Chapter 26: The World is Unjust

  Bidding farewell to San Shu and others, Zu Zhao, Zu Zhan and others continued on their way to the central hall.

  Half an hour ago, Zhong Tang was still arranging the dinner party for tonight. The tables and chairs in the courtyard were neatly arranged, and there was a gentle smoke rising from the kitchen. It was supposed to be a wonderful time for fine wine and food, but unexpectedly, something unexpected happened. The lively atmosphere suddenly turned into an icy valley, and the entire Zhong Tang Hall was filled with a solemn and murderous aura. The crying sounds that were heard earlier came from a small hall on the side, and the female relatives could not easily enter the hall, so they had to temporarily hide behind the curtains.

  Outside the temple hall, there was an old servant waiting on duty. He greeted Zu Zhao and Zu Zhan as they entered the hall.

  As soon as Zu Zhao stepped into the threshold, he smelled a strong bloody smell. Upon closer inspection, he saw several men covered in blood under the main hall. They were Hong Shu and others who had gone to Lingzhixian to buy horses. Hong Shu was seriously injured, lying on a chair with a pale face, heavy breathing, but still conscious; the other men's injuries varied, fortunately three of them only had minor flesh wounds and were standing beside Hong Shu at this moment, while the others sat down to rest. Those who were critically injured had already been taken to the south wing for treatment.

  On the upper and lower halls, many family members stood, each with a dense, worried expression.

  Zu Jie and Ben Zu San Lao sat side by side in the upper seat, while Chun Yu Pei stood slightly lower down, his face unusually stern.

  Everyone heard the sound of Zu Chao and others entering the door, but only slightly turned their heads to take a look, and no one greeted them warmly as usual.

  Zu Zhao didn't even have time to pay respects to the elders, hastily rushing down to the hall and loudly asking Hong Shu: "Uncle Hong, how's your injury?"

  Hong Shu was so moved by the young master's concern that he spoke in a hoarse and weak voice, "Thank you for your concern, young master... I'm not going to die yet..."

  Zu Zhaoyou then simply comforted the other injured people, and after confirming that everyone was safe, he solemnly asked: "Two counties are so close, how could such a thing happen?"

  Hong Shu Man was ashamed and shook his head: "It's precisely because the two places are relatively close, we didn't become complacent, that's why the thief succeeded. I, Hong, am incompetent in handling matters, I'm ashamed to face Master Tai and the young master..."

  Zu Zhaoyi said, "Uncle Hong, don't blame yourself. No one expected this to happen. Those thieves are truly detestable, resorting to such cruel means for the sake of plunder. I, Zu Zhao, will not let this matter rest!"

  The last sentence was said with a firm tone, as unshakeable as a rock.

  He turned around, bowed to his elders including Zu Jie and Chun Yu Pei in the hall, and said: "Please instruct me, sir. I am willing to lead my fellow disciples to personally investigate the murderer."

  Everyone saw Zuozhao's straightforward and direct request, and they were all more or less surprised. In their opinion, although Zuozhao had the habit of practicing martial arts and horse riding every day, he could always maintain a refined side when entering and exiting, and he had never expected that suddenly there would be such a heavy killing intent, which was truly a change from his usual peaceful appearance.

  But this is by no means untraceable, after all, such a serious accident occurred today, and several people lost their lives, anyone would have an indignant reaction.

  Zu Jue hesitated slightly and said in a serious tone: "Zhao Er, this matter cannot be rushed. It must be carefully considered."

  Zu Zhaos seventh uncle, Zu Bin, with a serious expression, followed by saying: "At this moment, someone has been sent to the county government to report the case. When County Magistrate Chen arrives, we will discuss the matter of capturing the thief together."

  Zu Zhaos sank into thought for a moment before turning to ask those around him: "Has anyone been sent to retrieve the bodies of the victims?"

  Everyone present looked surprised when they heard this. Although it was natural to look for the body of the deceased, it was not possible to go immediately after the accident, as night had fallen and the road was uncertain, which posed a great risk.

  Zu Juzheng said, "Zhao'er, why are you so impatient today? I have a plan for this matter. We'll wait until County Magistrate Chen arrives and then discuss it further. At that time, we won't be able to avoid going to the scene with the county yamen runners."

  Zu Zhao said, "Grandfather, for over ten days, I have been training with the righteous scholars of Anyang Pavilion. What we are preparing for is not something else, but to defend against thieves and bandits, and protect our neighbors. Today, a terrible case suddenly occurred, and I absolutely cannot sit back and do nothing! To take a step back, although my ancestral home may not be an official or noble family, after all, three generations of military service have been rendered. How can we allow petty thieves to commit crimes? Reporting the case to the county government is only natural, but if everything has to be sought from County Magistrate, outsiders will inevitably look down on my ancestral home as having no capable men."

  His words were powerful and sonorous, almost every sentence was reasonable and piercing.

  Zu's expression changed, and he seemed to be on the verge of exploding in anger. However, after careful consideration, he knew that his grandson was right. The Zu family was a prominent clan in Xu County, and with noble guests from other counties temporarily residing in their mansion, if they couldn't handle this robbery case properly, it would not only harm the Zu family's reputation locally but also affect their marriage alliance with the Gong Sun family.

  But then again, he was worried because he blamed himself for being too impulsive as the only legitimate grandson, always putting face above all else. Even if no one mentioned retrieving the victim's body, he still had it on his mind and would make arrangements accordingly. Who would have thought that Zu Zhao would be so tough in front of everyone, leaving no room for retreat? Now, with the lights out, what if he insisted on taking people to the scene to search for any unexpected events?

