Chapter 147: There Is a Dragon

Da Wang went to check again the next day, his little companion still hadn't left, so Da Wang didn't want to bother anymore: "It's you who won't leave; after I buy you a playmate, if you run away again… I'll chase you to the ends of the earth, hum!"

Finally, he formally gave the sperm whale a name: Niu Pi Tang.

Bai Ze, upon learning this 'high-class' name, concluded: "…It's just that it won't go on a hunger strike."

Da Wang: ……How cute!

Nobody will appreciate it; I don't know where my confidant is.

That night, Da Wang went early to the Phoenix Market to wait for the sea beast; after a while Qiao Yi arrived and handed him a bag: "Here, this bag is a Spirit Beast Bag—drip your index finger's blood on it to mark it, and thereafter you'll be able to open it."

Da Wang raised his finger, eager to try, but Qiao Yi shouted, "You know, right? This mark is a master‑recognition; dripping it on the bag means the spirit beast inside is deemed to have signed the contract as well."

"Huh? What kind of legendary tale is this? True or false?"

"It's true; inside is a clam, not a high‑grade spirit beast. Fine, this bag can't hold too high‑grade a spirit beast either—yours is the same model as the one I keep for Xiao Yan, 500 yuanbao. Once you become the clam's owner, you can put it in and take it out like this. Let me think……It's still small, so there don't seem to be any special precautions; it's easy to raise, and it will hunt for its own food."

Da Wang, hearing it was only five hundred, could also accept it.

I've already bought the five‑thousand‑yuanbao spirit beasts, so an extra five hundred doesn't matter. But—"Wait, will this spirit beast be charged extra yuanbao by Mengmeng?"

"No way, it's just an ordinary marine spirit beast, lives a bit longer, has no special abilities, and won't affect your realm at all."

"Then that's good."

Da Wang pulled out his military knife, narrowed his eyes, and hesitantly made a tiny cut on his chubby paw—it really was a tiny cut!

He managed to make Qiao Yi laugh; seeing him squint, as if he couldn't bear to watch, he was utterly speechless—does it really hurt that much?

"Hurry up and drip; it should heal soon."

Da Wang: ……

Da Wang finally managed to squeeze out a bead of blood and dropped it onto that azure little bag; to his surprise, it seeped right in, and the bag's color didn't change at all.

"Amazing! What next?"

"Then? Pour seawater from the beach into the sea?" Qiao Yi asked, stunned.

Da Wang: ……Seems like I asked a stupid question.

Da Wang paid five thousand five hundred yuanbao, was about to leave right away, and only felt at ease after safely taking it out.

Carrying the little bag, he walked to the Myriad Worlds Exit, but fate thwarted him—a barrier appeared at the gate, flashing a familiar red surcharge: "Please make up the difference of 4,000 yuanbao for purchasing the clam beast."

Da Wang reckoned, "This thing isn't going to cost ninety thousand taels, is it?"

But fifty thousand taels had already been paid; the sperm whale had earned him more than ninety thousand, and Da Wang, heart bleeding, made up the difference.

Back in the sleeping palace, Da Wang was dying with curiosity to pour it out and have a look, but lacking seawater he had to hold back. Tomorrow morning court will end, and I will definitely go at once to see just how big a fish ninety thousand taels bought.

At the court assembly the next day, as soon as Da Wang sat down, Minister Xue felt that he seemed unusually enthusiastic today?

It's been ages since I've seen such lofty enthusiasm on the face of the 'working‑person' Da Wang at court assembly.

"Could it be that Your Highness already knows?"

Da Wang, grinning with satisfaction: "What do you mean? Does the Chancellor have something big today? If not, let's just disband; I have business."

Of course there is.

Chancellor: "…Report to Your Highness, an edict has come from Chang'an: Prince Guangling's wedding is set for August; then, in September, His Majesty's millennium longevity celebration will summon all feudal lords to return to the capital to pay homage."

Da Wang: "…What?"

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Da Wang had lived six years in the imperial palace without ever seeing such bustle; now that he himself was about to become a feudal lord, after only two years they're making him return to the capital to pay homage—a dutiful son… he doesn't really want to go back, to be frank.

"How old is Father Emperor, anyway…?"

The Grand Tutor was coughing violently below, and Da Wang held back his retort.

That guy silently complained to himself, "How did we suddenly get dragged into such a big production?"

Da Wang glanced at Zhao Bao beside him; Zhao Bao silently held up four fingers.

Oh, he's only turning forty next year—prime time to strive—what's with all this longevity celebration!

"Is it just summoning me and Prince Yu to the capital to pay homage, or all feudal lords? Prince Jing and Prince Guangling aren't still in Chang'an, are they?"

Minister Xue: "This is the document; Your Highness, please have a look. The wording shows that all feudal lords are summoned to return to the capital to pay homage."

Zhao Bao took it, and Da Wang glanced at it twice, saying, "Who came up with this… mess of an idea?" It not only torments the sons, but also drags in the brothers and uncles—everything caught in one net.

