At the Xiangshan Villa.
Song Han’s howl caused Dou Zhao and the others to freeze, and the room fell into complete silence.
“Mama!” The sleeping Yuan’er rubbed his sleepy eyes and got up. “I need to pee!”
He stood on the kang bed, reaching out his little hands towards Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao inwardly groaned.
Why did this little one wake up now?
Would this frighten the child?
Grandmother hurriedly picked up Yuan’er, coaxing him gently, “Be good, your mother is busy. Let great-grandmother help you with the potty!”
Children are very sensitive. Usually, he would have happily jumped into his grandmother’s arms, but this time, he twisted his small body, stubbornly insisting on Dou Zhao: “I want Mama! I want Mama!”
Dou Zhao walked over with a smile, kissed Yuan’er’s little face, and said, “Just say what you need. Making a fuss isn’t what good children do!”
Yuan’er clung tightly to Dou Zhao’s embrace.
The people in the room turned their backs, and Grandmother found a used washbasin to catch the urine.
Dou Zhao carried Yuan’er back to the kang bed and smiled, “Go back to sleep! When you wake up, Father will be back from work!”
Yuan’er held onto Dou Zhao’s hand, refusing to let go. “Mama, stay here with me!”
“Alright!” Dou Zhao was anxious but dared not show it.
She had thought Prince Liao would act like in her previous life, waiting until the Emperor’s health failed before making his move. She never imagined Prince Liao would be so bold as to take such a risk, disregarding the consequences.
Was it because the longer he waited, the more unfavorable the situation became for him?
Some thieves can steal for a thousand days, but no one can guard against thieves for a thousand days. Although Song Mo was very wary of Prince Liao, he couldn’t have anticipated such a sudden attack. She wondered if he had discovered Prince Liao’s sinister plot.
Dou Zhao suppressed the turmoil in her heart, took a deep breath, and gently patted Yuan’er to sleep as usual.
Yuan’er’s eyes remained wide open, his gaze shifting between Dou Zhao and Duan Gongyi, who stood guard at their bedside.
Dou Zhao smiled and gently pinched his little nose, saying, “Close your eyes quickly.”
Yuan’er giggled, his face full of curiosity, and asked, “Where did Wet Nurse go? Why isn’t she watching over me, but Master Duan is?”
This child was truly clever.
Dou Zhao smiled and said, “Today, Mama is watching over you, so I let Wet Nurse rest.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the previously quiet courtyard erupted with the sound of arrows and Song Han’s hysterical screams.
Duan Gongyi and the others tensed up.
Yuan’er, frightened, burrowed into his mother’s arms, trembling as he called out “Mama.”
Dou Zhao’s heart ached terribly, wishing she could slap Song Han dead.
She covered Yuan’er’s ears, kissing his soft black hair: “It’s alright, Mama is here, Master Duan is here. Don’t be afraid!”
Yuan’er gradually calmed down.
The courtyard also gradually quieted.
Faint groans could be heard, and then someone began to speak: “Madam Dou, your people are still alive. You care so much for your subordinates, how can you bear to watch them die in vain? You are of noble status, and we wouldn’t dare to treat you disrespectfully. If you’re willing to come with us, we’ll not only send people immediately to treat your guards’ wounds, but we’ll also respectfully escort you to Prince Liao’s residence. Dawn is approaching, and when I left, my master instructed me to bring you back before daybreak. If we can’t persuade you by then, we’re to set fire to the house. The villa is now surrounded by firewood soaked in lamp oil. Once the sky lightens, we’ll light the fire…”
Dou Zhao and the others’ expressions changed dramatically.
Chen Xiaofeng drew his sword and said, “I’ll go check if this is true.”
“No need!” Several people had already been killed or injured, and now it was best to protect whoever they could. Dou Zhao said somewhat dejectedly, “They wouldn’t lie about such a small matter…” As she spoke, she looked at Yuan’er in her arms, tears welling up in her eyes.
Duan Gongyi turned his head away.
Grandmother trembled as she held Dou Zhao’s hand.
The man outside continued to persuade Dou Zhao: “If Madam Dou doesn’t believe us, you can send someone to investigate. In war between nations, envoys are not harmed. As long as the person you send to gather information doesn’t leave the courtyard, we won’t harm them…”
Dou Zhao pretended not to hear.
She composed herself and smiled as she pulled her son out of her arms, saying softly, “Yuan’er, let’s play a game—in a moment, Master Duan will carry you out of this courtyard to find your father. If you can stay completely quiet, I’ll tell your father to take you horse riding at the villa. Can you do that?”
“Madam!” Duan Gongyi and the others’ eyes reddened as they knelt.
Yuan’er looked at Duan Gongyi and the others, somewhat confused.
“Get up, all of you!” Dou Zhao said calmly. “Yuan’er is the heir’s eldest legitimate son, and currently his only son. If he falls into Prince Liao’s hands, even if the heir submits to him, it’s unlikely Yuan’er would ever return to us. It’s more dangerous for him to stay here!”
Most people value sons more than women.
In Prince Liao’s eyes, Yuan’er was more important.
But to Duan Gongyi and the others, Dou Zhao was more important.
“What about you if we leave?” He shook his head vigorously.
