My System Is Three Thousand Years Early

The shopkeeper of the tea house saw the newcomers, their uniforms indicating they were guards of the Bureau of the Lamp, and his eyes brightened. He quickly went forward to greet them.

Upon seeing Qian Siyuan along with Li Zhengyang, his demeanor became even more respectful.

"Mr. Qian, Lord Li."

They greeted.

Qian Siyuan responded, his gaze sweeping the area before introducing the shopkeeper to Cheng Guang: "Zhang Rui, this is the Princely Heir."

The shopkeeper, called Zhang Rui by Qian Siyuan, turned his attention to a relaxed and handsome young noble at his side.

His aged face showed respect as he deeply bowed to Cheng Guang.

"I have seen the Princely Heir."

Cheng Guang’s gaze landed on Zhang Rui’s face, sizing him up. He noted that even though Zhang Rui was of a large build and despite his elderly appearance, he could still discern that Zhang Rui’s body was rather robust.

If he were to remove his clothes, strangely, he might even resemble Master Roshi in his buff state.

At the right moment, Qian Siyuan introduced him, "Princely Heir, this Zhang Rui is one of our agents from the Bureau of the Lamp within the Great Yan Dynasty. His martial ability has reached the Spirit Communication Realm at the Seventh Rank, and his martial arts are exceptionally formidable.

If he were to use his full strength, he could even fight against the likes of us in the Eighth-Rank King Realm."

With those words, Qian Siyuan strategically praised Zhang Rui.

This caused Zhang Rui’s old face to blush slightly, slightly embarrassed.

"Mr. Qian flatters me too much; I am not so impressive, just a few small tricks, small tricks."

"Princely Heir, you’ve all come a long way and must be tired. Please, sit down first. I will bring some tea for the gentlemen."

Having said that, Zhang Rui quickly left.

Qian Siyuan led Cheng Guang to take a seat in a private room on the upper floor of the tea house, and at the same time, he explained to Cheng Guang, "Princely Heir, all the waitstaff in this tea house are from our Bureau of the Lamp."

"They hold no high official positions, and there are many more agents not stationed within this tea house but hidden in various places gathering intelligence."

"This tea house simply serves the purpose of collecting intelligence and facilitating communication."

"Our Bureau of the Lamp operates similar tea houses in every part of the various dynasties."

Hearing Qian Siyuan’s introduction, Cheng Guang’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he was taken aback.

He originally thought he had a good understanding of the Bureau of the Lamp and its scope of influence.

Yet, he hadn’t realized that the part he had touched upon was merely the tip of an iceberg.

Much of the Bureau’s personnel, constables, were hidden in the shadows.

Within the Great Zhou Dynasty, the visible officials in the Capital City’s Bureau might not even constitute one-tenth of the Bureau’s total strength.

That was quite terrifying.

As Cheng Guang pondered, Zhang Rui returned briskly with the tea. He respectfully poured tea for Cheng Guang.

The clear tea, accompanied by a faint fragrance, wafted through the air.

Cheng Guang picked up the teacup, took a delicate sip, then looked at Zhang Rui and asked, "You’re aware of the purpose of our visit, aren’t you?"

As Cheng Guang’s words ended,

Zhang Rui, while pouring tea for Qian Siyuan and Li Zhengyang, respectfully replied:

"Princely Heir, of course I am aware."

"I’ve already sent people to investigate the matter concerning the remnants of Great Chu."

"Even if it means turning Great Yan upside down, as long as those remnants haven’t been seized by another royal family, or perhaps aren’t hidden within the Imperial Palace of Great Yan, we should be able to find them sooner or later."

Cheng Guang nodded slightly, feeling not much doubt about Zhang Rui’s words; the capabilities of the Bureau of the Lamp were indeed trustworthy.

"So, what information have you gathered so far?"

Cheng Guang then asked.

Zhang Rui hesitated for a moment, then spoke cautiously, "Princely Heir, truthfully, the message about the remnants of Great Chu only spread a few days ago. To find them within the Great Yan Dynasty is nearly as difficult as searching for a needle in a haystack, so..."

Cheng Guang’s expression did not change much; he only tapped lightly on the tabletop.

"So, to this point, you have found nothing, is that right?"

When Zhang Rui heard Cheng Guang speak in such a manner, thinking Cheng Guang might issue a punishment, he turned pale, sweat beading uncontrollably on his forehead before dripping off his face onto the floor.

"Princely Heir, searching for someone takes time."

