Chapter Thirty-Two: The Disappearance of Lu Ban

For the past few days, Zhu Hao had been plagued by a vague sense of unease, never realizing that the two most powerful women of the imperial harem had already formed an alliance with a single target in mind—his own father, Emperor Zhu Changluo. If he had known, perhaps he would have understood the reason for his disquiet.

In the end, Zhu Hao attributed his anxiety to the approaching chaos and the glaring lack of capable people he could rely on. This reminded him of Emperor Wu of Wei, Cao Cao, and his poem “Short Song Style”: “Facing wine and singing, how brief is life? Like morning dew, the days gone are many and bitter. I sigh and lament, unable to forget my worries. What can dispel them? Only Du Kang’s wine. You, clad in green robes, linger in my thoughts. For your sake, I’ve pondered in silence to this day. The deer calls out, feasting on wild herbs. I have honored guests, and the zither and flute play. The moon shines bright—when can I grasp it? Sorrow wells within, endless and unbroken. Crossing fields and paths, we visit each other in vain. Our conversations recall old favors. The moon bright, stars sparse, crows and magpies flying south. Circling the tree three times, on which branch can they rest? The mountain never tires of height, nor the sea of depth. The Duke of Zhou spit out his food for the worthy, and the world’s hearts turned to him.”

At this moment, Zhu Hao’s heart mirrored that of Cao Cao, who yearned for talent. With the great upheaval looming, nothing was more precious than capable men. Reflecting on this, Zhu Hao could not help but sigh, “I still don’t have enough summon points! That damn Lu Ban, wasting my precious five-star summon opportunity! If I could have summoned a five-star scholar or general back then, they would be a great help to me now!”

As he was thinking this, a sudden realization struck him: “Wait, where is that Lu Ban, anyway? It’s this damned system’s fault for making me so angry that I never got to hear how to find Lu Ban, nor did I see him report to me. Zhu Hao opened the system and glanced through the information of all the generals he had summoned.”

Name: Wei Xiaobao
Star Level: Three-Star
Type: Miscellaneous
Loyalty: 98
Special Skill: Finding Beauties
Current Location: Imperial Palace
Talent Profile: Close friend of Emperor Kangxi, titled Duke of Deer Cauldron for his merits
...
Name: Gongsun Ce
Star Level: Three-Star
Type: Civil Official
Loyalty: 100
Special Skill: Investigating Cases
Talent Profile: Adviser to Bao Zheng, Prefect of Kaifeng during Northern Song
Current Location: Imperial Palace
...
Name: Xie Gang
Star Level: Two-Star
Type: Military General
Loyalty: 50
Special Skill: None
Talent Profile: Commander of the Ming Imperial Guard
Current Location: Imperial Palace
...
Name: Shi Qian
Star Level: Two-Star
Type: Military General
Loyalty: 100
Special Skill: Master Thief
Talent Profile: The 107th hero of Liangshan Marsh
Current Location: Imperial Palace
...
Name: Lu Ban (Gongshu Ban)
Star Level: Five-Star
Type: Miscellaneous
Loyalty: 30
Special Skill: The Craft of Lu Ban
Talent Profile: Patriarch of Artisans
Current Location: Imperial Palace

After reading through all the talent profiles, Zhu Hao cursed aloud, “Damn system! Can’t you be more specific about their locations? There are nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine and a half rooms in the entire palace—who knows where Lu Ban is hiding? How am I supposed to find him?”

To be honest, Zhu Hao didn’t have any urgent task for Lu Ban at the moment. He didn’t need anything built right now. But deep down, like his ancestor Zhu Yuanzhang, he possessed the blood of a smallholder and was determined not to waste the hard-earned cost of summoning Lu Ban. Even if he didn’t need him immediately, he wanted Lu Ban by his side for peace of mind. He had been preoccupied with the fire case the past few days and had forgotten about Lu Ban. Now that he had time, he naturally thought of the craftsman, summoned at the cost of 1,500 points.

Zhu Hao knew that the palace was so vast he might never find Lu Ban on his own, so he decided to mobilize the people around him for the search. With that in mind, he instructed his attendant to summon Gongsun Ce, Wei Xiaobao, Shi Qian, and Xie Gang to see him. As for the rest of the palace staff, Zhu Hao didn’t trust them—he knew there would certainly be the Empress’s spies among them. If the old crone learned he was looking for someone, even if she didn’t know who it was, she would surely try to interfere or even have that person killed. Zhu Hao had no intention of letting his hard-won five-star Lu Ban, summoned at such a cost, die before they even met!

After the summons went out, it wasn’t long before the four arrived together and greeted him in unison, “Greetings, Your Highness!”

Looking at the talented men before him, Zhu Hao felt a surge of pride. After a moment’s reflection, he smiled and said, “We are all among friends here. Stand up and speak. You are all men I trust, and I have a task I wish to entrust to you four.”

