tallest building

Chapter 261 Delivering Fine Tea

After dinner, King Zhao and several colleagues drank wine and returned to their residence somewhat drunk.

The steward was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth at the second gate, barely managing to flatten the threshold.

When the King of Zhao entered the mansion, he hurriedly went to greet him.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Just as it was getting dark, someone came to report that our treasure vault in Daishan has been stolen!" Although the steward's voice was low, the Prince of Zhao sobered up completely after hearing his words.

"What did you say?! Someone raided the gambling den on Mount Dai?!" King Zhao exclaimed in disbelief. "How much was stolen? Has the thief been caught?"

"Your Highness, our place has been completely emptied, and all the important people have been arrested." Cold sweat was pouring down the steward's forehead as he wiped it with his sleeve. "The one who came to deliver the message escaped in the chaos."

"Who dares to do this? Do you know who did it?" King Zhao felt as if one thunderbolt after another was striking him.

"I didn't know those people were all masked, but they were extremely agile. What's more, they seemed to know our area very well. They didn't touch anything or anyone unimportant, and went straight for the important things." The steward certainly knew how important the gambling den in Daishan was.

Upon hearing this, King Zhao felt dizzy and swayed. His steward quickly stepped forward to support him.

"Something's not right. Someone must have planned this all along!" King Zhao said through gritted teeth. "The Queen Consort probably doesn't know yet."

"How dare I say that? Such a big matter, what if it makes the Princess sick with worry?" The steward naturally knew the gravity of the situation.

"Alright, alright, don't tell her yet. She has a quick temper and might cause trouble." King Zhao calmed down a bit and said, "Help me to the study. Tell the Queen Consort that I drank too much and didn't want to bother her. Let her rest early."

King Zhao sat down in his study, and the servants rushed forward.

The servant who delivered the message from the second gate found the steward: "Someone from the Prince of Chu's residence has arrived, saying they are bringing tea for the prince."

"What kind of gift is this so late at night?" The steward was already annoyed and couldn't help but think that the people in the Chu Prince's mansion were acting absurdly.

"It was their steward who came in person, saying he was ordered by the King of Chu to deliver it," the servant said.

The steward of Prince Zhao's mansion naturally sensed that something was wrong and said, "I'll go with you to the gate to see what's going on."

Upon arriving at the gate, they indeed saw the steward of the Prince's mansion, accompanied by two servants, waiting in front of the gate.

It was already very dark and cold. The lanterns hanging on the gate swayed in the wind, casting chaotic light and shadow.

The steward of Prince Zhao's mansion quickly stepped forward with a smile and said, "These servants are really incompetent. How could they keep you waiting here? Please come in and have a seat!"

"Brother, why are you being so polite with me? I'm just here on the Prince's orders to deliver some things. Once I've delivered the goods and relayed the message, I'll head back. I won't bother you any longer, it's so late." The steward of the Chu Prince's residence also had a big smile on his face.

"I wonder what important thing it is?" Although the steward of the Prince's mansion had already heard from the messenger that it was tea, he still had to ask again.

"Our Prince has recently acquired some fine tea, and he couldn't bear to drink it all by himself, so he set some aside and asked me to deliver it to Prince Zhao," the steward said, handing the box to Prince Zhao's steward. "This is tea that you can't buy no matter how much money you spend; it's especially good for calming the mind. Whenever you're anxious or upset, just a little bit will completely dispel your anger." Prince Zhao's steward clearly sensed something in his words, but it wasn't appropriate to ask further in this situation.

"Thank you for thinking of our lord, Prince Chu. I left in a hurry and did not have time to prepare a return gift. I will definitely present it to him in person tomorrow." As the steward of the Prince's mansion, he could not allow others to find fault with his manners, so this point had to be made clear.

"No rush, no rush, what's this about returning the gift? Our Prince said that if Prince Zhao finds this tea pleasant, he only needs to say so, and we'll send someone to deliver it." After saying this, the steward of the Chu Prince's residence turned and got into his carriage and left.

"Steward, what kind of fine tea is this? Why is it delivered so late at night?" The guards couldn't help but step forward and ask.

"Go away! Go do what you're supposed to be doing, why are you asking around?" The steward had no time to waste arguing with them, and simply took the box and went into the mansion.

"Where have you been? The Prince is looking for you!" Several people in the manor were looking for the steward, and they hurriedly said this when they saw him.

"I'll go see the Prince right away. You may all leave now!" the steward said as he entered the study, where he saw that Prince Zhao's face was very grim.

So he stepped forward and said, "Just now, the Prince of Chu's mansion sent someone to deliver something. I felt something was amiss, so I went out to take a look myself."

"What did the King of Chu send?" King Zhao frowned upon hearing this. He had originally planned to give the King of Chu a good beating, but unexpectedly, his own backyard had caught fire.

"It was delivered by the steward of the Prince of Chu's residence. He kept saying that this tea can relieve internal heat. Please try it, Your Highness. If you like it, they will send more." The steward said, placing the box on the table.

"What good tea do I not have in my household? I don't think he's sending tea; I wonder what it is. Let's open it and take a look." King Zhao understood, of course, that King Chu's so-called tea gift was just an excuse, but he didn't know what he really wanted.
The butler opened the box and found a crumpled piece of paper inside, which also smelled of tea.

"What is this?" The butler picked up the crumpled paper and unfolded it little by little, and tea leaves fell out.

"Huh?" The steward's eyes widened in surprise. "Your Highness, look...this..."

"This...this isn't..." King Zhao panicked immediately. He snatched the flattened paper from the steward's hand. "This is our Daishan's account!"

“That’s right, it must be. How could they have…” The butler’s mouth dropped open.

Then he and King Zhao fell silent, all four of them staring at the piece of paper.

The names recorded and the accounts filled out, line by line, hung down like heavy lead weights.

After a long silence, King Zhao let out a long breath and said with resentment, "No need to say more, this must have been done by King Chu. He has our account books in his hands and is holding our people hostage. No wonder he's been so arrogant these past two days. His Majesty ordered me to investigate him, but he remained calm and collected. So this was what he was waiting for!"

King Zhao had been wondering when King Chu had become so bold. It turned out that King Chu was certain that he dared not do anything to him.

But when did he acquire such skill, capable of doing such a thing so completely and without anyone noticing?

Is this really the King of Chu I know? Or was he just pretending all along?
(End of this chapter)