The next morning, when Xiao Lou went to the bathroom to wash up, she looked at herself in the mirror and was almost embarrassed to open her eyes.
Covered in hickeys, Yu Hanjiang's way of stamping them was rather unreasonable.
He reluctantly put on the turtleneck shirt, buttoning it all the way up to the top to make sure there were no visible marks, before turning and heading to the restaurant.
Yu Hanjiang had already put on his military uniform and accepted the breakfast brought by the chef, then took it to his room to eat with Xiao Lou.
My birthday party is the day after tomorrow.
Xiao Lou asked, "Could we get a list of guests attending the birthday party?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "I'll go to the Protocol Department later. The guests for the banquet were arranged by His Majesty's orders, and the guards also have a detailed list. The banquet will be held in the palace, and tomorrow people will be released according to the invitations."
Xiao Lou nodded: "I'll go with you."
After the meal, the two went to the concierge department and obtained a detailed guest list for the banquet.
His Highness's birthday banquet was a grand affair, with numerous participants from the business, political, and military sectors. All officers of the rank of Major General and above stationed at Capital Star were present, including Lu Jiuchuan, who had just returned from his mission. Also in attendance were heads of departments such as the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health, as well as important members of parliament…
In name, this was a family banquet held by His Majesty to celebrate the prince's birthday. No reporters were invited, and the guests were to chat and reminisce in private. It was impossible to reminisce freely on such an occasion. Celebrating the birthday was secondary; the most important purpose of the birthday banquet was to introduce the prince to officials from all walks of life.
The list of attendees was long, and Yu Hanjiang's gaze swept quickly across it before suddenly settling on one name.
Xiao Lou clearly noticed the name as well: " Shao Qingge? He's here for the banquet too?"
Yu Hanjiang said, " CEO Shao is the vice chairman of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce Alliance, so it's normal for him to receive an invitation. Knowing that you are a prince, he will definitely bring Ye Qi along. Ye Qi is his... son, so it's convenient for him to bring his son."
Xiao Lou laughed and said, "Xiao Ye definitely doesn't want to call him Dad."
Yu Hanjiang was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Your father sent that clone to the birthday banquet. I don't know what he was thinking? If he really wanted to pass the throne to a prince, this opportunity should have been given to you. After all, the people attending the birthday banquet are all important officials from all walks of life, and you need to get to know them."
Ever since seeing the long list, Xiao Lou had felt a vague unease: "Could it be that Father received advance notice and was worried that someone would assassinate a prince at the banquet, so he sent Clone in my place?"
Yu Hanjiang pondered for a moment: "That's possible. By the way, do you still remember that serious illness you had when you were a child? What exactly happened?"
Xiao Lou thought about it carefully, but the thought of it gave him a headache.
He pressed hard on his temples, as if something was about to burst out of his mind but was forcibly blocked. A sharp pain shot through his head, as if countless nerves had been forcibly torn apart. His temples throbbed, and a large amount of cold sweat poured down his forehead.
Yu Hanjiang immediately gripped his hand tightly, gently stroking his back with her other hand: "Alright, stop thinking about it..."
Xiao Lou, pale-faced, said, "I can't remember at all."
Yu Hanjiang handed him a glass of water and said in a low voice, "Have some water and calm down."
Xiao Lou took a deep breath, took the water Yu Hanjiang handed him, and drank a few sips before calming down. It felt as if a saw had suddenly appeared in his mind, cutting through his nerves; the pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
Yu Hanjiang said worriedly, "You're like Ninth Brother when he thinks about special missions—headaches, as if you've selectively lost a piece of memory. It seems this illness isn't simple. Your father said that you weren't sick when you were young, but were assassinated... How credible do you think his words are?"
The headache gradually subsided, and his mind cleared considerably. Xiao Lou thought for a moment and said, "Selective amnesia, cloning, special missions—there must be a connection between these. Could the mission that Ninth Brother went on be related to cloning? Perhaps someone is secretly carrying out a ' cloning -like project,' trying to manipulate cloning to notify the federal government?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "If that's the case... then you, the prince, are their first target to eliminate."
If Xiao Lou dies, then the cloned Xiao Lou can secretly replace him, become the crown prince, inherit the throne, and rule the Luoke Empire.
All we need to do is silence everyone who knows about this...
Yu Hanjiang recalled the replica of Xiao Lou he had seen in His Majesty's palace that day. The replica looked exactly like Xiao Lou, with a warm and friendly smile and an elegant demeanor. If Yu Hanjiang hadn't disliked the replica of Xiao Lou and viewed him with prejudice… objectively speaking, he did indeed resemble Xiao Lou by nine points.
However, he was exceptionally obedient in front of His Majesty, like a well-behaved pet.
But who can be sure that a pet won't bite someone in return?
**
That night, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou sneaked into the royal archives where documents were stored and searched the room.
There are no records of Xiao Lou's serious illness in his childhood, nor are there any records of cloning. If His Majesty hadn't allowed Yu Hanjiang to see Xiao Lou's clone with his own eyes that day, the people in the palace wouldn't even know that there were actually two princes.
Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci also faced similar difficulties. That night, Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci put on Invisibility Cloaks and sneaked into the military building to search for classified military documents and orders issued in the past year, but they couldn't find any information related to the "secret mission" at all, as if they had really been dreaming.
