Daqin: A buff of incredible comprehension

"Is it that Heibingtai is short of money? Or are you thinking of investing in some business?" Li Ming guessed.

Zhao Chong's mind was stirred. Indeed, working with Li Ming would not be a loss. However, his own identity was sensitive, so he couldn't go out in person, lest he arouse the emperor's suspicion.

"It's not such a trivial matter," Zhao Chong replied. "Have you heard of the treasure left by King Zhao?"

"King Zhao of the previous King Zhaoxiang?"

Li Ming thought for a moment and only this name matched.

Zhao Chong shook his head: "No, it's King Zhao of the Zhou Dynasty."

"When the Chu State was first established, it was so impoverished that even the livestock used in its founding ceremony were stolen from neighboring states," Zhao Chong recounted. "There's a story of the Chu people stealing cattle. Despite this, they also possessed a treasure that had been lost for many years, its whereabouts unknown to this day."

Li Ming rolled his eyes in disdain. "Just when Qin finally found a better life, it started smearing Chu? Had it forgotten the days when it was considered a barbarian?"

Zhao Chong continued, "This treasure is extremely valuable. When Qin conquered Chu, the Xiong family intended to seize it. However, the war turned against them, and everything came to nothing. The Black Ice Platform recently received news that a group of thieves coveted this treasure."

He sighed: "If this wealth falls into the hands of thieves, it will cause serious hidden dangers."

Li Ming was puzzled: "Then you want to arrest him? Why are you looking for me?"

Zhao Chong pretended to be mysterious. "I really need your help on this matter. Legend has it that King Zhao's army seized countless treasures, but the heavy weight caused the bridge to collapse and sink into the Han River. The thieves seem to know the exact location."

Li Ming was impatient: "You don't even know the exact location? What do you want from me?"

"There's someone in Xianyang who knows the truth, and he happens to be your elder."

Li Ming was puzzled: "Where can I be considered an elder?"

Zhao Chong replied, "Concubine Zheng's cousin, the Crown Prince's aunt, doesn't that count?"

"This is indeed a difficult problem." Zhao Chong smiled bitterly. "The people we sent to investigate returned empty-handed. Commander Chen, can you help me?"

Li Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "How difficult this is for you!"

Concubine Zheng's cousin and the Crown Prince's aunt—is it easy for them to meet? Besides, they had never met before, so how could they be friends?

"Chen Fuling," Zhao Chong continued, "consider the staggering amount of treasures King Zhao brought back. Even a small portion would have enriched a region. If it were in the hands of the traitor, Qin would be in utter ruin."

Li Ming interrupted: "I know the importance of this. The woman in the Kitasaka Palace must know the inside story."

Zhao Chong nodded. "I suspect the Chu royal family must have left behind a treasure map or something. All Chen Fuling needs to do is find the map and quietly retrieve it."

"I'll do my best," Li Ming sighed. "But if I can't find it, I'll find another way."

Zhao Chong was ecstatic: "It will definitely happen, just wait for the good news!"

Two days later, after giving a detailed explanation, Li Ming went to Beiban Palace under the order of Concubine Zheng.

Family affairs and national affairs were complicated. Although Concubine Zheng was of the Chu family, she was the mother of the Qin prince and the favorite concubine of the First Emperor. She never dared to get too close to her old relatives.

It was a sunny day as we drove to the majestic Beiban Palace, a private garden established by the First Emperor for his six concubines. Gorgeous palaces of various styles came into view.

"The happiness of rich people is unimaginable." Li Ming looked at these exquisite buildings and felt a lot of emotion in his heart.

"Mr. Chen, would you like to know how many treasures King Zhao's army seized during the southern expedition?" Zhao Chong emphasized again, "Several million strings of cash, or even more. If we could recover tens of millions of strings of cash, it wouldn't be impossible!"

"Once this huge fortune falls into the hands of the rebels, the Qin Dynasty will be in danger!" Zhao Chong solemnly stated the importance of King Zhao's relics.

"I know." Li Ming said dissatisfiedly.

Qin Shi Huang built a vast complex of palaces in Kyoto specifically to store his war trophies. It was truly unprecedented!

"What are you mumbling about?"

"Once we meet my uncle and cousins, we'll exchange a few pleasantries and then leave."

"Don't cause trouble outside in the future. If you are not careful, you will implicate your brother and mother!" Zhao Shiman stared at him sternly.

"understood."

** replied with a hint of trepidation. Concubine Zheng was most concerned about how this would affect the First Emperor's impression of Prince Fusu, potentially even destabilizing his position as crown prince. Upon learning of this, Zhao Shiman was furious and naggled at him profusely.

Unfortunately, the promised task had to be fulfilled, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet. It had been six years since Qin unified the six kingdoms. Initially, the First Emperor frequently visited the Kitasaka Palace to admire the collection, but in recent years, he had lost interest and rarely set foot there year-round. The guards lazily basked in the sun until they saw the approaching carriage of the imperial concubine, only to straighten their stances with alertness. After reviewing Concubine Zheng's warrant, they immediately opened the door.

From a certain perspective, this place also looked like one of the First Emperor's harems. They left the carriage outside and carried the gifts up the slope. At first, he looked around curiously, occasionally spotting a woman peeking out to look, and he would examine her closely for a moment. After walking for a while on the mountain path, the blazing sun made his forehead sweat, his arms ached from the pressure, and his legs felt heavy as lead. "When will we arrive?" he gasped.

