The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 379

Upon hearing this, Zhang Peng nearly wet his pants.

He naturally understood what the phrase "military law enforcement" meant. Whether in operas or storytellers, it had been said that military law enforcement meant beheading.

"Sir, we really did go the wrong way. Please just let us go. We'll never do it again."

Zhang Peng almost cried when he said this.

"Uncle Zhang, do you know them?"

Zhou Chu didn't answer Zhang Peng, but instead looked at Zhang Damin who was standing to the side.

“How could I not recognize them? This is Zhang Peng, and this is Wang Er. These are notorious thugs in Shaoxing. Zhang Peng tried to steal my prey before, but I didn’t give it to him.”

Zhang Damin scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly as he said this.

"Actually, I knew they were following me."

Zhang Damin's unspoken meaning was simple: he knew Zhang Peng and the others were following him, and he wanted to use Zhou Chu to deal with them.

"Uncle Zhang, don't be embarrassed, it was just a small favor."

After saying this, Zhou Chu waved to several soldiers of the Xuanwu Army, signaling them to take Zhang Peng and the others away for processing.

Several soldiers instantly understood and quickly gagged Zhang Peng and his companions to prevent their cries from attracting attention, then dragged them out.

Zhang Damin, on the other hand, felt no discomfort whatsoever. He was a hunter himself and had a grudge against Zhang Peng and his ilk. Now, seeing them being killed, he only felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Second brother."

At this moment, Yun Jin suddenly walked in. Looking at Zhou Chu in front of her, Yun Jin could no longer hold back her tears and threw herself into Zhou Chu's arms.

"It hurts!"

Zhou Chu's injuries hadn't fully healed yet, and Yun Jin's collision caused a tearing pain, but it didn't have much of an impact, as they were almost completely healed.

Upon hearing this, Yun Jin awkwardly left Zhou Chu's embrace, looking at him with a face full of guilt.

"She's such a big girl, yet she's still so impetuous."

Zhou Chu said irritably.

"How big is it? It's only thirteen at most."

Yun Jin said with some dissatisfaction.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu was speechless. Thinking about it, it made sense. Yun Jin was only thirteen years old, but in the past year or two in the military, her temperament and figure made it hard to associate her with a girl who was not even thirteen years old.

Since Zhou Chu's incident, Yun Jin has been on edge, secretly sending people to search for Zhou Chu's whereabouts while investigating who assassinated him.

These past few days, Yun Jin had been unable to sleep for nights on end. But now, seeing Zhou Chu, the tension in her heart eased, and a surge of drowsiness instantly overwhelmed her, making it difficult for her to keep her eyes open.

"You haven't slept for so many days, have you?"

Looking at Yun Jin's tired expression and weary eyes, Zhou Chu felt a pang of sympathy.

Yun Jin didn't answer, but not answering is also a form of answer.

"Why don't you go and sleep in Er Ya's room for a while?"

Looking at Yun Jin's attire, Zhang Damin naturally wouldn't be as at ease as he was when facing Zhou Chu, and he spoke with deep respect.

"it is good."

Yun Jin was too exhausted to object.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Damin hurriedly called his wife over.

"Take this general to Er Ya's room to rest."

At this moment, Zhang Damin felt a sense of dread. The female general in front of him was called Chu Ge'er's Second Brother. Just who was Chu Ge'er?

"Come with me."

Zhang Damin's wife didn't think as much as he did. After all, ignorance is bliss. As a country woman, she was far less knowledgeable than Zhang Damin, so she didn't know the identity of the woman in front of her. She only knew to treat her well.

These days, all the expenses of Zhang Damin's family have been provided by Zhou Chu, and Zhou Chu's identity is obviously very unusual. Although she is a woman who doesn't know much and has little experience, she knows what she should do and what she shouldn't say.

In the capital city, within the imperial palace, Huang Jin, carrying an urgent letter delivered over 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers), excitedly jogged all the way to the imperial study.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Good news! Lord Zhou has sent a memorial to the throne."

Upon hearing this news, Jiajing, who had been somewhat worried about Zhou Chu's safety, immediately stood up.

"Bring it here quickly!"

When Huang Jin came to Zhu Houcong's side, he snatched the memorial from Huang Jin's hand and began to read it.

"Good, good! It's good that the weighing instrument is alright."

Zhu Houcong slapped his thigh as he read.

After saying this, he looked at Lu Bing beside him.

"Wenfu, you can tell your mother this news quietly, but tell her not to spread it around. Continue to pray for the weighing instrument as usual, and keep everything as before."

Jiajing said.

When Lu Bing learned that Zhou Chu was alright, he was overjoyed. He could finally go home. Otherwise, he didn't know how to face his parents or his younger brother every time he went home.

Every time Lu Bing saw them go from full of hope to disappointment, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

As for why His Majesty made such an arrangement, Lu Bing wouldn't ask further. He knew very well that it was mostly related to the arrangement of the weighing instruments, and that he would know when the time was right.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Lu Bing couldn't wait to go home and tell his parents the news.

"Go home. You can't stay here like this. Just don't let anyone notice anything amiss."

Jiajing waved his hand and said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After bowing to Jiajing, Lu Bing left the imperial study. Before leaving, he made sure to compose himself and appear worried before heading home.

Xia Yan was also at Yang Yiqing's residence.

"Your Excellency, Zhou Chu has been assassinated and his fate is unknown. What are your thoughts on this?"

Xia Yan said casually.

"What thoughts could I possibly have? At my age, with the yellow earth reaching my neck, I'll work for another two years and then retire to my hometown."

Yang Yiqing slightly raised his eyelids and said.

He naturally knew what Xia Yan meant by those words, but he was even more aware that Xia Yan was stirring things up for him, not for his own benefit. He knew he wouldn't be able to cause trouble for many more years, so Xia Yan naturally hoped that he could make some trouble while Zhou Chu's fate was still unknown. In this way, Xia Yan would have more room to maneuver.

Instead of being suppressed and unable to move as they are now.

"Your Excellency is mistaken. Throughout history, figures like Jiang Ziya and Baili Xi were all older than you, yet they both achieved great things. Why should Your Excellency feel sorry for yourself?"

Xia Yan continued to stomp on the flames.

"Does Lord Xia want me to go through all that trouble to create positions for you?"

Yang Yiqing looked at Xia Yan coldly.

He and Xia Yan were never on the same side.

"Your Excellency has keen insight. I do indeed have this idea, but it does not conflict with Your Excellency's interests. There is no fundamental conflict between us. On the contrary, we have a common enemy: Zhou Chu and Yang Shen."

Xia Yan said with some resentment.

Yang Yiqing was somewhat surprised that Xia Yan admitted it so frankly.

"You're quite frank."

"That's right. Trying to outsmart the Grand Secretary is like showing off your axe skills in front of Guan Yu."

Xia Yan smiled.

Yang Yiqing was very satisfied when he heard this.

"Let me think about it carefully. Zhou Chu's fate is still unknown."