C174. Finding Clues.

Chapter 174 Finding Clues

A month and a half ago, Chu Hechao fell into the Huai River, ambushed by Chen Wang and pretended to be shot to escape the encirclement and ensure his survival, leading his loyal soldiers with him.

Prince Chen's forces surrounded Chu Hechao, leaving him with no escape route. Though armored and impervious to arrows (lit. "the arrows could not pierce his hide"), Chu Hechao saw that surrender was his only option.

To avoid a humiliating capture, he devised a cunning ploy.

Feigning injury from a stray arrow, he plunged into the Huai River with a dramatic flourish. His loyal soldiers, believing their leader was wounded, followed suit without hesitation.

They took off their armors when they went into the water, as Yuan Li had instructed them to train regularly in swimming, making them all skilled swimmers. However, the Huai River was turbulent, and the Yangzhou navy was chasing them on the river surface.

In the process of escaping, over a dozen men drowned.

Many brothers had their arms and legs broken by the rocks, and Yuan Congyun was almost swept away by the river and hit a huge rock, but was saved at the critical moment by Chu Hechao grabbing him by the collar.

Yet, in order to save him, Chu Hechao's thighs and waist were pierced by sharp and thick branches, causing bleeding wounds.

Chu Hechao gritted his teeth, one hand grabbing Yuan Congyun, the other grabbing an exhausted soldier, and with all his strength, he dragged them onto the shore. Once on the shore, Chu Hechao collapsed into unconsciousness.

Most of his brothers were injured, Chu Hechao's wounds were inflamed, and the Yangzhou navy was still pursuing them. Luckily, they encountered a fishing boat heading to Jingzhou, giving them time to recuperate.

Following Yuan Li's method, Yuan Congyun cleaned Chu Hechao's wounds, treated them with herbs, and anxiously awaited Chu Hechao's awakening. Thanks to Chu Hechao's strong will to survive, he finally opened his eyes after half a month of being unconscious.

Yuan Congyun was overjoyed, briefing Chu Hechao on the information he had gathered over the past two weeks, including Yuan Li's departure from Xuzhou, and Prince Chen's attack on Xuzhou, before asking whether they should return to Youzhou or go to Xuzhou.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Hechao decided to switch to a fishing boat heading to Jiaozhou.

He understood Yuan Li's character well. Given the circumstances of his disappearance due to Prince Chen Wang's trap and the chaos in Xuzhou, Yuan Li's departure was likely for military reinforcement.

By the time they reached Youzhou, Yuan Li might have already returned to Xuzhou and clashed with Prince Chen. Therefore, returning to Youzhou was not an option.

Returning to Xuzhou was even riskier, as they could easily be discovered by Prince Chen's army.

Furthermore, Wu Kai and Ouyang Ting were holding the city, which could withstand a siege for several months. Even if Chu Hechao managed to evade Prince Chen's army and join forces with Wu Kai and others, his injuries and the small band of soldiers he had would be of little use in Xuzhou.

Chu Hechao was not one to sit still and wait for his fate. Since neither Youzhou nor Xuzhou were viable options, he decided to consider the Governor of Jiaozhou.

The Governor of Jiaozhou, Zhou Lian, was a friend of Chu Hechao's father, Chu Hengping. The Governor also had a son named Zhou Yukan, a close friend of Chu Mingfeng, who had previously sent a letter of introduction to Yuan Li, though Yuan Li had not visited him.

Though Chu Hechao's relationship with the Governor of Jiaozhou was distant, he had once offered advice to the Governor on dealing with the barbarians, which was well received. The Governor had expressed gratitude and had told Chu Hechao to seek his help if needed.

Knowing the fickleness of human nature, Chu Hechao had initially not taken the Governor of Jiaozhou's words seriously, but given the current situation, he decided to give it a try.

If he could borrow troops from the Governor of Jiaozhou, he could launch a pincer attack on Prince Chen along with Yuan Li.

Even if the Governor of Jiaozhou only lent Chu Hechao two thousand men, Chu Hechao was confident he could deal a major blow to Prince Chen.

And so, while nursing their wounds, they made their way to Jiaozhou. Half a month later, the fishing boat finally arrived at Jiaozhou.

Chu Hechao draped himself in a cloak, concealing his face and the large sword at his waist.

They disembarked from the boat, blending in discreetly with the crowd.

*

Youzhou.

