Chapter 36, The Peach and Plum Do Not Speak

  Out of the main hall, Zu Zhao was preparing to return home. As soon as he came to the corridor, his cousin Zu Zhan suddenly caught up from behind.

  "Great prince, stay one more step."

  Zu Zhao thought that Zu Zhan had come to discuss with him the dispute that had just occurred in the main hall, and he turned back expressionlessly.

  "Alright, let's talk about other things tomorrow."

  "But just now I went to see Uncle Hong, and Uncle Hong said that if you come back, Big Master, please go over there again. He seems to have something to tell you." Zu Yan thought that Zu Zhao still had some anger in his heart, so he calmly informed him.

  "Oh? Did Uncle Hong say what it was about?" Zu Zhao asked, slightly calming down.

  "He didn't tell me. Why don't you go ask him yourself?" Zu Yan said.

  After bidding farewell to Zu Zhan, Zu Zhao thought it was still a bit early, so he went to the backyard instead.

  Hong Shu and some helpers from the horse farm mostly live in the backyard near the horse farm. There is a special courtyard here, divided into two parts with a total of seven large rooms and six small rooms. The big houses have an independent courtyard, which can be called the inner courtyard of the ancestral home in the backyard of Zhu Jia Zhuang.

  Arriving at Hong Shu's large courtyard house, he asked a member of Hong Shu's family to announce his arrival before entering the house.

  Hong Shu's family members were all sincerely respectful and fearful that the eldest young master had come in person. Although Hong Shu was the manager of the ancestral horse farm, he was after all a servant. Zu Zhao, on the other hand, did not have any airs about him and politely asked after Hong Shu's family before entering the inner room to visit Hong Shu who was lying on his bed.

  After a day of recuperation, Hong Shu's injuries were no longer serious, and his complexion was much better than yesterday.

  Zu Zhao saw Hong Shu trying to struggle up and pay his respects, so he hurried forward to help him up, saying: "Uncle Hong, no need for formalities."

  Hong Shu let out a deep sigh, his thin face still filled with guilt. "Because of my carelessness the past two days, I've caused everyone on the farm to be anxious and worried. It's truly shameful."

  Zu Zhao Shuang laughed and said: "Uncle Hong, don't say such things. If so, shouldn't it be more proof that my Zu family is united?"

  Hong Shu followed with a dry laugh, and then let out another sigh. After calming down, he said: "Previously, the eldest young master instructed me to investigate someone named Han Dang when I went to Lingzhou County. On the day before the next group of travelers arrived in Lingzhou County, I made a special trip to the county town to make some inquiries, and indeed there was such a person."

  Zu Zhaoyang raised an eyebrow and said: "So Uncle Hong found me earlier precisely because of this matter?"

  Hong Shu nodded and smiled: "After all, it was the young master's order, and I have been delayed for two days, so I couldn't inform you in time."

  Zu Zhao then asked: "What did Hong Shu find out about this person?"

  Hong Shu said, "This man had a heroic spirit in Lingzhi County. Last year, he couldn't bear the local rascals bullying and insulting the villagers and elders, so he took action to teach them a lesson, but unfortunately killed someone in the process. To avoid being caught by the authorities, he fled under cover of night. It's said that the villagers had petitioned the county government many times to pardon his crime, but to no avail."

  These words Zuxiao had heard before and were no different from what Handang had said. He looked thoughtful and didn't speak.

  After a pause, Uncle Hong continued: "I heard that Han Dang's old home still has his elderly parents and several poor relatives who had fled to him in their early years. The whole family relied on three mu of thin land for survival. But later, because the city thugs whose son was killed by him kept making trouble, they eventually mortgaged the thin land as compensation, and life became even more difficult."

  Upon hearing this, Zu Zhao immediately asked: "Uncle Hong, did you provide assistance according to my intention?"

  Hong Shu hastily nodded and said, "This is natural. Although I don't know what relationship Han Dang has with the young master, the young master has acted righteously on his behalf, so I naturally dare not slack off." He happened to have prepared an extra ten taels of silver, which he then presented to Old Man Han. Old Man Han was initially unwilling to accept it and repeatedly asked about Hong Shu's identity. Hong Shu had no choice but to make up a story that it was Han Dang himself who had entrusted him to pass it on.

  Zu Zhaoyi nodded and said: "In that case, it's best this way."

  Hong Shu was somewhat surprised, although he had known earlier that Zu Zhaozhong had entrusted this matter not for the sake of seeking any fame, but also not to the point where no benefits were gained. If it wasn't said that Han Dang himself conveyed the message, the Han family would inevitably remember the kindness of an unnamed person; but once it was falsely claimed that Han Dang himself conveyed the message, the Han family would naturally accept it calmly, without any reservations in their hearts.

  He then chatted with Hong Shu about other things and told him the news he had heard today, after which Zu Zhao stood up to take his leave.

  Zu Zhaowei helped Han Dang in this way because he understood his character, and it is said that a gentleman does not accept food from an unworthy source. Perhaps Han Dang did not consider himself a gentleman, but someone with integrity would never want to ask others for help unless absolutely necessary. He admired Han Dang's strong and unyielding personality, not just his charm, but also the value he placed on simplicity and honesty, which is rare in an era where people are eager to take advantage of others.

