December 28th, the ninth year of Jianning.

Early morning, Nichinan County.

Compared to the frigid north, Nghi Nam district, located in what would later become central Vietnam, was warm, humid, and had a pleasant climate at that time.

In the past two years, with the imperial court's vigorous promotion of maritime trade, Rinan Port, which was once a trade hub and important supply point in Southeast Asia, has now become one of the largest ports in the Han Dynasty, besides Donglai and Hangzhou.

The port is bustling with people almost every day, mostly merchants, followed by sailors and adventurers who set sail.

Apart from the Han Chinese, most of these people came from various small countries and tribes in Southeast Asia.

Like many other barbarian groups, these merchants from Zhou were attracted by the dazzling array of goods available in Han territory after they set foot on Han land.

Although these Zhou Bang merchants had to spend three to five times the price within the Han Dynasty to buy those goods, they didn't care at all and generously waved their gold and silver to continuously purchase various goods.

Because no matter how much money they spend on these goods within the Han Dynasty, they can earn it back many times over in their own country and tribe.

The exquisite and luxurious silks and porcelains, in particular, attracted these unsophisticated individuals.

Meanwhile, merchants from the Han Dynasty were acquiring spices, medicinal herbs, and various gemstones from Zhou Dynasty merchants at low prices.

This port can generate as much as 100,000 taels of silver in revenue every day, demonstrating its enormous commercial value.

In addition to the officials and tax collectors dispatched by the imperial court, a newly formed naval force of 10,000 men was stationed in this port.

On the morning of that day, the governor of Rinan County, along with all the officials and naval soldiers in the port, came to the dock and announced a two-day temporary closure of the port. All merchant ships, whether from the Han Dynasty or the Zhou Dynasty, were ordered to leave the port and find another place to anchor.

Despite being completely baffled by this strange order, everyone dared not disobey and led their men to maneuver the ships away from the port, anchoring at several temporary docks not far from it.

Before long, not a single boat remained in the entire harbor.

"Sigh, what on earth is going on? Why did the port suddenly stop operating?"

"Who knows? But it must be a big deal, otherwise the port wouldn't have allowed such a huge loss to occur and the port would have been shut down."

"Hey~, do you guys think the navy is coming out? Does that mean war is about to break out?"

"Impossible. In this area, which country would dare to challenge the Han Dynasty?"

Merchants who had anchored at the docks near the port couldn't help but murmur amongst themselves as they looked at the officials and naval soldiers.

Just then, a merchant from Luoyang looked up at the southern horizon and was momentarily stunned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think I understand why we had to suspend operations...!"

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned around and followed the merchant's gaze.

In the distance, on the horizon, a massive fleet of ships was sailing toward the port.

"That looks like the fleet that went to Rome last year...?"

A sharp-eyed merchant immediately recognized the origin of the fleet.

"My goodness! And it looks like they've made quite a haul in Rome!"

"I've heard that Rome is just as prosperous as the Han Dynasty, so it's normal to make some gains!"

"I wonder what good stuff they brought back!"

As the fleet drew closer, the merchants discussed it with great interest.

Before long, the fleet approached the port. Led by the lead delegation, the thousands of ships in the entire fleet sailed into the port in an orderly manner.

"Welcome back to the Great Han delegation!!"

The moment the mission members stepped out of the cabin, the 10,000 naval soldiers waiting on the dock cheered in unison.

The governor of Rinan County, along with a group of officials, greeted them with smiles on their faces.

"Huh? Where are the Chu envoy and the other generals?"

Looking at the group of delegation members, the governor of Rinan County asked with a surprised expression.

"According to the Prefect, when the fleet passed through Parthia, it was harassed by the Parthian navy. The Chu envoy and the generals then led the naval soldiers to occupy all the ports and many coastal cities of Parthia, and annexed them as territory of the Han Dynasty."

Therefore, the Chu envoy and the generals stayed there to handle the follow-up matters, and ordered us to return first to report to His Majesty and the court!

"Uh...you mean Chu Ling led them to occupy all of Parthia's ports and coastal cities?"

Upon hearing the mission official's reply, they also looked incredulous.

It's just a diplomatic mission, how come it's suddenly turned into expanding territory?

This Chu Qian, isn't he playing too far?

The delegation members solemnly replied, "This is absolutely true. We are in a hurry to go to Luoyang to report to His Majesty. We urge the prefect to make arrangements as soon as possible!"

"Okay, no problem!"

The governor of Rinan County nodded and immediately ordered all supplies in the port to be mobilized and given priority to this fleet.

On December 30th, after resting for two days, the fleet left Rinan Port and headed north along the Great Han Sea.

Meanwhile, the governor of Rinan Commandery ordered someone to send news of the mission's return to Luoyang via express courier, which travels 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers).

As the mission's fleet headed towards Luoyang, the entire Han Dynasty was engulfed in a flurry of activity and jubilation.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and tomorrow will be the start of the new year.

After lunch, the people all began to decorate their houses with lanterns and colorful decorations, tidy up their homes, and prepare various kinds of food.

Luoyang, in particular, was bustling with activity. The people of the city spontaneously took out the red cloth and red lanterns they had prepared at home and decorated the streets. Even the city walls of Luoyang were covered with a layer of red cloth, making the whole city look like a red castle.

The reason why the people are celebrating so lavishly this year is because today will mark the tenth anniversary of the emperor's ascension to the throne.

In recent years, with the continuous increase in grain production and the vigorous development of industry and commerce, people's living standards have improved year by year. Many people are not only able to eat their fill and stay warm, but also occasionally enjoy meat dishes.

Therefore, the people also used this method to express their gratitude to the emperor.

While the common people were busy, the officials in the court and the palace maids and eunuchs were also extremely busy preparing for tonight's banquet.

Many ministers from the cabinet and the six ministries also personally oversaw and directed all aspects of the banquet.

Previously, Liu Hong had also ordered that the banquet be simplified, but this was directly rejected by the cabinet.

Ten years after the emperor's ascension to the throne is a momentous occasion for everyone; it cannot be taken lightly.

Therefore, the scale of the palace banquet tonight is much higher than in previous years, with more than 20,000 guests invited to the banquet.