Xue Yuanchu's eyes suddenly sharpened when he heard this. He stared at Meng Liang closely and asked in a deep voice, "You know? Then please tell me in detail."
Meng Liang took a deep breath, as if trying to organize his words, before slowly speaking, "That evening, I happened to see a man sneaking past the orphanage. His movements were very suspicious. Suspicious, I quietly followed him. Unexpectedly, he set a fire to the south of the orphanage. I wanted to step forward to stop him, but he was agile and quickly disappeared into the night."
"As for the looting of military rations," Meng Liang continued, "that night, I hid in the shadows and witnessed with my own eyes a group of men in black sneaking into the camp. They moved swiftly and silently, stealing the rations. Although they were masked, I recognized the characteristics of the Western Rong people from their figures and movements."
Xue Yuanchu frowned when he heard this. He didn't expect Meng Liang to know so much inside information.
However, he was not completely convinced by Meng Liang's words, after all, words were not enough.
"Do you have any evidence?" Xue Yuanchu asked seriously.
Meng Liang seemed to have been prepared. He pulled out a piece of black cloth with fur stitched on it from his pocket and handed it to Xue Yuanchu: "This is a piece of cloth I tore off those men in black. Secretary Xue, please take a look."
Xue Yuanchu took the cloth and examined it carefully. Sure enough, the cloth was made of the same material as the clothes commonly worn by the Western Rong people.
A hint of pride flashed in Meng Liang's eyes. He modestly said that he just happened to discover these situations, and promised to continue to pay attention to the movements around him. If he found anything abnormal, he would immediately report to Xue Yuanchu.
Xue Yuanchu nodded, but he didn't completely believe Meng Liang's words. After all, all this happened too coincidentally, so he had to be on guard.
As the heir to the Xingyuan Marquisate, he had a deep understanding of the complexity of human nature and the dangers of the world.
If you can't even see through these superficial disguises, then you are really ignorant and stupid.
Xue Yuanchu looked at Guan Yan beside him without saying a word. It was obvious that he trusted Meng Liang very much, and his eyes showed determination and recognition.
After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he knew that questioning Meng Liang in person might make Guan Yan feel embarrassed and might even affect their friendship.
Therefore, he chose a more cautious approach, neither completely believing Meng Liang's words nor arguing with him face to face.
He took a deep breath, handed the cloth back to Meng Liang, and said in a deep voice, "Please continue to pay attention to the movements around you. If you see anything unusual, you can report to me at the military camp outside the city."
Meng Liang took the cloth, a subtle glint in his eyes. He nodded and said, "Rest assured, Steward Xue, I will do my best to live up to your trust."
…
Two days have passed since the deadline for recovering the military rations, but there has been little progress and there is still no clue.
On the morning of the third day, the sun shone on the training ground of the military camp, but it failed to dispel the gloom in everyone's hearts.
Deputy General Wang Zishan stood arrogantly on the high platform, his eyes filled with disdain as he swept over Xue Yuanchu, Li Hechuan and others.
"I've given you plenty of time," Wang Zishan's voice echoed over the training ground. "But if you still haven't recovered the lost rations by this evening, you don't have to come back. I'll personally remove you from the barracks' roster."
Many soldiers were angry but dared not speak out. They looked at Li Hechuan and Xue Yuanchu with sympathy, and felt worried for them.
The ruthlessness of Deputy General Wang Zishan was like a mountain, weighing heavily on everyone's heart.
Xue Yuanchu took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't just sit there and wait for death. He turned to Li Hechuan and whispered, "Brother Li, I'm going to go out of the city to the market to get some information. Maybe someone has seen those grain robbers or knows their whereabouts."
Li Hechuan nodded and said, "Thank you, Steward Xue, for your hard work."
Xue Yuanchu patted Li Hechuan on the shoulder, turned around and walked towards the camp gate. Going to the market to inquire about the news was his only hope at the moment, and he had to grab this life-saving straw.
After leaving the military camp, Xue Yuanchu rode his horse at full speed to the market outside the city.
The market was bustling with people. He moved among the crowd, carefully observing everyone's expression and behavior.
Xue Yuanchu found an inconspicuous place and began to ask people around him, including vendors, passers-by, and even beggars, hoping to get some useful information from them.
However, most people shook their heads to indicate that they did not know, and a feeling of disappointment gradually welled up in Xue Yuanchu's heart.
"Secretary Xue, what a coincidence to meet you here! I was just about to head to the military camp to look for you!"
Xue Yuanchu turned around upon hearing the voice, and what came into his sight was Meng Liang's face filled with smiles, mixed with a hint of surprise.
He responded gently: "Oh, it's Meng Liang. What do you want to talk to me about?" His tone was so friendly and easy-going that people unconsciously felt relaxed.
Meng Liang approached quickly, his expression filled with respect and joy. "Steward Xue, to be honest, I have something important to discuss with you."
He paused, as if gathering his thoughts, and then continued, "There's a man called Blind Zhang in this market who usually does fortune-telling. He seems to know something about the military rations being looted."
When Xue Yuanchu heard what Meng Liang said, although he was not completely convinced of Meng Liang, at this moment the clues for finding military rations were slim, so he had to grasp any possible hope.
"Lead the way, Meng Liang." Xue Yuanchu said in a deep voice.
Meng Liang nodded and led Xue Yuanchu through the hustle and bustle of the market to a remote, dilapidated house.
The house is in a dilapidated state, with broken tiles on the roof and the walls covered with traces of time.
Xue Yuanchu looked around and felt an inexplicable sense of vigilance in his heart. He felt that there seemed to be some kind of danger hidden here, but he couldn't tell what it was.
Time was running out, so he had to suppress his doubts and followed Meng Liang into the dilapidated house. The light in the house was dim and a musty smell filled his nose.
Xue Yuanchu frowned, looked around, and suddenly noticed a figure moving in the dark.
"Oh no, there's an ambush!" Xue Yuanchu cried in his heart, he turned around and wanted to run out.
However, his old injury on his right leg flared up at this time, and the piercing pain made his movements slow.
At this moment, a club hit him hard on the back of the head.
Xue Yuanchu only felt a black screen before his eyes, and then he lost consciousness. His body fell limply to the ground, motionless.
Seeing this, Meng Liang showed a strange smile on his face. He turned around and winked at the figure in the dark, then waited quietly for the next instruction.
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