Chapter 973: Skimming Military Rations

Editor: Henyee Translations

The jailer quickly responded, “You’re right, young master. We’ll make sure to improve.”

Chu Tang didn’t say anything more and called Chen Yi and Chen Er to return to the military camp. “General Chen, what did the interrogation reveal?”

General Chen looked extremely grim. “They were precisely the officials in charge of the military supplies inspection. They colluded to replace the arrows with firewood in the storeroom. Those arrows were never even brought into the camp.”

Chu Tang asked, “How were the arrows stolen, was anything revealed from the questioning?”

General Chen shook his head, “The officials didn’t know. They were only responsible for the bait-and-switch. The actual theft was carried out by others.”

Chu Tang was silent for a moment, then said, “General Chen, I have some bad news. The mastermind behind all this is the Second Prince. He has sold all the stolen arrows, and the buyers are shrouded in mystery, impossible to track down.”

General Chen wanted to tear these traitors apart, “This is outrageous!”

Chu Tang shared his disdain for such traitors. “General Chen, stay calm. What we need now is to gather evidence and execute the Second Prince on the spot.”

General Chen regained his composure. “You’re right. And, we still need to investigate the thief within the camp.”

“I’ll do my best,” Chu Tang promised.

General Chen suggested, “Why don’t you rest a bit in the tent? I’ve ordered some food sent over for you. Take it easy with the investigation.”

“Alright.” Chu Tang returned to his tent, where a variety of exquisite dishes awaited him, appearing to be carefully prepared.

Chu Tang’s lips curled up slightly as he sat down and started eating.

Every dish was laced with poison. It was unclear who had ‘thoughtfully’ prepared this, but the food tasted surprisingly good.

Chu Tang said, “Chen Yi, the tent is a bit stuffy. Open up the tent flap for me.”

“Right away, Chu Brother.” Chen Yi and Chen Er lifted the tent flap and pinned it aside.

Chu Tang moved his table to the tent entrance and ate in full view of everyone. He casually watched who came by to see him eat, likely pinpointing the next lead.

“The camp’s cook isn’t bad at all, making such delicious food. I should ask General Chen to reward him later.”

Chen Er swallowed his saliva; their own food was plain in comparison. Chu Tang’s table was laden with an assortment of chicken, duck, fish, and meat, a rarity for them.

Seeing his longing look, Chu Tang would have invited them to join him if not for the poison, “Go fetch me some water.”

Chen Er pointed at the clear chicken soup, “Don’t you like the soup?”

Chu Tang replied, “I feel like drinking water now. I’ll have the soup later.”

“I’ll get it for you.” Chen Er swallowed hard, seemingly longing to taste a bite.

Soon after, Chen Er returned with a cup of tea, “Should I set it on the table?”

Chu Tang directed him to place it on the side of the table.

After setting down the tea, Chen Er quickly left the tent, unable to bear watching the food any longer without drooling, which would have been too embarrassing.

Chen Yi saw his brother’s predicament and said, “When we get our military pay, I’ll treat you to a good meal.”

Chen Er couldn’t help but fantasize about such a feast, drooling again, “I want to eat roasted whole lamb and drink fine wine. Brother, can we afford it?”

Chen Yi hesitated, “We can afford the roasted lamb, but the wine might be too expensive.”

Disappointed, Chen Er muttered, “Oh…”

Chu Tang, overhearing their conversation, felt a pang of sadness. How could military pay be so low? “How much do you get for military pay each month?”

Chen Er sighed, “Two silver taels.”

Even laborers earn three to five taels a month; the soldiers’ pay was unjustly low. “Why so little?”

Chen Er kicked a stone in frustration, “It used to be three taels, but it’s hard for the court’s pay to come through, so it was cut.”

“Cutting one tael from each soldier across the entire camp adds up to three hundred thousand taels…” Something was off. Chu Tang frowned.

Chen Er added with a hopeful tone, “General Chen said once the court sorts out the military pay, they’ll give us what they owe.”

Chu Tang thought quietly, never hearing from General Tang about any pay issues. Something was amiss here. “When did they start cutting your pay?”

“It’s been a year,” Chen Er said, somewhat helplessly.

Chen Yi shot Chen Er a look, signaling him not to divulge too much, fearing it might bring trouble. However, Chen Er, trusting Chu Tang, ignored his brother’s caution.

Chu Tang remained silent, finishing his meal.

Just then, a cook approached cheerfully. “Young master, is the food to your liking? Is there enough? I can make more if you like.”

Chu Tang pointed to the dishes on the table with his chopsticks. “Did you prepare all this?”

The cook nodded eagerly, proud of his duty. “General Chen instructed me to take good care of you. I made all these dishes myself, especially since I wanted to make sure they suited your taste.”

Chu Tang appreciated the effort. “Well done. Keep to this standard in the future.”

The cook scratched his head, looking puzzled but worried. “I’m afraid that might be difficult. The military provisions haven’t arrived yet, and there have been cuts all around. It was hard enough to prepare this meal.”

Chu Tang was taken aback. “That difficult? I always thought military camps were well-supplied. Why is it so tight here?”

“Next time, just serve me what the soldiers are eating,” Chu Tang suggested, realizing the severity of the resource shortages.

The cook smiled honestly. “Sure, I understand.”

As the cook left, Chu Tang noticed two soldiers passing by. He deliberately commented loudly, “I’ll try to finish all this food, to avoid waste.”

The soldiers glanced at the feast on his table, their eyes widening with envy.

Seeing their longing looks, Chu Tang felt a pang of guilt. If only the dishes weren’t poisoned, he would have invited everyone to share the meal.