But anger was of no use. With her own brother in their hands, she dared not resort to force. The young girl had no choice but to retreat with her retinue to a nearby town to stay, and then look for a place to exchange the money for silver.
But after all, it was three thousand taels of silver. In a small town, who could produce so much?
By noon, Zhou Quan also arrived. After meeting with the young girl and hearing her request, Zhou Quan was furious. He angrily declared, "This is outrageous! These bandits are deliberately making things difficult. Once we catch them, we'll tear them to shreds."
Scolding aside, they still had to find a way. Zhou Quan ordered men to take the silver notes to the nearby county town. After much effort, they finally managed to gather the money.
However, by the time the money was gathered, night had fallen.
Under Zhou Quan's repeated persuasion, the young girl decided to go to Rooster Mountain the next morning. Su Dan Novel Network.
Meanwhile, on Rooster Mountain.
Zhang Qiu also received news that a large army was stationed in a town dozens of miles away.
Zhang Qiu naturally understood that they were coming for him. The grandson of the Grand Tutor had been captured and brought to his mountain. Although the other party claimed to be taking money for ransom, they clearly would not let the matter rest.
After much thought, Zhang Qiu made up his mind. He summoned everyone and began to assign tasks.
"Tonight, we will transport all valuables in the dark. We will take them all to Chenjia Gully, twenty miles away. The area is densely forested and easy to hide."
"The transport must be completed before dawn. Tomorrow morning, a few of you will go down the mountain to count the silver. Once you have the money, drive the carts to the back mountain. Everyone will divide the silver and disperse. As for that unlucky Fang Jun, he will be left on the mountain fort for them to find themselves."
After the arrangements were made, the bandits all praised Zhang Qiu for coming up with an excellent plan.
Zhang Qiu smiled and accepted their praise, then waved his hand, "Alright, drink less tonight and hurry to work. Remember to take anything that can be moved."
The crowd chatted and laughed, then dispersed to start their work.
The next morning, almost the entire Rooster Mountain was cleared out.
Just as everyone was about to have breakfast, a scout from below the mountain ran up.
He reported that people had come to pay the ransom at the foot of the mountain, with a carriage carrying two large boxes, presumably filled with silver.
Zhang Qiu looked at his hundred or so men, smiled slightly, and beckoned seven or eight of them over, giving them instructions, "You guys go down and count the silver, meaning, bring the silver up the mountain. Later, send the person down to them, and then transfer to the back mountain. Everyone will divide the silver and leave quickly!"
The young girl, still lacking experience in the martial world, saw several bandits approach. She ordered her men to spread out, brought out the carriage, and let the bandits come to count the silver.
The bandits had no intention of looking closely. Seeing that it was silver, they immediately nodded with a smile, "Very good, not a single tael is missing. You wait here, we will transport the silver up and send the person down to you."
Logically speaking, such a transaction should be a direct exchange of money for a person. The young girl, lacking experience, believed these bandits.
Watching the bandits drive the carriage towards the back mountain, the young girl began to grow impatient. She paced back and forth, waiting. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, there was no movement from the mountain. She grew anxious and kept looking up the mountain, then turned to ask Liu Si, "How long does it take to walk down from the mountain?"
Liu Si pondered for a moment, "At most half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
"Miss, why don't we walk up the mountain to meet the young master?"
The young girl thought this made sense and waved, leading everyone up the mountain. As they walked, she observed their surroundings. The path was quiet, with no sign of anyone.
Led by Liu Si, they searched all the way to the entrance of the bandit's stronghold, but there was still no activity. Looking at the open gate of the bandit's mountain fort, with various杂物 (miscellaneous items) scattered inside, the young girl suddenly understood. She flashed and ran off.
"Quick, quick, go see if my brother is still here!"
Liu Si quickly searched inside the stronghold and soon found the place where Fang Jun was being held.
Fang Jun and two other household servants were leaning on the railings, peering out expectantly. Seeing Liu Si, he shouted loudly, "Liu Si, I'm here, I'm here!"
Hearing the shout, the young girl also rushed over. She swung her long sword and with a crack, cut the lock.
The brother and sister were reunited, and Fang Jun shed tears, exclaiming, "I truly never expected to see you again."
"Brother, it's good that you are unharmed. It's all these bandits' fault."
As she said this, the young girl stomped her foot, "Ah, these bandits have run away." Saying this, she looked back at a household servant behind her, "Quick, quick, go inform Captain Zhou that the bandits have run away and tell him to pursue them!"
"What, Captain Zhou is also here?" Fang Jun asked in confusion.
The young girl briefly explained the situation. Fang Jun nodded, "Yes, you are right. These bandits are truly hateful. They should be caught in one fell swoop to prevent them from harming the people further."
Zhou Quan, upon receiving the news, was also stunned.
However, after a moment's thought, he realized that since he was staying in the town, there were bound to be bandit informants. He had been careless. Fortunately, Fang Jun was back, and he no longer had any reservations. He just needed to follow the clues and track them.
Although Zhang Qiu had made meticulous arrangements and led his men away,
his petty trick could not escape Zhou Quan's discerning eyes. Soon, Zhou Quan led his men, following the scattered footprints, in pursuit. The young girl, meanwhile, accompanied Fang Jun back to Wannian City.
The brother and sister were eager to return home and traveled day and night. They finally arrived back at Wannian City on the morning of the day before the New Year.
Seeing Fang Jun's return, Fang Zheng, who had been worried for several days, was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He immediately ordered a banquet to be prepared.
Feng Pengju, who had also received the news, rushed over.
Upon their reunion, he was also immensely relieved. After all, this was his future son-in-law.
Princess Zhaoning, who had also received the news, breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Fang Jun was back, eradicating the bandits would be a matter of time for Zhou Quan.
Princess Zhaoning was pleased that Fang Jun could return to the capital before the New Year, at least so that Fang Zheng and his family could have a peaceful New Year. It also relieved her of a worry.
That noon, Fang Jun was also in high spirits and ended up drinking a few more cups.
After drinking, he naturally had to return to his room to sleep. But by late afternoon, the maidservant who served him found that Fang Jun still showed no signs of waking up. Upon closer inspection, Fang Jun's face was flushed and he was sweating profusely. When she touched his head, it was frighteningly hot.
As soon as Fang Zheng heard that Fang Jun was ill, he naturally became anxious. Fortunately, as a former Prime Minister and now the Grand Tutor, he still had influence. He sent a message to the palace, and an imperial physician soon arrived. After taking his pulse, the imperial physician bowed to Fang Zheng and said, "Grand Tutor, your worthy grandson is suffering from shock, and his pulse is disordered. He will likely need several days of rest."