Chapter 172: Reassessing the Strength of the Chu State
As the palace banquet concluded, it was already nearing Hai Shi （9-11 PM）.
As wave after wave of people exited the palace gates and boarded their carriages to depart, in the shadows, individuals arranged by the Zhao Kingdom Heir Apparent discreetly followed several suspicious carriages.
These carriages had emerged directly from within the palace gates, making it impossible to discern the identities of those seated inside. All they could do was follow.
Their objective for this evening was twofold: first, to ascertain the location where the Zhao Kingdom Princess was being held; second, to determine the whereabouts of that Master Shen.
However, not long after the individuals dispatched by the Zhao Kingdom Heir Apparent began their pursuit, a line of men clad in black appeared before them, obstructing their path without uttering a word.
The tracking attempt failed!
~
Prime Minister Liang’s Residence
Prime Minister Liang had similarly dispatched individuals to discreetly investigate the whereabouts of both the Zhao Kingdom Princess and Master Shen. However, they too encountered the obstruction of men in black.
Upon hearing the report from his secret guard, Prime Minister Liang furrowed his brow: “When you returned, were you followed by anyone?”
“Rest assured, Your Excellency, I have repeatedly confirmed that no one was following me.”
Prime Minister Liang felt even more uneasy upon hearing this. How could there be no one following?
Under normal circumstances, they should have been counter-tracked.
The fact that the other party had not sent anyone to counter-track led him to consider two possibilities. The first was that the opponent’s martial arts skills were exceptionally high, rendering them undetectable by his own men. This possibility was less likely, considering that Liang Bing was the most skilled secret guard at his disposal, capable of challenging those ranked within the top ten on the Four Kingdoms’ martial arts ranking list.
The second possibility was that the opponent knew who had sent the individuals tracking him!
Therefore, there was no need for counter-tracking!
A chill ran down Prime Minister Liang’s spine as this thought crossed his mind: “When you returned, did you specifically make a trip to Welcome Inn?”
“Rest assured, Your Excellency, I always make a trip to Welcome Inn and revert to my original appearance before returning.”
Only then did Prime Minister Liang feel slightly relieved.
“How were the martial arts skills of those men in black? Did you engage in any combat? Did you notice their weapons or anything that could reveal their identities?”
If Master Shen was indeed from the Jin Kingdom, there should be some distinctions between the martial arts techniques of the Jin and Chu states.
“No,” Liang Bing shook his head.
However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the person who had stopped him from tracking Master Shen was the same individual who had previously intercepted him while he was tracking the Crown Prince’s male favorite.
Nevertheless, the auras of secret guards and assassins were generally quite similar.
He wasn’t entirely certain, so he refrained from mentioning it.
Prime Minister Liang nodded and then waved his hand dismissively: “There’s no need to follow those two individuals any further, lest we be discovered.”
He might as well let the Zhao Kingdom Heir Apparent figure things out on his own.
“Yes, sir!” The man acknowledged the order and retreated.
After the man had left, Prime Minister Liang approached the window, his brow furrowed in contemplation: He was certain that those men in black were either members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or individuals under Chu Tiankuo’s command.
What worried him was the possibility of them being from the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
Chu Yuehou, despite Prime Minister Liang’s control over a significant portion of the imperial court, had managed to rise to prominence within a mere few years, instilling a sense of apprehension in all the civil and military officials. He was truly a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, his greatest strengths lay in gathering intelligence and accumulating evidence!
It was highly probable that the Emperor had dispatched members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to protect that Master Shen.
If the Emperor were to discover that he had sent people to track Master Shen, it would be troublesome.
However, was that Master Shen truly from the Jin Kingdom, as the Zhao Kingdom Heir Apparent had claimed?
Had the Eldest Prince truly colluded with the Jin Kingdom?
He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was an inexplicable and ambiguous relationship between the Eldest Prince and that Master Shen.
Wasn’t the Eldest Prince known for his preference for men?
Hadn’t he kept a male favorite at Star Garden?
✿✿✿
Prime Minister Liang recalled how he had been preparing to exploit the Eldest Prince’s fondness for men against him, but before he could act, the Eldest Prince had preemptively struck, jeopardizing his son’s life.
This had also deterred him from further spreading the rumors, fearing that the Eldest Prince would expose the unsavory deeds his son had committed in his younger, more reckless days.
