402: Inspecting Zhangtai Palace

Just as Lin Yue was puzzled, Zhao Yun quietly walked over: "My Lord, what's wrong with you?"

Lin Yue looked at Zi Long, who had approached, let out a sigh of relief, and shook his head: "I'm fine, Zi Long."

Li Mu also walked over at this moment and whispered: "General, what's wrong? Do you need to rest?"

Lin Yue shook his head, then slowly straightened himself up, leaning on a pillar: "The First Emperor's divine might is too overwhelming; I feel a bit flustered."

Li Mu immediately laughed wryly: "That is The First Emperor. Wherever he goes, he is the most dazzling one in the crowd. No one dares to look directly at The First Emperor's face. With just one glance from The First Emperor, all heroes submit. So, General, you don't need to feel ashamed. I was the same back then."

"Haha," Lin Yue laughed awkwardly, then looked at the Gentlemen in front of him: "Are those all Gentlemen of the Household?"

"Yes, the first one on the left is Wang Wei, General Wang Li's second son. The second one is General She Jian's son, named She Zheng. The third one is General Yang Xiong's cousin, named Yang Wu. The fourth one is..."

Li Mu introduced them one by one.

Lin Yue was a bit stunned. Why were there so many people with connections?

But then he thought about the composition of a Gentleman and felt relieved. Subsequently, a Military General came before Lin Yue and cupped his hands: "This humble general, Cavalry Commandant Wang Yi, greets the Cavalry Commandant!"

["name: Wang Yi", "Position: Cavalry Commandant (Great Qin)", "Martial Power: 85 (Position +3)", "Intelligence: 76", "Command: 81 (Position +3)", "Politics: 78", "Charm: 74"]

"No need for such formality," Lin Yue said with a smile.

This Wang Yi was also a ruthless man, the one who would later seize Xiang Yu's head. He was enfeoffed as Marquis of Duyuan by Liu Bang, receiving 1,700 households, the most after Yang Xi.

Lin Yue felt a bit emotional. He hadn't expected that among these humble Cavalrymen, Yang Xi, Wang Yi, and Yang Wu—three Military Generals who possessed fragments of Xiang Yu's skin—would appear simultaneously. It was truly rare.

But thinking about it, it was actually normal, because these old Great Qin generals and even the Qin People had affection for Great Qin. However, compelled by circumstances, they understood that Great Qin's demise was an inevitable trend, and thus chose to surrender. But because they resented the slaughter Xiang Yu caused in the Qin lands, they unanimously chose to pledge allegiance to Liu Bang, and in the end, Liu Bang also had these old Qin People pursue and kill Xiang Yu, which could be considered putting them to good use.

He just wondered if gathering all five of them would allow him to summon Xiang Yu!

But Lin Yue only thought about it, after all, Xiang Yu should already be in Great Qin by now... As time passed imperceptibly, the sun soon rose to its zenith.

"Divide into three teams, eat in batches. Wang Yi, you take your men first," Lin Yue quietly instructed.

"Understood," Wang Yi replied.

Then it was Li Mu, and finally Lin Yue, leading the Cavalrymen under Zhao Yun, began to eat.

The food at Zhangtai Palace was very simple: two dishes and one soup, one meat and one vegetable, with rice as the staple.

At this moment, Lin Yue missed the food outside. Since the "Otherworlders" arrived in this world, the most obvious change has been in cuisine.

Countless classic dishes from later generations were cooked in methods more suitable for this era, but in Zhangtai Palace, it was still this old-fashioned way of cooking, making it somewhat difficult for Lin Yue to swallow.

Not only Lin Yue, but the other Cavalrymen also wore the same expression. After all, they were all children of prominent families and had long tasted the delicacies outside. Now, facing these "simple meals," they found them somewhat tasteless.

However, they had to be on duty all day, so they all ate without expression.

Lin Yue hastily scooped a few bites of the dishes on his plate, then with a "smile" on his face, he brought the meat dish to She Zheng: "Xiao Zheng, you are in a period of growth right now, eat more meat."

"Thank you, Cavalry Commandant!" She Zheng looked up with a wry smile. He was about to get up but was pressed down by Lin Yue.

"Hurry and eat, don't waste it!" Lin Yue kindly patted She Zheng's head, then walked outside.

This scene was observed by some Cavalrymen, who re-examined She Zheng, this newly promoted Cavalryman, and all seemed to be deep in thought.

Lin Yue returned to the front of the main hall. Although it was almost autumn, the sun was still scorching, hot and dry. Lin Yue also felt uncomfortable, but as a newcomer, he had to patrol to understand the layout of Zhangtai Palace and the location of each hall, so as to better perform his duties.

Lin Yue led three people on a patrol. Under Wang Yi's guidance, he gradually learned the name and function of each palace and the layout of Zhangtai Palace.

"What is this palace for?" Lin Yue stopped in front of a locked palace.

He had noticed that along the way, even if other palaces were empty or had their doors closed, they were rarely locked. But this particular palace was very tidy yet locked, which made him a bit curious.

Wang Yi thought for a moment and said in a deep voice: "This humble general doesn't know the name of this palace, nor have I ever entered it. However, when This humble general first arrived, I heard some old-timers say that this palace seems to contain maps of the world's mountains and rivers, as well as sand tables. The First Emperor used to come here every day. But since This humble general arrived here half a year ago, I haven't seen The First Emperor come here again."

"Maps of the world's mountains and rivers..." Lin Yue murmured to himself.

To be honest, Lin Yue wanted to go in and see, because no boy would be indifferent to such things. But he only thought about it; he wasn't Empress Dowager Cixi's husband, Emperor Xianfeng!

According to Wang Yi, The First Emperor regarded this place as a treasure, especially an emperor's treasure. Lin Yue didn't have the guts, so he continued to walk forward.

"Cavalry Commandant, the front is where the Imperial Harem lives; we cannot enter," Wang Yi reminded him.

Sure enough, there were several Eunuchs in front, glaring at the group.

Lin Yue used his Art of Recognizing People to take a look and found that the Martial Power of these Eunuchs was not low; they were all at the realm of a High-level Military General.

This was only the outer perimeter; he knew nothing about the situation inside.

"Who are these Eunuchs?" Lin Yue was a bit curious.

"They are the guards for The First Emperor's Imperial Harem and princes. They are Eunuch Supervisors, Subordinate to the Palace Construction Director, and we do not interfere with each other," Wang Yi explained.

"Alright," Lin Yue nodded.

Then Lin Yue suddenly leaned into Li Mu's ear and asked: "Li Mu, has The First Emperor established an Empress?"

This had always been a point of curiosity for Lin Yue. The First Emperor had over twenty children, but there was no record of an Imperial Harem, which seemed a bit off.

Upon hearing this, Li Mu's face changed in a way Lin Yue had never seen before. With a smack, he directly covered Lin Yue's mouth: "General, stop spouting nonsense!"

Wang Yi's expression also subtly changed. He then looked up at the sky, his nose observing his mouth, and his mouth observing his heart, clearly having also heard Lin Yue's whisper.

Lin Yue was a bit surprised. He then looked left and right, finding no suspicious individuals nearby, and nodded, taking it to heart. It seemed this was a topic that could not be touched in Great Qin.

He didn't want to be questioned by The First Emperor again.

Subsequently, the group lost interest and returned to the front of the main hall.

Lin Yue came before Yang Xi: "Has The First Emperor come out?"

Yang Xi shook his head: "No, The First Emperor has been busy with memorials. However, Prince Hu Hai just went in."

"Good," Lin Yue nodded in response.

Time continued until evening...