Seeing everyone call him Second Brother, Ge Zhuang felt extremely pleased.
However, he had to put on a show of extreme grief. "Generals, the dead deserve respect. The most urgent matter now is to find the whereabouts of my elder brother's head. All other matters can be put aside for now."
This statement effectively saved the lives of the Lotus Sect Master and the others.
Zhu Meng angrily retracted his long sword. "Fine, you may live a few more days."
With that, he turned and left, leaving Ge Zhuang and his men at the scene.
After walking a considerable distance and ensuring no one was following, he punched the nearby wall fiercely. "This Ge Zhuang changes his mind with every passing moment."
Zhang Liao, who was beside him, chuckled. "Marshal, this Ge Zhuang is quite clever. With that display just now, he has won over everyone's hearts."
"But if he had seized the opportunity to kill these people, wouldn't he have gained even more hearts?" Zhu Meng looked at Zhang Liao.
"Marshal, don't forget, it wasn't Ge Zhuang who had a knife at that woman's neck. If the crowd had been enraged and killed them then, you would have gained their hearts. But with Ge Zhuang's words, their hearts have turned to him."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Meng glanced around at the oppressive atmosphere and said in a low voice, "You mean this young Ge Zhuang also..."
Zhang Liao smiled slightly. "Not exactly. Ge Zhuang merely wants to secure some leverage for himself. He still wants the soldiers of Jizhou to obey him, otherwise, he worries you might move against him."
Zhu Meng nodded at this. "That's true. If all the troops in Jizhou were mine, what use would I have for him? I'd directly..." He made a chopping gesture.
"Marshal, don't rush. For now, let them handle this matter themselves. We can just watch the show."
"To recover the head of Ge Village, I believe this Ge Zhuang will not rest until it's done. Perhaps at dawn, he will even open the city gates to taunt the enemy."
"Yes, you make a good point," Zhu Meng nodded. "Let's watch him spar a few rounds with Xiao Jingyun for now. Also, let our men be prepared. If Ge Zhuang proves no match for Xiao Jingyun, we cannot stand idly by."
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, a fast horse galloped into Hetou Village.
Soon, a village guard came to knock on Cui Hongyu's door. After knocking for a long time with no response, the guard returned and knocked on Huang Ying's door.
The maidservant Du Juan did not open the door immediately. Instead, she asked loudly through the door, "Who is it? Disturbing me so early in the morning?"
"Is this Miss Huang Ying? Someone from the county yamen is here, looking for Brother Xiaobei. We went to find Miss Hongyu, but she's not here. Could you please come out and take a look?"
Hearing that someone from the county yamen was here, Huang Ying suddenly had a premonition of something bad.
Without even time to wash up, Huang Ying hastily put on her clothes and rushed to the large locust tree in the center of the village.
The officer from the county, upon seeing Huang Ying, asked with surprise, "You are?"
A village guard standing nearby smiled and explained, "This is the second wife of Chief Chen. What is it? You can tell her."
The officer clasped his hands in greeting towards Huang Ying and said politely, "It's like this. Last night, we found a carriage in the county town. After identification, it closely resembles the carriage Chief Chen bought a few days ago to be used as a betrothal gift. So, we came to ask if you have had any carriages go missing?"
Huang Ying's heart sank upon hearing this. She quickly said, "Indeed, a carriage entered the town. Sister Hongyu drove the carriage into the county town yesterday and hasn't returned yet."
"Then please go to the county yamen to identify it as soon as possible. I must be going."
After the officer left, Huang Ying rushed to find Shen Ziyan.
Upon hearing Huang Ying's retelling, Shen Ziyan's heart also skipped a beat. Only the carriage was missing, and the person was not there. Cui Hongyu had likely met with misfortune.
Four horses charged out of Hetou Village like a whirlwind.
Meanwhile, the officer had returned to the county yamen earlier and reported the findings to Hu Fan. Upon hearing this, Hu Fan also felt a headache coming on.
What he feared had come to pass. If it were someone else who had an accident, he might still be able to feign ignorance.
But Chen Xiaobei was different. Chen Xiaobei had connections to the Crown Prince. A single word from him could get the magistrate dismissed.
"Quick, go to where the carriage was found yesterday. Search the vicinity and see if anyone has seen Cui Hongyu."
As they took action, Huang Ying and Shen Ziyan soon arrived with others. The moment they saw the carriage, tears welled up in their eyes.
"Magistrate Hu, this is Sister Hongyu's carriage. Where is she?"
Hu Fan spread his hands helplessly. "When the carriage was found yesterday, there was no sign of a person. I have already dispatched people to search privately, and I believe there will be clues soon."
Hu Fan's words had become much more cautious. He only mentioned there were clues, not that he could guarantee finding her.
"Then we'll go out and search too." Huang Ying and Shen Ziyan left. Hu Fan looked at Mao You beside him. "Advisor Mao, what do you think of this matter?"
Mao You also sighed deeply. "Alas, what we feared has happened. It had to be Chen Xiaobei's family!"
"I suspect Chen Xiaobei has offended someone!"
Hu Fan nodded. "Yes. If the kidnappers were after ransom, they would have sent a message to Hetou Village long ago. Since Hetou Village hasn't received any news, it's not about money."
Mao You nodded. "If it were ordinary enemies, it would be manageable. But I fear that stray soldiers of Zhu Meng have infiltrated the city. If they've kidnapped Cui Hongyu, they've likely already headed for Jizhou City, and we would be powerless."
Hearing this, Hu Fan was also filled with worry.
"Yes, that's the fear. Should we send people to pursue them in the direction of Jizhou!"
"We should pursue, of course, but not right now."
"But what if we don't catch up, or if something happens to Cui Hongyu? It will be difficult for us to explain."
"Your Honor, do not worry. We have done our best. Besides, it's not yet confirmed if Zhu Meng's men are the kidnappers. We need to have a confirmed lead before pursuing."
Just then, the officers who had been inquiring returned. "Reporting to Magistrate Hu, yesterday, someone did indeed see a young woman driving a carriage and talking to a man in the street."
"Oh, and did they get a clear look at the man's appearance?"
"They said he looked very much like Liu Xiaobao."
Liu Xiaobao. Hu Fan frowned and looked at He Dali beside him.
"If I recall correctly, you've arrested this Liu Xiaobao numerous times for petty theft, haven't you?"
He Dali nodded. "Yes. This young man is constantly committing minor offenses, not major ones. Stealing chickens, ducks, and eggs. The value of the stolen goods is too small to warrant imprisonment."
Hearing this, Hu Fan frowned. "This is strange. If you say he doesn't commit major offenses, why would he dare to commit kidnapping today?"
"Quick, let's go to Liu Xiaobao's house!" Hu Fan turned and walked out. This time, he was personally involved. Mao You behind him was also a bit bewildered.
However, the appearance of this Liu Xiaobao had indeed disrupted their original judgment and line of investigation.