Chapter 7, Selection and Promotion of Officials

  As Zu Zhaowu had expected, within two days, the news of that day's brave pursuit of horse thieves spread throughout Xuwu County.

  First, Xu Wucheng County Magistrate sent the county clerk and county captain to visit and ask about his well-being. Later, even the officials and soldiers stationed at Lulong Pass came to offer their condolences. The Zu family was a prominent clan in Xuwu, with many elderly members who had retired from official life. The clan leader, Zu Ju, had previously served as a deputy commander under General Zhang Huan of the previous dynasty's Liaoyang army, and had accumulated military merits over twenty years, earning him the title of fifth-degree duke. Whether it was the county magistrate or the commanders at Lulong Pass, they all had to show him respect. Moreover, this time Zu Zhao had led a force of over twenty horsemen to defeat nearly a hundred Hu cavalry, even capturing some spoils of war, so naturally they came with sincerity to offer their congratulations.

  Zu Jie didn't know the specifics of Zu Zhao's encounter with Hu Ma at first, and only thought that relying on his martial arts skills and a good horse, he coincidentally defeated more than ten bandits. He really hadn't expected the actual situation to be much more dangerous. So on the third day in the afternoon, he made a special trip to the side house to visit the rescued Lu family members, asking the Lu family for accurate information.

  The young men from over twenty tribes who accompanied Zu Qiu and Na Tian on the hunt with Zu Zhao, had put in a lot of effort to spread the news of Zu Zhao's great victory over the horse thieves. As people talked about it, they couldn't help but add some embellishments. In their eyes, as long as they could make the young master shine brightly, they themselves would also gain some reflected glory. It was precisely because of this that the story of Zu Zhao's great victory over the horse thieves became even more dramatized, such as the number of Hu Ma people increasing from two digits to three digits, and the tale of Zu Zhao's three arrows shaking the enemy becoming even more exaggerated.

  Regardless, Zu Xiu treated his grandson with great surprise. Although he knew that Zu Chao had been practicing martial arts and horse riding for five or six years every day, and had a solid foundation in archery, shooting, and sword fighting, and at the age of 13, he had even hunted down a adult male deer by himself, but after all, he had no actual combat experience. Not only in his impression, but perhaps the whole clan only saw the gentle and courteous side of this young master, without thinking that he also had a brave and fierce side.

  In these days, Zu Zhao has been paying attention to the rumors outside, but from start to finish, he has shown a calm and composed demeanor, still reading books and practicing martial arts every day, as if nothing had changed. During this time, his grandfather and elder relatives came to ask about the matter, and when the Lu Long Sai army sent someone to offer condolences, they specifically called him to answer questions. In response, he showed a concise and straightforward attitude, without adding any embellishments, and instead wished that everything could be settled with just one sentence.

  The more he was cautious in speech and action, the more praise he received. Whether it was his grandfather or the county officials, they all recognized that Zu Chao not only had a heroic talent but also had a humble and elegant demeanor. Especially that one sentence "As long as the flying general of Longcheng is present, I will not allow the barbarian horses to cross the Yin Mountains" stirred people's blood with its grandeur, and it spread wildly throughout the county.

  The Lu family rested at the ancestral home for several days, until the big steward Hu Bo's body gradually recovered. He immediately began to prepare to bid farewell. After hearing about Zu Zhao's bravery in saving and settling down the young lady and her entourage, Hu Bo insisted on going to the villa to thank Zu Zhao despite his recent recovery. Zu Zhao naturally treated him with courtesy as an elder, and upon learning that the Lu family planned to leave soon, he didn't say much, only instructing the younger generation of the Zu family to prepare gifts and carriages. Hu Bo was grateful and repeatedly promised to repay today's great kindness in the future.

  Three days later, the Lu family formally bid farewell to Zu Jie and Zu Zhao. Zu Jie, as the host, presented a horse-drawn carriage and some gifts. Zu Zhao had Zu Ji gather more than ten young men from the village, each with their own mount, to escort the Lu family out of the county town. They saw them off for over ten miles, near the county border, before parting ways.

  On the way back, Zu Chao was deep in thought. He had been planning a plan for a long time, that is, to find an opportunity to form his own troops before the Yellow Turban Rebellion. This time, rescuing Lu's family from the horse thieves was a good excuse. The border area was originally not peaceful, and with the approaching "thieving season", both the Hu people and other bandits were eager to move.

  In the past, when winter arrived, the county would organize a "pre-theft" for each county, where the county would arrange for strong and young men from each pavilion and village to form a guard team, responsible for maintaining law and order in the county. After the spring festival, they would disband. When Zuozhao was still young, his grandfather Zuohou had the title of "Five Big Husband", which exempted the male members of their household from labor service, so he never joined the pre-theft guard team.

  He is no longer a child, and has the qualifications to join the army. As for corvée, there's no need to worry about it at all. The noble son sets an example with his own actions, and can add a few more points of great righteousness to his reputation. At present, the county is widely spreading the glorious deeds of defeating the Hu horse with a small number of troops, and the fame he seeks is already within reach. As long as he gets the support of his family, leading this year's reserve army will not be difficult at all.

  "Zu Ji, come here." As they were approaching the county town, Zu Zhao turned sideways and beckoned to his cousin.

  "Great Master, what instructions?" Zu Ji urged his horse forward and asked with his head stretched out.

  "Starting from tomorrow, when you practice horse riding, bring some idle young men from the clan to come with you. The more the better." Zu Zhao instructed.

  "Oh. Then... how many people does the young master want to come?" Zu Ji didn't think much about why Zu Zhao wanted to find more people to train horses, and instead asked directly about the specific number of people needed.

