Chapter 657: Moon‑landing Counterfeit

Baili Hu praised the New Year's enhanced lighting on Vermilion Bird Avenue to the utmost; he also caught a good time, strolling all the way, dazzled by the sights.

Now he understood why Lao San, instead of holding onto the hard-won imperial city, would travel a thousand li back to the Northern Border for New Year—how could Ever Peace compare to the liveliness here?

When the court announced that the new emperor would return to the Northern Border, he also changed his plans, deciding not to go back to Jing Province for now but to accompany them to You Province to see what it was really like, whether it was truly as impregnable as the ragged newspapers Lao San spread all over the world claimed.

They followed behind the main force out of the city, but to avoid exposing their retinue and hidden guards, the attendants and dark guards opposed him staying too close to the army; in the end they did not take the same route as the main force.

Who would have thought that Baili Jing, leading the main force out of Ever Peace, would lose all trace? Just when he thought Baili Jing had gone mad, leading the officials south to clash with some faction, the army sent word again. That damned Lao San really was cunning—he actually took a detour and seized Runan!

Knowing they were truly heading to You Province this time, they relaxed and walked ahead of the main force—yet no sooner had they entered the Northern Border than he fell ill with the cold. Baili Hu had never been to such a frigid place; after a few days of the fierce north wind he lay down, only able to recuperate for a few days in Between Rivers, and only after the New Year had passed did the party finally reach You Province.

After strolling halfway through Vermilion Bird Avenue in a leisurely glance, he felt the trip was worthwhile.

Although he felt bitterly resentful, he had to admit that You Province City's construction surpassed that of Jing Province City.

Even the townsfolk's spirits differed; he walked on in silence for a while, only able to sourly remark that Xie Yuanzhen really had talent.

While he was feeling sour, seeing more people ahead on the street, he instinctively moved closer, and then he saw… the now-slimmed San Pangzi.

In Ever Peace he had never seen Baili Jing up close, not even face to face, but at this moment he recognized him instantly—this was his family's San Pangzi. Baili Hu called his already-slimmed cheap brother San Pangzi without shame, after all the other side had openly called him Si Pangzi to his face.

The Great King had originally been running wild by the lake with sparklers alongside Wei Heng and Lao Qi, but then realized each of them only had two hands—Wei Shen scorned to join, and a few crates were far too much for the three of them to finish! So that rascal simply had the personal guards move the stuff to Myriad Phenomena City; the two older ones abandoned little Lao Qi and took it to the street to lure even more kids.

Fortunately, his conscience wasn't completely gone—every adult with a child on the street could receive one.

What Baili Hu saw was the Great King and Wei Heng together with a bunch of kids of various sizes playing wildly on the street, each clutching several spark‑spitting sticks and waving them about… a voice in his heart told him, yes, it was still that familiar, simple‑minded San Pangzi.

That such a fool could actually do better than him was a little unsettling.

"……Three years old and already old, San Pangzi will be this stupid his whole life……" Before he could utter more insults, his attendants behind him dragged him away; only after leaving Myriad Phenomena City far behind did he regain his freedom.

Baili Hu was thoroughly dissatisfied, "……What's there to fear? We're so far away he can't hear us."

The attendant dressed as a scholar leaned close to his ear and warned, "Young Master, you have hidden guards beside you, yet… how could there be none beside the Third Prince? We're few in number; penetrating You Province is already dangerous—if we're discovered, you… we'll hardly escape."

Baili Hu thought that made sense, and only muttered quietly to himself, "Would San Pangzi dare to kill me?" Actually he was quite sure Baili Jing wouldn't. Besides, he wouldn't bring so few people deep into Han Longevity.

San Pangzi certainly wouldn't kill him.

Around the Great King there were many more hidden guards than around Baili Hu; he was skilled and bold, unafraid, but whether it was Xie Yuan or Zhao Bao, they couldn't stand this stimulation—when the Great King went out, the number of hidden attendants was several times that of the visible ones.

Originally no one paid attention to Baili Hu's party, but now there are far too many people outside You Province City—saying it's a mixed bag of fish and dragons is no exaggeration. However, Baili Hu's cry of "San Pangzi" was heard by one of the personal guards; coincidentally, this guard was a close attendant of the Great King, often in and out of his presence, and had heard the Great King call him "Prince of Jing Si Pangzi."

He at the time carefully observed Baili Hu with his peripheral vision; once their backs receded, he immediately exchanged glances with those nearby and followed them.

After the Great King had his fill of fireworks on the street and returned to the Purple Forbidden Palace, this news startled him.

"You mean someone suspected to be the Prince of Jing appeared on Vermilion Bird Avenue?"

"Yes. A scout from the Owl Cavalry who went out today noticed him and followed up to investigate. Outwardly they had five people, entering the city using the identity of a minor clan from the Expansive Han Commandery."

The Great King sprang to his feet, "Excellent!"

He paced twice around the room, wondering, "How could he leave Jing Province and come to our You Province? Has something happened in Jing Province?"

Ling Yin shook his head, "They say he looks normal, and aside from a middle‑aged person accompanying him, the other three are all experts."

The Great King thought it over and laughed.

"Coming to You Province is great! Is our You Province a place where he can come and go as he pleases?! Since he's come, he shouldn't leave."

The Great King instantly made up his mind, finally recalling the problem he had previously overlooked: "Has anyone in the Owl Cavalry seen Baili Hu before? How did they recognize him at a glance on the street?"

Ling Yin hesitated a second, then spilled the beans: "He said he heard a child shouting 'San Pangzi' in the direction of the lord..."

The Great King, just having sat down, seemed to feel a prick on the chair and jumped up: "Outrageous! Si Pangzi dares to spread rumors about me with just a ball?!"

Ling Yin remained unmoved, continuing in his previous tone: "They followed up and discovered that the suspected Prince of Jing's eyes somewhat resembled the lord's, which aroused suspicion..."

The Great King came back and slammed the table, "I am a handsome, elegant gentleman—does Si Pangzi even deserve to resemble me?!"

"They're staying in the most expensive inn under Chief Manager Zhu's charge; the shop attendant who has dealt with caravans said their retinue speaks with a Jing-Chu accent, not from the Expansive Han."

The Great King couldn't hear, already pulling out a mirror to begin checking himself.

"……Call that poorly‑eyed personal guard over; I'll have a talk with him. The Wei family's best‑looking Wei Ke looks just like me—we're on par—and Si Pangzi this is nothing but moon‑landing counterfeiting!"

Ling Yin: …