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Chapter 545
There was no need for Mo Jiuye to say anything - Nan Yu had already planned to do this.
"Good, I will immediately enter the palace and make arrangements for this matter."
He did not say that he would immediately enter the palace to report this to the Emperor Shunwu. Instead, he was making it clear to Mo Jiuye that this matter had already been settled on his end, and all they needed to do was wait patiently for the news.
Nan Yu worked with great efficiency. The next day, right after the morning court session had ended, Minister Hao returned with new information.
No one knew how Nan Yu had presented this matter to Emperor Shunwu, but today at the morning court session, the Emperor directly issued an edict to completely exonerate the Mo family of all injustice. In front of the assembled civil and military officials, he admitted that he had initially exiled the Mo family to the northwest at the instigation of slanderous petty people, causing the entire Mo family to suffer grievances for a whole year.
It was clear to anyone with eyes that Emperor Shunwu was expressing his apology to the Mo family in front of the civil and military officials.
Not only that, but the Emperor also issued an edict conferring the title of King of Defending the West on Mo Jiuye, and granting the western territories as his fief.
The title of King of Defending the West was hereditary, and Nan Yu had also mentioned that there were other living male descendants of the Mo family besides Mo Jiuye.
This edict of investiture specifically stated that there was only one position of the King of Defending the West, and whichever male descendant of the Mo family wished to assume the position could request an imperial decree to change the title holder.
At the same time, Emperor Shunwu issued an edict instructing Mo Jiuye to personally arrange for the male descendants of the Mo family to immediately take up arms and join the battle, without needing to come to the capital city to pay homage.
When this edict was issued, the entire court of civil and military officials was shocked beyond belief.
This was truly unprecedented since the founding of the Da Shun dynasty.
During the founding of Da Shun, there had indeed been a king of a different surname, but that was because the individual had fought alongside the founding ancestor to establish the Da Shun realm.
Even so, the Prince Yong'an had never been granted a fief.
And now, regarding the Mo family, who had been exiled to the northwest just last year and whose members had gradually faded from the view of these officials, the unexpected had happened. Not only did the Emperor exonerate the Mo family of their crimes, but he even publicly stated that it was because he had listened to the slanders of petty people that the Mo family was wrongfully exiled.
This was truly the first time in the history of any dynasty that an Emperor had openly admitted such a thing.
Even more astonishing was that Emperor Shunwu immediately conferred the title of King of Defending the West on Mo Jiuye.
Although the Mo father and son had made contributions on the battlefield for Da Shun, there was no reason to grant them a royal title just like that.
For a time, the entire hall was filled with heated discussions, and some even voiced objections.
However, they were all angrily rebuked by Emperor Shunwu.
The officials had never seen Emperor Shunwu so unyielding before, and they also realized one thing - the fact that Mo Jiuye had been granted the title of King of Defending the West could not be changed in the slightest.
Before the Emperor ordered the edict to be read out, Nan Yu had anticipated that there might be people who would object, and had considered what his father would do if he backed down in such a situation.
However, he had never expected that his usually soft-hearted father would be so resolute today.
Regardless, things were developing according to his expectations, which was a good thing for Nan Yu.
Furthermore, Emperor Shunwu also revealed a major incident in front of the assembled civil and military officials today.
The Jade Seal had been lost!
He had personally hidden the Jade Seal in the secret passage leading from the National Treasury to the outside. That passage was a newly constructed entrance, and after its construction was completed, he had ordered it to be sealed. In theory, no one should have been able to discover that place.
Yet somehow, someone had found it. Not only that, but the treasures in the National Treasury had once again gone missing, leaving Emperor Shunwu utterly perplexed.
The reason he dared to publicly reveal the loss of the Jade Seal was also due to a suggestion from Nan Yu.
After all, he had been an Emperor for several decades, and even without the Jade Seal, he would not face the same kind of questions about the legitimacy of his rule as the Empress's party would.
On the other hand, he also hoped that more people would come forward to help search for the whereabouts of the Jade Seal. At that moment, someone came to report that a wandering Daoist priest was seeking an audience with the Emperor at the palace gates.
It was well known that Emperor Shunwu believed in Daoism, and he naturally would not refuse an audience with a Daoist priest.
In front of the assembled civil and military officials, the wandering Daoist priest named Yuan Qing was brought into the main hall.
Yuan Qing wore a gray Daoist robe, with white eyebrows and a beard, exuding an aura of immortal wisdom. Upon seeing him, Emperor Shunwu naturally felt a sense of reverence.
After inquiring, it was learned that Yuan Qing had been cultivating at Immortal Wind Mountain in Da Shun. Recently, while observing the celestial phenomena, he noticed that the Purple Apogee Star was flickering, from which he deduced that the imperial household might be facing trouble.
Apart from trouble, the flickering of the Purple Apogee Star also signified the birth of a new Emperor.
Before today, no one knew better than Emperor Shunwu that the imperial household was indeed facing trouble.
The loss of the Jade Seal was no small matter - it was definitely a major problem for the imperial household.
What others did not know was that Emperor Shunwu had already considered abdicating in favor of Nan Yu.
When Yuan Qing said that the flickering of the Purple Apogee Star indicated the birth of a new Emperor, he was likely referring to this matter.
Based on these two things, Emperor Shunwu was completely convinced by Yuan Qing's words.
In front of the assembled civil and military officials, Emperor Shunwu asked Yuan Qing how to resolve the current troubles, but did not inquire about the matter of the new Emperor.
After calculating with his fingers for a while, Yuan Qing advised Emperor Shunwu to set up a divine altar in the capital city before the midnight hour tonight.
Since the Purple Apogee Star had emerged, Da Shun was about to have a new Emperor, who would become an enlightened ruler in history and bring Da Shun to unprecedented heights.
Of course, the identity of this new Emperor would definitely be of the legitimate imperial bloodline.
He suggested that Emperor Shunwu place the names of all those eligible to succeed the throne on the divine altar, and pray devoutly for the Daoist ancestor to show them the way.
Following his instructions, as long as the Emperor was sincere, he guaranteed that by the next morning, the imperial household's troubles would be completely resolved, and the new Emperor would also naturally emerge in accordance with Heaven's will.
Emperor Shunwu was completely convinced, and immediately ordered the court to be dismissed, inviting Yuan Qing to guide him in personally constructing the divine altar.
Although Emperor Shunwu believed in such things, some of the court officials did not.
However, all of them were well aware of Emperor Shunwu's temperament, and even if they felt this was utterly absurd, no one dared to speak out against it!
In fact, no one knew that this Daoist priest Yuan Qing had also been sent by Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran to meet Emperor Shunwu in the palace.
A few days earlier, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran, feeling bored at Minister Hao's residence, had decided to disguise themselves and take a stroll outside the capital city.
On that day, as they were leaving the city, they encountered the wandering Daoist priest Yuan Qing on the road.
He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye were disguised as a merchant couple who had just arrived in the capital city that day. Not long after leaving the city, they met the parents of Goudan, whom He Zhiran had previously saved.
Mother of Goudan immediately recognized He Zhiran as the one who had saved her son's life, and sincerely expressed her gratitude.