Upon hearing this, all but Wei Xiaobao adopted grave expressions, as if preparing for some difficult challenge. Wei Xiaobao, perhaps true to his nature, grinned mischievously and said, “Your Highness, whatever you need, just tell your humble servant! With such solemn words, you’re making me nervous!”

The others could barely suppress their laughter at Wei Xiaobao’s irreverence, and even Zhu Hao’s lips twitched. His effort to maintain the air of authority was almost ruined by that one remark. He glared at Wei Xiaobao, who immediately shrank back and dared not say another word, his face growing more serious as he feigned attentive listening.

Clearing his throat, Zhu Hao continued, “It’s not a difficult matter. I simply want you to help me find someone in the palace—his name is Lu Ban. All I know is that he’s somewhere in the palace, but I do not know exactly where. I want you to work together and find him for me.”

As soon as Zhu Hao finished speaking, Gongsun Ce was the first to respond, “Your Highness, I would not shirk your command. However, given my position...”

Zhu Hao immediately understood what Gongsun Ce meant: as a Reader-in-Attendance, he was not free to wander the palace at will. So before Gongsun Ce could finish, Zhu Hao interrupted, “Gongsun, you can provide them with search strategies. You don’t need to go in person, but your ideas must go forth!”

Gongsun Ce bowed in acceptance and stepped aside.

Shi Qian and Wei Xiaobao made no protest, bowing in agreement and moving aside as well. Commander Xie Gang, however, hesitated, shooting an especially dissatisfied glance at Shi Qian. Zhu Hao immediately understood—Xie Gang was deeply unsettled. Shi Qian had been a mere subordinate under his command, yet now stood before Zhu Hao as his equal. In the strictly hierarchical Ming dynasty, this was hard for a man of Xie Gang’s status to accept.

Zhu Hao knew that if he did not say something to address the matter, Xie Gang’s loyalty might waver, perhaps even leading to betrayal, which would be disastrous. With this in mind, Zhu Hao spoke, “Commander Xie, I am quite fond of Shi Qian—he is clever and resourceful. At present, I lack a personal bodyguard. Would you permit Shi Qian to serve at my side as my bodyguard?”

Xie Gang replied at once, “If Your Highness values him, it is his great fortune. How could I object?” With that, he looked at Shi Qian again, but this time, his displeasure had turned to burning jealousy.

He then cupped his fists to Zhu Hao, saying, “Your servant obeys.”

This move of Zhu Hao’s seemed casual, but was in fact deliberate. Xie Gang’s unease arose from the rank difference between himself and Shi Qian. To be honest, everyone present—apart from Zhu Hao himself—stood at different levels, but they belonged to different systems. Though Xie Gang outranked them, they weren’t directly under his command, and as Zhu Hao’s trusted men, they could work together without issue. Shi Qian, however, had been Xie Gang’s direct subordinate, and now appeared before the prince as his peer. For Xie Gang, this was intolerable. That he hadn’t erupted on the spot already showed considerable restraint. By transferring Shi Qian to his own retinue, Zhu Hao immediately placed him in a new system, no longer under Xie Gang’s direct authority. Though Xie Gang remained envious of Shi Qian’s sudden good fortune, his dissatisfaction was resolved. Zhu Hao, with his imperial blood, truly possessed superior skills in managing his subordinates.

Seeing the four had accepted their orders, Zhu Hao bowed deeply to them, saying, “I am counting on you for this matter. I await your good news.”

The four were stunned to see Zhu Hao bow to them, and all fell to their knees, exclaiming, “Your humble servant, minister, general, subordinate—dare not accept!”

After Zhu Hao personally helped each to their feet, the four took their leave. Left alone in his quarters, Zhu Hao waited quietly for their report, picturing in his mind what Lu Ban might look like.

Time ticked by, second by second. The sun had long since slipped away, and a crescent moon crept up into the night sky. With the song of nightingales as its accompaniment, night had fallen, and Zhu Hao still waited for news.

Drowsiness began to overtake him, and he was half asleep when the four finally returned to report. As the prince’s Reader-in-Attendance and chief strategist for the search, Gongsun Ce stepped forward to deliver the results: “Reporting to Your Highness, with the aid of the Imperial Guard, we have searched all nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine and a half rooms in the palace today, but did not find the Lu Ban Your Highness seeks. It appears he is not in the palace.”

Hearing this, Zhu Hao quickly entered the system to check Lu Ban’s information:

Name: Lu Ban (Gongshu Ban)
Star Level: Five-Star
Type: Miscellaneous
Loyalty: 30
Special Skill: The Craft of Lu Ban
Talent Profile: Patriarch of Artisans
Current Location: Imperial Palace

Zhu Hao trusted these four completely and believed they would not deceive him, yet the system still showed Lu Ban was in the palace. Why had he not been found? Where could the problem lie?