Chapter 67 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Evidence in the Middle of the Night

Two days after the night battle, Ton Ba Nghi came to Tinh Yen in the middle of the afternoon, looking hasty and somewhat unusually worried, pulling her to a deserted corner before speaking, his voice as low as possible.

"Doctor Do, I just saw something strange." He said, his hands still shaking slightly from excitement and fear. "This morning I was sent to get more bandages from the sub-depository near the western wall. That area is usually not closely guarded because it only contains miscellaneous items. But I saw two people carrying a large wooden box from the main warehouse, put it in that sub-depository, then covered it with a tarpaulin and hid it behind a pile of old torn mats."

"Do you see clearly what is written on the box?" Tinh Yen asked immediately, her heart beating faster.

"I didn't dare to come closer at that moment, for fear of being discovered." Ton Ba Nghi replied. "But when they left, I snuck in to take a look. On the box there was the seal of the Thai Medical Institute, clearly stating that it was anti-diarrhea and antiseptic medicine, in large quantities, stamped with the date of entry more than a month ago — before our military medical team even got here."

Tinh Yen felt a cold anger rising in her heart. More than a month ago, meaning from the very beginning, Chu Dac Hoanh had this medicine in hand, while continuously making every excuse to delay the allocation to the military medical station, leaving refugees and wounded soldiers to struggle with shortages every day.

"Did you get anything as evidence?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though she was boiling inside.

"I didn't dare bring the whole box, I was afraid that if I was discovered I would immediately alert them that I was exposed." Ton Ba Nghi replied, then pulled out from his sleeve a small piece of wood that had been carefully pried from the lid of the barrel, on which part of the red seal was still clearly printed. "I only dare to take this part, I hope it's enough as proof."

Tinh Yen took the piece of wood and turned it in the sunlight to see more clearly the engraving of the seal - the familiar seal of the Royal Hospital, something she had seen countless times on official documents during her time working in the capital. This was not enough evidence to incriminate anyone before the royal court, but it was enough to confirm one thing for sure — there was a lie going on right before their eyes.

"Good job." Tinh Yen said, squeezing the piece of wood in her hand. "But from now on, you absolutely must not investigate anything further on your own, understand? If Lord Chu or his people discover that you have seen it, your life could be in danger."

"I understand." Ton Ba Nghi nodded, although his eyes still shone with youthful determination. "But you can't just stand by and watch, when you know clearly that someone is dying for lack of something that is hidden right at your fingertips."

In the afternoon, Tinh Yen went to meet Dinh Ba Kham, presented everything Ton Ba Nghi had discovered, and showed him the piece of wood with the seal imprinted. Dinh Ba Kham took it, his face darkened, his jaw clenched.

"So it's exactly what I suspected all along." He said, his voice filled with suppressed indignation. "I will immediately report to Lord Tran Bac Hau. This time with concrete evidence in hand, we cannot let him continue to use the excuse of 'Ho Ministry regulations' to hide it anymore."

But when the two arrived at the command post, they received news that Ve Khai Trach was busy in an emergency meeting with other generals about the defense situation and could not receive them immediately. Dinh Ba Kham left an urgent message, then waited with Tinh Yen in extreme impatience, each passing moment felt like he was racing against something invisible but dangerous.

Late that night, Ve Khai Trach was able to receive them for a short period of time, his face clearly showing fatigue due to the pressure from many sides. He examined the piece of wood, listened to Tinh Yen and Dinh Ba Kham explain the whole incident, and his eyes became more and more gloomy.

"This evidence is not strong enough to directly incriminate." He spoke finally, his voice heavy. "But it's enough for me to have a good reason to order a search of the entire warehouse tomorrow morning, in the name of inventorying emergency supplies for the war effort. If there is indeed a hidden drug warehouse as you suspect, I will find it."

"Do you think, sir, that delaying until tomorrow morning might allow them to promptly disperse the evidence?" Tinh Yen asked, unable to hide her worry.

"I understand your concern." Ve Khai Trach replied. "But if we act tonight without careful preparation, it is very likely that the person behind it, if there really is a person behind it bigger than Lord Chu, will promptly realize that we have discovered a clue, and from there find a way to erase all remaining traces in other places that we have never known about. Sometimes, acting hastily is more counterproductive than waiting for a sure opportunity."

Tinh Yen reluctantly nodded, understanding that Ve Khai Trach's argument was not unreasonable, although in her heart she was still eager to act immediately. She remembered the long nights waiting for justice in Yen Phung prison, the name Can Ba Thong that had just been revealed not long ago, and wondered if this caution this time was the right decision, or just allowing the enemy more time to hide his crime.

"I also have a favor to ask of you." Ve Khai Trach added, his tone turning more cautious. "Tonight, you should have your people quietly monitor the sub-warehouse area where the young medic discovered the wooden crate, but absolutely do not reveal yourself or interfere directly. I need to know if anyone will come to move it tonight or not, before the official search warrant is issued tomorrow morning."

"I will arrange it right away." Tinh Yen replied, even though she was still a little uneasy about waiting another night.

Returning to the military medical station, she discussed with Nhuoc Lan and decided to let Ton Ba Nghi and a trusted soldier assigned by Dinh Ba Kham take turns guarding from afar, hiding behind a high pile of firewood near the auxiliary warehouse, just observing without taking any further action.

"Do you think they're bold enough to move the medicine barrel tonight?" Nhuoc Lan asked, her voice worried as the two of them sat waiting for news in the military medical tent, the flickering oil lamplight casting shadows on the fabric wall.

"If Lord Chu was sharp enough to recognize Deputy General Dinh and I began to suspect, he would not be foolish enough to let the evidence lie in one place." Tinh Yen replied, her hand tightly holding the piece of wood with the seal on it, as if afraid it would disappear from her hand at any moment. "But I also hope that his long-standing confidence will make him subjective, thinking that we do not have enough courage to act immediately."

Near midnight, Ton Ba Nghi returned to report, his face tense but without any unusual news - the sub-warehouse remained silent during several hours of observation, not a single person was around. That made Tinh Yen both relieved and more worried, because that silence could be a good sign, or it could just be because Chu Dac Hoanh chose a different, more discreet time to disperse the evidence without any of them realizing it.

That night, when she returned to the tent to rest, Tinh Yen could not sleep, her mind kept spinning with the image of the wooden box hidden behind a pile of torn mats, with Chu Dac Hoanh's fake warm face, with the sick cases she had witnessed dying in the early days due to lack of medicine - deaths that could have been avoided, if not for the greed or blind obedience of someone with the power behind him.

She took half a piece of white jade from the bag and turned it in her palm under the faint moonlight filtering through the tent, as was her habit when she needed to find calm in the midst of nights full of insecurity. She secretly promised herself, her master Lieu Nguyen, and the deceased Mrs. Khue, that she would not let anyone die unjustly again because of the greed of those sitting on high, no matter how many hardships the path to finding the truth had to go through.

She thought of Kinh Ba Van in the distant capital, of Nhuoc Tran secretly collecting evidence in the royal palace, of the promise they had sworn together before the day they broke up and left for the front line. Every little piece picked up on this border — a brand new lock, a seal carved on a piece of broken wood, a delirious oath of a young soldier — can be a slender but durable thread, gradually weaving a web that will one day completely encircle the person behind all this suffering.

In the distance, the wind whistled through the ravine carrying the unusual cold of the changing season, like a warning that the real storm - both on the battlefield and in the darkness of conspiracy - was still waiting ahead, closer than anyone in Nghinh Phong citadel could imagine.