A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 255: Rape
The year draws to a close and the weather grows cold.

A covered carriage with curtains on all four sides sped into the Prime Minister's residence. Instead of stopping at the carriage yard in front of the main gate, it quickly drove to the hidden back gate.

As soon as the carriage came to a stop, the heavy carriage door opened silently, and a man dressed in black with a black veil covering his face stepped down from the covered carriage and bowed deeply to Uncle Fu, the old man of the Prime Minister's residence who had been waiting for a long time.

Uncle Fu didn't say a word, slightly stepped aside to avoid the formalities, and then led the men in black through several halls, past the garden-like courtyard, and into the Prime Minister's study.

The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the room was as warm as spring. Gongsun Hong sat behind his desk, with Mo Zimo and Huo Guang sitting on either side of him. Zhang Tang sat in the guest seat, and they all looked over when they heard footsteps.

At the door, Uncle Fu let the visitor in and then closed the door.

Chen Mo removed his black veil, revealing his ancestor's handsome face. Facing the gaze of the Han Dynasty's top master and disciple, he was not intimidated. With a smile on his face, he bowed deeply and said, "This junior greets the Prime Minister."

"I have met the Grand Minister of Works."

Zhang Tang looked at the people who bowed to him so formally and politely, and he always felt so disgusted by them.

Based on his previous methods, anyone who dared to threaten him or his power would be ruthlessly killed by him. However, the Chen family was like a hedgehog, making it impossible for him to bring himself to bite them.

He could only breathe through his nose, uttered an "Mmm," and nodded slightly to accept the greeting.

Chen Mo's smile widened as he turned to face the most renowned prime minister of the Han Dynasty once more.

He looked like a senile old man in his twilight years.

Gongsun Hong looked at the seemingly humble Chen Mo and said calmly, "Your plans, which failed to be presented to the sovereign, will be burned in this furnace."

Chen Mo sighed, "This humble plan of mine, the paper and ink burned in the fire of the Prime Minister's residence, will be enough to relieve the Prime Minister's temporary distress."

"To relieve someone's immediate cold, yet add to their winter's chill; truly worthy of being a descendant of the Chen family."

"Your Excellency is too kind. If you feel cold, I have a fine fox fur coat at home, which was given to my ancestor by Emperor Xiaowen many years ago. Although it is old, it has been well taken care of and is still a good item for keeping warm. I would like to offer it to Your Excellency."

"Emperor Xiaowen bestowed gifts upon those who were not virtuous, but the Chen family is virtuous," Gongsun Hong said meaningfully.

Chen Mo's smile froze on his face. In the more than eighty years since the founding of the Han Dynasty, this was the first time someone had said that the Chen family was virtuous. Was this a compliment or a taunt? Chen Mo pondered for a moment: "Among families of meager virtue, only Emperor Xiaowen was kind and generous."

"Why do you boast of your lack of virtue?"

A question lingering in the mind.

Chen Mo was completely speechless. How could he possibly talk about the sins committed by the Yuanzu?
The old prime minister's direct and incisive conversation brought a moment of silence to the study.

"Would you be willing to become a disciple of me?" Gongsun Hong asked again.

Mo Zimo and Huo Guang, who were standing to the side, immediately underwent subtle changes in their expressions.

The former is angry, thinking to himself that the teacher is a liar, and that the closed-door disciple really only closes the door, right?

The latter is frustrated. The Chen family, starting with Chen Ping, has been a disciple of Huang-Lao Taoism for generations. Having a senior brother from the Mohist school is already enough to cause trouble, and now with a junior brother from Taoism, life becomes unbearable.

Moreover, Huo Guang had a bad feeling about Chen Mo from the first moment he saw him; how to describe it? It was like seeing a venomous snake. This was completely opposite to when he saw Mo Zi Mo, who was like a "guest from the south," a kind and honest giant elephant.

