Chapter 16

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The inner quarters of the Zhou residence were about the same size as the front courtyard, with the central courtyard being the largest. Zhou Zhong's father, Zhou Hai, used to live there. To the east of this courtyard was Zhou Zhong's courtyard, and further east was the garden. To the west of Zhou Hai's courtyard were the courtyards of the concubines, including Lady Wang. Additionally, Zho'er's embroidery tower was also on the west side, but after the family's decline, Zho'er moved to Lady Wang's courtyard and slept with Du'er at night, as it was safer for the three of them to live together in such a large courtyard.

There were two doors leading from the front courtyard to the inner quarters, one on the east side and one on the west side. Zhou Zhong's courtyard was on the east side, so he was accustomed to entering the inner quarters through the eastern door, which faced the moon gate of the back garden. After entering the inner quarters, Zhou Zhong turned to secure the door and then headed towards his own courtyard.

However, at that moment, he suddenly heard a "wuuu" sound coming from the garden. It sounded like the cold winter wind, but it was different, more like the muffled cries of a person or an animal. This made Zhou Zhong immediately alert, and he became even more anxious when he thought of Zho'er and the others in the nearby courtyard. He quickly blew out the lantern and darted to the moon gate of the back garden, carefully trying to determine the direction of the sound.

"Wuuu, thud thud thud~"

As soon as Zhou Zhong reached the gate, the muffled cries became clearer, and soon after, he heard distinct footsteps, as if someone inside had noticed his arrival and was quickly fleeing.

At this point, Zhou Zhong no longer hesitated. He picked up a flower hoe next to the moon gate and followed the direction of the footsteps. Soon, he saw a dark figure running frantically. The figure, hearing Zhou Zhong's footsteps, became even more panicked and, unfamiliar with the garden's layout, darted around like a headless fly.

Although it was very cold that night, the moon and stars were out, and with Zhou Zhong's excellent eyesight, he could see that the dark figure was just one person. This relieved him, and he no longer worried that Zho'er and the others had been kidnapped. His mind became clearer, and he began to deliberately guide the figure towards a dead end. The figure, inexperienced and increasingly panicked, was likely already disoriented by the garden's winding paths and didn't know which way to escape.

Relying on his familiarity with the garden and his deliberate guidance, Zhou Zhong soon drove the figure onto a corridor leading to a small pavilion on the water. The figure, in a panic, ran into the corridor and only realized it was a dead end when he reached the end.

The figure darted around the pavilion, several times trying to jump into the pond below, but the pond was covered with a thin layer of ice. Jumping in would likely freeze him to death even if he didn't drown, so he repeatedly extended a foot but always pulled it back.

Seeing the figure cornered, Zhou Zhong slowed his pace and took a few deep breaths. Earlier, while chasing, he hadn't shouted or called out to the figure, knowing it would be useless and not wanting to alarm Lady Wang and Zho'er, as he was the only man in the inner quarters and they couldn't help. With his skills, a petty thief was no match for him.

Zhou Zhong looked at the panicked figure in the pavilion, tapping the flower hoe in his right hand against his left palm, and taunted, "Run, why aren't you running anymore? You were pretty fast just now, weren't you?"

The thief in the pavilion, not a brave person, trembled at the sound of Zhou Zhong's voice, especially at the sight of the flower hoe. When Zhou Zhong stepped into the pavilion, the figure suddenly fell to his knees and pleaded, "Master Zhou, please spare me! I really didn't come to steal!"

"Huh?" Zhou Zhong was taken aback by the voice, as it sounded very familiar, as if he had heard it before. He took a few more steps forward and, with the help of the moonlight, recognized the figure as someone he knew.

"Zhao Er, are you itching for a beating again? It seems the lesson I gave you last time wasn't harsh enough. How dare you come to my house in the middle of the night?" Zhou Zhong kicked the figure, sending him tumbling. He didn't hold back, and the figure took a long time to get up.

