Su Rong frowned and pondered upon hearing this.
If Qin Luan was someone she personally requested from the Crown Prince, Yan Huisheng, and brought out from the bitter cold lands to Nanchu, she would not mistreat someone with talent who chose to follow and be loyal to her. That’s why she had placed great trust in him over the years.
It was precisely for this reason she had made arrangements she believed to be thorough for the provisions before she left the capital.
She trusted Uncle Xie and Duke Cui, as well as Qin Luan, Ning Ze, and Jiang Zhu. Each one of them was a person she trusted.
But there indeed had been a problem with the provisions.
She said to Zhang Yun, "I don’t think it’s Qin Luan. He’s not a man who lacks understanding of severity. Provisions are a major matter, and even if he had to return, he would have arranged for a trustworthy and prudent person to handle it before going back to the Royal Capital, even with his wife nearly suffering a miscarriage. He is well aware of the importance of the provisions and that not even the slightest issue can be afforded."
Qin Luan’s wife, Chu Guanlan, was carefully selected by her from the Royal Family—a lively and clever young lady from a Commandery Prince’s family. The couple enjoyed a loving marriage, but they had no children until recently when Chu Guanlan finally conceived. They were delighted, and Qin Luan naturally became anxious when she nearly miscarried.
After all, he wasn’t solely responsible for the provisions; he had arranged for many people to take care of that.
Zhang Yun said, "The leads we’ve found only go up to this point. If Your Majesty trusts him, then the investigation must continue. However, I think we should investigate starting from him because the incident occurred after his departure."
Su Rong nodded, "Investigate!"
Zhang Yun turned and left.
Cui Yanjin, having received the news, came to her and said, "Cousin-in-law, shall we seize Dawei’s provisions quickly? Otherwise, if Dawei gets wind of this and secures their provisions, we’ll just be staring blankly. Or if Dawei counterattacks, won’t that ruin things?"
Su Rong shook her head, "First we must find the insider. Without removing the insider, taking their provisions will still lead to problems."
Cui Yanjin said bitterly, "I don’t know who the insider is, but they better hope I don’t find out, or else I’ll flay them slice by slice."
He looked at Su Rong, "Finding the insider won’t happen in a day, and if we don’t take Dawei’s provisions, are we just going to wait until we run out of supplies?"
Su Rong glanced at him, "Isn’t your cousin already leading people to prepare provisions? We’ll just wait for his report."
"Alright!" Cui Yanjin sighed.
After he left, the Old Duke of Protectorate walked into the central military tent with his hands behind his back, looking at Su Rong’s deeply furrowed brows, he said, "Young girl, you did not expect this, did you? You stabbed Yuan Zhao in the back, and he, without your knowledge, also secretly stabbed you back."
Su Rong sighed, "I just can’t figure out who it might be."
She stood up and asked the Old Duke of Protectorate to sit, quickly updating him on the findings of Zhang Yun’s investigation, and then asked, "Grandfather, do you have any insights?"
"Campaigning and battling, I fear most that trouble with supplies can lead to a swift defeat without a fight," the Old Duke of Protectorate said. "The more critical the moment, the tighter we must seal the news. Not a hint must leak, or it will certainly throw the soldiers into disarray."
Su Rong nodded, "I am aware of this. Except for a few individuals, no one knows at the moment; the information has been kept under wraps."
The Old Duke of Protectorate nodded, "How many more days can our military rations last?"
"No more than ten days," Su Rong replied. "However, I preemptively buried two supply depots at the border, enough for the army’s urgent needs for half a month. Only Zhou Gu and I are aware of this, and he has already taken people there."
The Old Duke of Protectorate nodded with approval, "Good, I used this tactic when I was off campaigning. Even the most trusted of men could cause an error with the rations, and an error could cost the lives of countless soldiers."
He sighed, "In a critical moment, should anything go wrong, it would indeed prove useful."
Su Rong’s mood improved somewhat, "Indeed, it was Zhou Gu who learned this tactic from you. During the preparations for battle, he had people stock up two supply depots in secret; only he and I knew."
The Old Duke of Protectorate praised, "Clever lad, initially trained in letters but excelling in martial matters, and in the strategies of war, he’s more skilled than any of his elder brothers."
He reminisced, "Originally, I truly didn’t want to let him follow you to Nanchu. Who would have thought that, in the end, I, your grandmother, and his mother would all end up coming along."
And having stayed for a while, I actually no longer wish to return home. All the other grandsons at home keep writing, saying they miss us. But even so, he remains steadfast in Nanchu, at his age where comfort is his priority, he stays where he feels most at ease. Now, he most enjoys time with his great-granddaughter and great-grandson."
Su Rong chuckled, "He is excellent in both letters and martial arts."
"Indeed, otherwise he wouldn’t have been on someone’s mind for so many years," the Old Duke of Protectorate snorted. "Girl, have you ever considered that the problem might lie with Qin Ruo’s sister?"
Su Rong’s smile vanished in an instant.
Truthfully, it hadn’t crossed her mind. For many years, Qin Luan had devoted herself to the female study and the court affairs. In Su Rong’s view, Qin Luan should have long let go of Zhou Gu, especially since, over the years, the words exchanged between her and Zhou Gu could probably be counted on one finger. Once Zhou Gu knew her feelings, he even more so avoided any intersection with her.
The Old Duke of Protectorate said, "You two are still too young. You’re too unconcerned, not meticulous enough. Although you are a woman, Uncle Xie taught you since childhood the principles of this world. These years, despite hardships, your magnanimity allowed you to employ those of talent and learning, which served you well. Overall, in employing people, you can claim keen insight, allowing Nanchu to flourish. You never dwell much on trivial matters or spend much thought on them, and there’s no fault in that. After all, you are one for great endeavors, a ruler wielding power over the realm. You naturally cannot be preoccupied with petty loves and trivialities. However, because of this, you overlook the nuances. You must understand, some women, once they fall for someone, become entangled in countless thoughts and vexations—some can let go, others carry that burden to the grave. What kind of person do you think Qin Luan is? She wouldn’t even marry Xie Lin of Prince Rui An’s Mansion. Her coming to Nanchu wasn’t out of desperation."
Sitting up straight, Su Rong fell silent for a while before saying, "Grandfather speaks truth."
She immediately called someone over, "Send a message to Zhang Yun, investigate Qin Luan."
The person complied and left at once.
After giving the order, Su Rong turned back to look at the Old Duke of Protectorate, "Grandfather, what could Qin Luan be after? I have not treated her poorly. If it’s just to get Zhou Gu, why bother? Knowing that Zhou Gu has been avoiding her all these years, if it’s to destroy Nanchu, where have I wronged her? If Nanchu is ruined, what good does it do her? Or perhaps, what did Yuan Zhao promise her? To make her harm Nanchu so?"
The Old Duke of Protectorate shook his head, equally unable to fathom her motives, speaking from a lifetime of experience, he felt the problem might lie with Qin Luan, "You would have to ask her. Sometimes women fixate on something, and not even ten mules can pull them back. Who knows what’s on her mind?"
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