It wasn't until the sky was nearing noon that Han Mo, having eaten and drunk his fill in the market, leisurely led Jiang Yan and the others to the Jiegua Ting outside Mingzhou City.
"My Lord, why haven't you changed into your official robes? There's still a little time, why don't I have someone prepare a set for you now?"
Seeing Han Mo in his casual attire, Li Yueyang quickly stepped forward and asked in a low voice.
"It's probably too late, look, the motorcade has already arrived!"
As soon as Li Yueyang finished speaking, Han Mo pointed to a long motorcade not far away.
"Why don't we have them..."
Seeing the motorcade already within his line of sight, Li Yueyang quickly pointed to several civil officials behind him who were of similar build to Han Mo.
"No need, it's not like our Wang Xiang has any intention of us welcoming him, otherwise, wouldn't he have sent a messenger by now?"
Han Mo said indifferently.
"My Lord is right..."
After listening to Han Mo's words, Li Yueyang's expression visibly froze for a moment, but then it quickly returned to normal.
"I had someone send walnuts to Lord Li this morning, did you receive them?"
Looking at the motorcade that was no longer far away, Han Mo asked leisurely again.
"This subordinate received them, thank you, My Lord!"
"Lord Li is too polite, they are just a few walnuts. Regardless, we are officials in the same court. I can afford a few walnuts."
"In officialdom, one must be meticulous. It's always good to eat a few more walnuts when you have time to supplement your brain. After all, some mistakes can be rectified, but some mistakes, once made, can cost you your head. Don't you agree, Lord Li?"
Han Mo spoke while glancing at Li Yueyang again.
"My Lord is right, My Lord is right!"
After listening to Han Mo's words, Li Yueyang shuddered all over, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead. Only then did he realize that he had indeed made a mistake in welcoming Wang Xiang.
Wang Xiang had not sent them any messengers from beginning to end, and he had every legitimate reason not to come to welcome him.
Yet, for some reason, he didn't know what had gone wrong in his mind, and he had brought these officials all the way to the Jiegua Ting five li outside the city. Wasn't this clearly an attempt to flatter Wang Xiang?
His life was still in Han Mo's hands, and the strained relationship between Wang Xiang and Han Mo was no secret.
Han Mo had already cautioned him last time, but he had still done such a foolish thing. Now, looking at it, wasn't this courting death?
"Since you're here, stand up straight. Lord Li, you must remember that you are also a dignified official of the imperial court, not a running dog of the Wang family!"
As Han Mo said this, the unreadable expression on his face made Li Yueyang tremble all over.
"Thank you for your guidance, My Lord!"
"Wipe the sweat from your forehead properly. It's already winter, Lord Li, and you're still so hot. It seems your body really needs some nourishment!"
Han Mo spoke as he took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Li Yueyang.
"Thank you, My Lord, thank you, My Lord!"
After taking the handkerchief with both hands to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, Li Yueyang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Han Mo was still willing to discipline him, which meant he still had value.
If Han Mo stopped saying anything, it would mean his own death was not far off.
"Lord Han, since you've come to welcome the Prime Minister, why aren't you wearing your official robes?"
When Wang Xiang's motorcade finally drew near, Han Mo discovered that the one leading the way was Xin Xingzong.
What amused Han Mo even more was that this fellow still had the nerve to question him at this point.
"Welcome? Who told you I was here to welcome Lord Wang? Also, has Lord Wang been promoted? I wonder if Lord Wang has been appointed as the Privy Councillor or the Grand Chancellor?"
After listening to Han Mo's words, the entire scene suddenly fell silent. Not only were the officials behind Han Mo stunned, but even those around Wang Xiang were all dumbfounded.
This kid really dared to speak!
He clearly had no intention of showing Wang Xiang any respect...
Any civil official who had served as Prime Minister could be referred to as "Xianggong" without reservation after resigning.
However, if someone had served as Prime Minister and was later demoted, they absolutely could not be called "Xianggong" in formal settings.
It was indeed not a problem to call him that in private, treating it as flattery.
But bringing it up in such an occasion and encountering a stubborn fellow like Han Mo who insisted on dwelling on this matter would indeed be quite awkward.
"Han Mo, you have great audacity! Are you humiliating Prime Minister Wang?"
Xin Xingzong had not expected Han Mo to speak to him like this. With Wang Xiang behind him, he was now feeling completely emboldened.
"My audacity has always been great, you don't need to praise me for that, General. However, speaking of which, although my audacity is great, it's still quite a bit inferior when compared to yours. Tsk tsk tsk, losing troops and generals and still having the audacity to act so ostentatiously, I really don't know who gave you such gall!"
By the time Han Mo spoke the last sentence, the look of disdain on his face made Xin Xingzong's face turn red.
"Han Mo! You!"
"What about me? Although my position is low, I am still a subordinate official of the Southeast Six Routes Pacification Envoy's Office. If you call me Lord Han, I am worthy of it! If you are unwilling, you should at least call me Han Guan Gou. General Xin, if you called me that on weekdays, I would consider you ignorant, but on today's occasion, what are you trying to do? I, Han Mo, am also a Jinshi from two examinations. Are you humiliating all scholars? Or are you humiliating my Han family in Xiangzhou?"
Han Mo took a step forward with each sentence he spoke. By the time he finished the last sentence, he had already arrived in front of Xin Xingzong's horse.
Xin Xingzong was already trembling with anger, his right hand tightly gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist, as if he were about to draw his sword and fight Han Mo at any moment.
At this point, Wang Xiang, who was sitting in the carriage, found himself in a dilemma.
He had brought Xin Xingzong with him today precisely to have him humiliate Han Mo and gain a psychological advantage.
However, he had not expected Han Mo to be so unyielding today, seizing onto Xin Xingzong's words and launching a series of verbal attacks.
He had come to gain an advantage, but not only did he not get it, he was now being thoroughly trounced. Even Wang Xiang didn't know how to resolve the situation...