Chapter 9, Anyang Zhang Family

  The next morning, Zu Zhao first recited a passage from the Analects in his study and then reviewed some arithmetic. After noon, he changed into his riding attire, had lunch early, and asked someone to inform the stable to prepare his horse. As instructed by Zu Zhao earlier, this time more young men from the clan were summoned to go horseback riding together. When they arrived at the stable, there were already fifty or sixty people waiting, who greeted Zu Zhao as he appeared. Only Zu Ji was late, and didn't show up until everyone had finished preparing their horses and gear, with a few grains of rice still stuck in the corner of his mouth.

  Zu Ji hastily found Zu Zhao in front of the horse and said with a slight pant: "Young Master, I just went to An Yang Pavilion this morning and have already made an appointment with the Zhang brothers. We will meet at Xi He Bridge in the afternoon."

  Zu Zhao nodded and said: "Very good, you've had a hard run."

  Zu Ji smiled and said, "It's no trouble at all. In my free time, I often go to An Yang Pavilion anyway."

  "Alright, let's set off now," said Zushao with a smile.

  A group of people mounted their horses one after another, carrying bows and swords, showing off their heroic demeanor. Under Zu Chao's leadership, the team marched out of the west-south gate of the manor in a majestic manner. The Xih River Bridge is located north of Anyang Pavilion, about 8 or 9 miles away from here. Although it is called a bridge, there are no rivers around it; it is just a place where nearby villages occasionally gather for markets.

  After about three quarters of an hour, Zu Chao and the others left Beiguan Pavilion and entered Anyang Pavilion. When they arrived at Xihuo Bridge, they coincidentally encountered a village fair on this day. On a vast open space, more than ten stalls were set up, with some vendors spreading out their homegrown vegetables on mats, while others loaded various dry goods onto carts. One or two hunters hung freshly caught birds and beasts around their necks to sell them. Although the market had passed its peak period, there were fewer people buying and selling goods, but the atmosphere still retained a lively atmosphere, after all, it was the autumn harvest season, with a wide range of products available, and coinciding with the peak season for stocking up before winter.

  Not far from the road, there was a tea house with booming business. Outside the shed, seven or eight horses were parked, and several tables near the outside were surrounded by a group of young people, mostly dressed in simple clothes, each carrying long bows and short swords, looking like typical city rascals.

  Zu Zhaoyi's group was large and impressive, with many horses and people. As they approached the West River Bridge from afar, their presence became increasingly evident. Many of the pedestrians crossing the bridge couldn't help but glance over frequently, and some even mistakenly thought something was amiss and hastily gathered their belongings to leave. In a nearby teahouse, one of the patrons suddenly shouted out loud, prompting the other patrons to immediately turn their attention towards him, and soon someone stood up and walked outside the teahouse.

  Following behind Zu Zhao, Zu Ji saw the wandering young man standing outside the teahouse and immediately rode over to introduce him, saying: "Young Master, that person is Zhang Family's eldest brother, Zhang Yuan."

  Zu Zhao nodded slightly, waiting until he was close to carefully examine the other person. Zhang Yuan had already passed his coming of age ceremony, but he didn't wear a crown on his head, only using a short cloth to tie up a bundle on his head, wearing a somewhat old and slightly dirty cotton short suit, but on both hands, he wore a pair of shiny leather arm guards; his figure wasn't robust, yet he stood upright with a heroic air.

  Zu Ji waved at Zhang Yuan while urging his horse to go ahead and welcome him. He jumped off the horse in front of Zhang Yuan, happily patted each other's arm, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then turned around to take him to meet the eldest young master of the Zu family. The wandering sons who were still in the shed also rushed out one after another, following behind to see Zu Zhao.

  Zhang Yuan, although harmonious and pleasant with Zu Qi, showed a somewhat frivolous appearance when standing in front of Zu Zhao. With a slight bow, he said with a smile: "Well said, 'If the flying general is in Longcheng, he will not allow the barbarian horse to cross the Yin Mountains.' The young master is indeed a heroic youth, with a tight temperament." There was a hint of subtle contempt hidden in his tone.

