Chapter 158: Setting Out for Everlasting Peace

Everyone said this journey should be undertaken with caution, and to bring more troops.

Great King considered that the Owl Cavalry's flashy appearance really wouldn't do to bring them as-is to Everlasting Peace. Horses are important; changing them would affect efficiency, so the armor and numbers should be kept low-key.

He planned to have the Owl Cavalry members going wear ordinary armor, and bring fewer people.

Great King himself is impervious to blades and spears, but only he knows about this matter.

The Chancellor and the Grand Tutor hoped he would bring either one thousand or eight hundred personal guards, saying this occasion was for celebrating longevity and also receiving foreign envoys; the retinues of other vassal princes would not be low-key. Although it would be a bit of a show of force, the two grandees felt Great King could definitely manage it, otherwise he couldn't have built such a scale imperial road.

The imperial road had just been completed; the Chancellor specially went outside the city to look at it, and his impression of Great King's financial resources was refreshed once again.

Great King didn't want to bring that many people: "I will openly bring 200 people; any fewer would be a bit exaggerated. I'll also secretly bring another 200 as support; that should be enough."

Great King thought it over and still wanted to take only half of the Owl Cavalry, leaving the other half in Secluded Prefecture, fearing that something might happen there in the coming months.

Ling Yin wanted to go with him, leaving only Zhu Ti in Secluded Prefecture; the higher-powered Owl Cavalry couldn't all be taken away, so they were left to help Zhu Ti.

The Chancellor and the Grand Tutor couldn't make decisions for Great King, so he pushed Ling Yin forward to speak.

Indeed, that silent great hero, together with Zhu Ti, changed the situation single-handedly on New Year's Eve that year.

After arranging the retinue, Great King thought that was that, but who knew it wasn't; the non-human companions still hadn't been arranged.

Great King meant to bring none; once in Everlasting Peace, if someone took a liking to them, whether they could be brought back would be a matter.

Great King was also very fond of his beloved pets; he thought Weini, Zhetian, and the one-and-only White Marsh in the world were all beloved by everyone, and even more precious.

Everything else was easy to handle; Great King decided to just send them away when the time came, but White Marsh could speak, and they directly asked to come along.

Now its shoulder height already exceeded Great King's huge fluffy creature, sporting a single transcendent horn; Great King walked around it once, and this certainly met the standard of an auspicious omen in Great Jin.

"Taking you to Everlasting Peace, others' covetousness aside, if my father emperor also takes a liking to you, what then?"

White Marsh's appearance now is truly excellent; if it belonged to someone else, Great King would be drooling behind them all day, dreaming of owning one himself. Judging by himself, Great King felt White Marsh was better off not leaving Secluded Prefecture.

"Do you think anyone can get White Marsh? Am I Weini?" Only a virtuous enlightened ruler can have White Marsh's company; this guy here is just a makeshift match, so don't even think about his father.

Great King was annoyed by White Marsh's disdainful little glance, but still refused to take the risk: "……You were detained by my father; can you escape?"

"If he's not afraid of being struck by lightning, let him try."

"……How can I not be so doubtful?"

"I promise you, if we are forced to part, I will return to Secluded Prefecture on my own to wait for you." Having said that, he couldn't help adding: "No one can forcibly keep White Marsh."

Great King was half-believing, half-doubting, and ultimately did not object again; he also knew White Marsh and Weini were different.

All preparations complete; on the first day of the eighth month, the Secluded Prince's retinue departed from Secluded Prefecture amidst the send-off of the entire city's populace, heading south along the imperial road toward Everlasting Peace.

Great King still had the retinue of a vassal prince as before, only the three thousand personal guards were replaced by two hundred Owl Cavalry.

These two hundred all rode Black Wind Horses, having discarded the flashy Owl Cavalry armor; they now wear standard black armor, each tall and solemn, and paired with the Black Wind Horses they also look rather formidable.

One hundred cleared the way ahead, Great King's carriage was in the center, behind it was the baggage train, with a large wagon sideways bearing a White Marsh, then came the carriages of the serving palace personnel, and finally another hundred Owl Cavalry brought up the rear.

Great King early in the morning took Weini and Zhetian to their usual Northern Great Camp, just like any other ordinary day before. Soon Zhetian went off to play on his own, and Weini found a shady spot to lie flat. August was the hottest time; Weini, wearing his fur coat, would stay still if he could.

Great King saw everything was normal, then he himself sneaked off, and also had someone seal the gate of the North Camp.

According to the plan, the time spent within Secluded Prefecture would be shortened, and they should arrive at Everlasting Peace three to five days before the end of the month, ahead of the Prince of Wide Mausoleum's grand wedding.

Great King smoothly left the city, discovered that even Zhetian hadn't come along, and was immensely pleased.

He got off the carriage and ran a bit with Wei Shen on horseback; Meng Meng's work on the imperial road surface—no one knew how it was compacted or what it was paved with—looked flat and solid, and the horse hooves clacked on it, making Great King's run extremely enjoyable.

"With this imperial road, speed to Merged Prefecture and Wing Prefecture is increased without saying it's not bumpy; the fish caught by our treasure ship docking this time can be sold back."

Wei Shen also rated the imperial road highly: "Frankly, how many fish would we need to sell to break even? You're being too generous." This road truly isn't something a small amount could build; the numbers are absolutely staggering.

Great King grinned: "Oh, I've always been generous and rich~" The mention of Great King's tail already perked up.

After thinking, he added his friend Bai Ge's catchphrase: "I'm tall, rich, and handsome~" He's also grown taller lately, and Great King was quite pleased about that.

Upon saying that, he successfully made Wei Shen laugh.

"Wealth aside, what about tall and handsome?"

Great King bared his teeth menacingly: "Not tall? Not good-looking?"

Wei Shen: "Hahahaha..."

Great King: "……Yes, compared to being tall and handsome, wealth is my most trivial merit."

Wei Shen laughed uncontrollably: "Alright then, can this tall rich handsome lend me one hundred thousand taels of silver?"

Great King, upon hearing it, didn't even think and flatly refused him: "No way, because I actually have this."

"Hahahaha!" Wei Shen laughed so hard that the birds in the trees by the road were startled awake!