Dou Zhao, feeling dizzy, tried to stand up, but the sound of Su Juan’s painful cry reached her ears. She realized that the carriage had flipped over, and she was sitting on the roof. Bie Suxin crouched beside her, looking at her anxiously, while Bie Sulan was peering out the window. Behind them, Su Juan was curled up in a corner, writhing in pain.

“Miss, are you alright?” Bie Suxin asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” Dou Zhao replied, though her voice was hoarse.

Bie Sulan turned back, her face filled with anxiety. “Sister, what should we do? Those two with the three-section staff are very skilled, and there’s another with a knife. Our guards are no match for them.”

“Let me see!” Dou Zhao crawled to the window.

Seven or eight men surrounded them, all burly and fierce-looking. Besides the two with the three-section staffs and the one with the knife, the others had been cut down by the Dou family’s guards. However, six or seven of their guards were also injured, leaving only the leader and two agile ones struggling to hold on. The coachman, who had been driving them, was thrown into a ditch not far from the carriage, face down in the water, motionless, likely in dire straits. Liu Wan, who had come to report to them, was trembling in the bushes by the roadside, too scared to move.

Dou Zhao’s mind raced.

In these peaceful times, Zhen Ding County hadn’t seen bandits or even a murder case in years. This group had specifically targeted the Dou family’s carriage, clearly with a plan. But were they after the Dou family’s carriage or specifically her carriage? If it was the Dou family, it might be easier to handle, as she just happened to be caught in the crossfire, and her second aunt and Dou Shibang would handle it. But if they were after her… why?

If it was for money, her uncle wouldn’t harm her, and the Dou family wouldn’t want her harmed either.

That left only one possibility: ransom!

Dou Zhao broke out in a cold sweat.

If these people were just looking to make a quick fortune, they would have targeted her third uncle, who managed the Dou family’s affairs, or her third cousin, who traveled frequently and was well-known. The fear was that these people were acting on someone’s orders!

And the only ones who knew about her wealth and her whereabouts were people from the Dou family!

Her second aunt was just her granduncle’s wife, and her third uncle was just her cousin’s father.

Would this person influence her second aunt and third uncle to abandon her rescue?

More than half of the bandits were dead or injured. Would they kill her in anger to vent their frustration?

The shadow of death loomed closer to Dou Zhao than ever before.

She asked the Bie sisters, “Are you confident you can protect me and fight our way out?”

Bie Suxin and Bie Sulan exchanged glances, both showing hesitation.

Dou Zhao thought for a moment, gritted her teeth, and said, “Suxin, isn’t Chen Xiaofeng working as a guard for someone? Go find him immediately, tell him what’s happening here, and offer a reward of ten thousand taels of silver for him to find people to rescue us. Then go back and check on Auntie Cui. Inform Dou Qijun that I’ve been robbed. Sulan, sneak off the carriage and try to follow them to see where they take me. As long as they don’t harm me, don’t act. You two meet back here later. Su Juan, you can’t outrun me, so letting you go would only put you in danger. Stay with me!”

Su Juan clung tightly to Dou Zhao’s arm.

The Bie sisters cried out, “Fourth Miss,” and said in unison, “How can we leave you alone? What if those bandits hurt you? Let us protect you and fight our way out. Even if we lose our lives, we’ll keep you safe.”

“It’s safer to follow my plan,” Dou Zhao decided. “While those three are occupied with the guards, you two slip away.”

Bie Sulan hesitated.

But Bie Suxin grabbed her sister’s hand and said, “Miss, I’ll follow your orders. But if anything happens to you, we sisters won’t live on our own.” With that, she turned and slipped out before Dou Zhao could respond.

Dou Zhao sighed.

She hoped the Dou family had nothing to do with this!

Soon, two shrill cries came from outside, and the curtain was yanked open. A scar-faced man brandished a bloody knife and shouted, “Which one of you is the Dou family’s Fourth Miss? Come out!”

Thinking about it was one thing, but seeing it was another.

Dou Zhao was terrified, her limbs were weak, and the sight of blood made her nauseous. She wished she could hide in a hole.

The scar-faced man’s gaze fell on Dou Zhao. “You, come out,” he said, reaching in to pull her out of the carriage. “Anyone else?”

At her feet, a Dou family guard clutched his stomach, groaning, with blood gushing through his fingers.

In her two lifetimes, Dou Zhao had never seen such a scene. She couldn’t help but vomit.

The scar-faced man ordered the two with the three-section staffs, “Get the carriage upright and drag our brothers away.”

The leader of the Dou family’s guards lay on the ground, struggling to speak, “Who… who are you? Let go of Fourth Miss! You might still have a way out…”

One of the men with the three-section staff stepped forward and struck the guard leader, who rolled his eyes and fainted.

Dou Zhao noticed that the Dou family’s guards were still alive.

A bandit glanced into the carriage and said, “No time left. If we delay any longer, the authorities will find out. As long as we have the Dou family’s Fourth Miss, we’re good.” With that, Dou Zhao felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck and lost consciousness.

