Chapter 335 This kid...could it be...made a mistake?
Li Rongcai didn't believe that Chi Heng would be so kind.
If he truly wanted people to come see him, he would have done so in a grand and elaborate manner long ago, accompanied by all sorts of extravagant gifts, as if he wanted the whole world to feel his affection.
Such behavior is bound to cause trouble.
Upon hearing this, Sun Wu felt like crying, but he could only reluctantly remove the object that was stuffed in his chest.
Li Rong narrowed his eyes: "Were you the one who was sneaking around following me these past few days? Was it this painting that you were after?"
Li Rong took back the painting, his cold eyes falling lightly on it. He saw that the portrait was somewhat distorted, and the original face was now quite smudged, making him almost unrecognizable.
"Sun Tzu, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation."
The brothers Sun Wu and Sun Wen had always been Chi Heng's right-hand men, colluding with him in evil deeds. Sending him here was not right.
"Ahem, it was me a few days ago." Sun Wu shrank his neck guiltily and said with difficulty, "I...I just wanted to take some of your things back with me, to leave a memento for our Duke. Yes, just a memento."
As Sun Wu spoke, he quietly stood up and said, "Now that I have seen the person, I believe the Duke should be relieved. I will not disturb you any longer and will go back to report to the Duke."
Sun Wu shuffled step by step toward the outside of the tent, but the next second he heard a whoosh, and a long sword was beautifully embedded at his foot. Startled, he shrank back and knelt on the ground with a thud: "General, spare my life!"
Li Rong: "Do you think I'm as easy to fool as your master?"
Sun Tzu felt like crying at this moment.
His forehead was covered in cold sweat. He didn't want to take this damn job in the first place, but it just had to fall on him!
Who can steal things without anyone noticing while following the God of War, Li Rong?
After searching for so many days, I finally found an opportunity, and sure enough, I was caught red-handed!
He glanced at Li Rong and managed to force a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"I was indeed ordered by the Duke to come. Um... the Duke just wanted me to find out when you're going home..."
Li Rong's voice was indifferent: "You're not telling the truth. I'll give you one last chance. If you can't explain yourself, you can forget about having a tongue."
He felt that Chi Heng had been acting strangely lately, showing him excessive concern. Just two days ago, Chi Heng even sent one of his bodyguards over to protect him personally.
That person was always hanging around, which really annoyed Li Rong, so he sent him away.
I didn't expect that after driving one away, another thief would come along.
Sun Wu weighed his options for a moment, then kowtowed to the ground and blurted out, "General, I am here on the orders of the Duke to retrieve this painting."
Li Rong raised an eyebrow at him, looking at the painting in his hand: "What does he want this painting for?"
He seemed to value this painting highly. It was rather strange.
Sun Wu: "This... I really don't know. The Duke didn't say anything, he just told me to get the painting back no matter what, and if... if I can't get it back, destroy it."
Li Rong narrowed his eyes: "So, you painted over his face in this portrait?"
Sun Wu shrank back: "General, I know I was wrong."
Li Rong didn't speak again, but said with a strange expression, "Could it be that Chi Heng has made a mistake? Could he have wronged that girl?"
Or is he trying to avoid taking responsibility?
He had previously said that this girl was A-Nuan's sister. Li Rong was indeed unfamiliar with anyone else in A-Nuan's family. However, if this person was truly his wife's sister, he narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly, thinking to himself that he would definitely not let that kid off easily.
She simply stuffed the portrait back into her bag, glanced at him, and asked, "When is your Duke coming to the capital?"
"Reporting to the General, the Duke said he would like to meet with you when you have time before returning."
"Are you done with things in Pingning?"
Sun Wu nodded: "We finished all that work a long time ago. Now there are only some minor finishing touches left."
Li Rong frowned: "Then what does he do all day?"
Sun Wu counted on his fingers as he replied, "During the day, the Duke spends most of his time listening to music. Later in the evening, he finds people to play dominoes or mahjong. Still later, he goes out for drinks or to teahouses to hear about his own heroic deeds..."
Li Rong nodded; that was something Chi Heng would do.
What Li Rong couldn't understand was why he would leave the beautiful capital city and stay in this harsh, desolate wilderness. Something was definitely wrong with this kid.
"Alright, you can go back now. Just tell him that if he's coming, he should hurry up. I can only wait for him for one more day at most."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wu was taken aback: "General, are you in such a hurry?"
Li Rong nodded: "When we left, it was still the height of summer, and the mountains and fields were lush and green. Now, the land is covered in snow for miles around. I'm afraid my wife and children at home must be missing us."
Sun Wu listened in a daze, and when he looked up, he saw a gentle expression on the general's face.
He immediately reached out and pinched his cheek hard. Was he dreaming? He was actually hearing General Li talk about his wife and children in his lifetime?
As if remembering something, Li Rong instructed, "Tell him again that now that he has someone he loves, he should settle down. Concubinage is not allowed in the Duke's mansion. Don't think that just because he's the eldest son in the family now, no one will care about him. If he wrongs that girl, I, Li Rong, will be the first to deal with him."
Sun Wu listened blankly, nodding almost mechanically. He hadn't yet recovered from the shock he'd just experienced.
As the two were talking, they saw that the military advisor Shen had returned.
Upon entering, he was taken aback to see someone kneeling inside the room, and looked at Li Rong questioningly.
Li Rong nodded: "We're all on the same side, Strategist Shen, please speak freely."
Then the strategist said, "General, there is some bad news. The things you asked me to send to Physician Jiang two days ago were not delivered. The messenger returned."
Seeing Li Rong frowning as he looked over, the strategist immediately continued, "A sudden blizzard has struck Gu Kui City, and it's been snowing for several days now. I heard that some low-lying houses are completely covered by snow, and the doors can't be opened at all. The important road from Cang Lin to Gu Kui is also covered by snow. Now, even the common people and merchants are not going to Gu Kui City anymore. I think this is a big deal, so I'm hurrying back to tell the general."
As Shen Junshi spoke, he also returned the package that Xiang Qianli Rong had given him.
Li Rong frowned as he took the package. Inside was the money he had earned from selling his calligraphy in Canglin a few days ago. He had been lucky; he had made a thousand taels of silver, and he had even bought gifts for A Nuan and the children in the city. He figured that sending these things back would make things easier for A Nuan, at least enough to get through the winter. But little did he expect that he would never actually send the package.
General Wan rushed back upon hearing the news. As soon as he entered, he said, "General, I wonder what the situation is like over there? I'll send a team to Gu Kui to check on Physician Jiang."
(End of this chapter)
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