Chapter 408: Old Trickster

Zu An hadn't expected to encounter Xie Daojun here and quickly responded, "Miss Xie, where are you headed?"

Xie Daojun slowly approached, a faint smile on her lips. "There was a poetry gathering in the neighboring county; I just returned from attending it."

In truth, the gathering hadn't ended. She had rushed back midway upon hearing about the major incident involving the Chu family.

Zu An inwardly sighed, thinking she was truly a cultured young woman. In the past, he might have flirted with her, but he wasn't in the mood now.

"Miss Xie, please step aside," Zu An warned. "As they say, swords have no eyes; it would be terrible if you got hurt later." He added that with the Red-Robed Army and the City Guard on the verge of conflict, a delicate woman like Xie Daojun would instantly be torn to shreds if fighting broke out.

Xie Daojun, however, lowered her voice and said, "Are you foolish? Why aren't you taking me hostage to make them open the gates?"

As she spoke, she stumbled and fell directly into his arms. Then, she "panickedly" cried out, "Oh no, what are you doing? I'm so scared!"

Zu An: "..."Chu Yucheng and Chu Hongcai, standing nearby: "..."The three thousand Red-Robed Army soldiers: "..."Pang Chun and the other guards on the city wall: "..."

Miss, do you think we're blind, or are *they* blind?!

Zu An couldn't help but laugh. If this girl were in the entertainment industry, she'd definitely be criticized as a "vase." While others were award-winning actresses, her acting would surely earn her the Golden Broom Award.

However, he reacted quickly. He smoothly placed a sword against her neck and shouted loudly to the city gate, "Miss Xie is in my hands! If you don't want anything to happen to her, open the city gates!"

At the same time, he whispered in Xie Daojun's ear, "Thank you."

Xie Daojun had never been held by a man like this before. Before, she was too anxious to help to notice, but now, being embraced by him and feeling the warmth of his breath near her ear, her entire body instantly went soft, and her face flushed crimson. She softly hummed, "You owe me two favors now."

She had helped him once before, and he had promised to compose a song for her, but there had been no news about it since.

Zu An chuckled, "Favors are endless debts. How about I repay you with myself?"

Xie Daojun: "..."How can this guy be so shameless? Does Chu Chuyan know about this?

At that moment, Pang Chun's roar came from the city wall: "Zu An, you and Miss Xie are supposed to be friends, yet you're taking her hostage. Is this justifiable?"

Although he clearly knew Xie Daojun initiated it, he could only pretend not to have seen anything.

Zu An smiled, "Afterward, I will personally visit to apologize to Lord Xie and Miss Xie. For today, I trouble Lord County Commandant to grant us passage."

He also tacitly avoided exposing her.

Pang Chun's expression shifted between anger and resignation. Finally, he waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to open the gates. He knew that if a real fight broke out, his men wouldn't be able to stop the opposing force. Now that he had an excuse to back down, he naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to continue resisting. Even if he were held accountable in the future, the Xie family would help cover for him.

The other soldiers had long since been scared stiff. Upon hearing the command, they all breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to open the gates.

Pang Chun cursed them under his breath for being useless. Still, he kept up a brave front, saying, "Zu An, you will surely regret today's actions in the future."

Zu An looked unconcerned. "I only focus on the present; I don't care about the future."

Seeing the city gates slowly open, Zu An declared loudly, "Our purpose here is to protect the Chu family, so do not harm the city's common people. Without my command, no one is to attack the city's soldiers."

"Yes, sir!" the group responded in unison, without a single stray sound. Each soldier's expression was solemn and dignified, like a perfectly synchronized war machine.

Watching this, Pang Chun on the city wall was filled with envy. "That's what you call elites," he thought. "What are these scattered, useless men under my command?"

Xie Daojun was also secretly impressed. No wonder her father had always been wary of the Chu family; with such a powerful army, they were a force that couldn't be ignored anywhere.

"Enter the city!" Zu An ordered in a deep voice. The Red-Robed Army advanced orderly toward the gates, while a portion of them stayed behind with bows drawn and arrows nocked, ready to respond in case of an ambush inside.