The commotion in front of the Dou family residence had dispersed, leaving only echoes in the air.

Wu Shan entered the study where Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang were, finding Dou Dechang and Ji Yong playing Go, with Dou Zhengchang watching.

Ji Yong played white, and Dou Dechang black. They were evenly matched, a true contest of skill.

Wu Shan was pleased.

Ji Yong picked up a folding fan from the table, fanned himself a few times, and said nonchalantly to Dou Dechang, “I’ll give you two more stones.”

Dou Dechang’s face twisted in frustration.

Wu Shan sighed and smiled, “Twelve, I’m leaving for the capital the day after tomorrow.”

All three looked up.

Wu Shan coughed lightly and said, “I don’t know when I’ll be back. I’d like to invite everyone to Fayuansi to enjoy the flowers.”

Ji Yong asked curiously, “What’s so special about the flowers at Fayuansi?”

“Just an old osmanthus tree, nothing extraordinary,” Wu Shan laughed. “But if we go to Fayuansi, my sister, Fourth Sister, Shujie, and Yijie can all join us for some fun.”

Ji Yong nodded, “Count me in!”

Wu Shan invited Dou Dechang, “Shall we go tell Fourth Sister? See when she’s free.”

Dou Dechang, eager to stop playing, smiled and stood up, “Sure! I’ll go with you.”

Dou Zhengchang, feeling unable to face Ji Yong’s prowess alone, laughed, “I’ll come too.”

Ji Yong glanced at Dou Dechang and Dou Zhengchang, a sly look flashing in his eyes, “I’ll go too! I can check Auntie Cui’s pulse.”

Wu Shan and the Dou brothers exchanged looks and reluctantly took Ji Yong to the western residence.

As they got off the carriage, Wu Shan saw Su Xin, the maid from Dou Zhao’s side, jump off a hired carriage, looking flustered.

He quickly asked, “Su Xin, why aren’t you serving Fourth Sister?”

Bie Suxin turned, forced a smile, and greeted Wu Shan and the others, then hurried inside, “I have to see Auntie Cui…”

“Stop!” Ji Yong’s face darkened, and he shouted, “What happened to Fourth Sister? If you dare lie, I’ll have you sold to a broker!”

Bie Suxin’s face turned red and then white.

Wu Shan glared at Ji Yong and said gently, “Su Xin, don’t be afraid. We just want to help if Fourth Sister is in trouble…”

Despite her strength, Bie Suxin was just a young girl who had recently come of age. With Dou Zhao’s fate uncertain, she was already at her wit’s end. Hearing Wu Shan’s gentle words, she couldn’t hold back her tears, “Fourth Miss… Fourth Miss has been kidnapped!”

“What did you say?” Wu Shan and the others’ faces changed dramatically.

Bie Suxin told them everything that had happened.

“Hurry, inform Third Uncle to rescue her!” Dou Zhengchang said, his face pale, but Wu Shan and Dou Dechang held him back, “We can’t make this public,” Wu Shan’s eyes were as cold as ice. “We need to use our people to rescue her!”

Bie Suxin felt slightly reassured.

“Then use my people,” Ji Yong said, fanning himself and smiling at Wu Shan and the others.

Wu Shan and Dou Dechang exchanged a glance and resolutely agreed, “Alright.”

Ji Yong called his attendants and leaped onto a horse.

Wu Shan and the Dou brothers were stunned.

Ji Yong looked at them with wide eyes, puzzled, “Aren’t you coming with me?”

Dou Dechang’s mouth twitched, “Of course, we’re going!” With the help of Ji Yong’s attendants, he mounted a horse.

Ji Yong instructed his attendants, “Ride with the young master. If he falls, I’ll hold you responsible.” With that, he whipped his horse and galloped towards the city gates.

Dou Dechang couldn’t help but complain loudly, “Is there anything this guy can’t do?”

Ji Yong’s attendants lowered their eyes, pretending not to hear.

When Dou Zhao awoke, she found herself lying on a somewhat worn Luohan bed, her clothes intact. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Juan was asleep beside her, and there was no one else in the room.

She sat up.

Her head was still a bit dizzy, but she was otherwise fine.

She listened carefully to the surroundings.

Only the sound of the wind rustling the leaves could be heard.

Dou Zhao quietly got out of bed and cautiously pushed open a crack in the window lattice.

Outside was a small courtyard, paved with bluestone and lined with a row of poplar trees, their trunks as thick as wine cups. On the east side of the courtyard was a stone mill, where a hen and her chicks pecked at pebbles. The place was quiet, with no one in sight. It was a typical farmhouse courtyard.

Dou Zhao considered peeking through the door crack when she heard voices from the hall next door. One of the bandits said, “Damn it, I didn’t expect the Dou family’s guards to be so tough. We were supposed to just knock them out, but now people are hurt, and our brothers are injured too. I wonder if he’ll pay up?”

Another voice, sinister and cold, replied, “If he pays, we’ll take the money and run. If not, we’ll tell the Dou family. Just wait to collect the money.”