Da Wang inexplicably felt that this wasn't that simple.

It's not that he's unfilial; in the palace he only saw his father once a year, and having been out for just two years, what's there to see?

This date requires him to eat dirt for another month in midsummer before he can get back to Chang'an—just for a longevity celebration? Could there be some upheaval in Chang'an? Impossible, really; there are still seven or eight months left, so it can't be a sudden incident.

Da Wang turned the thought over in his mind, but still couldn't grasp the significance of this grand homage.

"What does the Chancellor think? Why is Father Emperor suddenly pulling off such a massive birthday bash—summoning all feudal lords to the capital isn't a small matter. Could it be…?" He had heard plenty from Lord Baiyang about the idea of cutting down the fiefdoms; with all those feudal lords leaving their domains, wouldn't that cause chaos?

With so many people and voices, Da Wang ended up swallowing his words, then quickly changed tack: "Could it be that Prince Guangling and Prince Jing don't want to go, and cooked up this little trick?"

Minister Xue: "I wouldn't rule out that possibility."

The court assembly didn't say much more and broke up in a hurry; Da Wang kept the Chancellor, the Grand Tutor, and the two commanders, then summoned Ling Yin and Zhu Ti, and they all went into the side hall to deliberate.

Once only his own people remained, Da Wang blurted out a dangerous remark: "What's the situation? I just have a feeling this isn't good—are they planning to round us all up? This is too soon." This was Da Wang speaking after hearing the feudal lords' analyses of the pros and cons of the feudal dynasty; he simply sensed a conspiracy.

The Chancellor and the Grand Tutor exchanged a glance; faced with Da Wang's mouth that always spouted dangerous remarks, they felt powerless—luckily he still knew to wait until after the assembly dispersed to speak.

The Great Jin had held the state for several hundred years, and Chang'an and the feudal princes had always been peaceful and untroubled; even Prime Minister Xue felt that he was overthinking.

The succession struggle will not implicate the nobles of the previous generation.

Moreover, the transition before had always been smooth.

Only the great king had a sense of impending storm, and with White Poplar's Little Ice Age remarks, he always felt things weren't that simple.

Even things without precedent have a cause.

He asked Zhuti: 'Any news coming from Everlasting Peace's tranquil side?'

Zhuti said: 'The news from Everlasting Peace I already told Your Highness; there's nothing new. However, the news I received yesterday is that the former palace favorite, the Assistant Treasurer Cui, has been promoted to Grandee of the Glorious Virtue.'

Several people in the hall, including the great king, turned to look at her; the great king said: 'He rose to the rank of Nine Ministers so quickly? Did Cui Jin save my father emperor's life?'

Xue Xiang: ……

Grand Tutor: ……

Several people inevitably discussed this person Cui Jin; from the name you know he's of the Cui family. But his reputation in the streets is upright and unyielding, strongly endorsing the emperor's decision, saying that the Prince of Jing, upon reaching age, should according to ancestral rules be partitioned out.

This young Cui official supports the Prince of Jing's fiefdom, even being a promoter.

I heard that now my father emperor's banquets always summon the young Cui official to accompany.

Zhao Chu, standing at the back, clicked his tongue: 'What does he look like?'

Instantly everyone in the room looked at him, even the eye of the eldest son, the great king, flashed with gossip light; Zhao Chu then realized he misspoke, 'Isn't this leading a child astray?' It's all because he usually speaks plainly with the great king in the camp, being too casual.

Cough cough! I heard the Cui family are all good-looking. For entertainment at banquets, one shouldn't pick someone pleasing to the eye to accompany; my sitting aside would affect appetite and mood, really really no other intention… The streets say the emperor is stubborn and obstinate; ordinary people can't speak in his presence, including the Grand Commander and the Grand Marshal, so it's no wonder he overthinks!

The more he spoke, the softer his voice became; he felt quite guilty.

Xue Xiang took over the conversation: 'Perhaps it's the Cui family's strategy of advancing by retreating, or perhaps it's their retreat route. We are far from the court; the rapidly changing situation is hard to grasp; all we can do is respond cautiously and make thorough preparations. Your Highness's journey to Everlasting Peace, bring elite troops, just in case.'

The Grand Tutor nodded in agreement.

This is a pure person of the Great Jin; never thought of defying the edict and not going.

Zhuti and Lingyin didn't quite understand; not wanting to go, they didn't even find an excuse to push it off.

Upon hearing such remarks, the Grand Tutor lifted his gaze to the great king at the head: 'A feudal lord not responding to a summons is a serious matter, will be impeached for having divided loyalties. If the feudal lord himself is indisposed, only a crown prince personally appointed by the court can substitute.' Do you have one?

Great King: ……

None, gotta walk back eating dirt again.

When Wei Shen finally came out from the Northern Great Camp and heard the news, he instead thought of elsewhere.

This timing is great; after you finish the court ceremony, come along with me to Chang Prefecture to let the old man see you, isn't that perfect?!