He had no idea how much Chu Tiankuo actually knew!
Prime Minister Liang’s hands gripped the window ledge tightly, his eyes flashing with a sinister glint. Only after calming his emotions did he resume his contemplation:
Regarding the male favorite by the Eldest Prince’s side, whenever he sent people to track him, someone would always intervene, causing them to lose the trail.
As for Master Shen, whenever he dispatched individuals to track her, aiming to uncover her whereabouts, someone would invariably emerge to thwart their efforts.
Standing by the window, Prime Minister Liang gazed at the starry night sky. As a meteor streaked across the heavens, a sudden realization dawned upon him: Could Master Shen and that male favorite be one and the same person?
~
Welcome Inn, Tian Zi Hao （the best） Private Room
Two men, bearing identical appearances, stood by the window, their gazes fixed upon the Chu Kingdom’s imperial capital under the veil of night.
Amidst the thick darkness, dim yellow lights could be seen emanating from the windows of countless households.
Above, the stars twinkled brilliantly, while below, the lights of ten thousand homes illuminated the city, creating a scene of tranquil prosperity.
“Big Brother, the Chu State is far more prosperous than I had imagined. It seems the lives of the Chu people are quite comfortable!”
Zhao Jinyun, the Zhao Kingdom Heir Apparent, had just returned from the palace. As he awaited the return of his men, he responded to his brother’s observation: “Lin Di, what leads you to say that?”
Zhao Jinlin gestured towards the distant expanse of lights: “Big Brother, look at those countless illuminated homes. Have you ever witnessed such a sight in the Zhao Kingdom, except during major festivals?”
He believed they needed to reevaluate the strength of the Chu State.
The Zhao Kingdom Heir Apparent frowned: “Perhaps the Chu Emperor, knowing of our arrival, deliberately instructed the people to light their lamps.”
Zhao Jinlin shook his head: “Throughout our journey, I’ve stayed at Welcome Inns or Welcome Guest Restaurants in various major cities. Every evening, I’ve observed numerous citizens keeping their oil lamps lit until the end of Hai Shi. Even in some villages, many households light their lamps. The number of people using oil lamps here far exceeds that in our Zhao Kingdom.”
Rising with the sun and resting at sunset was an age-old custom, unchanged for millennia, observed by the majority of people in this world. This habit had arisen from the simple fact that with the arrival of darkness, and without candlelight, work and tasks became impossible, leaving people with no choice but to retire to bed early.
The low yields of grain production resulted in the majority of land being dedicated to staple crops. Crops like peanuts and rapeseed, which could be used for oil extraction, were cultivated by relatively few. Coupled with the scarcity of resources and the underdeveloped state of animal husbandry, both vegetable and animal oils were considered precious commodities.
Ordinary households were reluctant to spare even a single drop of oil for their cooking, let alone for lighting lamps. Oil lamps consumed a considerable amount of oil.
Unless a household was well-off, who would be willing to keep their lamps burning for so long?
Initially, he hadn’t paid much attention to this detail. It was only when one of his subordinates muttered, “The Chu people are quite extravagant with their lamp lighting,” that he took notice.
The Zhao Kingdom Heir Apparent furrowed his brow: “This matter is indeed peculiar. I’ll dispatch someone to investigate.”
Weren’t the majority of the Chu people struggling to even have enough food? How could they afford to use oil lamps?
Wealthy families used candles for illumination at night, and candles were even more expensive than oil. As the saying went, “At dusk, candlelight is passed around the Han Palace, its faint smoke drifting into the homes of the Five Marquis.” Candles were a luxury reserved for the affluent. As for renowned establishments like Welcome Inn and Welcome Guest Restaurant, frequented by guests of considerable wealth and status, they naturally used the finest candles available. Consequently, their entourage had remained oblivious to the existence of oil-saving lamps.
~
Second Prince’s Residence
Upon returning, Chu Tianyu went directly to Shen Mingzhu’s room.
Shen Mingzhu greeted him with a smile: “Your Highness returned quite late today. Was the palace banquet enjoyable?”
Shen Mingzhu’s status was merely that of a concubine, rendering her ineligible to attend the palace banquet.
The Second Prince shook his head: “There was nothing particularly entertaining. It was just a back-and-forth struggle between the Crown Prince and the Zhao Kingdom envoys.”