Zu An watched, filled with admiration. He wondered how much effort the Chu family had put into training such an army. No wonder, despite the lucrative salt and iron business, the Chu family still struggled financially.

Such an elite army made even someone completely inexperienced like him feel like a renowned general when commanding them.

As he was marveling, Chu Yucheng smilingly led a horse over. "A-Zu, you still need to command the army. Miss Xie can ride with me on my horse, and I'll keep an eye on her. I guarantee she won't escape."

Who knew Xie Daojun would quickly shrink closer to Zu An and flatly refuse, "No!"

Chu Yucheng: "..."Miss Xie, he's your captor! Why are you hiding in his arms? Can't you be a bit more professional?

Chu Hongcai, watching from the side, gloated, "You fatso, you alone are almost breaking that horse's back, and you still have the nerve to ask Miss Xie to ride with you?"

"What do you know?" Chu Yucheng retorted, annoyed. "This is called being well-built, not like you, a skinny monkey."

Watching the two bicker, Zu An said to Xie Daojun, "I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Xie."

Xie Daojun lowered her head and softly hummed in response, her face slightly flushed, but she said nothing.

Zu An leaped onto the horse, pulling Xie Daojun up into his arms, then flicked the reins. "Giddy up!"

As they entered the city gate, Pang Chun finally found an opportunity to approach Xie Daojun and secretly transmitted his voice: "Miss, what on earth are you doing? Does the Lord Mayor know about this?"

Xie Daojun's lips moved slightly as she replied, "If I didn't step out to give you a way out, were you truly going to fight the Red-Robed Army? This is originally an affair between the Chu family and the Empress's faction; why are you getting involved?"

Pang Chun was startled, then realized. That's right, I'm from Prince Qi's faction. Why am I getting so worked up?!

Of course, that being said, he still held an imperial court position, and in that situation, he was in a difficult position with no easy way out.

"Thank you, Miss!" Pang Chun chuckled. Miss Xie was indeed clever; she not only helped him resolve the crisis but also shifted the blame.

"Inform father," Xie Daojun instructed, "and let him decide on the subsequent matters." Carried by Zu An, she quickly rode away, only managing to leave this hurried remark.

After being held by him for a while, Xie Daojun suddenly frowned. "Could you move your sword back a bit? It's poking me."

Zu An's face flushed, and he discreetly shifted what was pressing against her backward. "Alright," he said.

He couldn't be blamed; Xie Daojun's body was soft, and a faint fragrance emanated from her. With the two of them tightly embracing on horseback, it would have been abnormal for him not to react.

A moment later, a faint blush also appeared on Xie Daojun's fair neck, clearly indicating that she, too, had realized what "that" was.

However, neither of them spoke to break the silence about it.

Just like that, the two rode along with the Red-Robed Army, galloping towards the Chu family residence.

Liu Yao had already received news in advance and came out with the Imperial Guards to meet them. "What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel?!" he shouted.

Zu An said coldly, "General Liu, you misunderstand. It's mainly because Moonbright City has been turbulent lately. I'm worried your investigation might be harassed by ruffians, so I've brought people to protect the safety of you esteemed officials from the capital."

As he spoke, he ordered the Red-Robed Army, "Come on, surround the Chu family residence! No one is allowed to disturb General Liu's investigation!"

Xie Daojun, in his arms, blinked. She had heard he was from a common background, yet his tactics were almost indistinguishable from those old political foxes. She wondered who had taught him.

He was clearly trying to provoke the other party but could find such legitimate reasons that made it impossible to refute him.What a cunning one!

"Nonsense! Do I, the General, and these Imperial Guards need protection?" Liu Yao roared furiously. "Get out of here!"

With that, he sent a void palm print flying towards Zu An. He had let this fellow escape before, leading to so much trouble. Today, he absolutely had to deal with this brat!

He dared not underestimate the three thousand Red-Robed Army soldiers. He planned to strike while they were still getting organized, using the tactic of "capturing the leader to capture the rebels." Once the army was leaderless, they would naturally not be a concern.

As for Zu An, that annoying brat, once he was caught, Liu Yao would thoroughly teach him a lesson. How dare a mere ant jump around in front of him!