Chapter 974: Too Extravagant

Editor: Henyee Translations

Gradually, several soldiers passed by Chu Tang’s tent. He memorized their faces, planning to investigate each one later.

While Chen Er eagerly hoped Chu Tang would leave him a chicken leg, Chu Tang finished all the food on his plates.

Chen Er watched the empty dishes with a sigh, resigning himself to the fact that there would be nothing left for him. “I’ll take the dishes to the kitchen to be washed.”

Chu Tang instructed, “Leave the dishes. A young master like me never uses the same bowl twice.”

The dishes had been contaminated with poison, so it was safer to dispose of them.

Chen Er was flabbergasted, “…”

Is this level of extravagance normal?

Even the usually composed Chen Yi couldn’t help but give a sideways glance, cautiously asking, “Chu Tang, when you say not to use the same dishes, do you mean to give them to someone else, or to smash them?”

“Smash them!” Chu Tang slammed his hand on the table, and all the dishes shattered into powder under the distressed gaze of Chen Yi and Chen Er.

Chu Tang waved his hand, and the powdered shards flew off into the soil, disappearing without a trace.

Chen Er was dumbstruck, “Really, smashed?”

Chu Tang stood up, dusting off his hands, “That’s enough, you don’t need to stay with me anymore. I’m going to rest now, and you should too.”

Chen Yi, ever dutiful, asked, “Chu Tang, when are you going to investigate? We’ll come over then.”

Chu Tang waved them off, “Go rest. I’ll call you when I need you.”

Chen Yi and Chen Er exchanged looks, nodding in agreement, “Yes.”

After they left, Chu Tang pulled the tent flap down, casting a spell to isolate the tent from the outside world. Many were spying on him in the shadows, and it was better to be cautious.

Chu Tang then sent a message to Tang Jinghong using the Golden Phoenix, “Jinghong, the military pay for the border troops has been reduced from three taels to two. Did you know about this?”

Tang Jinghong’s response was quick and surprised, “Impossible, the court has never reduced the military pay for the border troops, and I haven’t heard anything about insufficient funds.”

Chu Tang was puzzled, “This issue has been ongoing for a year. That’s a loss of three hundred and sixty thousand taels annually. Where is the money going?”

Tang Jinghong replied, “I will dispatch someone to investigate this matter immediately. Focus on your investigation into the missing arrows; leave the rest to us. Any progress on that?”

Chu Tang reported, “Yes, it turns out the Second Prince is behind it. He’s been selling off military arrows from the camp. But there’s a twist—I still don’t know how they’re getting the arrows out. I was going to investigate further, but the Second Prince got ahead of us and killed the witnesses.”

Tang Jinghong advised, “Take your time with the investigation. There’s no rush.”

Chu Tang informed him, “I should have some leads by tonight. I’m going to rest for a bit before heading out again.”

Tang Jinghong responded, “Then rest well, and ask General Chen for anything you need.”

“Alright,” said Chu Tang.

…

Near the military camp, under a birch tree, two men were verifying their identities with wooden tokens and comparing tattoos on their arms to confirm their affiliation. Once confirmed, they started a serious discussion.

One man wore a mask, and the other was masked.

The masked man spoke in a grave tone, “After General Chen hit a dead end, he went to Tang Jinghong, who sent a soldier to investigate the missing arrows. I don’t understand Tang Jinghong’s intentions.”

The man in the mask pondered for a moment, “Has that soldier found out anything?”

“He’s already traced it back to the Second Prince,” the masked man disclosed.

The man in the mask looked concerned, “Is there any evidence?”

“The only witness is the assassin caught by the soldier in the dungeon, who is now hidden somewhere by the soldier. There’s no physical evidence.”

Relieved, the man in the mask said, “Without evidence, it doesn’t matter. By the way, I came to tell you that all operations in the camp are to be halted for now. We don’t know enough about this soldier to take risks.”

The masked man nodded, “Understood. Any other orders?”

“How do you judge this soldier?” the man in the mask asked.

Pragmatically, the masked man replied, “He’s competent, quickly linking the issue to the Second Prince. However, he hasn’t yet figured out how we’re smuggling the arrows out, so there’s no need to worry.” The man in the mask instructed, “We are at a critical point now; we cannot afford to be careless.”

The masked man bowed, “Understood.”

The man in the mask leaned in closer and whispered, “Coordinate with us for the next step of our plan…”

After receiving his instructions, the masked man nodded in agreement, “Understood.”

With no further discussion, both men glanced around to ensure no one was watching and then discreetly went their separate ways.

…

Back in the tent.

“Big brother, how rich must Chu Tang’s family be to afford to smash dishes after just one use?” Chen Er was still puzzled by Chu Tang’s extravagant behavior.

Chen Yi patted his brother’s shoulder, having no better explanation, “Don’t think too much about it. It’s smashed now, and it wasn’t ours to worry about.”

Chen Er, chewing on his fingernail, looked envious, “Big brother, we can’t even afford a drink of flower-scented wine, and yet he wastes so much.”

Chen Yi quickly covered Chen Er’s mouth, whispering cautiously, “You shouldn’t talk about such things. Let’s save our money a bit more. After next month, we might be able to afford that drink.”

Realizing his indiscretion, Chen Er looked around to make sure no one had overheard them before relaxing, “Okay.”

Just then, the cook approached, “Chen Yi, Chen Er.”

Chen Er, puzzled, asked, “What brings you here?”

The cook, acting familiar, sat down beside them, “Aren’t I in charge of preparing Chu Tang’s meals? I’m about to start dinner and came to ask what he likes so I can prepare it.”

Chen Er thought about what rich people might eat and then suggested, “He comes from a very wealthy family, so just prepare some exotic delicacies for him.”

The cook rubbed his hands awkwardly, “You know how tough it is in the camp, where can I get exotic ingredients?”

Chen Yi, more straightforward, said, “He mentioned earlier that he’d eat what we do.”

Chen Er disagreed, “That must have been just polite talk. He was sent by General Tang. If we actually serve him our standard meals, wouldn’t that be offending General Tang?”

After a moment of thought, Chen Yi had an idea, “Let’s go hunting then? We have some free time now.”

The cook agreed, “That’s a good idea.”

Chen Yi also approved, “Let’s go then.”

The trio grabbed their bows and arrows, got permission from their superior, and started towards the camp’s exit.

Coincidentally, just as they were leaving, Chu Tang arrived at the gate, “Where are you going?”

Chen Er cheerfully called out, “We’re going hunting. Do you want to come along?”

Chu Tang, suspecting that the cook and others who watched him eat might be involved in some scheme, decided it would be a good opportunity to investigate further, “I’ll join you, just let me grab my bow and arrows.”