Kays Translations

Chapter 165: RV? Mobile Palace!

Seeing the Crown Prince’s eyes filled with joy, as if he were a drowning man seeing a floating log, Yuan Zhao’s heart stirred. He realized that there must have been a significant change in the Imperial Capital recently, something he was unaware of. Otherwise, Li Xian would not have left the Imperial Tomb, and the Crown Prince would not be acting like this.

But Yuan Zhao was a smart man. Without blinking, he said, “Your Highness, I just missed you a bit, and I missed the Imperial Capital. I wanted to come back and take a look. Does Your Highness need my assistance?”

“Come back and take a look, huh, that sounds good.” Although the Crown Prince was slightly disappointed when he heard this, his words were filled with sincerity. “A lot has happened in the Imperial Capital these days. Anyang suddenly defeated Zhongshan County and used a type of war machine that flies very fast and high.

Zhongshan County has been abolished and merged into Anyang County. Now, Anyang County no longer has a county under its jurisdiction.

Also, I am now the Prefect of Lüliang County.”

Yuan Zhao immediately responded with “joy,” “That’s great! From now on, Your Highness is always welcome to visit Dongyuan County. I’ll take my leave now, as I must pay my respects to His Majesty.”

How could the Crown Prince let Yuan Zhao go so easily? “Yuan Zhao, I actually need your help now. Why don’t you first pay your respects to His Majesty? I’ll be waiting here.”

Since the Crown Prince had lowered himself and was specifically waiting, Yuan Zhao could not refuse. After a hasty audience with the Emperor, he did not meet with Li Yulong, Kong Xiang, or anyone else, and returned to the city gate. After meeting up with the Crown Prince, they left Wuyang City together.

Once they had left the city, the Crown Prince explained the situation in detail and then furrowed his brow slightly, “Yuan Zhao, now that we want to head to Lüliang County, we have two options: we can either go straight through Anyang County, or we can bypass Nanyang County and go south.

What do you think we should do?”

Yuan Zhao immediately displayed his wisdom, “Your Highness, you are on an official mission and you are the Crown Prince. How can you consider taking a detour? We should go straight ahead, and we must take our time. We need to make sure that everyone knows the majesty of the Crown Prince. At that time, Anyang will surely give us a warm reception.”

“Right!” Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince’s eyes immediately lit up. “Yuan Zhao, Lüliang County is in dire need of reconstruction. Are you interested in going to Lüliang County and trying your skills?”

“That sounds great!” Yuan Zhao responded almost without hesitation. The Crown Prince was clearly opening the door to invite thieves!

Beside them, Yue Qingfeng frowned slightly but could only sigh. There was no one else to rely on! Before meeting Yuan Zhao, the Crown Prince, Xia Shu, and his uncle, Yue Qingfeng, had discussed for a long time which route to take.

Anyang, however, was the Crown Prince’s sore spot. He had been badly tricked by Anyang, and his anger and resentment still could not be vented. As for the Kong family and Nanyang County, Kong Xiang was a master at “burning bridges after crossing the river.” The first thing Kong Xiang did after taking power was to kick the Crown Prince’s influence aside.

Thus, the Crown Prince had been troubled for several days about which route to take.

But after Yuan Zhao’s analysis, the Crown Prince realized—what we need to consider is not which route to take, but to go to our assignment “openly and with dignity!”

Unfortunately, neither Yuan Zhao, the Crown Prince, nor Yue Qingfeng could have imagined that Anyang now had a poison master. If Li Xian had followed Li Yuanming’s suggestion at that moment, the result would have been: as soon as the Crown Prince entered Anyang, he would have been detained, and then they would have arranged for a marriage or something similar, creating a version of the “Happy Beyond the Border” scene from the Immortal Realm, while also ruining the Crown Prince’s reputation and dignity.

Fortunately, Li Xian did not follow Li Yuanming’s first suggestion. No, he did not follow Li Yuanming’s first suggestion but instead adopted his second one—emptying Lüliang County! This was already in full swing!

With the route decided, the Crown Prince began to march toward Anyang with great fanfare, walking slowly, arriving at the boundary of Anyang in the afternoon of the second day. By this time, news of the Crown Prince’s arrival had reached Li Xian, Xu Ren, Xia Qingqing, Yan Ze’an, and others.

Naturally, it also reached the ears of Li Yuanming and Zhao Youdan, who were eagerly digging up the walls—after all, Li Xian was using a flying war machine to transmit the news.

After receiving the news, Li Yuanming said to Zhao Youdan, “Anyang should be able to delay the Crown Prince for about half a month. We need to take advantage of these few days to move the people. By using the news of the Crown Prince’s arrival and announcing some of his scandals, we can create a tense atmosphere and scare the remaining citizens into leaving quickly.”

Zhao Youdan immediately nodded, “I understand.”