  Back in his residence, he felt a bit hungry again. After all, he had been busy running around outside all day and hadn't eaten anything when he rushed back in the evening. He immediately called over a servant to prepare some night snacks.

  I quickly brought over some hot snacks and desserts, and after arranging the bowls and chopsticks, I added: "Young Master, the woman you brought back... uh, she won't eat anything."

  Zu Zhaogang had just changed into his traveling clothes and, upon hearing the servant's words, couldn't help but furrow his brow. After leaving Hong Shu's place, he had almost forgotten about this matter. With a low sigh, he asked the servant, "How is she now?"

  The servant shook his head and said with a sigh, "That person refused to speak and wouldn't rest properly on the bed, pulling all the bedding off. Instead, he hid in the corner of the room, just like... just like a wild man..." The servant was afraid of offending the young master and spoke the last sentence with caution.

  "After a moment of contemplation, Zu Zhao said with a hint of forced patience: 'Take me there.'"

  "Yes."

  Following the servant out of the residence, they came to another small courtyard in the inner yard facing west. The inner yard was inhabited by direct relatives of the ancestral family, and even the wing rooms prepared here were not ordinary places that could be entered. Most of the non-tribal nobles were arranged in the western courtyard. Zu Zhao did not deliberately instruct the servant to arrange Gulinaer to stay here, but thinking about it, the chaotic times are approaching, where there are so many nobles coming to the family to live, letting her live here is more convenient for care.

  Standing in the small courtyard outside the wing room, all that can be seen is a pitch-black interior through the windows and doors.

  Zu Chao furrowed his brow, and the attendants shook their heads and sighed: "She has blown out the candle again. When we lit it earlier, she was making a fuss nonstop. Every time we retreated, she would secretly extinguish the candle, and we were powerless to stop her."

  Zu Zhao didn't say a word, took a step forward and personally pushed open the door. The room was quiet, with only some faint sounds coming from the moment the door opened. He first let the servant retreat, then stepped inside, looked at the candlestick that had been knocked over on the small hall table and the untouched food, and suddenly felt a surge of distress in his heart. On the one hand, he thought women were difficult to deal with, and on the other hand, he didn't know how to arrange for Gulinaer's future.

  He walked through the small hall and came to the bedroom, which was a bit messy. The bedding was scattered all over the place, and the quilt, mattress, and bed curtains were nowhere to be seen. The inner corner of the room was very dark, but there was a figure huddled there. Gulinare wrapped herself tightly in her blanket, as if she were a small tent, curled up into a weak ball.

  It can be seen that Gulinaer felt that she had completely lost all her protection.

  His heart couldn't help but feel a little bit of sympathy, he walked over slowly, in order not to scare the other person, intentionally opening his mouth to ask: "How are you now?"

  The quilt wrapped around the team trembled slightly, with no sound in response.

  Zu Zhao approached, squatted down, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out to lift the quilt. He thought Guliernaer would resist or struggle, but he never expected it to be so easy to lift the quilt, only to suddenly feel a touch of moisture when his hand touched it.

  Gulinaer was curled up inside, she had been arranged to take a hot bath earlier, her whole body had been cleaned and changed into a Hanfu, but for some reason, the belt was not tightened, so the clothes were loose and sloppy, with her shoulders half exposed. Her hands were wrapped around her small legs, and her face was buried in her arms. The dampness on the quilt was all her tears.

  Zu Zhao immediately caught a whiff of the warm, freshly bathed body scent, and his mind was slightly dazed. He didn't plan to take advantage of her, so he deliberately adjusted the quilt wrapped around Gulinaer's body again, wrapping it around her without covering her head.

  "Why aren't you eating?" he asked softly.

  Gulinaer slowly raised her head, and her blue eyes, which were filled with tears, shone brightly in the darkness, so captivating.

  "You... you could have helped us... but you only saved me... I won't thank you, absolutely not..." After a while, she said with a choked voice, originally with a very strong exotic accent, mixed with sobbing sounds, making it even more desolate and obscure.

  "Why don't you think of it this way, I could have just ignored all of you, but in the end, I still saved your life." Zu Chao said with a tone that was neither hot nor cold. He knew that his words were almost cruel, yet they were also an undeniable fact - he wasn't a philanthropist, and besides, there were more important things at hand right now.

  Gulnar's tears streamed out of her eyes and fell along her delicate cheeks.

  "You shouldn't have come here." Zu Zhao sighed after a while.

  "If we weren't starving, we wouldn't be here... You Hans are not good people..." Gulinaer's voice had become as thin as a mosquito's by this point, and she hung her head again, sobbing.

  "If you're willing to eat something now," Zuxiao said after a long time, "I can consider agreeing to help you rescue your companion. Of course, I can't give you any guarantees, only promise to do my best."

  Gulinaer raised her head in surprise, staring at the elegant young man in front of her with a look of disbelief.

  "Now, our ancestral home also has a lot of trouble. Since I saved you, I naturally hope that you can live on. I will continue to help you within my ability. Of course, you must also understand one truth: relying on anyone is not as good as relying on yourself. Your top priority now is to survive well." Zǔ Zhāo said with a heavy heart.

  "I..." Gulinaer wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't say it out loud. Her blue eyes were filled with worry, and her delicate face showed a faint flush of red. "Thank you... thank you..."

  I'll be taking a train back home today and won't arrive until tonight. If I can make it in time, I'll update another chapter. Hope all of you readers will continue to support me!