flstandardbreds Chapter 384
Chapter 384
The news that a great man had appeared in Zhangjia Village, a young man of seventeen or eighteen, spread like wildfire.
It's unclear whether it was intentional or unintentional, but it's not unavoidable. After all, Zhang Peng and others were killed by the Xuanwu Army. Although these people were not well-liked by most people in Shaoxing City, they still had some cronies.
The disappearance of Zhang Peng and others naturally attracted a lot of attention, and many people came to Zhangjia Village to check, but they were all stopped outside the village by the Xuanwu Army.
Upon seeing that there were troops stationed in Zhangjia Village, everyone realized that a big shot had arrived in Zhangjia Village, and so the number of people around Zhangjia Village gradually increased.
Someone happened to see Zhou Chu, and based on his clothes and demeanor, they concluded that the important person in Zhangjia Village must be this young man.
Thus, the news that there was a remarkable seventeen or eighteen-year-old in Zhangjia Village spread like wildfire.
When Dong Rui, the prefect of Shaoxing Prefecture, heard this news, his heart skipped a beat. Seventeen or eighteen years old, an important person, and there were troops stationed there.
After combining all this information, Dong Rui realized that the young man in Zhangjia Village was likely none other than Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had gone missing after being assassinated some time ago.
Zhou Chu was assassinated in Yuyao. Shaoxing Prefecture is only a hundred or so miles away from Yuyao. Immediately after Zhou Chu's assassination, Dong Rui received orders from above to do everything in his power to search for the whereabouts of Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
As for what to do after finding Zhou Chu, the higher-ups didn't say, and Dong Rui was happy to play dumb, so he simply didn't ask. He sent people to search for him symbolically, but he didn't really take it to heart.
Dong Rui, as the prefect of Shaoxing, was not actually a member of the Jiangnan Group, nor did he form any factions. He was just a muddle-headed official who only cared about making money and was assigned to deceive his superiors as much as possible.
He knew very well that it would be better if he didn't find Zhou Chu, a powerful figure with such high status. But if he did find him, and his superiors asked him to kill the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, wouldn't he be in a very difficult situation?
The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the big shot who stirred up a bloodbath throughout Jiangnan last year, could be killed with a single breath. So Dong Rui was smart. He didn't expect to find Zhou Chu and make any contributions. He just hoped that Zhou Chu wouldn't be discovered by him before he had the ability to protect himself.
He just wanted to make money quietly. Although Zhou Chu might investigate him for being greedy, he wouldn't dare to kill the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard even if he had ten times the courage.
Dong Rui had a clear understanding of himself. He was greedy, but at most he was a muddle-headed official. He rarely did anything to help the wicked or to incur public wrath. He did not do anything practical for the people, but he did not persecute them either.
Even if he were investigated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, at most he would be exiled, and his family would not be implicated.
But if he dares to make a move against Zhou Chu, he'll be in big trouble once it's discovered.
The appearance of Zhou Chu in Zhangjia Village relieved Dong Rui. Although Zhou Chu's appearance outside Shaoxing City surprised him, the presence of the army outside Zhangjia Village indicated that Zhou Chu was no longer someone he could deal with.
This is good news for Dong Rui.
However, Dong Rui still needed to confirm whether it was Zhou Chu or not. As the prefect of Shaoxing Prefecture, knowing that Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was nearby, it would be unreasonable not to pay him a visit.
"Take out my blue cloud-patterned casual clothes; I'm going to Zhangjia Village."
Dong Rui returned home and looked at his wife, saying...
Dong Rui was very clever. If he visited Zhou Chu while wearing official robes, it would inevitably attract a lot of attention, and many people with ulterior motives would find out Zhou Chu's whereabouts.