"It's not far ahead."

"Hey, did you bring that bronze mirror?"

"Hey, why didn't you remind me? Isn't it right here at your feet?" ** put the gift on the ground and wiped the sweat off his face. The precious bronze mirror was placed in a thick wooden box. Because it was difficult to place, the two of them placed it on the ground. Zhao Shiman looked back anxiously and said, "I'll just go get it myself."

** Knowing he wouldn't bother running again, he gave him some instructions and hurried back the way he'd come. ** He sighed and rested for a moment on a wooden gift box. "Old Zhao is such a tough guy."

Tired, hungry, and thirsty, he looked around for a place to drink water. The smell of meat instantly perked him up. "Barbecue!"

Following the stream, we arrived at a small, fenced courtyard, where a barbecue grill emanated a fragrant aroma. The charcoal fire slowly rose, and the rich aroma of meat was incredibly tempting. A woman in her teens, dressed simply, was intently flipping skewers of meat. "Little girl, is your meat done?"

He quickly ran to the courtyard gate and pushed open the simple door. "Can I have a piece?"

The girl was surprised by his sudden appearance and took a few steps back. "Who are you? How did you get in?"

The girl looked around cautiously and tried to call for help. "Don't be afraid, little girl. I'm here to visit my relatives."

"I was passing by here hungry and thirsty, and I came to see if your meat is really that delicious."

** He stopped five or six steps away and said with a smile.

The girl seemed frightened and dared not move.

"How's your grilling skill, little girl? Let me try some." She quickly walked over to her grill, sat down, picked up a skewer, and took a bite. "Hmm... not too old, not too young, just right!"

He quickly finished the wine beside him while chewing heartily on this unexpected delicacy. He then stood up, walked to the stream, picked some wild garlic sprouts, and washed them. "Watch carefully!"

He skillfully cut the pancake into pieces, wrapped the meat skewers around them, added garlic sprouts and rolled them together before handing them to the little girl.

After tasting it, he exclaimed: "It's wonderful, so delicious!"

After finishing two burritos, he noticed a pair of eyes staring at him as he swallowed. He took a bite and handed it to her, "It's not your turn yet, please enjoy."

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes. She didn't know what to do, but she finally accepted the food. Then she heard shouting in the distance and looked towards the sound.

"Husband..." Zhao Shiman called him from afar. ** Then he broke the other cake in his hand, quickly ate his own half and handed the other half to her, "I left half for you."

"Thank you for your hospitality. I'll repay you if the opportunity arises." ** He trotted out of the courtyard and disappeared from sight. Leaving only half a burrito and an empty wine jug in the yard, the girl muttered, "You said you were here to visit relatives, but you're clearly a bandit from somewhere!"

"Husband, what are you looking at?" The two of them packed up and continued to move forward.

He seemed much more refreshed after eating and drinking, but he felt a sense of familiarity about the place. "Nothing, just looking for a drink of water outside," he said with a reassuring smile.

"This is the Forbidden Palace, don't wander around anymore." Zhao Shiman whispered and took him to the project.

Li Wan has met her aunt.

"My son-in-law Lin Yang, I'm honored to meet you, aunt."

Suddenly, Li Wan stopped, and Lin Yang quickly followed suit. He was carrying something in his hand, so it was inconvenient for him to salute, so he had to bow.

"It's you?!"

The clear tone was mixed with shock and a hint of resentment.

Lin Yang raised his head and looked at the girl in front of him in surprise - she was the one who was grilling in the yard.

"Where's my aunt?"

Li Wan frowned and looked at Lin Yang.

"She just stood there."

"How do you know my aunt?" Li Wan continued to ask.

"You mean...she is that aunt?" Lin Yang gasped.

"Hmph!" the girl snorted. "Li Wan is indeed my niece, but who are you? I don't remember any relatives like you."

Lin Yang felt his head swell up, and whispered in Li Wan's ear, "Is this a mistake? She looks younger than you, how could she be your aunt?"

"Idiot! How could I mistake my own aunt for someone else's?" Li Wan glared at him and retorted impatiently, "Who says an aunt has to be older than her niece?"

"So the King of Zhao had a son and a daughter, and the eldest princess married the mother of the First Emperor."

Lin Yang was stunned for a moment before he gradually understood. It turned out that the daughter of the elder brother of King Kaolie of Chu, who had the same mother as him, was married to the First Emperor as a concubine, while the daughter of the younger brother was the girl in front of him.

Therefore, it is certain that this girl is Ying Shiman (changed to) Li Wan’s aunt.

"It's really troublesome."

Li Wan was also quite helpless when she saw this. She had not wanted to come here in the first place, and now she was even more upset when she encountered such a thing.

Lin Yang's gaze fell on the corner of the girl's mouth, and suddenly a thought came to his mind: She wouldn't eat the remaining half of the roll, right?

Sure enough! The girl noticed his gaze and immediately wiped the oil stains from the corners of her lips with her sleeve. Lin Yang showed a sly smile.

"Aunt, is what he just said true?" Li Wan turned to ask the girl, but before she could finish her words, Lin Yang spoke first, "Of course it is."

After a brief exchange of glances, Lin Yang used his gaze to coerce the other into cooperating. "You don't want me to reveal that you ate my leftovers anyway, do you?"