As soon as Shi An entered the farm, he saw his men squatting on the roof, holding a crossbow, and watching the movements below with nervous expressions.
The guards of the Dou family surrounded the main house, blocking the way to the main house like a human wall.
They all looked nervous. One of them even nervously clenched his stick. But no one backed down.
Seeing Shi An, Chen Xiaofeng took a few steps forward, shouted "Stop", raised his chin and glanced at him: "Master Mei's men?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
Shi An couldn't help but swear under his breath.
It was unclear whether he was scolding the people of the Tan Family Manor for turning against them in the middle of a battle, or scolding this matter for being too trivial - he lost without even having a chance to fight, and had to respectfully bow to the Dou Family's guards: "I am Mei An, and I would like to ask this big brother to help pass on the message that I have something important to report to Master Mei."
Mei'an was his external name.
Chen Xiaofeng glanced at Shi An.
This person should be the one who went to ask for help.
It seems that he already knows the situation in the house.
He did not launch a rash attack, but came alone to ask Master Mei for instructions. He can be considered a loyal and courageous man.
Shi An gave Chen Xiaofeng a good impression, so Chen Xiaofeng's attitude towards him naturally became much more moderate. Thinking that Dou Zhao had no intention of becoming an enemy of Master Mei, he thought for a moment and said, "You wait here, I'll go in and pass the message."
Shi An quickly said "thank you".
Chen Xiaofeng did not approach the door of the hall, but stood on the steps and reported.
After a while, Su Lan lifted the curtain: "The lady said, please let Mei An come in."
Shi An's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.
Has the young master lost his freedom?
Thinking of how the guy from Tan's Manor had pulled a guard's black scarf to cover his face when he came here, and said something like "Our family and the Dou family have been neighbors for generations, and even rabbits don't eat grass near their burrows. I really don't want to meet Miss Fourth Dou's people", he felt annoyed and couldn't help but move more vigorously when entering the house. Who knew that this would earn him a round of cold eyes from the little maid.
What the fuck is this!
Back then, he was ranked in the top 100 in the martial arts world, no, top 50. Although he later joined Duke Dingguo and became a personal bodyguard, he was still a well-known general. But now, he is looked down upon and treated like a thief by a little girl!
Thinking of this, he suppressed his anger and stopped outside the study door. He called out "Young Master" respectfully through the green silk curtain with royal blue edges.
"Come in!" The young master's voice was as gentle as before, yet a little cold. However, this not only failed to comfort Shi An, but made Shi An even more uneasy.
The more urgent the situation is, the more calm and composed the young master is.
The situation must be very bad.
Shi An cheered himself up and said "yes", then walked in with his back straight.
The young master was sitting on the armchair by the window, Mr. Yan was sitting below him, and opposite him was an elegant old man in his sixties. There was also a girl in the room, about fourteen or fifteen years old, with skin as white as snow, long eyebrows, and a clear gaze. She was holding a child and sitting there with a smile on her lips. She was gentle but dignified, with a calm expression, and there was an inexplicable solemnity about her that scared him.
This should be the fourth young lady of the Dou family!
No wonder the people in Tanjiazhuang don’t want to see her!
If it were me, I would probably be too embarrassed to make a move on a girl like this!
As the thought flashed through his mind, he heard the young master calling him softly as if to remind him.
He quickly calmed down, took a few steps forward, whispered in the ear, and told the reactions of the people in Tanjiazhuang.
Song Mo couldn't hide his surprise.
Tanjiazhuang is not an ordinary family. They are unruly and have their own faction. If the Jiang family and them had not had a friendship for several generations, and if the fifth uncle had not been on good terms with the Tan Ju family and had won the favor of the old lady Tan, the Tanjiazhuang would never have helped him if this child was not the only blood of the Jiang family. The fact that Miss Dou Si could be respected by the Tanjiazhuang must be more than just helping the poor and taking in orphans, right?
As he looked at Dou Zhao, a ray of light as bright as a meteor flashed across his eyes.
"Fourth Miss Dou," Song Mo suddenly stood up, with his left hand behind his back and his right hand clenched into a fist and placed on his abdomen. His attitude was casual and elegant, and his usually cold face also showed a few smiles, as warm as the spring when the ice and snow melted and the earth returned. "In this case, please ask Mr. Chen to come with us! Lu Ming," he called to the thin man, "you will stay in the Dou family for the time being and be responsible for protecting the fourth Miss Dou."
What exactly happened in Tanjiazhuang?
Why did you change your stance immediately?
Yan Chaoqing and Lu Ming were both stunned, but they quickly concealed their shock. Lu Ming even said "yes" respectfully, walked forward, kowtowed to Dou Zhao in a proper manner, and performed a great ceremony.
I asked you to leave someone to supervise me, but you kept the most skilled one among you. Are you protecting me or are you ready to kill me at any time to silence me?
Dou Zhao cursed Song Mo a thousand times in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. He smiled and asked Lu Ming to get up. He called Duan Gongyi in and asked him to take Lu Ming away to arrange for food, lodging and work.
You won't let him protect me? You can't just eat for free without working, right? Whatever the Dou family's guards do, he has to do for me?
Dou Zhao complained in his heart, then handed the child to Song Mo with a smile: "This child is so good looking! I've only held him for a while, and my hands are weak."