The following morning, Yu Hanjiang and Lu Jiuchuan exchanged information.
Lu Jiuchuan thought Xiao Lou's speculation made sense. He said, "The mission we're going to carry out may involve the core secrets of the Imperial Military. Perhaps there's a clone base in the distant Hilt No Mans Land. The fact that Tang Ci, Arrow Legion, and several other high-ranking officers all have amnesia is definitely deliberate."
Xiao Lou said thoughtfully, "Selective memory erasure... Could it be that Ninth Brother and Mr. Tang, you once underwent advanced hypnosis?"
Lu Jiuchuan was stunned: "Hypnosis?"
Xiao Lou said, "There is a deep hypnosis therapy that can make people selectively forget some painful experiences, which is also a common method for treating post-traumatic stress disorder. In today's interstellar age, with such advanced technology, humans can even clone replicas... Deep hypnosis, which can make people forget a particular memory, should not be difficult to achieve."
Lu Jiuzhou rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on: "If it's hypnosis, then you'll remember eventually, right? This part of the memory isn't deleted, it's just that you've temporarily fallen into a deep sleep, is that what you mean?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Yes. Usually, to retrieve memories forgotten through hypnosis, a certain situational stimulus is needed. So, Ninth Brother, your previous suggestion was not wrong. Perhaps you really need to go back to Hilt No Mans Land. Maybe you can remember what happened there in a familiar environment."
Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci exchanged a glance, and the latter said, "After this birthday, Ninth Brother and I will try to find a way to retrieve that memory. Right now, the most important thing is His Highness's birthday banquet."
Yu Hanjiang said, "By the way, I have some good news. Shao Qingge and Ye Qi will also be attending the birthday party. They have both bug king cards. When the time comes, Ninth Brother, you should contact CEO Shao and find some time to heal Mr. Tang's leg first."
Lu Jiuchuan was overjoyed: "That's wonderful!"
Another day passed peacefully, and no one gained anything new. The clues were still not clear enough, and all the conclusions were just their speculations.
The next day was His Highness the Prince's birthday banquet.
Xiao Lou put on the Royal Guard's white uniform again, ate something casually for dinner to fill his stomach, and then followed Yu Hanjiang out of the palace.
Yu Hanjiang found a secluded corner, used the thumb card to shrink Xiao Lou again, and stuffed it into his pocket.
His Majesty ordered him to stay at Gemini Palace to protect Xiao Lou, so Yu Hanjiang couldn't make a public appearance at the birthday banquet. He borrowed Lu Jiuchuan's mask card, replaced it with the face of a soldier named "Abner" who was on duty that night, took Xiao Lou back to the palace, knocked the soldier unconscious, tied him up in a room, and then came to the banquet in his place.
The banquet was held at the Palace of White Dew, a palace used by the imperial family to entertain distinguished guests. Royal Guard soldiers stood in neat rows outside the palace to protect the safety of the attendees.
Yu Hanjiang was fully aware of the guard team's arrangements. He calmly walked over, found his position, and stood in line.
The banquet will officially begin at 7 p.m.
Around 6 PM, guests began to enter the palace in twos and threes after passing through multiple security checks. Lu Jiuchuan's gun was also removed by the guards at the palace gate. To ensure the safety of the banquet, all guests were prohibited from carrying any weapons tonight.
Not long after, Shao Qingge and Ye Qi also came in.
Ye Qi, dressed in the uniform of Ninth Military Academy, looked very smart. He followed Shao Qingge with a bouncy gait, asking as he walked, "Dad, has His Highness the Prince arrived?"
Xiao Lou: "..."
Xiao Ye calls him "Dad" so naturally!
Shao Qingge said with a smile, "He's the main character tonight, so he'll definitely be making a surprise appearance. Let's go in first."
Yu Hanjiang had changed his face, and Xiao Lou was hiding in Yu Hanjiang's pocket. Therefore, when Shao Qingge and Ye Qi passed by the two of them, they did not stop and obviously did not recognize them.
Long Sen is His Majesty's bodyguard and will definitely appear with His Majesty.
I wonder if Qu Wanyue has come in yet?
Just then, Yu Hanjiang noticed with his sharp eyes that a tree not far away swayed slightly, as if a gust of wind had blown by, but the other trees around it did not move.
—It's Qu Wanyue. She infiltrated the palace using the Chameleon Card and has already blended into the environment.
Yu Hanjiang used Telepathic Connection to tell Xiao Lou, " Qu Wanyue is over there."
"I saw him." Xiao Lou paused, then suddenly asked, "Will I be able to see that person soon?"
"Yes. You need to be mentally prepared to have someone who looks exactly like you."
"I'm quite curious, just how similar is he to me?"
The next moment, Xiao Lou was speechless.
Through the gap in Yu Hanjiang's pocket, he saw a person surrounded by a guard heading towards...
She walked gracefully over here.
The man was dressed in an exquisite and luxurious white royal suit, with a slight smile in his eyes. He was elegant and tall, and every gesture he made exuded the grace and composure of royalty.
The key point is that his face, figure, and even smile are exactly the same as Xiao Lou's.
In a daze, Xiao Lou thought he saw another version of himself stepping out of the mirror.