Chapter 406: Unwilling to Trouble the Nobles

Chapter 406: Unwilling to Trouble the Nobles

When Zhang Xietou heard the news, he forgot about his injured leg and limped over, dragging Lu Dashan along to see what was happening.

At first, he was shocked and somewhat saddened when he heard that his younger brother had died. But when he learned that his brother had been killed by his superior for deserting, all his sorrow instantly turned into doubled anger.

"Our family's reputation has been ruined by him. How can we ever hold our heads high in this village again!"

Lu Dashan was also furious: "I thought he was a stubborn tough guy, but I was wrong. He’s a coward. If he was afraid of war, he shouldn’t have joined the army in the first place. It’s such a disgrace to have such a relative!"

Zhang Shuitong was equally shocked. When her uncle joined the army, their family had even gained some prestige. She never imagined that her uncle would become a deserter!

But the thought of seeing those nobles from yesterday at her uncle's house made her quickly follow along.

When they arrived, they saw Zhang Laoer's family crying uncontrollably.

Lu Dashan immediately scolded them: "Crying, crying, crying! You have the nerve to cry? Our ancestors' faces have been disgraced by this deserter, Zhang Koutu!"

The two soldiers hadn't left yet, seemingly enjoying the spectacle of how the villagers were humiliating the Zhang family.

In the past, if anyone dared to say anything bad about her family, Xiao Hua would have jumped up to argue. But now, she clutched two small wooden swords, sobbing uncontrollably, with no energy to argue with Lu Dashan.

A Dog cried out in protest: "My father is not a deserter... sniff..."

Lu Dashan quickly stepped forward, her finger jabbing A Dog's forehead: "Brat, shut up! Your father is a deserter, so you are the son of a deserter. If you keep questioning the officials, they might just kill you too!"

Wu Xiaolian, hearing this, quickly hugged her son, too frightened to speak through her tears.

Seeing the family's pain, a glint of satisfaction flashed in Lu Dashan's eyes.

In the past, many people in the village secretly criticized the Zhang Lao family for being inferior to the Zhang Laoer family. After this incident, who would still say such things? The Zhang Laoer family would forever be known as the family of deserters, and the entire Small River Village would remember it. They would never be able to hold their heads high again.

From now on, whatever they wanted to do in the village, they would have to rely on the Zhang Lao family.

This was perfect; she could make them return all the silver they had received.

With this thought, she quickly walked over and tore open the bundle on the ground. To her surprise, there was nothing but old clothes and a useless piece of wax—no silver at all.

She smiled obsequiously and asked: "Sir, why isn't there any of our family's monthly pay for the past few months?"

Soldiers received several hundred coins each month as pay, and Zhang Laoer always sent it back through someone. Logically, it should have been included in the belongings.

The soldier, upon hearing this, glared at her: "Monthly pay? A deserter doesn't deserve any pay. It's already a mercy that he wasn't stripped of everything! Get lost!"

Lu Dashan's face froze, and she quickly retreated, too scared to ask further.

The two soldiers watched the villagers mock the Zhang Laoer family with satisfaction. Just as they were about to leave, they suddenly heard a girl's voice.

"Second Auntie, I think Uncle must have been wronged. He couldn't have been a deserter. Don't you have noble connections? Why don't you ask them for help?"

Zhang Shuitong wanted to establish a connection with the nobles, which was why she spoke up for her uncle. Whether her uncle was truly a deserter or not didn't really concern her.

After all, the families had already split, so the insults wouldn't reach them.

"Nobles?"

"What nobles?"

The two soldiers were taken aback, becoming suspicious.

"Confess, who are you hiding?"

Wu Xiaolian was also surprised, but she subconsciously followed her niece's suggestion. She couldn't believe that Koutu would desert. Over the past ten years, they only saw each other once or twice a year, and he had endured it all. How could he suddenly desert?

But they had no acquaintances in the army who could help clear Koutu's name. If those nobles could help...

But Wu Xiaolian quickly dismissed the idea. These nobles were just passing through. Why would they help them? They had already received a lot of money from them, and caused a commotion yesterday. It would be too much to trouble them again.

Just then, Zhang's grandmother finally regained her composure: "There are no nobles. Some travelers stayed here last night, but they left early this morning."

Hearing her mother's words, Wu Xiaolian nodded through her tears: "Yes, they're gone."

Zhang Shuitong pouted. She didn't believe it. If they had really left, how could the village not know? There was such a large carriage!

Before she could speak, Lu Dashan loudly shouted: "Sir, those people are staying in the back yard. They’re very impressive. Yesterday, they said they had killed many people, scaring me to death!"

She had thought about it all night. These people were definitely not ordinary. If they were nobles, why would they dress like commoners? They might be a band of ruthless bandits! Even if they were officials, their guards wouldn't have killed so many people!

If they were bandits, reporting them could bring great rewards!

The two soldiers became instantly alert. Seeing that none of the villagers contradicted her, they found her words increasingly credible.

"You, go open the back door!" one of the soldiers ordered Lu Dashan.

Lu Dashan was delighted and ran to the back yard.

Zhang's grandmother trembled with anger: "Older daughter-in-law, how dare you!"

Lu Dashan, of course, dared. She sprinted to the back door and grabbed the handle.

Just as she pulled the handle, the door suddenly opened from the inside. Caught off guard, she stumbled forward, and the person inside stepped back, causing her to fall flat on her face.

The two soldiers, seeing someone emerge with weapons, instantly drew their knives.

"Who are you? Identify yourselves!"

The villagers of Small River Village perked up their ears, curious about who had come to the Zhang Laoer family.

Zhe Jing, disguised with an ordinary face, stepped forward. His presence was cold and commanding. While ordinary people might not notice, the two soldiers felt a chill run down their spines, realizing that this man was far from ordinary.

"The governor's token is here; you must not act rashly!"

The two soldiers were taken aback, recognizing the token. They were immediately frightened, their legs turning to jelly, and they quickly knelt down: "We are blind to the greatness before us, we did not realize it was the governor himself..."