"Other dynasties’ powers are also investigating. To find the remnants of Great Chu before anyone else is exceedingly difficult... I hope the Princely Heir can grant us more time..."

Zhang Rui hastily said.

Cheng Guang, however, showed no interest in hearing him out and simply waved his hand, sizing up Zhang Rui as he asked, "How many places have you checked so far?"

Zhang Rui wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and hastily replied, "The Great Yan Dynasty’s major prefectures and cities have all been thoroughly investigated."

Cheng Guang nodded slightly. After looking at Zhang Rui for a moment, he said, "Next, we need not continue the search in those places. Focus on Skyfire City."

"Concentrate the search in Skyfire City."

"Understood?"

As Cheng Guang’s voice fell, Zhang Rui was completely stunned.

"Ah? Princely Heir, are we only searching for that Great Chu remnant in Skyfire City?"

"Recently, Skyfire City has been the focus of attention from all over the world, and there are quite a few Heavenly Human Realm experts there. That Great Chu remnant would not be so foolish as to appear in Skyfire City..."

"Princely Heir, perhaps we should keep an eye on other places as well..."

Zhang Rui cautiously suggested to Cheng Guang.

Cheng Guang waved his hand, "Just search in Skyfire City; don’t bother with other places."

Seeing Cheng Guang insisting, Zhang Rui ultimately didn’t dare to voice any more objections.

He turned his gaze to Qian Siyuan and Li Zhengyang standing beside Cheng Guang.

Zhang Rui had been hoping that Qian Siyuan and Li Zhengyang, the two Deputy Directors, would persuade the Princely Heir. The possibility of finding the Great Chu remnant was virtually nil if they only searched Skyfire City.

The Great Chu remnant wouldn’t be so foolish as to hide in Skyfire City.

If he were indeed in Skyfire City, he would likely have been captured by now.

Zhang Rui thought that either Qian Siyuan or Li Zhengyang would speak up, but he was soon disappointed.

Because both Qian Siyuan and Li Zhengyang showed little change in their expressions. They did not hesitate at the Princely Heir’s orders. Instead, they pondered why the Princely Heir had issued such orders.

As if treating Cheng Guang’s words, the distinguished Town-Nation Duke’s Heir, as the ultimate truth.

Why was this?

Zhang Rui didn’t understand, but he had no choice but to comply with the Princely Heir’s command, tough as it was to accept.

Seeing Zhang Rui agree, Cheng Guang didn’t bother with further conversation, instructed him to investigate carefully, and then left him be.

Zhang Rui, seeing that the Princely Heir was not overly concerned with him and didn’t punish him, immediately felt a sense of relief.

He still harbored doubts about Cheng Guang’s command.

Zhang Rui wanted to help Cheng Guang, the distinguished Town-Nation Duke’s Heir, find that Great Chu remnant.

Finding the Great Chu remnant would be a great achievement for him, and he might even gain the Princely Heir’s favor.

If he failed to find the Great Chu remnant, he might instead face the Princely Heir’s punishment.

The pros and cons were clear at a glance.

Zhang Rui hesitated for a moment, then found an opportunity to speak with Qian Siyuan and Li Zhengyang, inquiring about the deeper implications behind the Princely Heir’s orders.

He speculated in his heart whether the Princely Heir had received some information that the Great Chu remnant was indeed in Skyfire City, hence the explicit instructions.

But to his surprise,

Qian Siyuan and Li Zhengyang, two prominent Deputy Directors and high-ranking figures, actually revealed a certain blind belief.

"If the Princely Heir says so, just do it; what’s with all the needless questions?" n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"The Princely Heir’s commands always carry significant meaning. Take the recent Devil Clan incident and the matter with the crown prince—those were all unearthed by the Princely Heir. You just need to trust the Princely Heir," they said one after another.

Zhang Rui was simply astonished.

Being from the Great Yan Dynasty, Zhang Rui had some knowledge of the events in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but it wasn’t extensive.

He knew about the Devil Clan’s smuggling and the crown prince’s affair.

However, he didn’t realize that the person behind the scenes who discovered the Devil Clan’s smuggling route, and the one concerning the crown prince, was actually the Princely Heir.

Zhang Rui felt foolish, his mouth hanging open slightly.

His eyes were filled with amazement and shock.

After a brief pause,

Zhang Rui now just wanted to slap himself several times.

His unwarranted worry

Indeed seemed a bit superfluous in front of the Princely Heir.

...