Chapter 42: Affairs Pressing, Action Taken

  The sky was still dimly lit, and the ancestral home of Zhuang had already ushered in a major event.

  Zu Qi and Zu Zhan set out early in the morning, following Zu Zhao's instructions from the previous night. As soon as the city gates opened at dawn, several disciples rushed to report the matter to the county government. In the backyard of the Zu family's estate, including the large horse grounds, many weapons and armor that had been stored for years were taken out of storage and placed on racks or on mats on the ground to air out the dampness. After all, they had not been used in a long time, with the last time being during the winter solstice last year when they prepared against thieves. Although the Zu family participated fully armed every year, the actual number of weapons and armor used was not many, and most remained sealed away in darkness.

  The news quickly spread to Zu Jue and the people in the Western Courtyard. When Zu Zhao came to report on the events of the previous night, Chun Yu Pei led Gong Sun Long, Gong Sun Ban and several other young men to pay their respects. The Gong Sun family members had naturally received instructions from Gong Sun Zhi and had come over to offer their assistance. As for Gong Sun Zhi's enthusiasm, Zu Zhao couldn't help but think of the content of their previous conversation over tea, and felt that the Gong Sun family was hiding some ulterior motive.

  Marriage is just a marriage, it's originally a matter of mutual benefit between the two families. Although both sides show some enthusiasm to improve their feelings for each other, the horse theft is purely a private matter of the Zong family. The Zong family not only needs to maintain its own dignity but also gain face in front of the Gong Sun family, so if the Gong Sun family helps at this time, wouldn't it be too misleading?

  Zu Zhao felt that this matter was strange because he thought that with Gong Sunzhi's cunning, it was impossible for him not to see through the Zu family's intention of not wanting the Gong family to intervene, and even just two days ago, he had hinted that it was inconvenient to entertain guests at present, and Gong Sunzhi had also promised to take his leave soon.

  Zu Jiu didn't pay much attention to the "kindness" of people like Chun Yu and others. At this time, something big happened suddenly in the early morning, and his energy couldn't help but be focused on this matter. After listening to Zu Zhao's description, he immediately ordered someone to go to the county government to ask County Magistrate Chen and others to come quickly.

  "Grandfather, earlier our grandson had already sent someone into the city." Zu Zhao said calmly.

  "This is no trivial matter. Now that we know where the thieves are hiding, we must catch them all in one net." Zu He said sternly.

  "For now, we only know the general direction, and it's likely to take a lot of effort to search for the specific whereabouts of the thieves." Zu Zhao added.

  "In any case, I will ask County Master Chen to request the prefecture to dispatch troops to assist in besieging and eliminating the bandits." Zu Jie said solemnly.

  "Grandfather, if we ask the county government to issue an order, I'm afraid it will take several days back and forth, and by that time, if the bandits have any suspicions, won't our efforts be in vain? In my opinion, within these two days, let's gather the young men from our village, and I'll also invite the Zhang brothers from Anyang Pavilion to join forces with us. With the help of the local militia, we can launch a surprise attack on the bandits when they're off guard." Zuo Zhao suggested in a calm and composed tone.

  His face changed slightly, and he had not expected his grandson to be so bold. Being bold may not be the same as being arrogant, but in this matter, if it were only within the county, relying on the influence of the ancestral family's power, there would still be room for control. Once across counties and borders, making a big noise, it would inevitably lead to suspicion. The ancestral family has the ability to dominate one side, but also cannot ignore the principle of "stopping in time". Even if this time is reasonable and won't cause any major trouble, it will eventually give people a handle, leaving hidden dangers for the future.

  "The thieves are hiding in a neighboring county, this matter cannot be rushed. Let's wait until County Magistrate Chen arrives and then deliberate carefully."

  His grandfather would not easily agree, and he did not say anything more. After the county government came to power, he would naturally elaborate on the reasons, with the temperament of Wen County Wei, plus Zu Fan's insight, he would definitely agree with the statement that soldiers are precious and fast. Crossing borders and crossing counties is indeed a bit tricky, but since he was able to consider this point earlier, it is natural that there will be a solution. From the perspective of the Zu family alone, solving this method is not difficult at all, as long as someone from the county government follows along, it can be determined that this is an official action.

  In the past, there were similar cases where neighboring counties were attacked by bandits and our county would dispatch militia to provide reinforcements. As long as this time's capture of the horse thieves can be linked to the current year's militia preparations, everything will fall into place.

  While waiting for news from the county town, a servant from Zu Zhao's residence suddenly arrived at the side hall of Zhong Tang, peeking in and out of the doorway.

  Zu Zhao, after being reminded by his younger uncle Zu Ling, went to the main hall and announced that he had something to say. He then came out of the side hall door and met with his servant: "A Shi, do you have something to discuss with me?"

  A Shi looked around the hall with a slightly tense expression, showing some hesitation, and subconsciously retreated to the wall. Zu Zhao felt a little puzzled and followed him for two steps. It was only then that A Shi said: "Young Master, Hu Ji wants to see you."