“At worst, I’ll go to their residence as a guest.” Dou Zhao smiled nonchalantly as she stroked her son’s head, saying, “I’ll go out to negotiate with them, and you take Yuan’er and break out. They’ll certainly be too busy to deal with Grandmother then.” She turned to Grandmother and said, “You find a way to hide when the time comes. You’ll surely be able to turn danger into safety.”
Yuan’er was bewildered, unaware of his mother’s decision, but the tense atmosphere made him instinctively nestle back into Dou Zhao’s arms.
“You should go with Yuan’er and the others!” Grandmother said solemnly. “I’ll stay here to stall them. Through the window, they surely won’t be able to tell the difference between you and me.”
Grandmother was offering to take her place.
Dou Zhao looked at the silver strands at her grandmother’s temples and smiled, shaking her head. “Please follow my arrangement!”
They weren’t so easily fooled!
Grandmother was about to say something when suddenly there was a commotion outside as if something had happened.
The people inside perked up, and Duan Gongyi hurriedly lifted the thick felt curtain on the window to look out.
“Madam!” He quickly turned back, excited. “It seems someone has come into conflict with them…”
The reason Prince Liao’s men were able to surround them was that no one had discovered them. If anyone noticed something unusual at the villa, they would certainly report it to the authorities, and Prince Liao’s siege would naturally be lifted. This was why they had to take Dou Zhao and her son to Prince Liao’s residence before dawn.
Everyone felt a sense of relief, and Dou Zhao handed Yuan’er to Grandmother before walking to the window.
The men guarding the main gate seemed very flustered, holding their crossbows but not knowing where to aim, clearly troubled by the newcomer.
Dou Zhao frowned in confusion.
Then she saw a young man, more beautiful than any girl, walking in alone with a sword in hand.
As he walked, he cursed, “You pack of dogs, give you an inch and you take a mile? Don’t you know where this is? You dare to pile up firewood and set fires!” He stood arrogantly in the middle of the courtyard. “I’m Prince Liao’s first cousin. If you have the guts, burn me to death too! I’m standing right here, let’s see if you have the courage!”
Gu Yu!
It was Gu Yu!
Wasn’t he supposed to be in Tianjin? How did he come back to the capital?
Dou Zhao’s eyes widened.
The other party couldn’t help but feel helpless, saying, “Young Master Gu, why are you doing this? We’re just following orders…”
“Nonsense!” Gu Yu jumped up and down, shouting, “How could my cousin do such a thing? You say you’re following orders, then show me my cousin’s written decree! If it’s truly my cousin’s wish, I’ll convince my sister-in-law to go with you without another word!”
How could there be a written decree for such a matter?
The other party remained silent.
Gu Yu became smug and said, “I knew you were lying! You must be envious of Madam Dou’s wealth and are using my cousin’s name to rob her! Disperse quickly, or when this is investigated, you’ll all suffer the consequences!”
The man, having been entrusted with such an important task by Prince Liao, was no fool. His tone immediately hardened: “Young Master Gu, since you’re causing such a scene, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
“You’re ruining my cousin’s reputation and dare to be impolite to me!” Gu Yu shouted angrily, striding towards the side room. “Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, are you in there?”
As he approached, Dou Zhao could not only see the dust of travel on his face but also his reddened eyes.
Prince Liao’s rebellion and using her and Yuan’er to threaten Song Mo must have been the hardest on Gu Yu!
Dou Zhao felt a pang in her heart and called out loudly, “Brother-in-law, I’m here! Yuan’er and I are both fine!”
Yuan’er, hearing Gu Yu’s voice, called out childishly, “Uncle Gu!”
Gu Yu’s eyes reddened even more.
He didn’t enter the room but stood blocking the doorway, shouting fiercely, “I’d like to see who dares to shoot!”
The air in the courtyard froze.
Song Han crawled out from under the holly tree in the corner: “Gu Yu, save me quickly!”
He scrambled towards them on all fours.
Dou Zhao hurriedly said, “Brother-in-law, he’s the one who led them in!”
“It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me!” Song Han screamed. “I was forced to do it!”
Gu Yu hesitated for a moment.
Dou Zhao, utterly disgusted, said coldly to Gu Yu, “Don’t mind him! He’s just an ungrateful wretch…”
But before she could finish, Song Han suddenly lunged at Gu Yu, and somehow, he now held a gleaming dagger in his hand…
Dou Zhao and the others couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.
Duan Gongyi and Chen Xiaofeng instinctively ran towards the door.
Gu Yu’s expression sharpened, and he kicked Song Han away with one foot: “You are an ungrateful wretch, just as sister-in-law said!”
He laughed bitterly.
Song Han fell with a thud in the middle of the courtyard, twitching slightly after a while.
Dou Zhao said hatefully, “Why couldn’t that kick have killed him?”
Hearing this, Gu Yu laughed heartily and said, “Sister-in-law, we’re thinking the same thing!”
As he spoke, he walked towards Song Han, looking as if he intended to finish him off.
“Shoot!” A cold voice rang out in the courtyard.
Duan Gongyi, quick as lightning, pulled Gu Yu inside, while Chen Xiaofeng swiftly closed the door.
The room echoed with the sound of arrows thudding against the doors and windows.
Like a sudden rainstorm.
Gu Yu dropped his sword, clutching his head in pain as he crouched on the ground: “Why didn’t you let them shoot me dead and be done with it!”