Chapter 169: The World Changes Rapidly

Great King, upon seeing Baili Heng, immediately showed him the jade pendant on his waist and went straight to the point: "Second brother, this is the jade pendant Father Emperor gave me to calm my shock. As my dearest older brother, where is yours?" Great King blinked hard, pretending he was still young.

Baili Heng once again updated his impression of the Great King: "So spending silver to fish you out doesn't count, and I also have to add a shock‑calming gift?"

The Great King almost jumped up upon hearing this: "You dare bring it up? What am I to you, exactly? You only brought twenty taels to fish me out? Just twenty taels!"

Baili Heng: "Hahaha……"

Liang Ben: "…Pfft! Sorry, hahaha, my mistake, my mistake, hahaha……"

Li Chang, sitting beside him with a puzzled look: …One day apart, what happened?

Only after Baili Heng took off his own jade pendant and gave it to him was the matter settled, allowing the You King's welcoming banquet to proceed normally.

The few people present today were all friends Baili Heng hangs out with; it wasn't a formal banquet, just a long table where they sat together to eat a meal.

Baili Heng introduced the people at the banquet one by one to the Great King: his two maternal uncles, several playboys from the capital, and finally Liang Ben, the second son of the Dongdu Marquis.

Upon hearing Liang Ben's name, the Great King said, "You're the second son of the Liang family, right? I went hunting with your father and brothers and won a dagger from the Dongdu Marquis—I liked it a lot." Those daggers sold for a high price at the spring auction, and the Great King's new weapons all owed a debt to that dagger.

Liang Ben was astonished: "What? Who did you beat in the hunt? My older brother or Ge Zhong?"

The Great King swept his hand across the table, gesturing the range, and said, "All of them!"

Liang Ben couldn't believe it: "I don't believe it. Even without my brother saying so, you could beat Ge Zhong in a hunt?"

"I have a secret weapon," the Great King said. "I have an eagle that's the strongest under heaven; it helped me hunt down a big beast, and that's how I won."

Zhetian came along too, impossible to hide. This morning it didn't go out either, because it saw Bai Ze hadn't moved; it firmly believed Bai Ze had betrayed the organization, and whenever the Great King alone took it out, it suspected Mao Ni of trying to lure it away, so it kept a close watch on Bai Ze—if Bai Ze didn't go out, neither did it.

Everyone at the table was interested, hearing that they had brought Chang'an, and were making plans to organize a hunt later.

"My second older brother's wedding is in three days; is there still time for a hunt?"

"Then we'll wait until after his wedding, between that and the Emperor's birthday—there's still time; we'll go out for a ride to test your secret weapon."

"Who's afraid of whom? Let's just try it!"

A group had agreed on the hunt, ate a lively meal, and then dispersed.

The Great King fears no setting; as long as he wants to, he can get along with anyone. He isn't even afraid of his own father, let alone such occasions, making sure host and guest enjoy themselves fully.

Speaking of the Honglu Temple, when the Yu King's entourage arrived they discovered they had to stay apart, the Wu family was assigned to a distant garden, and the Yu King's consort immediately became unhappy.

"Your Highness, didn't you say you'd given notice? Are we supposed to live next to Mother? Or are you just trying to appease me?"

"Why would I appease you? I really did give notice—who knows how the Honglu Temple operates!" The Yu King was unhappy; upon arriving in the capital he already knew roughly what had happened yesterday, and his face was drawn long.

After changing clothes, he hurried to the palace to pay his respects to Emperor Ningde; from afar outside Changzhang Palace he saw someone kneeling on the steps.

Upon approaching, he discovered it was none other than Qian Shao Fu.

Qian Shao Fu had been among the Nine Ministers for many years—what crime had he committed? Logically the emperor shouldn't treat an old minister like this. The Yu King racked his brains but couldn't figure out why.

When Zhou Da Ban came out to meet him, the Yu King hurriedly asked.

Zhou Da Ban lowered his head and quickly whispered, "I've offended the You King."

The Yu King could hardly believe his ears: "You offended that little brat?"

In the Great King's words, the world is truly fantastical.