Zhou Tong Goes into Hiding

Zhou Tong's mind went blank, as if a thunderclap had exploded in his ears, and the account book in his hand slammed onto the table.

He took two deep breaths to forcefully suppress his surging shock and said in a deep voice:

"Uncle Zhou, don't be anxious, tell me slowly, what exactly happened?"

Zhou Qian wiped the dust off his face, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice still carrying the panting from his escape:

"I don't know why either. This morning I went out of the city to handle the delivery of a batch of goods. On my way back, I saw that the soldiers of the government office had completely surrounded our old house."

They accused our family of "colluding with bandits and aiding the enemy," and immediately arrested the master and threw him into prison. I dared not go forward, nor did I dare return home; I ran all the way to the Capital to deliver this message to you."

Zhou Tong closed his eyes, gripping the edge of the table tightly. Chang'an was the Zhou Household's foundation; if even the roots had been uprooted, there was no way this branch in the Capital would escape unscathed. The government officials were probably already on their way and would reach the Capital in a day or two at most.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his expression had calmed down, and he called out loudly to the outside room:

"Shopkeeper Wang, close the shop doors and call everyone to the back room."

Shopkeeper Wang outside responded, quickly closed the door, and led five employees in hurriedly.

When everyone saw the state of the room and Zhou Qian's disheveled appearance, their hearts skipped a beat, and they stood there silently.

Zhou Tong didn't waste any words. He took two envelopes of silver from the cabinet, pushed them onto the table, opened one, and distributed the silver ingots to the five people.

"Twenty taels each, take this. Something terrible has happened to the Zhou Household, and this shop can't stay open anymore. Go back immediately, pack your things, and leave the city right away. Don't linger in the Capital or Chang'an, and don't go to seek refuge with relatives. Find a secluded place to hide for now."

"Once things have calmed down and the Zhou Household is safe, I'll invite you back."

The men looked at each other, holding the silver. One of them opened his mouth to ask a question, but Zhou Tong raised his hand to interrupt him:

Don't ask why, I won't tell you. Leave now, or it'll be too late.

Everyone knew that the matter was of great importance, so they dared not delay. They bowed to Zhou Tong, turned around and quickly dispersed, each returning to their lodgings to pack their valuables.

After the shop assistants had all left, Zhou Tong turned to Shopkeeper Wang, who was standing to the side, and took out another hundred-tael silver note, which he handed over along with a few loose silver coins.

"Uncle Wang, you have to leave too. You've worked for the Zhou Household for so many years, I won't say much more."

Don't worry about this shop anymore. Take all the cash in the account and don't be reluctant to part with this little bit of your wealth.

You should also leave the city immediately, head south, and find a place to settle down. Remember, don't make a fuss when you leave; just act like you're going out on an ordinary errand.

Shopkeeper Wang frowned deeply as he looked at the silver note but didn't take it. "Master, what about you? And the old steward...?"

"We have somewhere to go."

Zhou Tong shoved the silver note into his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"You go first, don't worry about us. Go as fast and discreetly as possible, don't cause us any trouble."

Zhou Tong handed over the silver notes again, his expression grave as he gave the instructions:

"Take this quickly, Shopkeeper Wang. After you leave, stop by our other shops and tell them to disperse immediately."

Divide up all the valuables in the shop without making a sound, and leave the Capital immediately.

Remember this: if anyone is reluctant to part with their belongings and gets arrested for fighting over valuables, don't blame me for not warning them beforehand.

Take whatever you can; consider it travel expenses from my Zhou Household. Hurry up and go."

Shopkeeper Wang took the silver note, clutched it in his hand, and nodded emphatically:

"Don't worry, young manager, I will definitely pass on this message. Once this calamity for the Zhou Household is resolved, I will return to serve you."

"Your safety is the most important thing." Zhou Tong waved his hand. "Let's go, don't delay."

After Shopkeeper Wang left, Zhou Tong didn't dare to delay for a moment and turned to Zhou Qian, saying:

"Uncle Zhou, let's quickly change our clothes and dress like ordinary merchants, so that even we ourselves can't recognize each other before we go out."

The two immediately pulled out two sets of worn-out coarse cloth clothes, then applied some ash paste to their faces, lowered their brow bones, covered their sideburns, and put on two old turbans.

They looked at each other and found that they really couldn't recognize each other at all; even their eyebrows and eyes were mostly blurred.

Zhou Tong stuffed all the remaining silver notes and loose silver into his pocket, locked the shop, and the two of them followed the quiet alleyways, winding their way to the Xu residence on the back street of the Hanlin Academy.

The Xu residence was a small, two-courtyard house with a clean and quiet entrance; it was Xu Mo's home. Xu Mo's father was a fifth-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a leisurely civil official whose family had never had any social interactions, making it a very secluded and secure place.

Upon reaching the door, Zhou Tong gently knocked on the door knocker.

From inside came the voice of the old butler Uncle Xu: "Who is it?"

"Looking for Young Master Xu Mo," Zhou Tong replied in a low voice.

The door creaked open halfway, and a middle-aged man poked his head out, looking the two of them up and down with a puzzled expression.

Who are you two?

As Zhou Tong pushed him aside and rushed into the room, he whispered, "Uncle Xu, it's me, Zhou Tong. Close the door quickly and don't make a sound."

Uncle Xu was taken aback at first, then looked more closely and recognized a few features from their eyes and brows. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stepped aside to let the two in, then closed the door latch behind him.

"What are you doing...?"

"It's nothing, Uncle Xu," Zhou Tong said with a smirk, "I just wanted to give Brother Xu a scare, so I dressed up like this on purpose."

Uncle Xu shook his head and sighed:

"You, you're such a grown man, still playing these tricks. Alright, go to the backyard yourself, the young master is studying in the side room."

Zhou Tong led Zhou Qian to the backyard. Turning past the screen wall, they saw Xu Mo sitting upright with a book in his hands under the window of a side room in the second courtyard. He quickly took two steps and called out through the window:

Brother Xu!

Hearing the sound, Xu Mo looked up and saw two disheveled strangers standing outside the door. He was startled at first, but then realized who it was from the voice and quickly got up to greet them.

"Brother Zhou? What happened to you?"

Let's go inside and talk.

Zhou Tong stepped into the house, and only after Zhou Qian followed him in did he take off his turban. He didn't even bother to wipe the dust off his face, and in a few words, he recounted how the Zhou Household in Chang'an had been raided, how his father had been imprisoned for colluding with bandits, and how he had escaped overnight.

"After much deliberation, I found I had nowhere else to go but to come and seek refuge with you."

He looked at Xu Mo, his tone tinged with bitterness:

"If you feel uncomfortable or afraid of implicating your family, I'll leave now and won't cause you any trouble."

"What kind of talk is that!"

Xu Mo immediately frowned, his voice deepening:

"We're brothers, how could I sit idly by? Just stay here peacefully; my courtyard is secluded, no one will find their way here."

He glanced towards the door as he spoke, then lowered his voice:

"You two weren't watched when you came over, were you?"

"Don't worry." Zhou Tong pointed to his face. "Even you would be stunned for a while before recognizing me, and Uncle Xu at the door didn't recognize me either. Nobody was with me."

That's good.

Xu Mo breathed a sigh of relief:

"Uncle Xu has been a servant in my household for decades, and he's very discreet. I'll talk to him about it later. You can stay here for now, and we'll figure out the rest later."