Chapter 164: This Prince ignites at a touch

You Wang was assassinated one after another along the way, and the number of assassins he spoke of is indeed true—this is absolutely no small matter.

Being able to deploy five hundred assassins is certainly beyond what ordinary resources can achieve. This is definitely aimed at taking You Wang's life; if Ningde Emperor isn't a fool, he should realize how serious this is.

Not long after the court audience dispersed, he summoned the trusted aide of the Tiger Guard, ordering him to personally go to the assassination site outside Chang'an City, and then send people to investigate north along the route the incident in Yi Prefecture.

After finishing the arrangements, Ningde Emperor suddenly called out to Zhou Daban, who was seeing someone off: 'Go, replace the city gate colonel from this morning.'

Obviously Ningde Emperor already knew the general conversation at the city gate this morning, and he minded it greatly.

When the Prince of Jiangxia came, he didn't cause such a fuss; the number of people he brought into the city was no less than You Wang's. My son doesn't have as much face as the emperor's son, right?

Da Wang left the imperial palace; outside, the Honglu Temple Minister had already left, but there were still many people from the Honglu Temple, who feared that this bunch of 'social destabilizing factors' would wander off elsewhere to cause trouble.

As soon as they saw Da Wang come out, they practically swarmed over to escort him to the Honglu Guesthouse for settlement.

Da Wang's energy was exhausted in the palace; he obediently nodded, got into the car, and followed them away. The Eagle Riders need to tidy up; their blood has dried like that, and I don't know if it can be washed out.

The Honglu Guesthouse is located in western Chang'an and covers a considerable area.

Besides foreign envoys, the guests here are all the various princes; Da Wang has no objection to being a guest in Chang'an—you arrange wherever His Highness will stay, anyway they're all a hundred times better than You Wang's residence.

Although called a guesthouse, the Honglu Guesthouse actually has spacious grounds; since it hosts many attendants, it consists of one exquisite little courtyard after another, offering privacy without disturbance.

Da Wang followed behind the Honglu Temple officials and found it remarkable—although he grew up in Chang'an, he had never toured the city before being exiled to You Prefecture, and this was his first visit to the Honglu Guesthouse.

Walking along, the official stopped at the gate of a small courtyard; Da Wang glanced at the modest two-story building inside, which was even more ramshackle than the stables where You Wang kept his horses.

'Your Highness, this is the Xiaoyu Lodge where you are to reside,' he said, about to open the door, but Da Wang objected.

'Wait! I, the Prince, don't like this! How can we possibly fit so many people in such a tiny place? Just now we passed two larger ones—I'll take either of those.'

The leading official pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket, looked at it, and said embarrassedly, 'Your Highness, the assignments have already been made; you've been allotted the Xiaoyu Lodge, this…'

Da Wang crossed his arms and sneered, 'Who gets the larger ones? Are you bullying me again? When we arrived you said we had many people, but when assigning rooms we suddenly had few? Where are all these people supposed to stay? Does the law stipulate that I must reside in the Xiaoyu Lodge?'

'No, no.'

'If there isn't, then change it for me!'

'But…'

'No more buts—have the Honglu Temple Minister come over!' In this Chang'an city, Da Wang decided to push his bully persona to the limit. You look down on You Wang? This Prince ignites at a touch—I'll show you.

Come on, make trouble—let's see what you can do to me!

'Otherwise, go find out how I entered the city gate this morning,' Da Wang said, making an empty-handed motion of drawing a bow; the official's face immediately changed.

All morning, rumors were flying through Chang'an City, and he avoided glancing at Da Wang's personal guards following him the whole way—truly each one more frightening than the last.

Fortunately, the Honglu Temple Minister finally came over; he glared at his subordinate, then spoke calmly to Da Wang, 'Your Highness, please calm down; ahead there's a courtyard slightly larger than the Xiaoyu Lodge—may I take you to have a look?'

'No, earlier we passed two large ones near the main gate; with our retinue, we need one of those.'

'…Your Highness, indeed we had already arranged this earlier, this…'

Da Wang cut off his nonsense, 'Who got those two? I see them empty—didn't we allocate by arrival order? Who are you saving them for?'

The Honglu Temple Minister flipped through the assignment sheet, '…Prince Yu and Marquis Shangwu.'

Da Wang really wanted to flare up this time, thinking that hearing the eldest would make him back down?

'Fine, let's leave it for the elder brother; I respect my elders and love the young. Who is this Marquis Shangwu, anyway? Is he also ranked ahead of me?'

The Honglu Temple Minister began studying the underground stone slabs to prepare his response, when Zhao Bao reminded Da Wang, 'Prince Yu's principal consort, and Marquis Shangwu is of the Wu family.'

