In the center of the main courtyard of the Crown Prince's mansion, two red carpets were neatly laid out, extending from the entrance, winding around flower beds, and reaching the erected high platform.
On both sides of the red carpets, a group of court officials gathered in small clusters, chatting cheerfully about recent state affairs.
For instance, the church of the Golden Tent Royal Court and the Royal Court had once again clashed over ruling authority, with signs of internal strife beginning to emerge. A certain heavyweight high priest from the church had even publicly declared that the church was the church of the world, and the future of the Royal Court was confined to this grassland, enraging a group of royalty with noble bloodlines.
Then there was the recent incident within the Hundred Tribes Alliance. The branch strongholds of the cult organization, the Totem Church, were uprooted, and the leader was surprisingly a Marquis of the Royal Court. This outcome left the Royal Court generals, who had been dedicated to eradicating evil cults, with rather grim expressions, and they ordered a thorough investigation.
Of course, compared to the Golden Tent Royal Court, the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty discussed the Great Xia Dynasty the most.
The recent reforms in the Great Xia Dynasty's grand imperial examinations – should our Zhou Dynasty also humbly learn? The fisherman from the Demon Slaying Department of the Great Xia Dynasty hasn't been seen for months; did something happen in the forbidden zone? Should we seize this opportunity to tear up the peace treaty and avenge the shame of ceding territory and paying reparations from years past?
Before the banquet began, the courtyard was filled with a cacophony of voices, discussing various topics, but generally all related to matters of state.
Li Zao stood in an inconspicuous corner of the courtyard, listening to the ministers' idle chatter while searching the crowd for Zhou Yuan's figure. However, after searching for a long time, she couldn't even spot a shadow of him.
Zhou Yuan hadn't arrived yet.
A cold glint flashed in Li Zao's eyes. There were two hundred and seventy-three breaths until the banquet began. If Zhou Yuan still hadn't arrived by then, she would definitely tear up the marriage contract, as she detested men who were not punctual.
Of course, if Zhou Yuan was deliberately late on this day to show the First Prince a lack of respect, Li Zao would be even more determined to tear up the marriage contract. This was because it was a very foolish act, serving no purpose other than to be disgusting, and it would easily earn him the reputation of being petty, making him easily looked down upon by civil officials.
"Lord Hu doesn't seem to be in very good spirits lately. What's the matter? Hasn't the third concubine even entered the house yet, and your body can't take it?"
Not far to Li Zao's front right, four or five men were gathered, laughing heartily as they surrounded and mocked one of them.
A blush of unnatural color appeared on Hu Yu's face. He waved his sleeves irritably and shouted weakly, "Don't look at me being thin, but my prowess in that area is stronger than any of yours!"
A series of laughter erupted again from the crowd, filling the air with a joyful atmosphere.
"Lord Hu, my second aunt's cousin's family sells medicinal tonics. They are all good products collected from the mountains. Their shop is on the west side of the city. Do you want me to introduce you? Hahahaha!"
Hu Yu looked at the tall, stout man with a long beard and a wicked grin, and said irritably, "I don't need it!"
"I haven't slept properly these days, having to arrest spies from the Xia Dynasty and attend court. How can my complexion be good!"
As soon as these words were uttered, the smiles on everyone's faces vanished. Even the other groups of officials who were chatting stopped and looked at him with peculiar expressions.
Hu Yu's expression changed. He realized he had said the wrong thing. Today was the Crown Prince's birthday banquet, and bringing up such an inauspicious matter could, at best, lead to him being branded as thoughtless, or worse... could it be interpreted that he had already sided with the Third Prince?
Hu Yu's heart trembled. He didn't want to be drawn into the succession struggle so early. Thus, he could only grit his teeth and continue to sigh at the men in front of him, saying:
"Speaking of those traitors from the Great Xia, they are really too strange. As soon as I received the news, I immediately blocked the teleportation array. I searched everyone who used the array in the two hours before and after, but there was no sign of those five people."
"I've been investigating day and night these past few days, frantic and exhausted. What for? Isn't it because I'm afraid that if so many court officials gather here today, those traitors will take the opportunity to cause trouble!"
The man in front of Hu Yu nodded in agreement, saying, "Lord Hu has indeed had a difficult time. You must also be careful."
