Why would mishandling a single matter involving Bai Mengmeng have consequences worse than the burned grain itself?

Jun Beiyue wasn’t overreacting.

When the grain store caught fire and no culprit could be immediately identified, fear would spread among the men, and morale would waver. In the midst of a standoff between two armies, nothing was more dangerous than wavering morale — often a small spark of doubt could spiral out of control, spreading absurd rumors and throwing the entire army into panic.

So the cause of the fire, the true culprit, absolutely had to be found, in order to steady the troops’ hearts!

And yet, Bai Mengmeng’s identity was a delicate one — she was General White Tiger’s most beloved adopted daughter. The General was a solitary man with no family of his own; this one adopted daughter, though not by blood, he had raised with his own two hands, through every hardship, from infancy.

Bai Mengmeng was, in every sense, the general’s most cherished treasure.

If there were solid, irrefutable evidence that Bai Mengmeng herself had started the fire, Jun Beiyue believed General White Tiger would voice no complaint — a man of the General’s character would never let personal matters interfere with duty. But the General’s ability to fight would inevitably be affected.

And if, without sufficient evidence, he were to carelessly suspect and monitor Bai Mengmeng, it would disappoint General White Tiger — and might even disappoint the entire White Tiger Army!

After all, in the eyes of General White Tiger and his men, Bai Mengmeng was practically the young lady of their entire unit. How could she possibly be a spy, how could she possibly have set the fire? Suspecting her was tantamount to suspecting General White Tiger himself!

The Three Great Tiger Armies had always stood as one body — if the White Tiger Army was affected, the other two would inevitably be affected as well.

This wasn’t just a matter of shaking the generals’ confidence, but the army’s morale as a whole.

Shaking the confidence of generals and shaking the morale of troops were both grave taboos in military affairs!

Jun Beiyue had no choice but to weigh this with the utmost care.

Whatever the outcome today, it would have no small impact on the entire army.

If all of this had been deliberately orchestrated by Bai Mengmeng — sacrificing the grain to throw the army into chaos — then he genuinely had to admire the sheer skill of this woman’s maneuvering.

What exactly had Bai Mengmeng gone to the grain store for?

“It’s nothing much, really. My adoptive father said he was hungry and asked me to go to the cook-fire and make him a bowl of noodles. I saw there weren’t many ingredients at the cook-fire, so I went to the grain store to get some.”

The moment she said this, Jun Beiyue’s eyes narrowed sharply, his voice turning severe. “And this is what you call General White Tiger authorizing you to enter the grain store?”

Bai Mengmeng immediately lowered her head. Where she had been boldly meeting Jun Beiyue’s gaze a moment ago, she now suddenly turned pitiful, hands clasped together, as if frightened by his roar, her voice choked with tears. “Does Prince Yao suspect that I set the fire?”

The instant she said this, the soldiers behind her all sucked in a sharp breath, and the guards standing watch outside the tent, hearing it, were equally shocked.

How could it be Miss Bai? Absolutely impossible!

To suspect her was to suspect General White Tiger himself!

“This prince firmly believes there is no one of divided loyalty within this army. It’s simply that the grain store has its own rules, and this prince wants a clear account,” Jun Beiyue said coldly.

He understood perfectly well that every word he spoke here today would spread — would circulate quietly behind closed doors, and would spark no small controversy.

Soldiers could be controlled, but a soldier’s heart could never truly be controlled!

He had no choice but to give everyone here something to settle their nerves.

“Prince Yao, why don’t… you have my adoptive father brought here,” Bai Mengmeng added.

Jun Beiyue had been thinking the same thing. Though the camp remained calm on the surface, word of this had surely already reached General White Tiger’s ears — and he wouldn’t dare abandon his post without leave, which must have left him burning with anxiety.

“Granted,” Jun Beiyue said coldly.

