Xiao Ruiyuan had arranged the matters regarding Qu Shui and hurried back to the Bureau of Military Horses. Aside from leaving eight hundred men to guard the Bureau in case of any unexpected events, he dispatched the remaining seventeen hundred men in two groups—one to search for suspicious individuals at all major city gates and roads, and the other to directly leave the city and pursue in all directions.
Such a massive mobilization could easily draw the attention of various forces. Moreover, since Xiao Ruiyuan was a trusted confidant of Crown Prince Chu Heng, those restless princes had long sought to remove Xiao Ruiyuan, the Commander of the Five-City Bureau of Military Horses, and replace him with their own people. If they knew that so many were dispatched just to catch traffickers, Xiao Ruiyuan would definitely face impeachment by the Imperial Censors at tomorrow's morning court session.