Chapter 411: Old Trickster

Zu’an was surprised to encounter Xie Daoyun here and quickly responded, "Miss Xie, where are you headed?"

Xie Daoyun slowly walked over, smiling slightly. "I just returned from a poetry gathering in the neighboring county," she said.

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

Zu’an inwardly sighed, thinking, *What a literary young woman.* In the past, he might have used the opportunity to tease her, but he was not in the mood now.

"Miss Xie, please step aside," Zu’an warned. "Swords and blades have no eyes; it would be terrible if you got hurt." He explained that with the Red Robed Army and the City Defense Army on the verge of conflict, a fragile woman like Xie Daoyun would instantly be torn to shreds if fighting broke out.

Xie Daoyun, 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 directly fell into his arms, then "panicked" and cried out, "Oh dear, 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 defenders on the city wall: "..."

Everyone present seemed to be thinking: *My Lady, do you take us for blind, or them?*

Zu’an couldn't help but laugh. In the acting world, this girl would surely be labeled a "flower vase" and mocked. While others became film queens, her acting would definitely earn her a Golden Razzle Award.

However, he reacted quickly, immediately placing a sword to her neck. He then shouted to the city gate, "Miss Xie is in my hands! If you don't want anything to happen to her, open the city gate!"

At the same time, he whispered into Xie Daoyun's ear, "Thank you."

Xie Daoyun had never been held by a man like this before. Earlier, she had been too focused on helping to realize, but now, embraced by him, with the warmth of his breath on her ear as he spoke, her entire body instantly went mostly limp. Her face flushed, and she softly hummed, "You owe me two favors now."

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

Zu’an chuckled, "Debts of gratitude are endless. How about I repay you with my body?"

Xie Daoyun: "..."

*How can this guy be so shameless? Does Chuyan know about this?*

At that moment, Pang Chun's roar came from the city wall: "Zu’an, you and Miss Xie are considered friends, yet you're holding her hostage. Is that acceptable?"

Although he knew Xie Daoyun had initiated it, he had no choice but to pretend he hadn't seen anything.

Zu’an laughed, "Afterward, I will personally visit to apologize to Lord Xie and Miss Xie. For now, County Lieutenant, please be accommodating."

He also tacitly avoided exposing her.

Pang Chun's expression shifted between anger and hesitation. Finally, he waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to open the gates. He knew that if a real fight broke out, his men couldn't stop the approaching force. Now that he had an excuse to back down, he wouldn't foolishly continue to resist. Even if he were held accountable later, the Xie family would support him.

The other soldiers, who were already terrified, breathed a collective sigh of relief upon hearing the order and immediately ran to open the gates.

Pang Chun cursed under his breath, calling them useless. He still maintained a tough stance, saying, "Zu’an, you will surely regret what you've done today."

Zu’an looked unconcerned. "I'm a person who only cares about the present, not the future."

Seeing the city gates slowly open, Zu’an announced loudly, "Our purpose here is to defend the Chu family, so do not harm the city's residents. Without my command, no one is permitted to attack the city's soldiers."

"Understood!" the group responded in unison, without a single murmur of dissent. Each one wore a solemn and dignified expression, resembling a precisely operating war machine.

Pang Chun, watching from the city wall, was filled with envy. *That's what you call an elite force,* he thought. *My own men are nothing but a disorganized rabble.*

Xie Daoyun's heart also trembled secretly. *No wonder Father has always been wary of the Chu family,* she thought. *With such a strong army, they are a force that cannot be ignored anywhere.*

"Enter the city!" Zu’an commanded in a deep voice. The Red Robed Army advanced towards the city gate in perfect formation, while a portion of them remained behind, bows drawn and arrows nocked, ready to provide cover in case of an ambush.

Zu’an was deeply impressed. *The Chu family must have poured immense effort into training such an army,* he mused. *No wonder, despite the lucrative salt and iron business, the Chu family still struggles with finances.*

Such an elite army made even an inexperienced person like himself feel like a famous general when commanding them.

As he was musing, Chu Yucheng smilingly led a horse over. "A’Zu, you still need to command the army. Miss Xie can ride with me; I'll look after her and make sure she doesn't run off."

To everyone's surprise, Xie Daoyun immediately recoiled closer to Zu’an and decisively refused, "No!"

Chu Yucheng: "..."

*My Lady Xie, he's the one holding you hostage! Why are you hiding in his arms? Can't you be a little more professional?*

Chu Hongcai, standing nearby, gloated, "You fatso, you alone are almost breaking that horse's back. How dare you even think of riding with Miss Xie?"

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

Watching the two bicker, Zu’an said to Xie Daoyun, "I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Xie."

Xie Daoyun lowered her head and softly hummed, her face slightly flushed, saying nothing.

Zu’an leaped onto the horse, pulling Xie Daoyun up with him, then flicked the reins. "Giddy up!"

As they passed through the city gate, Pang Chun finally found an opportunity to approach Xie Daoyun. He transmitted his voice discreetly, "My Lady, what are you doing? Does Lord Xie know about this?"

Xie Daoyun's lips barely moved as she replied, "If I didn't come out to give you an excuse, were you really 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 stunned, then realized. *Right, I'm part of Prince Qi's faction. Why was I getting so agitated?*

Of course, despite his thoughts, he still held an official court position, and in the recent situation, he was in a difficult position with no easy way out.

"Thank you, My Lady!" Pang Chun chuckled. *My Lady is truly clever. She not only resolved his crisis but also diverted the trouble elsewhere.*

"Please inform Father," Xie Daoyun instructed. "Let him decide on the subsequent matters." Carried by Zu’an, she quickly rode away, only able to leave that hurried instruction.

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

Zu’an's face flushed. He shifted the 'thing' in his embrace back a little. "Alright."

It wasn't his fault; Xie Daoyun's body was soft, and a delicate fragrance emanated from her. With them riding closely embraced, it would have been abnormal for him not to react.

A moment later, a faint blush appeared on Xie Daoyun's pale neck. Clearly, she had also realized what "it" was.

However, neither of them spoke a word to acknowledge the situation.

Thus, the two of them, following the Red Robed Army, galloped all the way to the Chu family mansion.

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?!"

Zu’an said coldly, "General Liu, you misunderstand. It's mainly that Brightmoon City has been turbulent lately. I'm concerned that your investigation might be disturbed by ruffians, so I brought people to protect the safety of the esteemed officials from the capital."

As he spoke, he ordered the Red Robed Army, "Go, surround the Chu family mansion! No one is allowed to disturb General Liu's investigation."

Xie Daoyun, in his arms, blinked. She had heard he came from humble origins; how had he learned such tactics, comparable to those old political foxes? She wondered who had taught him.

He was clearly trying to annoy his opponent, yet he could find such righteous reasons that made it impossible to refute him.

What a devious operator!

"Nonsense! Do I, General, and these Imperial Guards need protection?" Liu Yao roared in anger. "Get lost!"

As he spoke, a phantom palm print reached out towards Zu’an. He had let this fellow escape before, which led to so much trouble; today, he absolutely had to deal with this brat!

He also didn't dare underestimate the three thousand Red Robed Army soldiers. He planned to seize the ringleader first while they were still getting organized. Once their commander was captured, the leaderless army would naturally be no cause for concern.

As for that brat Zu’an, once he was captured, he would certainly be dealt with severely. *How dare an ant jump around in front of me?*