"I heard that the spies from the Great Xia even ambushed and killed the Valley Master of Plum Blossom Valley. Although the Imperial City Patrol is powerful, you must also be extra vigilant."
"Who says not," Hu Yu sighed with worry.
With that, no one else continued the conversation. The officials in their respective groups resumed their own discussions, and no one paid attention to Hu Yu anymore.
Li Zao stood nearby, having listened to the entire conversation. The two of them had skillfully defused the crisis with their sharp wit.
What Hu Yu feared was being perceived as having taken the Third Prince's side. Therefore, he quickly stated that all his efforts were for everyone's safety, thus managing to salvage the situation.
Moreover, the most crucial point was that during his explanation, he did not mention the Crown Prince's birthday banquet. He only said that they were gathered here today, cleverly avoiding being misunderstood as having sided with the First Prince.
"—Hoo!"
Hu Yu exhaled in relief, looking at the man in front of him, his lips were a little pale.
The Emperor of Zhou's attitude towards the choice of heir apparent was extremely ambiguous.
Before the First Prince returned from the border, almost everyone believed that the throne would ultimately be occupied by either the Third Prince or the Fourth Prince.
But unexpectedly, after the First Prince, who had been away from court for many years, returned, a considerable number of veteran officials in the court still supported him. And, most importantly, the latter bore military achievements, was mature and steady, and possessed imperial bearing, instantly overshadowing his two younger brothers.
He was even crowned Crown Prince.
On the surface, his future seemed bright and unparalleled. However, Hu Yu knew clearly that before everything was settled, civil officials could be frivolous, but they, who held real power, absolutely could not take sides.
This was because although Emperor Zhou had appointed Zhou Wuji as the Crown Prince, he had not held a Crown Prince's banquet for him.
He hadn't even attended today's birthday banquet.
One had to realize that over the years, Emperor Zhou had organized numerous banquets for Zhou Yuan's family, and their specifications were not small.
And this was merely a comparison between the First Prince and the Third Prince. The Fourth Prince's influence in the court was not to be underestimated. The Fifth Prince outwardly had no interest in vying for power, only wanting to be a carefree prince and wander the martial world, but who knew what kind of strong individuals he had befriended in the martial world? And was the Second Prince, who spent his days confined to his residence recuperating, truly just sickly, or was he biding his time?
The more Hu Yu thought about it, the more his head ached. He simply shook his head, cupped his hands towards the man in front of him, and said:
"Thank you, Lord Cao, for your cooperation just now. Without your help, I might have been in a lot of trouble."
The tall, stout man who had previously teased Hu Yu waved his hand, sighed with a solemn expression, and said, "These are minor matters. We both work under Lord Xie, so it's natural to look out for each other."
"Strange incidents have been happening frequently during this period. It's not just you; we all need to be more careful."
"I stand corrected."
The men cupped their hands to each other, ending the conversation.
Li Zao listened to the entire exchange from nearby, a look of disgust appearing in her eyes. What she disliked most was these so-called human relationships and social niceties between people, because it reminded her of Mei Chuan.
When she used to learn these things, Mei Chuan had beaten her many, many times with bamboo sticks.
The chatter in the main courtyard fell silent once more. Li Zao narrowed her eyes and followed the gazes, which held unknown meanings, towards the entrance of the courtyard.
Standing there was a young man wearing a simple, elegant, plain robe, with handsome eyebrows and eyes, but an overall noble and handsome countenance.
The newcomer was the Third Prince, Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan looked at the hundreds of eyes fixed on him, and suddenly smiled, saying, "Why are all the esteemed lords looking at me? I shouldn't be late, should I?"
"Seventeen breaths remaining," Li Zao silently counted in her heart. Zhou Yuan wasn't late, but he chose such a precise moment to arrive. What did that mean?
"Third brother is diligent. As soon as I returned, you began to go into seclusion. If you were busy and forgot, it's normal to be late."
At this moment, the voice of the First Prince, Zhou Wuji, also rang out from outside the courtyard, his words filled with veiled mockery.
Zhou Yuan, however, seemed not to hear it. He cupped his hands towards the man standing at the courtyard entrance, his elder brother whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and bowed, saying, "Third brother greets Elder Brother."
The officials who had been waiting in the courtyard also reacted swiftly, bowing and saluting at the entrance:
"Your humble servants, greet the Third Prince."
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"