On the day Zhou Che arrived at Nanping City with a hundred thousand soldiers, an informant reported that Nanping City was quiet, without any battles or dangers. The flag on the city wall still proclaimed the Marquis Nanping Residence.
Zhou Che found it strange, "That can’t be right."
He instructed his informant, "Check again and report back."
Then, he ordered his hundred thousand soldiers to set up camp and rest, waiting for more detailed news.
Despite repeated inquiries, the informant returned with the same conclusion.
Puzzled, Zhou Che was about to investigate personally when a troop left Nanping City and headed straight toward him. On closer inspection, the lead figure turned out to be Zhou Gu.
Someone shouted excitedly, "It’s the Fourth Young Master."
Zhou Che, too, was pleased. He hurried to greet him, "Fourth Brother!"
Zhou Gu dismounted and embraced Zhou Che, "Third Brother."
Zhou Che hugged Zhou Gu back, asking anxiously, "What’s going on? Weren’t the Jibei Army supposed to be attacking Nanping City?"
"It’s been resolved."
Zhou Che asked, "What’s been resolved?"
"You’re just a bit too late. We’ve already dealt with the two hundred thousand soldiers from Jibei," Zhou Gu explained.
Zhou Che was taken aback, "How?"
Zhou Gu glanced at the force of hundred thousand soldiers, their faces drained from the long march, then at Zhou Che, who was trying to maintain his morale despite the fatigue, "Let the soldiers rest here. You come with me into the city, and I’ll explain as we walk."
Zhou Che nodded, "Alright."
Thus, while the hundred thousand soldiers rested on the spot, Zhou Che followed Zhou Gu into Nanping City.
On their way, Zhou Gu explained in simple terms how they had diffused the crisis in Nanping City and what they had done. Zhou Che was taken aback as he listened, inhaling sharply in surprise numerous times. At last, he exclaimed admiringly, "To think you could accomplish all this, Fourth Brother! You truly are amazing."
"It’s not just me who deserves credit. It’s the united efforts of the citizens and soldiers within Nanping City," Zhou Gu said.
Zhou Che shook his head, "The crucial point is your cunning stratagem of slaying Zhang Cheng twice, which caused the death of the commanding general of Jibei Army and disrupted their morale. No wonder Grandfather always says you are the best among us Zhou descendants."
Zhou Gu laughed, "Actually, Grandfather is least fond of me."
Zhou Che shot him a glance, "Do you really believe that?"
Zhou Gu just grinned.
Zhou Che finally let his guard down, and started sharing his journey with Zhou Gu, "When I received your letter, I was almost at Jibei. I had to return to Nanping and wasn’t familiar with the road. I was also terrified of being discovered by the Jibei Army, so it cost me quite the effort. Please accept my apologies for my late arrival and the difficulties you’ve endured because of it."
"The ones who endured it were Ning Chi and the others. I actually did quite well. In any case, as long as the result was favorable," replied Zhou Gu. He then led Zhou Che to the Marquis Nanping Residence, asking, "Did you encounter Zhang Yun on the way, Brother?"
"Zhang Yun?" Zhou Che shook his head, "No."
"He withdrew with several tens of thousands of troops. I had thought that you might encounter him on your way," said Zhou Gu. "He’s a figure of note. Su Rong wants to recruit him and has already tasked Zhang Mao with making contact. I wonder if he’s aware."
"What’s this about?" Zhou Che asked.
Zhou Gu briefly explained the situation of Zhang Ping’s two sons, Zhang Mao and Zhang Yun -- one had already defected, while the other was being targeted for recruitment by Su Rong.
Zhou Che sighed after listening, "So it could have been handled that way."
Had it been him, he would have executed Zhang Mao and then waited to kill Zhang Yun. It seems he was short-sighted indeed.
The two of them chatted along the way and reached the Marquis Nanping Residence. The Housekeeper greeted them with a smile, "Third Young Master, I have already arranged your courtyard. I see you’re much fatigued. Would you like to clean up and rest first?"
Zhou Gu also suggested, "Go, Brother. Let’s dine together later."
Zhou Che nodded, and following the housekeeper’s lead, he was taken to his pre-arranged courtyard.
After Zhou Che left, Zhou Gu asked a servant, "Where is the seventh daughter? Is she in the courtyard?"
"She’s changing the dressing for Master Zhang," the servant replied.
Zhou Gu nodded and went to where Zhang Mao was staying.
Su Rong had just finished dressing Zhang Mao’s wounds and was conversing with Ning Ze, "Miss Seven, do you think Zhang Yun would agree to join you?"
"He should!"
Ning Ze seemed quite certain at Su Rong’s reply, he exclaimed, "Wow, if he joins you, you will have him, Jiang Zhu, and the brothers from the eighteen Strongholds..."), he then gave a glance at Zhang Mao and began counting, "And Zhang Mao. Does that mean I’m the most useless?"
Su Rong chuckled, "Do you believe you’re the most useless?"
Ning Ze didn’t want to admit it, but the reality was inescapable. He sighed, "I will try my best to be less useless."
Zhang Mao made fun of him, "Well, you’ve got good awareness of your own standing."
Ning Ze shot him a look, "Anyway, presently I’m more useful than you. You better recuperate and avoid becoming a cripple."
Zhang Mao didn’t want to engage in a verbal spat with Ning Ze, he conceded his point and closed his mouth.
At this point, Zhou Gu stepped through the door. A servant bowed to him, "Fourth Young Master."
Zhou Gu nodded and entered the room, pulling aside the curtain. He found Zhang Mao half-lying on the bed, Su Rong sipping tea at a table, and Ning Ze crouching in front of the fireplace, poking the coals.
The room was filled with a strong, but warm, medicinal aroma.
When he walked in, they all turned their heads to look at him.
Zhou Gu asked, "What are you talking about?"
Ning Ze scratched his head sheepishly and told Zhou Gu about his thoughts.
Zhou Gu looked at him and said, "From what I see, you don’t know yourself well. You’ve handled many trivial matters meticulously and appropriately. This is very rare, and you have great potential. You can be even more useful."
Ning Ze’s eyes widened, he was slightly taken aback by the compliment, "Really?"
"Do I look like someone who would lie just to flatter you?" Zhou Gu implied that Ning Ze, as a man, wasn’t worth coaxing with sweet words.
Ning Ze immediately stood up, hopping twice on the spot out of joy, "Thank you, Fourth Brother, Zhou. You’ve made me feel like it’s a beautiful day."
Zhang Mao silently glanced out the window. How was today a beautiful day? It was freezing outside, and snow was already beginning to drift down.
But Ning Ze was feeling sunny inside. He turned to Su Rong, "Miss Seven, is he right? Did you hear Zhou Brother praising me?"
Su Rong laughed, "Yes, he’s right."
When she accepted Ning Ze, she thought he had potential, but had never expected it to be this great.
Seeing Zhou Gu approach and sit next to her, Su Rong asked with a smile, "You’ve welcomed your third brother?"
Zhou Gu replied, "Yes. He told me he didn’t encounter Zhang Yun."
Su Rong nodded, "It’s better if they didn’t meet."
Zhou Gu laughed, "What kind of person is Zhang Yun? And what kind of person is my third brother? Zhang Yun surely has hundreds of tricks up his sleeve, while my brother is honest to a fault, with only a few. Even if they took the same road, Zhang Yun would have found out about my third brother leading a hundred thousand soldiers in advance and avoided him. It’s impossible for Zhang Yun to bump into my brother."
Su Rong thought carefully and agreed, "That makes sense."
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