  Zu Zhao's face showed a hint of puzzlement, while the crowd of Zu family descendants behind him had already revealed their discontent.

  Even the foolish and simple Zu Ji felt that Zhang Yuan's words were not quite right at this moment, and couldn't help but interrupt: "Wen Yi, what are you talking about?"

  Zhang Yuan coldly laughed twice and did not respond.

  Zu Chao had heard Zu Ji mention Zhang Yuan before. Although the Zhang family of Anyang Ting was a large clan, Zhang Yuan was not a direct descendant of the Zhang family, but only a collateral branch. Moreover, he was accustomed to being a wandering knight and was not favored by his clan. He could vaguely guess that someone like Zhang Yuan would dislike the conventional rules, so the more people admired him, the more he despised them.

  He naturally wouldn't take it to heart, and with a graceful leap he jumped off his horse, politely returning Zhang Yuan's courtesy. He smiled and said: "Brother is indeed a man of temperament, Zuo Zhao admires you deeply. I've heard my ancestor mention that Brother is a renowned hero, so today I especially asked to meet you, the most important thing being that I hope to get to know Brother."

  Zhang Yuan saw Zu Zhao being so humble and couldn't help but feel a bit of goodwill towards him. However, since he had decided to give the other party a warning from the start, he naturally couldn't completely let his guard down at this moment. He chuckled strangely twice, hugged his arm and said: "You're indeed someone who knows how to talk. I, Zhang Yuan, came to keep an appointment with you just to give face to Zu Qi. I heard that today, young master is in high spirits and wants to invite everyone to practice horse riding together. Hmm, An Yang Pavilion isn't Bei Guo Pavilion."

  He said this loudly, with an emphasis that was particularly noticeable. The group of young adventurers following behind him, led by Zhang Yu, all started to murmur and snicker.

  Zu Qi's face suddenly changed, and he regretted not making things clear yesterday.

  Zu Zhao looked at Zu Ji with no blame in his eyes, after all, he himself hadn't made things clear yesterday, and this had become a misunderstanding. He maintained a humble smile, bowed to Zhang Yuan again, and thanked him: "Brother's words have made me feel ashamed. It's strange that I didn't make things clear with Zu Ji yesterday, which led to this misunderstanding. My purpose for coming here today is not only to meet brother but also to discuss the plan to prevent theft this year with brother. How could I dare to trouble brother to accommodate my horse training?"

  Zhang Yuan raised an eyebrow, he was not a reckless person, let alone the reputation of Zu Zhao's humility in the county was not unfounded. It seemed that a young man would not be arrogant to the point of finding trouble with others for no reason. He slightly improved his expression and, still relying on his seniority, looked up and said: "It's just the beginning of autumn, and the young master already has a passion? How is it, isn't it because you repelled those barbarian horses some time ago and are now feeling proud?"

  Zhang Yu's patience was wearing thin, and he rushed to rebuke Zhang Yuan: "Zhang Wen Yi, I considered you a brother, but time and again you've shown disrespect to my family's eldest son. What do you mean by this?"

  Zhang Yuan smiled at Zu Ji, still without responding.

  Zu Zhao raised his hand to stop Zu Ji and said, "A Ji, you mustn't be rude."

  Zu Qi's anger did not dissipate all at once, although he was no longer speaking, his eyes were still bulging as he stared at Zhang Yuan.

  Zu Zhao's expression remained calm and peaceful, then he turned to Zhang Yuan and said: "Regardless of whether brother is joking or not, I must explain that brother's words are wrong. My ancestors for three generations were all border generals, the family tradition is like this, and I should follow in their footsteps. In previous years, if I wasn't too young, I would have participated in the county's bandit suppression efforts. This time, I repelled the invading Huns, although it was a lucky coincidence, but as a Han man, I felt great satisfaction. It is precisely because of this that I have the confidence to contribute my humble effort to this year's bandit suppression. Thinking that brother is one of the county's heroes, in previous years, brother's brave name echoed throughout the region, and I couldn't help but come to visit brother first, hoping that brother can give me some guidance."

