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Tang Jinghong personally unloaded the bags of rice from the carriage and opened them for inspection.

Under the bright moonlight, it was clear that the sacks were filled with stones, which in color and size, closely resembled rice grains. If not examined carefully, they could easily pass off as the real thing.

Tang Jinghong meticulously recalled the events of the past three days. He had always had soldiers watching over the shipment during the transport, making it unlikely for issues to arise.

This meant the problem might have existed right from the start of the transportation.

However, when the shipment was dispatched, he had his trusted aides inspect each bag of seeds, ensuring there were no issues.

His three thousand trusted aides, who had been with him for seven years, were unlikely to betray him. And even if a few did, it would only affect a few bags, not the entire shipment.

Over these three days, inspections were conducted when the seeds were brought into the inn and again when they left, with no issues found.

Upon reflection, everything seemed perfect, leaving no trace of where things might have gone wrong.

Diao Detang, anxious and fearful, said, “General, what do we do now? All ten thousand pounds of seeds have turned into stones. We are sure to be executed!”

He was the primary official responsible for the transportation of the seeds. With the issue arising, he was the first to be held accountable, naturally fearing for his life.

A total of twenty thousand pounds of seeds needed to be delivered to the Ministry, with half already sent. This was the remaining ten thousand pounds.

Meng Shengdong loudly said, “Why panic? The general will think of a solution.”

Qi Kaiming also showed some dissatisfaction, “Panicking won’t solve anything. Besides, the general is here to back you up. He won’t let you die!”

Both were Tang Jinghong’s right-hand men, capable in both literature and martial arts, and now faced with a crisis, they were extremely anxious.

He didn’t want to panic, but he couldn’t help it. Diao Detang, sweating profusely, said, “General, give your order. We will followyour commands.”

Tang Jinghong ordered, “Lockdown the news. Not a word of this incident can leak. Also, call everyone here. Start questioning them one by one about what they were doing from the moment we entered the inn until now.”

Diao Detang responded, “Yes, General.”

Thankful for the general’s presence, he knew without him, his head would surely not remain on his shoulders.

Returning to his room, Tang Jinghong relayed the situation to Chu Qingzhi, unable to understand how the adversary made their move.

After hearing Tang Jinghong’s account, Chu Qingzhi’s first thought was that with such tight security, it was impossible for the rice to just disappear!

Chu Qingzhi asked, “Jinghong, who was the first to discover the seeds had turned to stones?”

Tang Jinghong replied, “It was one of Diao Detang’s men.”

Chu Qingzhi suggested, “Go and interrogate him again, pay close attention to his expression, see if he’s lying. Also, question the soldiers and guards stationed around. There’s a high possibility of an inside job. Remember, question them separately to prevent collusion.”

“Okay, I’ll do it now.” Following Chu Qingzhi’s advice, Tang Jinghong personally questioned the relevant people.

Chu Qingzhi stood by the window, arms crossed, frowning in thought. Clearly, someone was manipulating events from behind. But who could it be?

In a room at an inn somewhere.

The room was dark, but someone was sitting at the table drinking tea, shrouded in darkness, unidentifiable.

A man in black flashed into the room through the window and bowed, “Master, Tang Jinghong has discovered the seeds turned to stones.”

The person in the dark chuckled lightly, “The show is about to begin.”

The man in black respectfully asked, “Master, what’s the next step?”

After a moment of silence, the person in the dark countered, “How did Tang Jinghong respond?”

The man in black recounted precisely, “He’s locking down the news, questioning the accompanying personnel.”

The person in the dark laughed, placing down the teacup with a clear sound, “Then do the opposite, spread this news to the entire world. I want to see how Tang Jinghong plans to deal with this.”

The man in black replied, “Yes, Master.”

With a gentle wave, the person in the dark appeared quite pleased, “Go ahead.”

Now, it remained to be seen whether Tang Jinghong could turn the tide once more.

After questioning everyone, Tang Jinghong, an experienced observer of people, found no one showing signs of guilt.

Meng Shengdong suggested, “General, should we inform the Emperor about this? Otherwise, if someone else discovers and reports it, the Emperor might find it difficult to deal with the situation.”

Qi Kaiming furrowed his brows with concern, “Indeed, General. It’s clear someone is targeting you. With your numerous achievements, it’s not guaranteed the Emperor doesn’t harbor suspicions against you. If he becomes doubtful, it’s not just your career at stake but your life as well.”

After some thought, Tang Jinghong knew that if anything happened to him, all those following him would suffer, potentially endangering their lives. Not just for his sake, but for theirs as well, he decided, “I will write a letter explaining the situation to the Emperor.”

“General, after much thought, I find it strange. We had guards watching over the grain at all times; it couldn’t have been switched without notice. Could there be a traitor among us?” Meng Shengdong’s brows were deeply furrowed.

“Stop talking nonsense!” Tang Jinghong was also confused. He sat down at the desk, picked up his brush, and wrote several letters.

One of which was sent to the magistrate of Guangling City, informing him of the situation.

Given the gravity of the issue, the magistrate was also accountable and had the right to be informed immediately. He also looked into whether additional seeds could be gathered to mitigate the problem.

Should there be extra seeds, even if the issue couldn’t be fully resolved, the impact wouldn’t be as severe.

Upon reading the letter, the magistrate nearly fainted. Ten thousand pounds of seeds turning into stones under Tang Jinghong’s watch? How could this be?

With no time to dwell on these matters, he immediately ordered a secret collection of seeds. With a total of twenty thousand pounds already sent, only a few thousand pounds were left in the storehouse, intended for the people of Guangling City. These were now allocated to address the urgent shortfall, with plans to find a solution later.

Everyone involved was now on edge, unable to eat or sleep.

Chu Qingzhi, having thought through the situation while standing by the window, decided to take matters into her own hands.

Logically, there should have been no issues with the seeds, yet there were. A link in the chain must have faltered, yet unnoticed by all.

It was midnight. Chu Qingzhi summoned the parrots and, with a sweep of her spiritual power, took off towards Ping City.

The parrots were to begin their mission ahead of schedule.

Unconcerned by the night, Chu Qingzhi employed a flying technique, rushing at the fastest speed.

If anyone had been watching, they would have seen a shadow flash by, likely mistaking it for a trick of their eyes.

Within an hour, Chu Qingzhi arrived at Ping City, where Tang Jinghong was stationed.

“Shuang’er, you all spread out and monitor for any abnormal behavior near Jinghong, like those acting sneaky, eavesdropping around corners, or leaving without permission. Don’t alert them; just observe what they say and where they go. When I summon you later, tell me everything.”

“Understood!”

The parrots were excited. Their bodies had turned black, blending into the night as they flew away in a rustle.