Since reading the letter in Yang Zhongfa's mansion, Yuan Li had gradually calmed down day by day.

He followed the instructions in the letter, eating well and sleeping well. If Chu Hechao was still fighting for him, how could Yuan Li allow himself to live in misery?

Yuan Li worked hard to regain his health as before. However, despite eating and sleeping well, he hadn't gained any weight and appeared particularly haggard.

One day, he overheard soldiers in the camp gossiping about Chu Hechao's death. Yuan Li immediately issued a stern warning, invoking military law, and threatening that anyone spreading rumors disrupting morale would be executed.

Even in the Political Affairs Office, subordinates would be reprimanded by Yuan Li if they mentioned Chu Hechao's possible death. After half a month, no one dared to bring up the idea that "Chu Hechao might have died" in front of him.

Since Chu Hechao's incident, Yuan Li's temperament had drastically changed. Adding to that, some people had begun to suspect that the relationship between Yuan Li and Chu Hechao was more than just that of brother-in-law or friends.

Such thoughts made people secretly alarmed.

But with Chu Hechao's fate uncertain and Yuan Li as their lord, no one dared to entertain further thoughts. They pretended not to notice anything and acted as if they knew nothing.

Upon learning of Chu Hechao's uncertain fate, Madam Chen was both shocked and worried. Worried about whether Chu Hechao was truly dead and deeply concerned for Yuan Li.

She had been wanting to visit Yuan Li but he had been too busy. Finally, the day came when she heard that Yuan Li had returned from the army camp to the Chu residence. Immediately, she packed her things to go see her son.

With the knowledge, Yuan Song also went with her to the Chu residence.

Both husband and wife feared for Yuan Li's health.

However, while Madam Chen knew about the things between Yuan Li and Chu Hechao, Yuan Song was unaware.

Madam Chen was afraid that if Yuan Song mentioned something wrong, it might hurt Yuan Li, so she carefully cautioned him: "Husband, since Commander Chu's whereabouts are unknown, Lejun and Commander Chu have known each other for years, and their relationship is naturally deep and strong. Please, when you see him, do not mention the Commander's death, lest it cause sorrow."

Yuan Song nodded, sighing as he stroked his beard. "I've heard quite a bit of news recently. They say Lejun got angry several times because someone mentioned Commander's death in front of him. I've never seen Lejun lose his temper before...alas, I never imagined the bond between Lejun and Commander could be so strong. It's a pity..."

He fell silent for a moment, whispering, "Commander Chu is a hero and has shown kindness to our Yuan family. If he's gone, there may be unrest in the north, fortunately the Xiongnu are no more... It's astonishing that some of the houseguests here were secretly pleased, happy that the Commander was gone, thinking that Lejun would have control over Youzhou and the northern border. Such despicable words angered me, and I promptly ejected those individuals from the premises. I would rather see the Commander live well, than take advantage of such a situation. Their short-sightedness and despicable character appall me!"

Madam Chen nodded in agreement, "Sir, you did the right thing. It's no good that the Commander is gone..."

Upon arriving at the Chu residence, the servants led them to the main hall.

Upon hearing that his parents had arrived, Yuan Li hurried over to greet them. "Father, Mother, what brings you here?"

Seeing him, Yuan Song and Lady Chen were taken aback, both standing up abruptly from their seats in disbelief, "My son, how did you become so thin?!"

Yuan Li smiled faintly, gesturing for them to sit down, "You two needn't worry, I have just been busy of late, hence the slight weight loss."

Yuan Song, being experienced, knew the difference between weight loss due to business and weight loss due to hidden thoughts.

He was both concerned and angry, "What do you mean by 'slight'! You've almost turned into bones. How could mere business keep you this way? Lejun, heed my words, with Chu Hechao gone, if you were to... "

"He's not gone," Yuan Li interrupted Yuan Song, his eyes lowered, long eyelashes cloaking his eyes, repeating, "He's still alive and well, just not in Youzhou."

Observing his demeanor, Yuan Song felt a strange sensation rising within him, frowning, "I was just going to say the same... Lejun, you..."

He stopped himself from finishing his sentence.

Was Lejun too sensitive about Chu Hechao's fate, alive or dead?

Madam Chen quickly interjected, "Your father and your mother are just worried about you. We have many things we wish to discuss, but seeing you makes us only want to watch you eat. It's noon now, don't you usually like to have an extra dish at this time? Are you ready for your meal?"