Song Mo looked at her with a sharp gaze, and said with a double meaning, "This child is a little heavy, no wonder Fourth Miss Dou couldn't hold him!"
Dou Zhao wanted to say something back, but thinking of his vindictive character, he immediately changed his tone to flatter him and said with a smile, "So it's more appropriate for Master Mei to hold this child."
Song Mo's eyes flashed, he handed the child to Yan Chaoqing, and walked out briskly.
Yan Chaoqing and others hurriedly saluted Dou Zhao and left in a hurry.
Only then did Dou Zhao let out a long sigh.
Su Lan didn't understand Dou Zhao's fear, and said with eyes wide open: "I thought he was a good man, who knew he would even kill the young lady? It's true that you can't judge a person by his appearance, but he is actually rotten inside, and he looks righteous... I don't know how many people will be deceived by his good appearance in the future..."
Chen Qushui couldn't help laughing out loud: "Okay, okay, if you have the energy to curse, you might as well go and tell my servant and ask him to help me pack my bags. It seems that the people who are coming to pick up the children are here, and they should leave soon. Anyway, I know everything I should know, and I also know everything I shouldn't know. I will go with them. Maybe I can see more, and I will have more cards to play when the situation turns against me." He also reminded Dou Zhao, "You will know after seeing Duan Gongyi. I am afraid that many people will be All the chivalrous men will be dispatched. Zhending is the only way to the north. I will tell Duan Gongyi to take care of these guards. Miss, no matter what happens, please be patient and don't go out, so as not to cause any trouble for no reason. You don't have to worry about Aunt Cui. Hong Gu will take care of her. If you take good care of yourself, nothing serious will happen. Although this marriage with the Jining Marquis's Mansion is not satisfactory, it is not completely without merit. Miss is very smart and must have a plan..." He thought of everything and spoke in a tone of making arrangements for his funeral.
Dou Zhao's eyes reddened and she interrupted him: "Don't worry, my method will surely work, and you will come back safely!" She didn't want to let the sadness spread, and smiled as she discussed with Chen Qushui: "He sent good men to monitor me, so are we left with no one? You go to Kyoto and ask Guard Duan to pick the most skilled person among these guards to be your follower. If Mr. Mei dares to withhold your food and clothing, you can ask him to send me a message. We will make Lu Ming go hungry and never let Mr. Mei have the upper hand!" Chen Qushui laughed loudly after hearing these words, and he sighed with both relief and regret.
She was relieved that Dou Zhao treated her like one of his own family members, but she was disappointed that Dou Zhao was implicated by her and had to be involved in the turmoil of rescuing Duke Dingguo. If her plan was not adopted, her loyalty would be in vain. What was to come would come.
If her plan was adopted and worked, Song Mo would simply stop pursuing the grudge between them; without the memorial, the fate of the Duke Dingguo's Mansion would probably be blamed on Dou Zhao. As a hostage, his life would definitely be in danger, and Dou Zhao would also be in danger.
No matter how you look at it, they are the ones who suffer losses, so how can he not feel deeply moved?
Dou Zhao watched Song Mo's carriage disappear behind the rain curtain, and he was filled with emotion: "Finally, this plague god has been sent away!"
Su Xin, who had been ordered to sneak out of the farm while Dou Zhao pretended to break out to attract Song Mo and others, saw the signal, crawled out from the haystack where she was hiding, washed and dressed, and learned what had happened from her sister's chattering, but she couldn't laugh. She wanted to ask if Mr. Chen would really return safely, but looking at Dou Zhao's slightly tired face, the words came to her lips, but she swallowed them back.
Su Lan and the others only knew that their young lady had defeated Mr. Mei, and had no idea of the danger involved. They covered their mouths and laughed when they heard this.
Dou Zhao clapped his hands and said with a smile, "It's time for us to leave. Why don't we go pack our things?"
The little girls dispersed happily.
Su Xin asked Dou Zhao worriedly, "Miss, is there really someone who dares to harm Duke Ding on the way?"
When Master Mei was about to leave, she heard the young lady repeatedly instructing him to send someone to secretly protect Duke Dingguo to prevent him from being harmed by villains. She also mentioned something about revising the imperial edict. At that time, Master Mei's face turned pale and he hurriedly set off.
"I hope not." Dou Zhao sighed, his mood becoming depressed, "I hope I am just worrying for no reason."
Su Xin couldn't help but look up at the sky.
She then realized that the rain had stopped at some point, and a golden light shone through the dark clouds, illuminating the sky, as if the sun was about to break through the clouds.
Dou Zhao stopped Duan Gongyi who was instructing the coachman to harness the carriage and said, "After returning to the mansion, go to the account office and withdraw 500 taels of silver to buy some ginseng, bird's nests and the like. Go to visit the old lady of the Tan family on my behalf and tell her how much she thanks him for maintaining peace in the surrounding areas. If the villagers have any problems in the future, I will definitely help them."
If Tan Jiazhuang gets involved, it’s hard to say what the situation will be like.
No one from Tan's estate showed up, and Duan Gongyi didn't know the inside story, but Dou Zhao prepared a generous gift to visit the old lady of the Tan family, and he, as the disciple, felt proud.
He answered loudly and personally put on the reins of the big date-red horse.