Everyone in the military camp frowned.

Although they understood the Chen family's grief over the loss of their son, they could not tolerate the fact that the Li family immediately started to label them and brought up the fact that the Li family came from a farming background.

A lieutenant stepped forward and pulled the Chen family members apart, loudly urging them, "Commander Chen, please accept our condolences! The most important thing now is to calm down and find out the cause of Chen He's death."

"What was the cause of death? You killed him!" Chen He's father was almost going crazy, his eyes red as he questioned, "Tell me, did you mistreat my son because he didn't give you money? This isn't over, I want revenge for my son!"

The eldest and second masters of the Chen family nodded in agreement. The eldest master of the Chen family said, "Xiao He died in your military camp. Don't think you can easily find an excuse to cover up the fact that you killed him!"

The soldiers clenched their fists, barely managing to hold back their anger, and managed to keep the three men from being beaten to a pulp.

It was the Marquis who slammed his hand on the table, stopping the commotion.

He glanced coldly at the three Chen brothers and said in a chilling voice, "Chen He trained and drilled with thousands of soldiers without being punished. The other thousands of soldiers were all safe and sound, but he died suddenly!"

Even if you appeal to the emperor, it has nothing to do with General Li!

Chen Chuan gritted his teeth in hatred, his neck stiff as he shouted, "Are you saying that my son deserved to die, and no one is to blame?!"

The Marquis did not nod, but threw out the jade box and long pipe and asked, "Is this something your family gave to Chen He?"

"Especially what was inside the jade box? If you can explain it clearly, the truth about Chen He's death will naturally come to light."

The three Chen brothers looked at the long pipe and the jade box, exchanged glances, and all shook their heads.

Chen Chuan's eyes were still full of hatred as he sneered, "Chen He never smokes tobacco; it's more likely he smokes incense."

"If Your Excellency is going to shirk responsibility, you'd better come up with a more reliable reason."

Jiang Cheng couldn't help but scold, "How dare you! The Chen family is nothing to our Marquis! This is something Chen He uses every day in the military camp, and the soldiers in his tent can testify to it!"

"Moreover, the camp never withheld his food or punished him, yet he became emaciated. The reason lies in these two things!"

"You not only refuse to cooperate, but you also insist that our Northern Expeditionary Army deliberately murdered a mere soldier. How ridiculous!"

"You dare to slander the Marquis! Even if your Chen family doesn't file a complaint with the Emperor, our Northern Expeditionary Army will not let this go!"

The three Chen brothers were perhaps intimidated and kept quiet for a moment, but their expressions clearly showed their dissatisfaction.

The Marquis sneered, "Chen He is not only a member of your Chen family, but also a member of our Northern Expeditionary Army. I will investigate the cause of his death thoroughly, no matter what."

"Of course, we must also clear General Li's name! Otherwise, which general will be willing to train troops diligently in the future?"

"If your Chen family is willing to cooperate, that would be even better. If not, then shut your mouths and wait for us to investigate thoroughly!"

"All the military achievements and reputations of the Northern Expeditionary Army were forged with blood, sweat, and lives, and no one is allowed to slander them at will!"

"If I find out, and you spread rumors everywhere, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

All the generals quickly gathered around the Marquis, all coldly staring at the three Chen brothers.

Cold and ruthless!

The powerful aura intimidated the three Chen brothers, who instinctively lowered their heads.

Chen Chuan finally softened his tone, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "My lord, please calm your anger. We do not believe that the Northern Expeditionary Army killed our youngest son, but we beg your understanding of our grief over the loss of our child..."

"When I get back, I'll ask my wife. I'm usually very busy with official duties, and she's always the one who packs Chen He's luggage..."

The Marquis stopped speaking and nodded at Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng turned and went out, and soon led his men to carry a makeshift coffin to the front of the tent.

Seeing his son lying in a cold coffin in such a miserable state, Chen Chuan could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

Master Chen and Master Chen Er wiped away their tears, patted the coffin, and wished they could die in place of their nephew!

Li Yong asked the military doctor to come forward and repeated those few words about how easily a withered tree can be broken.

Whether the three Chen brothers believed it or not, they didn't cause any more trouble, but simply urged the servants to carry the coffin onto the carriage.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the Chen family leave triumphantly.

Li Yong couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "What kind of mess is this? The New Year is almost here, can't people have a moment's peace?!"

The others also sighed.

Logically speaking, it's perfectly normal for there to be casualties in a military camp.

Just a few days ago, a veteran horse breeder was accidentally kicked to death by a wild horse.

But these princes' soldiers were quite different from ordinary soldiers.

Rather than expecting them to fight the barbarians, it's more accurate to say they were hostages.

This forced the court and its officials to take the Northern Expeditionary Army seriously and not to make things difficult for the hostages of the Northern Expeditionary Army!

The hostage is now dead, and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.

The family members were filled with hatred because their son had entered standing up and left sideways.

The claim that the Northern Expeditionary Army did not undergo rigorous training or suffer from harsh diets is extremely unjust.

If this matter is not handled properly, conflict between the two sides could erupt at any moment...

No matter how Li Laosi thought about it, he felt that something was amiss. After the crowd dispersed, he privately sought out the Marquis and said, "My lord, something's not right. I have a feeling that someone is plotting against us."

"They're either targeting the Northern Expeditionary Army or our family. I need to go back and talk to my second brother to investigate this Chen family."

The Marquis naturally thought of this as well, and replied, "If it's aimed at the Northern Expeditionary Army, it's nothing more than wanting the military power in my hands. They're using Chen He's death to stir up discontent and panic among various factions, putting the Northern Expeditionary Army in a difficult situation."

"If the target is the Li family, then the opponents can be narrowed down to a few."

"Lord has been keeping an eye on those few families recently. After you go back, cooperate with Lord to intensify the investigation. If you need manpower, just let him know."

"Now that I'm in the open, it's not convenient for me to take action. I'll have to trouble you guys."

Li Laosi bowed and said, "Your Excellency is too kind. I will return now."

After saying this, he went to find Li Yong and Jiang Cheng, handed over his duties, and then returned to Suijintan with a few personal guards.

At the same time, in the Hundred Flowers Garden, Li Lao Er was also carefully examining a jade box.

The small box has no carvings and looks very ordinary.

The box contained some dark brown paste, thick and oily.

He couldn't see anything suspicious, so he asked Zheng Sanjiang, "You said this thing was brought out from Yaochi, and that the people there value it highly?"

Zheng Sanjiang nodded and replied, "That garden was heavily guarded. It took me a lot of effort to sneak in, and I finally hid under a wooden bridge."

“A servant carried several jade boxes across the bridge. I heard them muttering that if they lost even one, they would be beaten half to death.”

"By chance, the waiter slipped and overturned the tray, and I picked one up in the chaos."

"Those two servants actually went into the water in the dead of winter just to retrieve this box. It must be something really important."

Two updates today, everyone! There was a little unexpected situation here that delayed the update. I'll make up for the missed update soon. Happy National Day! Hope you all had a great time. And don't forget to vote for me, urge me to update, and leave a positive review (five stars or likes) as the new month begins! Mwah!