The letter was too heavy, Hua Zhi didn't want to read it a second time, so she closed it, closed her eyes and calculated silently.
Thirty-seven people, excluding the two people on the official list, there were twelve archers at Yu's house, eight people who came out of the house, fourteen people from the silver mine, and one more...
Hua Zhi looked back and said, "General Lu, there are fourteen beautiful women hidden in the silver mine?"
Lu Peiyu nodded, "That's right."
Hua Zhi turned around and was about to ask the steward something, but when she saw he was still kneeling, she motioned for him to stand up, "Do you recognize Qi Qiu?"
"Yes, I have seen him. He came to you last year, and you said he couldn't be trusted." The steward hesitated, and said, "I don't know much, but I once heard you say that the silver mine was the root of trouble. He couldn't protect the mine, and he couldn't protect the man either."
"Who is he referring to? Master Yu or Master Zeng?"
The steward shook his head, "I don't know."
Hua Zhi vaguely understood that the first "he" referred to Master Yu, and the second "he" referred to Zeng Xianglin himself. Master Yu could not protect his own mine, and he could not protect the people of the Yu family.
Chronic poisoning people doesn't seem like Chao Liren's method, or... Is this Zeng Xianglin's alternative way to save their lives? After all, the old man of the Zeng family also looks very much like he was poisoned.
Hua Zhi rubbed her overused head. Perhaps because she had developed a preference for Zeng Xianglin, she unconsciously always thought about things in a positive way.
"Does the eldest master have any other instructions?"
"To answer the girl, no more."
Hua Zhi was not surprised. To let a steward know the location of the hidden letter was already a great trust in him. "Take me to where the eldest master works."
"Yes." The manager led his people out quickly.
Hua Zhi walked to the door, slowed down, squinted her eyes, and waited until she adjusted to the light before continuing to walk out.
At this time, the steward outside also figured it out. When he saw the people, he hurried over to report, "I calculated that there are thirty-one people."
With Zeng Xianglin's letter, this inaccurate data is no longer important. Hua Zhi did not say it explicitly, but just said: "I've made a note. Go to the stand and tell everyone that Jinyang is under martial law to search for the remnants of Chaoli. Please ask them to stay in the horse farm for a while. They will be allowed to go back after the matter is over."
"yes."
Zeng Xianglin's room at the horse farm could be described as shabby, with only a couch, a table, a desk and a large bookshelf.
Hua Zhi turned around and told the steward, "You have nothing to do here, get out."
"yes."
Li He walked to the door and watched the manager walk away. He stayed there intentionally or unintentionally and did not leave.
Hua Zhi looked at General Lu who had been silent the whole time, "Since Zeng Xianglin said the silver is at the horse farm, it must be there. However, I am not good at finding things, so I have to rely on General Lu for this matter."
Lu Peiyu did not go to look for her, but stepped forward and asked, "The eldest daughter of the Hua family?"
"It's me."
"Are you familiar with Zeng Xianglin?"
Hua Zhi met his gaze without avoiding or retreating, "What does General Lu want to say?"
"Zeng Xianglin trusts you very much, and the servants of the Zeng family also trust you."
"My pleasure."
"Why?"
Lu Peiyu's attitude was a bit aggressive, but Hua Zhi's expression did not change at all. She handed the letter to Bao Xia and said, "Show it to General Lu."
Bao Xia frowned and handed over the letter with both hands, which was more than respectful but not enough.
The letter revealed a lot of information. Although Lu Peiyu's doubts were not completely dispelled, he also knew that the girl from the Hua family had no suspicion of colluding with the rebels, so his attitude softened a bit, "I was mistaken."
Hua Zhi smiled faintly and held hands. She did not think about eliminating the general's contempt for herself. They were originally unrelated people, so what was the difference between looking down on each other and respecting each other
General Lu and his deputy general went their separate ways to search. Hua Zhi stepped aside and quietly looked at this shabby room which she had no interest in taking a second look at after taking one look at the door. Before falling into hell, Zeng Xianglin was also a child of destiny, but his pride was crushed, and the broken bones and flesh stuck together to form a new, scarred Zeng Xianglin. How could he not hate and go crazy? No one would necessarily be stronger than him.
"here."
Hua Zhi looked in the direction of the sound and found it was under the desk. There was a carpet with a similar color to the floor. It was particularly inconspicuous and she had never noticed it before.
At this time, the carpet was lifted up by them to reveal the wooden boards inside. The wooden boards were put on one by one, and there was a slope underneath. It was easy to put something down by just sliding down. I think this was Zeng Xianglin's intention. There were traces of friction from the basket on the ground.
Li He was guarding the door while everyone else went down the slope.
Lu Peiyu lit the tinder, and even though he considered himself knowledgeable, he was still shocked by the scene before him. At a glance, he saw silver everywhere as far as the eye could see. They were in various shapes, big and small. Some were in the shape of ingots, while others were loose silver. They were thrown around in a mess, in piles, as if they were a pile of discarded junk. This showed how little care the people who owned the silver cared about.
Several people were silent.
Hua Zhi went over first, walked around the middle, picked up a few pieces of silver, climbed up to the room, and looked at them carefully one by one in the sunlight.
Lu Peiyu and the deputy general also grabbed a handful each and handed them to Hua Zhi after looking at them.
Hua Zhi didn't try to be modest with them. She looked at them one by one and nodded, "Pure silver."
I don't know who Zeng Xianglin asked to dig the underground space. It's neither round nor square, and some places are uneven and rough. But the place is really big. In such a big place, silver is piled up like a mountain, which is shocking.
"Based on how scattered the silver is, it must have come from the casino."
Lu Peiyu looked over and asked, "Where's the silver from the silver mine?"
"The silver mine is a big target, so he may not be able to move it. It is also possible that he has found a way to replace the silver from the silver mine with the silver from the casino. After all, it is easier to operate with small amounts of silver in the casino."
It is indeed possible that Lu Peiyu threw the silver back. An ambitious and smart person knows that cash is more useful than banknotes. Obviously, Zeng Xianglin is a smart person. What a pity.
Looking at the silver, several thoughts flashed through Hua Zhi's mind.
Thinking of Yan Xi who was fighting desperately in the front, and thinking of Zeng Xianglin who had also devoted his heart to Mingyue, she looked up at Lu Peiyu, "General Lu, I have something to discuss with you."
Lu Peiyu clapped her hands and said, "Let's talk outside."
It was cool underground and Hua Zhi felt cold all over after staying there for a while. She couldn't recover for a while even when she stood in the sun.
Pulling her cloak closer and signaling others to move away, Hua Zhi said softly, "General, do you know that the emperor wants to build a new canal?"
“I have heard of it.”
Hua Zhi looked at him, "But the emperor has been unable to take action due to the lack of funds in the treasury."
Lu Peiyu immediately understood, "You want to..."
"The intentions of the Chaoli tribe are obvious. If we build the canal at this time, do you think it is appropriate, General?"
"But this may not be kept secret. If the emperor blames me then..."
"I will take care of it."
PS: The practice is really ecstatic.