  Zhang Yuan clapped his hands and burst out laughing, with a hint of complacency on his face. "Indeed, Master Zou is truly erudite, speaking in such an elegant manner," he said. "How can we, who are uneducated and untalented, compare to him?"

  The other young masters once again made a loud noise in agreement. Behind Zu Zhao, many of the Zu family's younger generation were indignant, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

  Zu Zhao's expression was calm and his tone was serious as he said, "I have always respected my elder brother, why did you repeatedly treat me with contempt? If you really didn't want to see me, then why use veiled language and excessive words. Can't we just be straightforward and clear about what we mean? Even if we can't be friends, there's no need to become enemies. What do you think, elder brother?"

  Zhang Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he slowly composed himself. He considered himself a hero, and although he had some dissatisfaction with Zu Zhao, the other party repeatedly apologized politely, and he couldn't help but feel that his own repeated resentment was beneath him. With a low, cold laugh, he changed his tone and said: "The young master is indeed eloquent, while Zhang is just a rough and unrefined person, please forgive my lack of tact. Since the young master takes this year's preparations so seriously, Zhang will naturally accompany you."

  As soon as Zhang Yuan said this, a group of heroic young men immediately restrained their momentum.

  Zu Zhao bowed his head and smiled: "Younger brother thanks older brother first."

  Zhang Yuan's mouth twitched slightly as he said, "The young master is a heroic youth, able to repel over a hundred Hu cavalry with just twenty riders. It's clear that the young master has exceptional martial skills. Today, the young master has come all the way to Anyang Pavilion to invite Zhang to join him in training horses and preparing for bandits. Zhang would like to take this opportunity to ask the young master for guidance and witness firsthand how he shook the Hu barbarians back then."

  Zu Chao specially invited Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu, the two brothers, to practice horse riding this time. The purpose is to make a name for himself in Xuwu County first, so that more people will know that he will participate in the winter training of the imperial guards. This is just the first step, next, he will also use his own strength and the wealth of his family to become the leader of the imperial guards after defeating the Huns.

  Although there is a disadvantage in age, being prepared for theft is a fierce military affair. As long as one can be crowned with bravery throughout the county, combining the county's promotion to participate in the prefecture's inspection and selection, everything will go smoothly. An Yang Ting and Bei Guo Ting are adjacent, and Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu, two brothers, are also small-time famous city wandering knights. If they can intimidate these two men, they can quickly spread rumors through their mouths, and during the preparation for theft, they can better win over the militia of An Yang Ting.

  He had already made up his mind about this, and even if Zhang Yuan didn't take the initiative to propose it, he would still think of ways to make a move. In other aspects, one has to show humility, but as a northerner who is naturally inclined towards martial arts, being hesitant in this aspect would only lead to being looked down upon, and thus he hastened to take the initiative to become the leader of the thieves.

  He humbly replied: "I don't dare, if it's just a friendly exchange of blows, I sincerely wish to ask for your guidance, brother."

  Zhang Yuan hummed softly, previously thinking that Zu Zhaowen was gentle and refined, but unexpectedly he had become neat and efficient. It's not hard to see that this son is indeed a good martial artist. His tone was not weak at all, saying: "That's really great."

  Zu Zhaoyou said: "Since it's at Anyang Pavilion and brother proposed first, I should follow the host's lead in a friendly competition."

  Zhang Yuan smiled lightly and said, "We northerners have been practicing martial arts since childhood, so we can't do without archery and horsemanship. The young master is also good at shooting and driving away the Huns' horses. Zhang Mou doesn't dare take advantage of his seniority, so he'll just make archery and horsemanship the topic."

  Zu Zhao replied without hesitation: "Good."