Before long, General White Tiger arrived, out of breath, having clearly sprinted the whole way. The moment he entered the tent, he dropped to one knee, clasped his hands together, and said, “My lord, this was my failure in oversight. I beg my lord’s punishment!”

As for General White Tiger, Jun Beiyue trusted him completely. A brother who had faced death alongside him time and again — if he couldn’t trust him, who could he trust?

“Rise,” Jun Beiyue said flatly.

But General White Tiger did not rise. Instead, he pulled Bai Mengmeng down to kneel with him, saying, “What exactly happened? I heard you’re the one who discovered the fire! Why were you in the grain store so late at night?”

Bai Mengmeng knelt obediently, tears of grievance spilling from her eyes as she choked out, “Father, don’t you remember? You said you were hungry and asked me to make you a bowl of noodles at the cook-fire. I saw there weren’t enough ingredients there, so I went to the grain store to get some…”

Before she could finish, Jun Beiyue cut in. “Why were you the one who went into the grain store? Where were the guards?”

He had far too many questions to ask — but he needed to ask them in front of General White Tiger.

The moment he said this, one of the guards immediately stepped forward and knelt. “Reporting to my lord, this humble servant let the young lady in. Seeing the young lady was like seeing General White Tiger himself, so…”

The guard didn’t finish. Jun Beiyue understood this privilege perfectly well. Though he himself had never personally granted Bai Mengmeng this privilege, within the areas under General White Tiger’s jurisdiction, the General did indeed have the authority to extend such privileges to others.

This was also a reflection of Jun Beiyue’s trust in General White Tiger.

General White Tiger felt a pang of guilt and hastily said, “My lord, this matter… is still this subordinate’s fault.”

“This is this prince’s trust in you, and your prerogative. What fault is there in that?” Jun Beiyue clarified at once, unwilling to dwell any further on this matter of “trust,” and turned instead to ask, “Bai Mengmeng, how did you come to see the fire start?”

“Thank you for your trust, my lord. This servant was retrieving the ingredients and was about to leave when I heard a sound behind me. I turned and saw a tongue of flame shoot up from the rice storage.”

What exactly did this statement of Bai Mengmeng’s prove?

How could a flame possibly shoot up out of nowhere? Wasn’t there anything unusual at all?

“No one set the fire, and yet a flame shot up out of nowhere?” Jun Beiyue asked again.

Strangely, instead of offering any explanation, Bai Mengmeng voiced the very same doubt. “That’s right, Prince Yao, this servant is puzzled too. The fire just suddenly appeared and immediately caught. This servant rushed out at once to call for help.”

The moment she said this, an uproar rippled through the crowd behind her, and General White Tiger declared with absolute certainty, “Impossible! Rice cannot catch fire on its own — no matter how dry, it’s simply impossible! There must be something wrong here!”

“I saw it clearly — it came billowing up out of the rice bin, nothing else, nothing at all!” Bai Mengmeng emphasized again.

Jun Beiyue’s sword-shaped brows drew tight. He wasn’t going to quibble over Bai Mengmeng’s privileges — he’d steadied General White Tiger’s heart, and proven his absolute trust in the General.

But without any evidence proving Bai Mengmeng had set the fire, and with no culprit found, the more mysterious this hidden spy remained, the more the army’s morale would fray.

Had this fire started for no reason by fate’s will, or was it an ill omen?

And did it have anything to do with the arrival of the Xiongnu’s great barbarian shaman?

Though Jun Beiyue himself believed in neither heaven nor gods, the men under him — the Three Great Tiger Armies, the many divisions of his forces — certainly did.

Especially soldiers who faced the edge of death every single day; they believed all the more fervently in the divine, in omens.

If he didn’t provide a reasonable explanation soon, what wild stories would spread through the army about this inexplicable fire by tomorrow?

“Bai Mengmeng, think carefully once more. What exactly did you see, and exactly how did the fire start?” Jun Beiyue asked earnestly. Even if it was a lie, he needed something to calm the army’s nerves.