Chapter Thirty-Five: Preparing for the Storm

Lu Qian wanted to invite Lin Chong for a drink.

Upon hearing Lin Chong’s report, Zhao Yu was genuinely surprised.

As the old saying goes, a tree without bark is doomed to die, but a man without shame is invincible. Lin Chong had nearly died in prison because of Lu Qian’s treachery, yet now Lu Qian still had the audacity to invite him to drink, his shamelessness reaching such heights that Zhao Yu had to admit defeat.

Lin Chong had once been an instructor in the imperial guard. According to the Song dynasty’s military structure, instructors were divided into three ranks; the highest, the Inspector of Instruction, held a ninth-grade post, while ordinary instructors weren’t even considered ninth-grade, meaning Lin Chong was previously a minor military officer of little standing.

But things had changed. Under the Prince’s household, Zhao Yu had appointed Lin Chong as Commander of the Prince’s Guards, a seventh-grade position—effectively promoting Lin Chong three ranks at once.

Lu Qian, though also a guard leader, served as a subordinate official; his rank could hardly compare to that of a prince’s staff. He was merely a Security Officer, holding a ninth-grade military rank, and so the gap between him and Lin Chong had widened considerably.

It was likely that Lu Qian felt both hatred and fear, prompting him to try to reconnect with Lin Chong.

This was Lin Chong’s own affair—Zhao Yu had no intention of interfering. No matter how straightforward Lin Chong was, he surely understood Lu Qian’s character by now.

Shortly after leaving the palace, a servant-looking man darted out from the roadside and stopped Zhao Yu’s entourage, bowing respectfully. “Salutations to Your Highness, the Prince of Yi. My master wishes to speak with you.”

The servant gestured toward a small sedan chair parked by the street. Aside from a few servants and chair-bearers, there were no guards—a sign that the guest was likely a civil official.

Zhao Yu frowned, about to speak, when the curtain of the sedan was lifted, revealing the face of an elderly man with grizzled beard.

“Master Zhou?”

It was none other than Zhou Jinglong, Zhao Yu’s former father-in-law and Vice Minister of State.

Zhao Yu quickly dismounted, strode to the sedan, and offered a respectful salute. “Greetings, Your Excellency.”

Old Zhou did not alight from the sedan, and his decision to meet by the roadside showed he wished to avoid attention and keep his contact with Zhao Yu minimal.

“Your Highness, please forgive my discourtesy. I only have a few words to say, and then I shall depart.”

Zhao Yu could easily guess what the old man wanted to discuss, so he smiled. “Rest assured, Your Excellency. That encounter with your daughter was mere coincidence—there’s no need for concern, nor for her to be troubled. We likely won’t meet again.”

Zhou Jinglong, seeing that Zhao Yu understood, nodded and signaled the chair-bearers to move on.

He had not known much about the Prince of Yi before; the marriage proposal was orchestrated by others, and, trusting certain rumors, he personally sought the Empress to annul the engagement. But after learning more about the prince, he could not help but feel some regret.

They were people of status—one could not go back on their word.

Watching Zhou Jinglong and his retinue disappear into the distance, Zhao Yu’s mind involuntarily recalled the girl’s radiant face. It was clear the Zhou family’s daughter cared about the engagement; she was a likable young lady—what a pity...

He shook his head with a wry smile, then mounted his horse and rode on. In the past, he had not cared much for marriage, but now he realized that, as the famed eligible bachelor, it was surprisingly difficult to find a woman he truly favored.

Upon returning to his residence, a guard brought news that Shi Qian had come back.

Zhao Yu was delighted; he bore no grudge against Shi Qian, who excelled at stealth and was the ideal candidate for intelligence gathering.

He hurried to the hall, and suddenly a shadow flickered before him—Shi Qian was already kneeling.

“It was my poor choice of friends that placed Your Highness in danger. Please punish me.”

Whatever Shi Qian’s character, he valued loyalty above all and did not understand the full situation. With or without him, Zhao Yu was always the target of Deng Yuanjue’s abduction.

Zhao Yu quickly reached out to help him up. “Brother, what are you doing? Please rise; you humble me.”

“How could a humble man like me dare call Your Highness brother? I was disrespectful before—please don’t hold it against me.”

Previously, even with Lu Zhishen and Lin Chong present, Shi Qian felt a prince could never truly associate with a man of the martial world like himself. Now, that thought had vanished completely.

“Don’t be silly, brother. When outsiders are present, I am a prince, but when we are alone, we are brothers, as close as kin. I wonder when Brother Lu will return—when he does, we must have a grand drink together.”

As Zhao Yu spoke, he affectionately pulled Shi Qian to sit beside him. Lin Chong, meanwhile, withdrew at the entrance.

Lu Zhishen and Shi Qian were both men of the wild, and looked down upon government officials, so they had no qualms about how they addressed Zhao Yu.

Lin Chong thought differently, especially after being promoted to Chief Steward of the Prince’s Household. He now felt a deep loyalty to Zhao Yu; under such circumstances, how could he still call him brother?

“To be honest, brother, I have a favor to ask.”

With no outsiders in the hall, Zhao Yu finally revealed the matter he had been brooding over since his return.

“Brother, did you know that Pang Wanchun is a follower of the Manichaean faith?”

Shi Qian was taken aback and instinctively shook his head. “I did not know. How did Your Highness learn of this?”

“The one who abducted me was Baoguang Tathagata Deng Yuanjue, one of the Eight Diamond Lords under Manichaean master Fang La. Pang Wanchun is also among them. To be frank, while the court’s policies in Jiangnan are often flawed, given time, things could improve. But now Fang La and others are using religious missions as a cover to secretly plot rebellion—a truly ruinous act. So, brother, I wish to ask you to go to Jiangnan and investigate Fang La’s situation firsthand.”

“Also, let me tell you this: Fang La likely has someone from the court in his ranks. You might warn him at the right moment. I respect him as a hero and do not wish to see him destroyed.”

Strictly speaking, Zhao Yu’s words were somewhat contradictory, for it was hard to define his stance in this affair.

But Shi Qian did not care; he felt indebted to Zhao Yu, and agreed to the request without hesitation.

“Rest assured, Your Highness. I’ll pack up and head south immediately.”

“No rush, no rush—wait until Brother Lu returns, then set out.”

Zhao Yu was calm, but Shi Qian was anxious. He lived by thievery, roaming far and wide, and was well aware of the oppression suffered by the people of Jiangnan. To him, Fang La’s rebellion was justified, but since associating with Zhao Yu, his loyalties had shifted almost unconsciously.

Seeing that Shi Qian could not be persuaded to stay, Zhao Yu quickly ordered attendants to bring some loose silver, as well as a bank note for three thousand taels, and handed them to Shi Qian.

Shi Qian, famed as the Divine Thief, had no lack of money, but when he received the silver from Zhao Yu, his eyes reddened—for he had never before felt such care and concern.

In that moment, like Lin Chong, he developed a resolve to give his life for Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu, however, did not think much of it; he simply felt it was only right to pay those who worked for him.

After sending Shi Qian off, Zhao Yu headed to the guards’ quarters. Duan Feihe was still recuperating there; Zhao Yu had already visited him once, but this time he intended to discuss the next steps.

Duan Feihe’s loyalty was unquestionable, but he was not suited for the role of a guard, so Zhao Yu had found him a new position...