Yuan Li shook his head slowly, "Not yet."

Madam Chen promptly ordered food to be served. To entice Yuan Li to eat more, she personally cooked two dishes.

The table was filled with a variety of dishes, as the Chu residence's chefs knew Yuan Li had lost his appetite lately. They put in extra effort to prepare a spread of flavors to stimulate his taste buds, the aroma enticing.

Despite not having much appetite, Yuan Li ate a fair amount because of his parents' presence.

The sound of utensils clinking resonated throughout the room.

The more Yuan Song ate, the more uncomfortable he felt.

The Yuan family had no rule about not speaking during meals. In the past, Yuan Li would always say something lighthearted and amusing to lift the atmosphere during meals, making this silent meal a rare occurrence.

Thinking this, Yuan Song glanced at Yuan Li. He was surprised to see Yuan Li picking up a piece of ginger, which he previously disliked, and nonchalantly eating it as if it were normal, then swallowing it without any sign of distaste.

Yuan Song exclaimed, "Lejun, why did you eat the ginger?"

Yuan Li paused, then casually replied with a smile, "Ginger is good for the health."

Madam Chen and Yuan Song were left speechless.

For a moment, Yuan Song felt as if it wasn't Chu Hechao who had died, but rather his son's beloved wife...

As this thought arose, Yuan Song found the situation even more peculiar.

After the meal, Madam Chen forcefully dragged Yuan Li away to relax and aid digestion, with Yuan Song following behind, his brow furrowed in deep contemplation.

Turning back to see Yuan Song, Madam Chen couldn't help but laugh and pull him over, "Father and son are usually so busy and barely have time to meet. Now that you finally have this chance, why not talk more?"

Looking at the much thinner Yuan Li, Yuan Song's mind kept returning to the earlier thought. The more he thought, the more overwhelmed he felt, as if everything had suddenly gone askew.

Finally, he spoke up, "Lejun, why did Commander Chu accompany you to Duke Wen's residence in Jizhou?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Li turned to face Yuan Song.

Startled, Madam Chen interjected, slightly anxious, "There's nothing to discuss..."

But Yuan Song continued to gaze at Yuan Li intently.

Yuan Li pursed his lips and calmly replied, "He didn't trust me to go to Jizhou alone."

Yuan Song held his breath for a moment, his expression stiffening before he forced a nonchalant smile, "So, the Commander really considers you family, fearing for your safety. It makes sense, considering the chaos in Jizhou following Wu Shanshi's capture. It's understandable that the Commander would accompany you."

Yuan Li just nodded in response, saying no more.

Feeling relieved, Madam Chen couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness watching Yuan Li in this state.

When she first heard of Chu Hechao's predicament, she was worried but secretly harbored a slight hope. A hope that if something did happen to Chu Hechao, Yuan Li would finally consider marrying and starting a family.

She couldn't bear the thought of her son bearing a stigma of an incestuous relationship.

But now, seeing Yuan Li, that last hope vanished completely. From the depths of her heart, Madam Chen fervently prayed to the gods above, pleading for Chu Hechao's safe return.

As a mother who carried and nurtured this child for nine months, Madam Chen couldn't bear to see Yuan Li in such a state.

Pushing back her tears, she changed the subject, "What's that red string around your neck? I remember you used to dislike wearing such things."

Finally, a smile appeared on Yuanli's face as he retrieved a jade Guanyin pendant from his clothing, "It's a Guanyin pendant made of precious jade."

The exquisite jade Guanyin figurine was small and delicate, its craftsmanship of exceptional quality. Resting upon Yuan Li's garments, its translucent beauty was even more accentuated.

Yuan Song gazed upon the Guanyin, his eyelids fluttering involuntarily. The more he scrutinized the figurine, the more familiar it seemed.

After a prolonged stare, his expression contorted in disbelief, his voice trembling as he exclaimed, "Is this not the jade pendant that adorned Chu Hechao's neck? Lejun, how did this jade end up in your possession?!"

Yuan Li's eyes remained unblinking, his face devoid of any emotion as he replied, "Father, you should have already figured it out."

Yuan Song clenched his fists tightly, stumbling backward, the heavy stone of uncertainty in his heart finally crashing down.

A wave of bitterness washed over him, refusing to believe yet forced to accept the truth – Yuan Li and Chu Hechao were engaged in an illicit relationship that defied societal norms!