  Losing face at that time is a small matter, but if something happens to the only legitimate grandson, what will become of the ancestral family's future prospects?

  Zu Zhao saw the worry on his grandfather's face and immediately continued, "Don't worry, Grandfather. Although I'm just starting out, I've managed to develop some skills over the years. Hong Shu and the others were just temporarily careless, allowing those thieves to take advantage of them. Now that the young masters of our family are setting out, how can we let those petty thieves run amok?"

  These words gave Zujue some comfort, and he nodded slowly, saying: "I'm not worried that you'll encounter bandits, it's just that the road is far and dark, which is really inconvenient. Moreover, when County Master Chen arrives, we can discuss and decide on a plan to capture them, which will be more convenient in the end."

  Zu Chao did not use a strong tone to argue with his grandfather, but instead gradually showed sadness and said: "When our own brothers meet with disaster, the widows cry until they can't make a sound, we should do something about it."

  The young men who followed Zu Zhao to the central hall listened to his words, and one by one they were deeply moved, their emotions uncontrollably excited, and they all shouted in agreement with Zu Zhao's words. Although they did not claim to have practiced martial arts before, the men of the northern land were known for being competitive and hot-blooded, and there was a deep-seated resentment in their hearts that could not be suppressed.

  "That's right, what Young Master said is correct."

  "We've got to do something."

  "We must catch those horse thieves and make them pay with their lives."

  "I'll go too." Even Gong Sunlong, who was standing aside, was also affected and shouted loudly.

  The atmosphere was tense, and the young men were restless, each one rubbing their fists and palms, with fierce killing intent in their eyes.

  Zu Jie saw this and knew he could no longer refuse, otherwise it would only make Chun Yu Pei think that the Zu family was all show and no substance, or that he himself was stubbornly unyielding. After taking a deep breath, he put on a stern expression and said seriously: "Since that's the case, Zhao Er, you can gather the young men who usually go to practice with you, prepare your horses and bring your blades, and lead them to go first. However, be sure to be careful, if there are any discoveries, send someone back to report immediately. Do you understand?"

  "Remember, grandson."

  After finishing, he immediately asked Zu Zhan to gather the children who had gone to Xihuo Bridge with him. After gathering, they first went to the backyard stable to make preparations. After all, when going out in the past, they would not carry any weapons, and at most, they would only bring a horse. When it was really necessary to fight, they still had to go to the warehouse to retrieve their weapons.

  Gongsun Long hesitated and glanced at Chunyu Pei, who also looked over. Just as Chunyu Pei was about to say something, Gongsun Long suddenly steeled himself and chased after Zu Dan and the others, running out of the main hall without regard for anything. Chunyu Pei let out a deep sigh, unable to think of a solution, and could only let this hot-headed young master go.

  In the backyard, Zu Zhao specially asked Hong Shu and others about the details of the robbery, including the location of the encounter, the number of robbers, their attire and equipment. These situations had been told to Zu Jie and other elders in the family before Zu Zhao returned, so they repeated them again with ease and in more detail.

  "At that time, the road was dark and somewhat unclear, estimated to be around thirty or forty people. There may be ambushes in the distance, but it's hard to confirm, if so, the number of bandits would have exceeded fifty or sixty."

  "The first bandits to attack us were all on horseback. After I was stabbed and fell, I noticed that there might have been twenty of them, at least ten or fifteen. The bandits' horses weren't very large, far inferior to the horses from River Bend."

  Their weapons were mostly different, the few cavalrymen used long guns and pu dao, while the bandits who surrounded them on foot later had everything, including horse spears, wooden sticks, pitchforks, and even hoes.

  "So it seems that these people are ordinary citizens?" Zu Zhao asked thoughtfully.

  "Maybe it's because the common people aren't good at speaking, their clothes are sometimes not clearly visible, but one thing is for sure, everyone uses a uniform black cloth to cover their face, making it impossible to see their features."

  "Covering his face?" Zu Zhao repeated in a deep voice, his mind racing quickly, vaguely guessing something.

  At this time, Zu Zhan returned to Zhong Tang again and informed the crowd in the backyard that all the young masters had gathered.

  "The bandits are numerous, Young Master must be careful." Hong Shu struggled to straighten his waist and said with a serious tone.

  "Uncle Hong, don't worry, I'll be back soon." Zu Zhao nodded in response and then stood up to bid farewell to his grandfather and other elders.

  Zu Jie repeatedly warned him to be careful, his face was as solemn as ever, but the old eyes showed a concerned light.

  Out of the central hall, Zu Chao strode swiftly like a gust of wind through the corridor. When he arrived at the rear courtyard stable, he saw that more than 40 young men had already gathered in front of the stable. These people were not all those who had gone to Xihe Bridge for training with him, but because this matter was too infuriating, they took the initiative to participate in this search party. Everyone held blades and torches, standing upright, the firelight reflecting off the blades shining brightly, having both a scorching hot side and a cold side.

  A young man standing in the front saw Zu Chao and stepped forward with a long bow and a short sword.

  Gongsun Du's father, Gongsun Yan, fled to Xuantu, while Gongsun Du became a county official. At that time, the governor of Xuantu, Gongsun Wangruo's son, Gongsun Bao, was only eighteen years old but had already died young. Gongsun Du was also called Bao when he was young and was about the same age as Gongsun Wangruo's son. When Gongsun Wangruo saw him, he liked him and sent him to study, and married a wife for him. Later, he recommended him to others, letting him serve as Shangshu Lang, and later promoted him to Governor of Ji Province, but due to rumors, he was soon dismissed.