That very day, rumors began to spread from the administrative center of Lüliang County and the South Liang Prefecture. The most influential one was: His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, is infatuated with beauty and has set his sights on acquiring three thousand beauties and one hundred thousand concubines. Therefore, the South Liang Prefecture has already started expanding. It is worth noting that Zhao Youdan did indeed recruit people to expand the city lord’s mansion, and in an extraordinarily luxurious manner!

It goes without saying that this strategy was naturally devised by Li Yuanming. Once this strategy was set in motion, the remaining citizens of Lüliang County became anxious. By evening, representatives began proactively contacting Zhao Youdan—”Sir, we long for the life in Anyang, let’s depart now!”

Meanwhile, regarding the Crown Prince’s group.

When the Crown Prince reached the border, Yan Ze’an, the current civil official in Anyang, had been waiting for a long time.
Yuan Zhao did not wait for the Crown Prince to speak but instead took the initiative to approach and said, “Your Highness, the journey must have been tiring. Please let Lord Yan arrange accommodation, and we can discuss matters tomorrow.”

Yan Ze’an glanced at Yuan Zhao in a calm manner, without offering any pleasantries. After briefly greeting the Crown Prince, he had his subordinates make the arrangements.

The Crown Prince then swaggered into the residence, exuding an aura of majesty and authority. The next day, the Crown Prince continued his leisurely journey forward, with flags flying high and a gentle breeze. He spent another entire day before finally arriving at Ding Mountain City, the former administrative center of Zhongshan County, and now the deputy capital of Anyang.

Then things got interesting. The Crown Prince moved slowly, and Yan Ze’an remained calm and unhurried. Yan Ze’an strictly adhered to the most elaborate ancient customs, making everything appear very ceremonious. After a day of these preparations, another day passed. The Crown Prince was quite pleased—It seems that Anyang still has people who understand the situation.

Only Yuan Zhao’s eyes flickered, feeling something was off.

On the third day, Yan Ze’an provided an explanation. Princess Xia Qingqing had invited Crown Prince Xia Shu to visit (the old) Anyang as a guest. She had even sent a welcoming party according to the highest etiquette. The welcoming party was moving slowly and would take two days to arrive.

Xia Qingqing’s invitation to Xia Shu was somewhat unusual, but it was understandable. The fact that she had also dispatched a grand welcoming party made the Crown Prince overjoyed—Yuan Zhao had indeed been right. Not only did Anyang not dare to act against them, but they were also going all out in their hospitality.

Only Yuan Zhao, however, was growing more suspicious—The hospitality was fine, but was it a bit too much?

But after entering Anyang, the Crown Prince found himself unable to resist. They had to wait until the sixth day; by noon on the sixth day, the Crown Prince finally boarded a motorized vehicle! It was a large, cumbersome, yet luxurious vehicle. It was four times the size of an ordinary vehicle, complete with guards and a kitchen. Needless to say, this was the so-called RV, but it was incredibly luxurious and moved at a very slow pace—about eight kilometers per hour, similar to the walking speed of young adults.

The Crown Prince took one look at this RV and was immediately taken by it. The large transparent glass windows, the carved sandalwood body, the imitation palace design, the dozens of colorful lights in various sizes and styles, and the countless colorful fabrics made it look like a heavenly palace.

This was not an RV; it was a small mobile palace.

After the RV arrived, the guards were replaced with the Crown Prince’s personal guards, and his staff oversaw the kitchen. Half a day later, the convoy slowly headed north. With passengers aboard, the RV moved even more slowly. Along the way, people frequently gathered to watch, and occasionally, the Crown Prince would proudly step out to meet them.

Thus, it wasn’t until after sunset on the ninth day that they finally arrived at Anyang Prefecture.

The streets of Anyang Prefecture were especially beautiful and lively at night. The streets were lit up brilliantly, and the crowds were thick. There were street vendors with carts, some carrying shoulder poles, and of course, there were also street stalls.

The Crown Prince, seeing such a bustling scene for the first time, was completely enchanted.

Not just the Crown Prince, but even Yuan Zhao, who had come to Anyang for the first time, was stunned. Unlike the Crown Prince’s fascination, Yuan Zhao saw a vibrant vitality.

On the streets, one could often spot groups of officers patrolling; however, the people of Anyang were not afraid of them. In fact, they would offer them fruits and other treats.

There were also many children running and playing in the streets at night.

Upon entering Anyang City, everyone noticed a magnificent building that looked like a crystal palace. If the City Lord’s mansion was somewhat old and stately, this building was full of life, with many cute drawings on the walls.

“That’s the school!” an Anyang resident said, looking at Yuan Zhao as though he were a primitive.

Xu Ren came out to receive the Crown Prince and his party. Since it was late, they decided to rest for the night, and everything else would be addressed tomorrow.

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