  "It's not that the more, the better. If we can get over a hundred people to come, that would be best," said Zu Zhao emphatically. Although the entire North Guo Pavilion clan had many young and strong men, but at this time of the busy farming season, it was already quite good that they could gather over a hundred people to practice horse riding.

  "So many people?" Zu Ji knew that he didn't have the same illustrious family status as Zu Zhao, and was afraid that he wouldn't be able to complete the task entrusted to him by Zu Zhao. Yet, he didn't want to give up easily either, and suddenly looked hesitant and troubled.

  "You go and convey the message, just say it's my intention. If Beiguo Pavilion can't be called out, you can go to Anyang Pavilion nearby. Aren't you quite familiar with Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu, the two brothers of Anyang Pavilion? I heard that the Zhang brothers are also good at martial arts, and it's a good opportunity to get to know them." Zu Zhao reminded him to say.

  The Zhang family of Anyang Pavilion, although not as powerful as the Zu family, is also a prominent family in Xu Wuyi County. Due to the proximity of Anyang Pavilion and Beiguan Pavilion, the two families have some connections. The elders of the Zhang family respect the Zu family's military background and would send a courtesy invitation whenever there was a wedding, funeral or birthday celebration. Zu Zhao, being young, had not interacted with neighboring prominent families in recent years, but now he is eager to make acquaintances with more outstanding individuals.

  "It's all right, I'll take care of it. Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu are the most loyal, if I call them out, they won't refuse." Zu Ji patted his chest and promised loudly.

  "Excellent." Zu Zhao revealed a delighted smile.

  It was already past noon when Zu Zhao and his entourage returned to the county town, entering Zhuangzi directly from the southwest side gate of Beiguan Pavilion. A servant was waiting in the southwest courtyard, and upon seeing Zu Zhao's figure, he hastily rushed over to greet him. Zu Zhao dismounted his horse, handed the reins to a stable boy, and habitually adjusted his attire.

  The servant came before Zu Chao, bowed respectfully and said: "Young Master, the Old Master is looking for you."

  Zu Zhaodan Zheng waistband, patted the pants folds, and asked: "Is that so? Did Grandfather say what's going on?" Although he asked this with his mouth, in his heart, he first thought of the marriage engagement with Xuan Tianguo's Sun family.

  The servant shook his head and said: "Master didn't say. However, County Magistrate is currently a guest at our mansion."

  Zu Zhao slightly raised an eyebrow and asked in doubt: "Really? When did Lord Chen arrive?"

  "The lower official replied truthfully: 'It has been an hour now. He is sitting in the inner hall with Old Master.'"

  Zu Zhao nodded thoughtfully and didn't say anything else, gesturing for others to lead the way.

  The inner hall is located in the second courtyard of the main gate, and it is usually used to entertain distinguished guests or the three elders of the clan. When Zu Zhao arrived at the front of the hall, the attendants inside first reported to Zu Ju and County Magistrate Chen who were chatting and drinking tea in the hall. Only then did he take off his shoes and enter the hall, bowing to County Magistrate Chen from a distance of ten steps from the tea seat, and then advancing three steps further to pay respects to his grandfather Zu Ju.

  "Later generations have seen the county magistrate."

  County Magistrate Chen was nearly forty years old, although he was as lean and thin as his grandfather Zuo Zhao, but he had a clever and cunning look on his face, completely lacking the upright and honest air that came from being in the military. He responded with a warm smile, without any hint of official authority, and instead seemed like an amiable and approachable elder.

  "Wow, what a great sentence! But it's a pity that the Dragon City Flying General won't be able to teach the Hu Ma to cross the Yin Mountain. The young master has truly grown into a heroic youth. I still remember when I first took office in Xu Wu and visited your esteemed mansion, the young master was just a child with a tender voice seeking knowledge. Can't help but feel old!" County Magistrate Chen sighed with a mix of emotions.

  "County Master, you are laughing at me. Before a great man like yourself, I am always humble and seeking guidance." Zu Zhao replied with a bow, showing humility.

  "Zhaoyi, you come closer. Mr. Chen has been waiting for two hours just for you, and you still don't apologize." Zu Jue said sternly.

  Zu Zhao walked up to the tea seat, but didn't sit down. In ancient times, etiquette was highly valued and the rules were strict, especially for a family like the Zus, who were known for their propriety. Even as the eldest son, he couldn't take a seat without permission from his elders. He could tell that his grandfather was just trying to save face in front of Madame Chen, but even so, he still had to put on a show, so he quickly bowed and apologized.

  "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter." Chen Xianjun sat down and lightly patted Zu Zhao's back.

  "You may not know that the other day you repelled Hu Ma, yesterday Chen Xianjun has already reported to the county government. If it weren't for this, would the county government have known your name so quickly?" Zu Jihou said matter-of-factly.

  "Chengxian Jun, sir, loves to lift others up. I wouldn't dare take credit for it." Zu Zhao Xian expressed his sincere gratitude. At this time, he had probably already guessed the reason why his grandfather had summoned him. Since it wasn't about discussing the Gongsun family's marriage, he could relax a bit more.

  "Zugongzi's reputation for humility and prudence is indeed well-deserved. At such a young age, he has shown such righteousness and integrity, which is truly rare and precious. It was not in vain that I put my heart into this matter." Chen County Gentleman intentionally emphasized the last half sentence.

  "Now that autumn has arrived, the end of the year is also the time for the annual imperial examination in the prefecture. This year, County Magistrate Chen intends to recommend you for the examination, and he came today to discuss with you which subject to take." Zu Jie finally revealed the purpose.