Xia Chuan had actually caught some hints, but since he hadn't personally visited Chen Cang, he couldn't deduce much based solely on the information brought back by Chen Yingba.
"Master is truly wise. What I'm about to discuss is the most important piece of information among the many messages Lord Jiang asked me to convey..."
Chen Yingba's face was filled with admiration, evidently shocked by Xia Chuan's keen insight. After pausing for a moment, he continued in a deep voice, "Based on the speculations of Lord Jiang and young Ji Hong, Chu Longteng does not favor his eldest son, Chu Tianming. However, constrained by the seniority-based inheritance system, he cannot openly strip Chu Tianming of his succession rights. Thus, he orchestrates this test, possibly because he foresees that a southern advance won't end well. By leveraging our hands, he aims to dispel Chu Tianming's succession thoughts and then rightfully appoint his third son, Chu Tianxu, as the Little Landgrave."