It wasn't that Zhou Zhong was being unreasonable; Zhao Er was a notorious ruffian in the area, often associating with other ruffians. They had no powerful backing, so they didn't dare commit major crimes, but they were known for petty theft, not paying for meals, and even more despicable acts like fraud, extortion, and harassing women. They were infamous in the area.

Although Zhao Er was a notorious ruffian, he had never dared to provoke the Zhou family when they were powerful. Zhou Zhong hadn't paid much attention to him then, but after the Zhou family's decline, Zhao Er and his gang, emboldened by something, had climbed over the wall into the inner quarters, intending to harass the concubines who had not yet left. At that time, most of the Zhou family's servants had been dismissed, leaving only Zhou Zhong and the steward, Xu, who Zhao Er and his gang didn't take seriously.

However, this time, Zhao Er and his gang had met their match. Zhou Zhong, in his previous life, had relied on his martial skills to make a living, and even though he was now in the weaker body of Zhou Zhong, he was still more than a match for them. To teach them a lesson, he had beaten them severely, making them cry and beg for mercy. They had sworn never to step foot in the Zhou residence again before he let them go. But just a few days later, Zhao Er had the nerve to come back at night. What else could this be but a death wish?

Zhao Er had already experienced Zhou Zhong's skills and knew that the young scholar, known for his intelligence, was ruthless and targeted the most painful spots. The pain was unbearable, worse than death. So when Zhou Zhong chased him, Zhao Er was so scared that he almost wet his pants. If it weren't for the cold water in the pond, he might have jumped in.

After a long time, Zhao Er finally got up. Being a bully who feared strong opponents, he didn't dare fight back against Zhou Zhong and instead pleaded again, "Master Zhou, please don't hit me anymore! I really didn't come to steal!"

Zhou Zhong was also puzzled. He knew Zhao Er's character well. The severe beating he had given him last time should have been enough to deter him. It was strange that he would dare to come back tonight. So he stepped back and asked, "Oh, then why did you break into my house at night? If you have a good reason, I'll let it go. But if you're lying, I'll make you regret it!"

"Yes, yes! I wouldn't dare lie to you, Master Zhou!" Zhao Er, seeing Zhou Zhong's disbelief, cried and pleaded. He then, fearing another beating, quickly explained the situation.

It turned out that Zhao Er wasn't lying. He had indeed come to the Zhou residence's back garden to chase a small white dog. The reason was actually related to Zhou Zhong. A few days ago, he and his gang had been beaten by Zhou Zhong, leaving Zhao Er with a bruised face. Embarrassed, he didn't dare go out during the day, but his family was poor, and he had no food stored. He had to go out at night to find something to eat.

The weather had been cold, and people closed their doors early at night, leaving Zhao Er with no opportunities to use his despicable methods. As a result, he hadn't been able to find food for several days. According to Zhao Er, he had been completely out of food since yesterday. Tonight, he was so hungry that he finally caught a small white dog on the street and took it home to cook.

But the dog was very clever and managed to bite through the rope and escape while Zhao Er was sharpening his knife. It eventually found its way into the Zhou residence's back garden through a drainage hole in the wall. Normally, even a chicken wouldn't dare enter the Zhou residence, but Zhao Er was so hungry that he hesitated for a while before finally climbing over the wall. He had just caught the dog when Zhou Zhong discovered him, leading to the earlier confrontation.

After hearing Zhao Er's explanation, Zhou Zhong looked at him, still kneeling on the ground. Although it was dark and he couldn't see Zhao Er's face, his intuition told him that Zhao Er was telling the truth.

Should he just let him go? Zhou Zhong felt reluctant. Zhao Er was not a good person, and it was fortunate that he had been caught by Zhou Zhong. If he had gone to someone else's house, he might have been able to extort them.

"Ah, right!" Zhou Zhong suddenly remembered something. He needed someone like Zhao Er to help him. It seemed that even the heavens were on his side, as Zhao Er had come to him on his own.