  Zu Zhaowei let out a soft sigh, having been so busy these past few days that he had almost forgotten about the Hu girl. He could roughly guess why she was looking for him now - probably to urge him to rescue her companions. To be honest, it had already been two or three days since then, and even if he wanted to help, the chances of finding those Hu people again were slim.

  "Got it, I'll go right away."

  Zu Zhao did not return to the main hall, anyway everyone in the main hall was quietly drinking tea and waiting for Chen County Gentleman and Wen County Lieutenant's arrival. Following A Shi to the inner courtyard, A Shi didn't bring him to the side house of the inner courtyard but directly came to the door porch outside his residence. From a distance, he saw a slender figure standing on the door porch.

  Gulinaer wore a Han Chinese dress, perfectly blending the flavors of Central Plains and Western Regions, presenting a unique beauty. Her slightly curled long hair scattered on her shoulders, with blue eyes like starry sky revealing many untold stories. Perhaps she had been waiting for a long time, feeling somewhat bored, staring at the pillar of the gate, counting the floral patterns on it, her fingers lightly tapping along the patterns, instantly showing her innocence and naivety.

  There was a moment when Zu Chao even felt a few heartbeats, his impression of Kulinaer was that she was a bold and forthright girl with the typical rough temperament of a Western Regions person, but he hadn't expected her to have such a quiet and elegant side.

  Gulinaer heard footsteps and hastily hid her hands behind her back, looking at Zuozhao with some embarrassment.

  "Are you looking for me?" Zu Zhao asked directly as he stood in front of Guli Nuer.

  "Hmm." Gulinare nodded quickly, but then didn't know what to say afterwards.

  "Are you wondering when I can go and rescue your friend?" Zu Zhao asked straightforwardly, without any reserve.

  Gulinaer hesitated for a moment, slowly shook her head, and then quickly nodded.

  "After all, is it or isn't it." Zu Zhao couldn't help but laugh, when did this girl become so silly.

  "I, originally, was going to ask you something else first. I heard from Ashi and the others that there's been an incident at your home, and it might be necessary to catch a thief, which is very dangerous. I can help you, I'm skilled with a knife and also know how to ride a horse." Gulinaer said with a thick accent, intentionally emphasizing the last sentence by three degrees.

  "Can you ride a horse?" Zu Zhao asked with a calm smile, and took another look at the other's legs.

  "What are you looking at?" Gulinaer asked with a tight face.

  "I can tell by your legs that you don't ride horses often. Even if you do know how to ride, it's just superficial. You're already exhausted from traveling on foot, let alone riding a horse and fighting battles." Zu Zhao said with a polite tone.

  "No, no," Gulinare hastened to say. "You helped me, so I want to help you. This is the rule of your Han people, courtesy and reciprocity. Only in this way will I not owe you anything. As for you helping me rescue my companions, that's a separate matter, but I'll definitely repay you."

  Zuo Zhao found Guli Nazar's explanation to be quite amusing, and also somewhat moving. He hadn't expected a foreign girl to have such straightforward and honest thoughts, which made him, a Han person who was skilled at plotting, feel ashamed. A hint of genuine smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, but this smile was fleeting, disappearing in an instant. Although he had promised Guli Nazar, he currently didn't have the leisure to attend to this matter, and just as he had thought earlier, even if he were to focus on helping Guli Nazar now, it probably wouldn't yield any results; those Hu people were either already dead or sold into obscurity.

  "Now that you know there's been an accident at my home, you should understand some things."

  "What...what reason?" Guli Nuer looked at Zu Chao and asked.

  "I really don't have the extra mental energy to help you rescue your companions right now, at most I can send someone to ask about their whereabouts, and if the situation permits, I will help you." Zu Zhao said straightforwardly.

  "But you promised me..." Gulinaer said flusteredly, with a hint of anger.

  "I promised to try my best, I never made any promises to you. I also hope you can calm down and deal with this matter rationally, some things have passed and it's hard to turn back." Zu Zhao said in a straightforward manner.

  "So... so you were deceiving me..." Guli Nal's long eyelashes fluttered out with tears, she stared fiercely at Zu Zhao, her two small hands clenched into fists.

  Zu Zhao let out a long sigh: Is it due to regional cultural differences? This barbarian woman is indeed unreasonable.

  "I'll send someone to investigate their whereabouts, you can continue to rest at the villa and wait for news. However, if you want to leave, I won't stop you, on the condition that you must inform me in advance, so I can make arrangements for your departure." Zu Zhao said calmly and reasonably.

  Gulinaer didn't say another word, she bit her lips, her delicate body trembling with sobs, tears welling up in her large eyes, but stubbornly held them back from spilling out.

  Zu Zhaoren remained calm and waited for Hu Niang's further reaction, but after a long time, the other party was silent.

  "See A Shi back to her room." He instructed and immediately turned around and left.