Granny Lu said, "You did the right thing. That's how it should be done."
Zhao Zhuangtou quickly ordered people to cook for Granny Lu and the others. The guard who had carried Granny Lu over had already mustered a squad of men to go and meet the guard behind him, and also to eliminate the pursuers.
Granny Lu followed them to the gate and said, "Your safety is the most important thing. If you can't beat them, run away. There's no need to rush to eliminate them in this short time."
The guard smiled and said, "Madam, we didn't dare to make a move just now to ensure your safety. If it were just the two of us, would they have chased us like mad dogs? Don't worry, just wait here for our good news of triumph."
Granny Lu leaned against the gate, unable to stand any longer, and sat on the high threshold, watching the young figures rushing towards the mountain. She couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. Granny Lu had experienced too much that night. She didn't know what she would have to go through next, but she understood very well that with these young people, and even that newborn baby still in swaddling clothes, there was still hope for this country.
The people of Zhangjiazhuang all came from their homes to hide in the houses on the mountain. The village head and his wife followed Granny Lu out and saw Granny Lu sitting on the threshold by the door frame. The village head's wife came over to help Granny Lu and said, "Granny, it's cold. Let's go inside."
Granny Lu stood up with the help of the village head's wife, smiled, and said, "I'm getting old, and I can't keep up with all this work all night."
The village head said, "You're too modest, Granny. The heated kang in the backyard is already prepared. Granny, please go and rest for a while. If there's anything you need, just tell us what to do. All the young men in our village want to go and kill a few Northern Di people with their own hands to vent their anger."
Granny Lu shook her head and said, "Zhang Lizheng, you should keep our villagers in check and make sure they don't go out and encounter those Northern Di people head-on. They are the elite of the Northern Di. If we go there, we might even lose our lives. Let everyone hide here for a while. If the Northern Di really attack, quickly lead the villagers to run into the territory of Daliang."
Upon hearing this, the village head asked in surprise, "Granny, is it really that serious?"
Granny Lu sighed and said, "It's still best to be careful. Since you're no match for them, you should protect yourselves and not waste your lives. As long as you're alive, there's always hope." Granny Lu really didn't want these unarmed people to fight the Northern Di people with just hot blood. That would be a pointless sacrifice. If they survived, the greatest contribution they could make would be to cultivate a few more acres of land and grow more grain.
The village head left in silence. Granny Lu sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) by the fire wall, her mind filled with thoughts of Zhang Zhaoci and her newborn child. She wondered if the mother and child had safely reached Yanmen Pass, whether they had received proper care, and whether Magistrate Xu knew that she had become a father again.
Granny Lu's mind was in a mess, and she drifted off to sleep without realizing it. When she heard the commotion in the front yard and got up, she felt as if she had been beaten from head to toe, and her whole body ached.
Zhao Zhuangtou came over happily. When he saw that Granny Lu had woken up, he said with a smile, "Granny, good news! The brothers from our village have wiped out those Northern Di people who were chasing us, and even captured a few alive."
Upon hearing this, Granny Lu jumped up from the kang (heated brick bed) in surprise, but then everything went black and she felt dizzy. She could only slowly sit down, holding onto the kang table, and asked, "Where are they?"
When Zhao Zhuangtou saw what was wrong with Granny Lu, he wanted to help her up, but then he thought it wouldn't be appropriate, so he could only stand aside with his hands clasped and said, "She's back. The guards are interrogating her. They should be able to get some information out of her by now."
Granny Lu hurried towards the front yard, which was brightly lit. When Granny Lu arrived at the main house, she saw the guard who had been carrying her coming out of the side room. Upon seeing Granny Lu, he quickly bowed and said, "Granny, I was just about to look for you. I found out."
Granny Lu quickly led them into the main room, then to the west side room. After inviting the guards to sit down, she asked, "What happened?"
The guard said, "There are spies from the Northern Di who have infiltrated the city. They know that the lady is giving birth, so they have been keeping an eye on her. When they saw us follow Commandant He to the small wooden house on the mountain, they secretly went back to report and that's why they have been following us all this way."
Upon hearing this, Granny Lu asked anxiously, "Have they sent anyone else to chase after them towards Yanmen Pass?"
The guard said, "No, the situation was urgent at the time, so only this team was sent. Moreover, I heard from them that someone close to their fifth prince repeatedly instructed that the lady must be captured alive. Even if the lady has given birth, it would be good if the young prince could be captured if the lady could not be captured."
Upon hearing this, Granny Lu turned pale with anger and cursed, "What beasts! They wouldn't even spare a newborn child! Luckily, we were prepared and didn't let them succeed, otherwise, what would have happened to Lord Xu and the young master?"
The guard nodded and said, "That's right. Madam is a living bodhisattva in Hexi and Yanmen Pass. If she had been captured by the Northern Di, we really don't know what would have happened. Fortunately, we led her here. Granny, you are truly amazing."
Granny Lu sighed and said, "These are all my family members. How could I bear to let them get hurt? Quickly send someone to Yanmen Pass to check if Madam and Young Master are both there and if they are safe."
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