Chapter 2115: You Look Quite Alike

"The envoy from Shen State bears the surname He, invited to come?" Fu Shanyue sat up straight, "He must have come at the invitation of He Xiao?"

"But you are..." Taozi also realized, "Oh, they still don't know Yangshan has changed hands."

"Alright, bring him here." Fu Shanyue stretched and stood up, "I'll receive him on behalf of He Xiao."

……

After strolling through a fish market reeking of seafood, He Yue sniffed his clothes and hurried back to the inn to bathe and change.

Having drifted at sea for over a month, his whole body had been seasoned by the sea wind, each step releasing a salty, fishy odor.

After bathing, he went downstairs and ordered a bowl of squid noodles and two plates of fried dough cakes.

The fried dough cakes were fragrant, biting into them gave a crisp, crackly texture, delicious!

The squid noodles were also refreshing and chewy, and it was rare for the broth to be so rich; He Yue slurped several mouthfuls of noodles before remembering to ask:

Where is the squid?

This is just a bowl of scallion noodles, where's the squid?

"These noodles are made from squid!" the waiter came over to explain:

Locals catch squid, remove the innards and membranes, hand-pound it into paste, mix with flour, and shape the fish meat into noodles.

Now I understand.

He Yue was eating heartily when he heard guests at the next table complaining while drinking:

"No way, everyone says goods to Yangshan Islands from Shanjin are tax-free, but my subordinates just went to declare customs and actually had to pay a large sum!"

Another guest was clearly a seasoned traveler: "Navigation fees must be paid; if you rent storage on the island, you also pay storage fees. Moreover, you must present an official cargo tag issued by Julu Port to prove your goods came from Shanjin."

He Yue knew Julu Port was the westernmost port of the Shanjin Plains and also Shanjin's largest port.

That guest continued: "Before, oversight was lax; if you carried Yangshan specialties, the port would exempt you from tax; after Yangshan Islands were seized by Chiyan State, procedures became strictly enforced……"

He Yue's head buzzed, and he couldn't follow the rest of the conversation.

Forgetting propriety, he interrupted their talk: "May I ask, may I ask, you two just said, Yangshan now is, is under Chiyan's rule?!"

"Yes." Both guests nodded, "It's been several months already."

Sea voyages take as little as three to five months, as much as half a year or a year; during this period, not receiving news from shore is normal, so these two sea travelers didn't mock He Yue's information isolation, only asking him: "How long have you been out?"

"Several months……" He Yue quickly composed himself, "Yangshan Islands are well-governed, how could they suddenly change hands? I recall the former island master bore the surname He, how, how is he?"

"He?" The two sea travelers exchanged glances, "The former master of Yangshan, isn't he the Great Emperor of Jiuxu?"

"Ah? Great Emperor?"

"Now he should be addressed as Great Emperor Jiuxu." The sea traveler laughed, "The great upheaval in Shanjin, you don't know. You've truly been away a long time on this trip."

He Yue was stunned speechless, instinctively repeating the phrase, his voice slightly trembling: "Great Emperor Jiuxu? You mean, he declared himself emperor?"

Big brother succeeded!

"Not bad, Great Emperor Jiuxu unified the Shanjin Plains, established the state name 'Cangyan'."

He Yue caught his breath, but immediately asked: "Then how did Yangshan Islands change hands, was it taken by force?"

"I haven't heard of that."

The waiter happened to come over to serve side dishes to the sea travelers, heard the remark and responded: "No fighting, no fighting, no chaos at all, just overnight the island master and allegiance changed. Wake up one day, Yangshan became part of Chiyan State, we were also dazed. Those two days, the port still did business as usual, just port patrols became stricter, and were replaced by Chiyan soldiers. But the government offices still had the original staff; when we went to handle affairs, we saw the same old faces, and the procedures remained unchanged."

The government offices still had Yangshan's original staff, only the signboard was changed.

The sea traveler lowered his voice: "I heard people say, the master of Yangshan intentionally handed this place over to Chiyan State."

He Yue blurted out: "Why?"

Big brother burned down the Star-Plucking Pavilion of the Heavenly Palace, isn't he deeply at odds with Between Between Between Beijia?

"Back then, Between Between Between Beijia issued a ban on Yangshan Islands, causing maritime trade on this route to plummet. I don't know how Great Emperor Jiuxu negotiated with Between Between Between Beijia, but he just handed this place over to them." The sea traveler spat out a chicken bone, waving his hand, "I'm only repeating hearsay, not necessarily reliable."

Just then, two patrol officers entered from outside, heading straight to the counter, and said to the shopkeeper:

"We're looking for the Shen State envoy, surname He."

He Yue's scalp went numb.

When he went to the Governance Office to submit a meeting request, he had no idea the island master had already changed, this place had become Chiyan territory!

The shopkeeper had already pointed here, so he could only say: "I'm here."

The patrol officer turned around, stern and formal: "The island master wishes to see you!"

A moment ago, He Yue had desperately sought this; a moment later, he could not avoid it.

But now there was no escaping. "May I ask, who is the current island master?"

"Crown Prince Yuexia."

【48> He Yue scratched his head.

He Yue scratched his head.

In Shen State, he was also called Crown Prince Yue.

……

The further he walked into the interior of Suoding Island, the more picturesque the scenery became.

The prosperity and bustle of Yangshan Islands were ten times that of Bai Sha Bay, making He Yue envy endlessly.

The island master's office was by the small lake, tranquil amidst noise. Other parts of the island's clamor could not reach here at all.

He Yue, however, had no mind to admire the scenery, he was pondering why the Chiyan Crown Prince wanted to see him.

He had only submitted his request half a day ago; the island's administrative efficiency was unexpectedly high. Moreover, why was the Chiyan Crown Prince so idle as to grant an audience to anyone who requested?

By the lake, a few rock goats grazed, the leader still wearing an exquisite small tag on its neck, sizing him up while cruelly chewing tender grass blades.

Those spiral horns were sharp enough to stab someone to death.

Upon entering the office, a blue-clad person came forward with hands clasped behind back.

Tall, sturdy and upright in build, handsome in appearance, but with a somewhat harsh gaze.

Upon seeing He Yue, he sized him up from head to toe.

He Lingchuan ignored the arrogance and rudeness in his gaze, cupping his fists in salute: "Greetings, Crown Prince."

The man before him was the Crown Prince of the Chiyan Kingdom, one of the thirteen vassal demon nations of Between Between Between Beijia!

Seeing Fushan Yue's next words stunned him:

"You are He Yue?"

"..." He Yue froze for two breaths, "You recognize me?"

What was this situation? The Chiyan Crown Prince could call out his name in one breath — had he heard it from his elder brother?

Seeing Fushan Yue maintained a scrutinizing gaze: "You brothers share some resemblance in appearance, only, you look a bit more kind-hearted. He Xiao is deep as the sea, simply not a good thing."

He Yue forced himself to remain calm: "Does my elder brother usually mention me as well?"

Right, if the ownership of the Yangshan Archipelago was transferred peacefully, without the use of force, it meant his elder brother and the Chiyan people must have reached some agreement, and naturally recognized each other.