After Being Abducted by the General

chapter 9

 Chu Hechao's voice remained calm, asking the question without any ripples.

But it felt as sharp as a sudden thunderstorm outside, directly targeting Yuan Li.

In the darkness, Chu Hechao's gaze seemed to be fixed tightly on Yuan Li.

This was a good question.

The good thing was that Yuan Li didn't know if he knew or not.

Yuan Li smiled bitterly without a sound, quickly calming down.

He left behind the scene that had just unfolded in his mind and focused on understanding the purpose behind Chu Hechao's question at this moment.

Yuan Li truly didn't know where the goods that Yang Zhongfa lost were.

Thanks to Chu Hechao's constant presence, he suspected that Wang Er and the missing goods might be related, but he had no time to verify the truth.

"What goods did Yang Zhongfa lose?"

Yuan Li's voice was hoarse and gentle, as if just waking up, blending with the sound of rain, like spring water flowing into a creek. "The General and Mr. Yang always mentioned that a batch of goods was lost, but they never informed me when and how they were lost, nor what the goods were. Mr. Yang said that the batch of goods was military funds, and according to the laws of our dynasty, theft or interception of military funds and intercepting urgent messages within a hundred li are capital crimes. They can even implicate nine generations and harm innocent bystanders. I'll be honest, General, I don't have the audacity to send someone to intercept military funds."

Yuan Li sighed, "Since the General's military funds were stolen, why didn't you report it to the court and lead your troops to search extensively?"

This was precisely why Yuan Li wanted to secretly meet Wang Er without Chu Hechao's knowledge.

If Wang Er truly had taken the military funds hostage, it would be a capital offense, and even Yuan Li's family, who sheltered the disaster-stricken people, would be implicated.

But even though they could handle the matter openly, Chu Hechao chose to keep it secret and investigate quietly.

Either he was certain that the person who intercepted the goods was related to Yuan Li, and out of consideration for Yuan Li being his "sister-in-law," he chose to act in such a discreet manner.

Or that batch of goods wasn't military funds at all and had an unknown origin, so Chu Hechao could only seize the opportunity to pry into it.

Given Chu Hechao's cold and ruthless temperament, it seemed more likely to be the latter.

Yuan Li even entertained a bold thought.

Perhaps Chu Hechao, just like those disaster-stricken people, was planning to seize this batch of goods and pass them off as military funds, acting as a bandit!

Inside the narrow wooden house, rainwater leaked from the corner of the eaves, dripping incessantly.

Yuan Li couldn't see Chu Hechao's expression clearly. In the silence, the man's fingers seemed to be lightly tapping on his thigh, contemplating the words he had spoken.

After a while, Chu Hechao finally spoke. He said lightly, "That batch of goods consists of ancient calligraphy and paintings, golden silk, and cloth."

This definitely wasn't normal military funds. By telling Yuan Li this, Chu Hechao was essentially admitting that those disaster-stricken people didn't steal military funds.

Yuan Li subtly breathed a sigh of relief and remained composed. "I would like to ask, General, if this batch of goods were to be transported to the northern frontier, how long would it provide rations for the 130,000 soldiers in the north?"