With a giant elephant in front and a venomous snake behind, Huo Guang felt utterly hopeless at the thought of entering the court together in the future. Trying to make a move would be harder than climbing to heaven.

Fortunately, he also had an elder brother who was a Grand Marshal and General. After his teacher passed away, his career path was much smoother than that of his senior and younger brothers. When the time came, he would use the methods of "bullying the weak" and "bullying the inferior" in Confucianism, so he had nothing to fear.

Zhang Tang had anticipated that the old prime minister would take on a disciple, so he immediately looked at Mo Zimo and Huo Guang. Mo Zimo's reaction was as expected, but Huo Guang's change in expression made him chuckle.

This kid thinks he can bully the weak and oppress the superiors. Of the three, Chen Mo's official position probably rose the fastest, even reaching the top in one step, overseeing both the inside and outside of the Han Dynasty, truly wielding power over the country.

The upper limit is lower, and he can hardly reach the position of Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. But it will be decades before Huo Guang climbs to that position. He can't bully Chen Mo either. The Embroidered-Robe Envoy is directly responsible to the Emperor, and even the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty has no right to interfere.

"The little boy has no idea how dangerous the world is," Zhang Tang thought maliciously. Then he paused, "What's so funny? Chen Moming snatched the Embroidered-Robe Envoy, which was meant to be taken from him."

Of the five people in the study, three suddenly lost their joy.

Without hesitation, Chen Mo knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Greetings, teacher."

Gongsun Hong stood up, leaning on the table, and came out. He personally helped his new apprentice up and said with a smile, "Xiao Mo, you come from a family with a long history of learning. You are becoming my apprentice with pre-existing skills. My teachings of Confucianism and Legalism are not suitable for you. I can't teach you much. But there is one thing you should remember."

"Please teach me, teacher."

"Do not harm the harmony of nature."

Gongsun Hong said very solemnly, “Do not become like your ancestor, who used schemes and tricks to fight against heaven, earth, and man, and took pleasure in it.”

Chen Ping's story is no longer known to the world, but Gongsun Hong believes that the Chen family will have recorded it. According to his memory, Chen Ping managed to win against fate amidst the chaos and died a peaceful death.

However, the disaster of the Lü Clan only happened once in the Han Dynasty, and the chaotic chessboard of heaven and earth only happened once. Even if it happened again, could Chen Mo and the Chen family guarantee that they could still win against heaven?

Don't mistake one time for forever.

The Chen family could fish in troubled waters, but they absolutely could not deliberately muddy the waters. The restoration army could number in the hundreds of thousands, or even tens of thousands. The Chen family could not possibly have no way to reduce the number of the restoration army, but Chen Mo did not choose to do so.

Chen Mo subconsciously raised his head and met those unfocused eyes, his body trembling involuntarily. "This disciple does not understand what Master means."

At a young age, he had mastered his family's teachings. Just then, the Han Dynasty experienced an unprecedented upheaval in its sixth year. He tentatively used his family's teachings to manipulate the situation and was shocked to find that they were so useful. He felt a sense of insignificance, as if he were a mere straw dog in the sky, without even realizing it himself.

It's just a few hundred thousand people; they're dead, so what's there to worry about?

At this moment, he realized that someone had seen through him and warned him not to try to transform from a pawn into a player, and even more so not to arbitrarily manipulate the situation, for that would be a path to death.

An indescribable sense of panic spread through Chen Mo's heart.

"It's good that you don't understand! It's good that you don't understand!"

Gongsun Hong sensed his disciple's turmoil and gently patted the back of his hand to help him calm down. After a moment, he continued, "The so-called restoration and rebellion are rooted in His Majesty, in the officials and powerful families, in the wealthy merchants, and in the wandering knights and thieves, not in anything else. His Majesty is powerless to act, but killing the officials and powerful families, the wealthy merchants, and the wandering knights and thieves is not difficult..."

(End of this chapter)