of Nan Zhou?!"

Both Xiao Yunxi and Xiao Qing’Er were surprised, the former exclaimed, "Empress Dowager Hu is the eldest legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister? How could she possibly be of royal blood?"

The Prime Minister Hu Sheng’s family has a clean history, although the Hu Family can’t compare to the seven major noble families, it’s still one of the top families and has nothing to do with Nan Zhou.

"That I don’t know. Maybe the Hu Family’s ancestors were related to Nan Zhou, who knows. But Empress Dowager Hu is indeed of the Nan Zhou royal bloodline," Chen Mo affirmed.

But from what he’s simulated, and Hu Mei’Er herself admitted it back then, it’s impossible to be wrong.

Hearing Chen Mo’s certain tone, Xiao Yunxi recalled Hu Mei’Er previously discussing the Nan Zhou Treasure with her and subtly inquiring about the Red Sun Bell.

This furrowed her brows: "Could it be that the so-called Nan Zhou Treasure really exists?"

"No smoke without fire. Since the tale of the Nan Zhou Treasure has been passed down for hundreds of years, it might really exist, albeit exaggerated,"

"Alright, then I’ll help keep an eye out," Xiao Yunxi nodded, continuing to massage Chen Mo’s calf while speaking, "But if you’re not reassured, you can completely control her. For you, it’s not a difficult task."

"If it weren’t for that elusive Black Shadow Killer Organization, I would have acted already. The Black Shadow Killer Organization is spread all over the world. If I act against her now and provoke them into desperation, the outcome might not be something I want to see. We are in the open, they are in the dark; we can’t be on guard all the time."

The main issue is Chen Mo has too many people around him, especially those women of his, whose martial abilities are low. If Hu Mei’Er is really driven to desperation and sends out assassins, even if Chen Mo were to flay Hu Mei’Er alive, it would be of no use.

He wants to first ascertain the movements of the Black Shadow Killer Organization, preferably find out the headquarters of this organization, and then take them down in one fell swoop before dealing with Hu Mei’Er.

After understanding Chen Mo’s concerns, Xiao Yunxi didn’t say more but instead asked, "When do you plan to head north?"

"In the next few days," Chen Mo replied.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunxi’s emotions surged, ceasing to massage Chen Mo as she climbed over, snuggling into Chen Mo’s arms, her jade hand directly slipping into Chen Mo’s chest, drawing circles on his chest with a teasing intention.

Chen Mo remained unmoved, laughing, "I’m tired today, Yunxi, tonight you handle it yourself."

"Bad guy." Despite calling him a bad guy, Xiao Yunxi was quite honest, raising her hand to unbutton Chen Mo’s collar. Upon seeing Chen Mo’s robust chest, for some reason, her eyelashes trembled slightly.

The lighting in the hall was dim, and no one spoke, gradually creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

Xiao Qing’Er noticed the imminent conflict and tried to escape but was called back by Xiao Yunxi to help.

Xiao Qing’Er knew what Xiao Yunxi meant by help, and her face flushed immediately.

Since it was her first time taking the initiative, Xiao Yunxi felt a bit embarrassed. After stripping Chen Mo, she wanted to turn off the lights.

But for a martial artist above the Seventh Grade, whether the lights were on or off made no difference; Xiao Yunxi’s act was no more than a vague veil.

Even so, Chen Mo refused her desire to turn off the lights and instead urged Xiao Yunxi to proceed.

There was a feeling of driving a duck onto a perch.

Xiao Yunxi slowly...finished everything on Chen Mo’s body with clumsy movements.