Chapter 189: No Ifs

After the celebration, the Great King couldn't stay in Eternal Peace any longer; he was anxious to go to Prosperous Prefecture. The delay was too long, and he feared encountering heavy snow blocking the road on his return.

But none of the feudal princes had left, not even the foreign envoys had moved, yet he was eager to depart, which didn't seem appropriate.

He seemed extremely impatient.

Since they had come, the Great King decided to wait two more days, ordering someone to constantly monitor the movements of everyone at the Office of Foreign Envoys.

As a result of this attention, he successfully made himself angry.

The foreign envoys came to the capital to celebrate the birthday, naturally not arriving empty-handed; they all brought congratulatory gifts. Exchanging gifts is normal, but the Ningde Emperor's return gift was excessive, far surpassing the shoddy items they had sent.

The Great King calling those few items sent from the grasslands "junk" is not an exaggeration; even sending hundreds of animal hides is shameless, while his father still dreams of the Celestial Dynasty, continuing to suffer for face, and even rewarded them with gold, silver, and jewels. Isn't this aiding the enemy in special times?

The grassland tribes are truly shameless, turning waste into treasure and making huge profits!

The Great King, puffing with anger, said, "Why don't I see my father emperor giving the son a return gift? He just likes to play the sucker outside."

Zhao Ba: "... Your Highness, please keep your voice down."

The Great King, fed up, said, "Forget it, get everything ready; we'll depart in three days."

The Great King first said goodbye to the Second Brother, promising to send him the three horses he had bought and the one additionally given to him, to be delivered to his fief in Wide Mausoleum. Then he had a meal with the newly acquainted frivolous group at the Second Brother's place; they also bought quite a few of his Black Wind Horses, and the Great King was very thorough.

Before leaving, he again asked Liang Ben, "When will this prince be able to see you in Secluded Prefecture?"

This frightened Liang Ben, who said, "Don't curse me, I've been good to you! For the past two years, my father hasn't called me back, so don't bring it up—who wants to go to Secluded Prefecture to blow in the cold wind?"

The Great King said, "Just wait; when you eventually go to Secluded Prefecture, you'll surely be astonished—our development is great, hum!"

Liang Ben coaxed him, "Haha, okay, okay, I'll await the day you astonish me; be careful on the road, Your Highness."

After the Great King left, Liang Ben told Baili Heng that this kid was quite interesting, seeming to be the best among your group of brothers, and that the Fourth Brother was no saint either.

Baili Heng snorted and didn't reply; the Baili family had no saints, it was just the Third Brother… pursuing something different from them.

The Great King took a day to shop in Eternal Peace, with many of those tailing him being serious; seeing this You Prince begin to seriously browse the various shops in Eternal Peace.

Other feudal princes wouldn't even glance at such cheap trinkets, but the You Prince bought them with relish.

Aren't all these objects handicrafts nowadays? The Great King picked materials that were decent, buying each well-made item. Whether for use, play, or display, the Great King accepted everything.

In the end, those who paid attention to him had a new concept of just how poor Secluded Prefecture was: it was unimaginably poor.

Because the You Prince, a proper feudal prince, even buys paper kites from general stores and embroidery from cloth shops! Does Secluded Prefecture lack artisans or embroideresses?

The Great King would say they exist, but they lack the refinement found in the big shops of Eternal Peace.

Eternal Peace had a new rumor; all rumors eventually become more exaggerated.

Soon Secluded Prefecture began to drift away from civilization, eating raw meat and drinking blood, after all the You Prince even brings trivial worthless trinkets from Eternal Peace.

The people of Rising Peace Firm, looking at their increasingly snow-white and refined pickle jars, fell into thought: …Is this really about their Secluded Prefecture?

I heard the Great King's porcelain kiln technology is mature enough that their shop will soon start selling porcelain—how backward is that? Do you have white porcelain? Don't you still eat from earthenware and black porcelain bowls in Eternal Peace? How did you suddenly start pulling rank?

The Great King hides his merit and fame—ha! You mortals have no idea how well ancient handicrafts sell across the myriad realms!

On the last day in Eternal Peace, the Great King entered the palace to bid farewell to his father.

This guy squatted at the left and right of Containing Elegance Palace; his father didn't return, so he grabbed a eunuch to ask, and found out the scoundrel had gone to Bright Propriety Palace.

The Great King again wanted to blurt out rebellious complaints about his father, but Zhao Ba, having foresight, coughed twice, and the Great King swallowed his harsh words.

Waiting idly was both boring and hot, and the Great King grew increasingly annoyed.

What to do when a child is annoyed? One must find something to do.

When the Ningde Emperor returned, from afar he saw the rebellious son squatting outside the main hall of Containing Elegance Palace, leaning against a pillar, not knowing what he was busy doing with his butt stuck out.

He didn't have the palace staff report it; he went over himself, curiously lowering his head to observe, and discovered the rebellious son using a glass shard to reflect the main hall's pillars—what was he doing?

To be frank, the Ningde Emperor didn't understand.

"What are you doing?" he glared at Zhao Ba, who wanted to speak, and asked as calmly as possible.

The Great King, busy without raising his head, said, "Roasting wood! I'm roasting this pillar for my father!"

Zhao Ba: ……

The Ningde Emperor kicked the Great King's butt; the Great King, reacting, fell with a cry, "Ouch—just back and already hitting his son?"

These days, the Ningde Emperor truly gained a new understanding of this son full of tricks, wondering, "If I return later, will Containing Elegance Palace have burned down?"

The Great King said, "Father Emperor~ look at you, just joking. This pillar coated with so much lacquer can't be roasted in a day! The son, bored from waiting, also needs to find something to play with."

The Ningde Emperor, unsmiling, said, "Still blaming me for lacquering this pillar too much! What do you come to see me for?"

Upon hearing this, the Great King teared up instantly.

"The son is here to see me off. Secluded Prefecture needs the autumn harvest; whether we can survive this winter depends on the harvest, so the son must return to hold the fort."

Seeing him cry, the Ningde Emperor also felt a twinge of pity. This son had lost considerable weight over two years, no longer the chubby little prince of his fief; after slimming, his eyes looked larger, and when he cried he looked pitiful.

"Just go back, why cry?"

"The son can't help it~"

"The Fourth Brother is younger than you; he doesn't have your temperament."

"Listen, he's still pulling rank on him at this time."

"He's cold-hearted, I just can't bear to part from the father emperor. Once this son leaves, I don't know when I'll see the father emperor again, and the son feels distressed. Normally the son himself in Secluded Prefecture never cries." The Great King also didn't forget to throw in a jab back.

"Next time I want to invite you back for the Longevity Festival. You Prince, return and govern your fief well; you're not young anymore, you must learn to uphold the affairs of a state."

"Okay."

The Great King never expected that this would be his final meeting with the Ningde Emperor.

If he had known…… he would surely have bid a proper farewell to that partial father.

Unfortunately, there are no ifs in this world.