Da Wang: 'Oh oh, why is the Wu family staying here too? Elder brother, the Yue family is even more useful than the emperor's own son~'

The Honglu Temple Minister hurriedly interjected, 'Your Highness! Marquis Shangwu isn't a capital official with a residence in Chang'an, and he's come to celebrate the emperor's birthday, so we uniformly arranged him in the Honglu Guesthouse. This time the clerk who made the schedule lacked experience—I'll help you switch it back! Since you arrived early, aside from those already occupied, you may pick whichever you like and stay there.'

Da Wang had come early to attend the second brother's wedding; aside from the Prince of Jiangxia, none of the older generation of princes had arrived yet, so actually most of the Honglu Guesthouse was empty.

Da Wang: 'Hmph! Go ahead and bully me; I'm the most diligent—I can file complaints in the palace every day, and when my father gets annoyed, we'll all die together!'

Honglu Temple Minister: ……

How come not a whisper of this has leaked out? Turns out You Wang is still a good-for-nothing!

In the end, You Wang turned back, chose one of the two large courtyards he had passed earlier, and the Honglu Temple Minister walked away wiping his sweat.

Wei Shen silently gave Da Wang a thumbs-up gesture; Da Wang, arms akimbo arrogantly, said, 'Cousin, do you know what gives me the backbone to refuse to swallow my anger and cause a scene?'

Wei Shen: 'Your father's own son, of course~'

Da Wang shook his head: 'No, I have seven brothers from my father; I'm worthless, sent off by a candy seller. Listen, it's the Wei family that holds the southwest army. As long as I don't shout about wanting to be crown prince and sit on my father's throne, he won't do anything to me—at most he'll show favoritism. You know what to do, right?'

Wei Shen instinctively followed up, asking, 'What should I do?'

'Go tell your maternal grandfather to work hard—he's only in his fifties, the prime age for striving!'

Wei Shen: ……

If I recall correctly, that guy earlier said his father's forties were the prime striving years—just how big does he have to keep striving to get?

The You Prefecture entourage settled in to rest; Da Wang stayed quiet for an afternoon, and the next morning early he heard that Prince Yu's entourage had arrived, along with the Wu family—he didn't pay it any mind, and early that morning he went out to tour Chang'an City.

It was his first time strolling through Chang'an's morning market.

He had grown up in Chang'an until age six, and this was the first time he walked freely on its streets.

Did you think Da Wang would be excited?

'The main thoroughfare of this market is paved with nothing but bluestone slabs—not as good as our You Prefecture… Prices are high too—how come candy figurines cost three wen more than in You Prefecture? … Ah, the passersby aren't enthusiastic either; ask for directions and they roll their eyes! At least the residential houses are better than those in You Prefecture~'

Wei Shen: ……

You really have no sense—land in Chang'an is incredibly valuable; you dislike these common houses, yet they could buy you an entire street of common houses in You Prefecture with a corner to spare.

Although he had stirred up heaven and earth in Chang'an the previous day, few saw Da Wang's face; he strutted along proudly, his scarred small face accompanied by Ling Yin and Wei Shen, enjoying himself immensely.

All along he asked people for recommendations; many said the most famous tavern in Chang'an is Deyue Lou.

Having wandered enough, Da Wang immediately took those two to Deyue Lou; at noon we'll also try Chang'an's top tavern.

Deyue Lou looks splendid with its gold-and-blue exterior—a three-story street-front shop rare in Chang'an City. Da Wang commented: 'It's somewhat interesting, but it still falls far short of Pin Hai Lou.'

Wei Shen: "... keep your voice down, although none of us are afraid, but getting beaten over this kind of thing is embarrassing."

The king instantly puffed up like a pufferfish: "A Shen, you should have been left to eat the big pot meal at the Guest Reception Bureau!"

It had been agreed beforehand that, when out, the king would call Wei Shen his cousin outside. To prevent anyone from recognizing the king and then inferring Wei Shen's identity from how they addressed the cousin.

A Shen:...

Unable to contain his love of excitement, the king chose a window-side hall on the second floor and sat down, saying, "Bring this... young master a few of your signature dishes, your best!"

Upon hearing that, the attendant thought, another outsider who had come by reputation and wasn't short of money.

They didn't even glance at the menu, didn't ask the price, and just told them to bring whatever signature dish.

Seeing there were two adults, the attendant immediately offered to recommend drinks: "Honored guests, would you like some drinks? Our Moon-Obtaining Tower has top-grade You Prefecture white; would you three like a pot to try?"

The king laughed with delight upon hearing it: "Sure, second pot liquor... ah no, it's You Prefecture white, already sold as the top liquor at Everlasting Peace's number one tavern."

"Bring a pot! How much silver does your You Prefecture white sell for here?"

Hearing that tone, the attendant judged them a connoisseur, guessed they'd drunk You Prefecture white before, didn't elaborate much on the liquor, and said straight out: "Thirty-eight taels per pot, genuine, absolutely from You Prefecture after crossing mountains and ridges."

The king:...

The king almost choked.

Alright, even harsher than how I would strike.