Before he could finish speaking, Li Laosi had already snatched the oil paper package and spread it out in front of the Marquis.
The two of them didn't exchange any pleasantries and started eating right away.
As Li Laosi ate, he exclaimed happily, "Oh my, this is our Fu Niu'er's cooking! Only she can make this spicy flavor; even her mother can't do it."
The Marquis did not respond, but his men were quick on their feet...
In the blink of an eye, the oil paper package was empty. Mu Xu held the two dry steamed buns, feeling a pang of regret, but dared not say anything...
When Li Laosi turned around and saw this, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Look at you, what are you so upset about? After you return home victorious, I'll have Fu Niu'er make a pot of it and give you back some more."
After saying that, he licked his lips, still not satisfied, and pressed Mu Xu, "You little rascal, did you hide something from me? Is there anything else in your bag?"
Mu Xu quickly rummaged through his bag, only to find it empty.
"I was mixed in with the grain delivery team, so it wasn't appropriate for me to carry too much stuff."
Li Laosi felt a little regretful and plopped down on the table, complaining, "Fu Niu'er didn't come. If she were here, we definitely wouldn't be short of food."
"I wonder how this girl is doing in the palace? Even if the Emperor and the princess treat her well, it's never as comfortable as being at home."
The god of war who usually strikes fear into the hearts of barbarians transforms into a nagging old father the moment he mentions his daughter.
The Marquis was naturally also concerned and urged Mu Xu, "Tell me about the affairs of the new capital. How is the princess first?"
Mu Xu glanced at Li Laosi discreetly, then poured himself some water, drank it to his heart's content, and began to speak.
For example, the drought in Jiangnan, the quarrels in the imperial court, Li Lao Er borrowing grain from the aristocratic families, Jia Ren and Li Ge'er taking office, and Jia Yin often sending the little fox home to deliver messages...
Li Laosi and the Marquis listened attentively, sometimes frowning, sometimes delighted, and finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
Li Laosi even laughed smugly, "I told you not to worry about home. My second brother is here, Mr. Wen is resourceful, Fu Niu is even smarter, and Jia Ren's wife is also a good one. Nothing will go wrong."
The Marquis glared at him but did not refute.
This hindsight expert is usually the one who nags the most!
Li Laosi chuckled, touched his nose, and went to get some dried noodles, asking his personal guards to cook them for Mu Xu.
Then, he turned and went back to his tent. Remembering the robbers from before, he asked, "Young Mu, what's your basis for saying those robbers came from the southwest?"
Mu Xu thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and replied, "My lord, Fourth Master, these people who robbed the military rations are very likely from the southwest, and they are from the army."
Southwest?!
The Marquis frowned and subconsciously straightened his cuffs, clearly indicating that this possibility was also unexpected.
Li Laosi said, "My lord, when I encountered the grain transport team, they had already been tricked. Several traitors in the team had poisoned the well water, and hundreds of them were knocked out."
"But whether the traitors brought insufficient dosage or showed mercy, the amount of drug in the water was very small and not enough to kill."
"They fired cannons, and a group of men arrived to rob the grain convoy. But I led my men and scattered them!"
"That group of people was well-trained and obeyed orders; they certainly didn't seem like a rabble like bandits."
"Mu Xu said that several traitors spoke with the accent of Fancheng in the southwest, but unfortunately they all bit their tongues and committed suicide, so there is no way to investigate this matter."
“But our Northern Expeditionary Army has no grudge against the border troops in the southwest, and Prince Lu is also close to our family. Even though Jiaren is still serving as an official in the southwest, we can’t find any reason for the southwest to be targeting us…”
The Marquis's eyes darkened, and after thinking for a moment, he asked Mu Xu, "Besides the traitor's accent being wrong, do you have any other evidence? This matter is of great importance, and we must have irrefutable evidence."
Mu Xu moved his stool closer to Li Laosi and the Marquis, and said in a low voice, "Previously, when the military supplies sank in the river, General Dayong and I suspected that there were traitors in the army."
"Because only military personnel can access those riverboats, outsiders simply cannot get close. Moreover, how could one possibly drill a hole in the bottom of the boat without anyone noticing?"
"But we didn't catch them red-handed, we only suspected them. To prevent this from happening again, General Dayong used the pretext of a purge to remove all the unreliable people from the dockside barracks."
"One of the deputy generals was from the Southwest Border Garrison Army. He was usually very low-key and cautious. He was arrested not because he was involved in the ship-dredging incident, but because he made a very stupid mistake, as if it were intentional."
"I suspected there was something wrong with this person. He was punished and exiled back to the southwest to eat sand. It's as if we helped him return to his hometown."
"So I told the Earl, and the Earl has already sent people to follow and monitor them all the way."
Li Laosi frowned and replied, "There are often soldiers on temporary assignments in various parts of the army. Even in the southwest, there are soldiers and officers who came from our Northern Expeditionary Army. It would be untenable to convict them based on their origins."
The Marquis did not speak, but Mu Xu nodded in agreement.
"Fourth Master is right. I know all this, which is why I rushed over when the second batch of military rations arrived in Jiangbei."
"Those people destroyed the military rations the first time, but their families worked hard to procure new supplies, and within a few days, they were able to transport the second batch. If the person behind this is not satisfied, they will definitely make another move."
"Sure enough, halfway there, the well water had been sprinkled with powder, which led out the traitor in the group. I was hiding under the car and could clearly hear that they spoke with a Fancheng accent from the southwest."
"Even if neither of the two instances can be used as evidence, too many coincidences mean it's no longer a coincidence."
The Marquis looked somewhat solemn. He raised his hand to pour tea and remained silent for a moment.
The Lu family guarded the southwest for many years with utmost diligence and loyalty. Even Lu Zong, the heir apparent, was sent to study in the new capital.
Neither he nor the emperor ever suspected that the Lu family had any ulterior motives.
But now, just as Mu Xu said, too many coincidences are no longer coincidences.
At this moment, Mu Xu coughed twice and said, "There is another important clue that may explain the reason behind all the problems. Or rather, the one who destroyed the military rations was not the Lu family, but a member of the Lu family."
These words were truly strange, and both the Marquis and Li Laosi looked at Mu Xu.
Mu Xu did not hesitate and continued, "Lu Zong, the heir apparent, has been selected as the third-ranked scholar and betrothed to the Third Princess. Recently, the Emperor has even intended for the heir apparent and the Third Princess to get married as soon as possible."
"But Prince Lu has someone else in his heart; he is devoted to... the Princess!"
"What? Impossible!" Old Li stood up angrily. "He's about the same age as Jiaren, and more than ten years older than Fu Niu! Who gave him the guts to covet Fu Niu!"
He was truly enraged; as he spoke, his right hand was already on his waist knife.
If Lu Zong were here, his head and neck would probably be separated immediately!
The Marquis's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his fists were clenched tightly.
He had considered Lu Zong before, but the Li family was harmonious and peaceful, without any infighting, rivalry between wives and concubines, or discord between legitimate and illegitimate children. Jia Yin was naturally raised to be simple and happy.
A family of Lu's social standing is bound to cause trouble for whoever marries into it. Moreover, the Lu family lives too far away, and neither he nor the Li family can bear to see Jiayin marry so far away.
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