Chapter 493 Celebration

Miao Anping came out of the restaurant drunk and was dragged into the alley with a black bag over his head and beaten.

Those punches and kicks hit his vital points, clearly aiming to kill him.

He was completely sober, and while begging for mercy, he shouted, "I am the eldest brother-in-law of the second master of the Duke of Ying. Please let me go. Give me money and things. I will never break my promise."

The other party ignored it.

Miao Anping felt a chill in his heart, and was so frightened that he trembled and lost control of his bladder.

Just when he was in despair, he suddenly heard a burst of noisy footsteps. Someone shouted "Here" and rushed up to fight with the group who wanted to kill Miao Anping.

Miao Anping pulled off the black cloth bag on his head and found that both groups of people were wearing black cloth masks and short brown clothes, making it impossible to distinguish between friend and foe.

He took advantage of the confusion and used his hands and feet to crawl out of the alley.

Passersby looked on and screamed.

Some people recognized him and kept away from him.

Miao Anping stumbled back home.

The family was in chaos, and Miao's mother cried as she hugged her son: "What happened? Who is so bold as to bully you? I will ask your father to report the case to the government office. If the county magistrate Jie doesn't give us an explanation, we will sue him in the palace and make him unable to be a parent official!"

Miao Anping was so angry that he pushed his mother away and said, "What do you know?" He bowed to his father and said, "Someone is trying to harm me!"

He recounted what had happened.

The people in the Miao family looked at each other, wondering who Miao Anping had offended, who saved Miao Anping, and why they saved Miao Anping.

Miao Anping was a little scared when he thought of the fist that landed on him. He could no longer sit still and stood up and said, "No, I have to go find Sixth Sister and ask her to give me some advice!"

Father Miao was angry because of the quarrel between Miao Ansu and Song Han. Hearing this, he said disdainfully: "What can she do? Without the Duke of Ying's Mansion, she is nothing."

"What do you know!" Miao Anping was too lazy to say more to his father, "Sixth sister now lives in the estate of the Duke of Yingguo and is protected by the Crown Prince. As long as she can remain chaste, it will be many times better than following Song Han." After saying that, he went to the estate where Miao Ansu lived without caring about his father's glaring.

No matter how bad this brother is, he is still a brother from the same mother. When he encountered a life-and-death crisis, Miao Ansu could not just sit back and watch.

She was so frightened that her heart was pounding. She went to ask Dou Zhao, "My brother is always making trouble. You just need to send two guards to watch over my brother and prevent him from being beaten. As for the rest, just pretend you didn't see anything."

Miao Ansu just wanted to save Miao Anping's life, but he was not prepared to let him use the name of the Duke of Ying's Mansion to bully others.

Dou Zhao thought for a moment and reminded her, "Even if I arrange two guards to protect your brother, it won't last forever. I think the person who tied the bell should be the one to untie it. You might as well ask your brother to look for the Second Master."

Miao Ansu didn't understand what Dou Zhao meant at first, but when she got on the carriage back to the farm, she understood.

She couldn't help but let out a cry of "Ouch" and ordered the carriage, "Let's go back to Sitoriu Hutong."

The carriage turned around and drove for nearly half an hour before Miao Ansu's frustrated voice came from the carriage again: "Forget it, let's go back to the farm!"

The driver turned his head again.

Miao Ansu threw himself on the big pillow and cried silently, gritting his teeth in anger.

He was only extorting a few hundred taels of silver from him, but he wanted to kill me. This shows how cruel he is. If I continue to fight him like this, I might lose my life one day.

No, I have to find a way to leave Song Han quickly.

Miao Ansu was thinking in the carriage, while Dou Zhao accepted the invitation from Jing'an Temple Hutong: "Seventh Master said that you should bring Yuan Ge'er with you when the time comes."

The history of this life did not deviate too much, Dou Dechang still won the imperial examination, and Dou Shiying decided to take this opportunity to invite all the Dou family members in Kyoto to his home to liven up the party.

Dou Zhao accepted the invitation with a smile, and said to Gao Shengjia who had delivered the invitation, "Go back and tell your father that the prince and I will be there on that day, as it is a day off."

Gao Shengjia agreed with a smile, and Dou Zhao asked someone to take her to Gao Xing's place.

Song Mo saw the invitation and picked out a gift for Dou Dechang with Dou Zhao in the storeroom: "I wonder if Sixth Uncle and Sixth Aunt will regret it - Eleventh Brother didn't get the first place this time."

Although Dou Zhengchang eventually passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, his sixth aunt and uncle did not know about it at that time.

After Dou Zhao went to Jing'an Temple Hutong, he couldn't help but secretly observe the expression of his sixth aunt.

Seeing this, Ji pinched her nose and said with a smile, "You are so clever! You are already a mother, yet you are still so naughty!"

Dou Zhao couldn't help but touch his nose and asked back: "Where am I naughty?"

"I don't know what you are thinking about yet." Ji said angrily, "You are afraid that I will see your twelfth brother pass the imperial examination and regret it with your sixth uncle, right? Your twelfth brother was adopted by your father to support the family. Now that he has this ability, I am so happy that I can't wait to regret it." She added, "And I believe your eleventh brother is also a hardworking person. He will not let down the ten years of hard study."

Dou Zhao was moved, hugged Ji's arm, and said with a smile: "Sixth aunt has a broad mind. I have a lot to learn from you."

"Stop flattering me here!" Ji patted her hands and spoke to her in a private tone.

The maid came in and reported, "The fifth lady and the grandmothers from Huaishu Hutong are here with the young lady and the young master."

Ji and Dou Zhao went to greet the guests.

After the wedding, everyone went to the flower hall.

Ji and the fifth wife walked in front, talking about the sons of officials in Kyoto who had won the imperial examination. Dou Zhao and others followed behind them.

Guo winked at Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao quietly lags behind a few steps while the others enter the flower hall. The two stand under the veranda of the flower hall and talk.

"I'll listen to you," she whispered. "My mother-in-law asked me to take the two sons born to Bai into my house to raise them, but I didn't agree. Whoever gave birth to them is theirs. Their biological mother is still alive. No matter how well I treat her, I'm just a stepmother. Instead of arguing with Bai, I'd rather treat them well and focus on Jingyuan. I'll raise her well and find her a good marriage in the future. They won't dare to neglect me."

Dou Zhao smiled slightly and said, "That's right! Life is only a few short decades, why do you have to make yourself suffer so much?"

Guo nodded continuously, and walked into the flower hall hand in hand with Dou Zhao, smiling.

Soon, the eldest sister-in-law and her family arrived, and the flower hall became lively.

Gao Shengjia walked in with a strange look on his face and whispered in Dou Zhao's ear: "Fourth Aunt, Master Xiaoji wants to see you!"

Ji Yong?

Dou Zhao was very surprised. She informed Ji and went to the study in the front yard.

Ji Yong was wearing a royal blue gown with a silk sash of the same color tied around his waist. His handsome face was furrowed with sword-like brows, and he was walking around the room with an anxious look on his face.

"Hey!" Seeing Dou Zhao coming in, he said to the servants in the room rudely, "All of you go out and close the door."

The maids in the study room all looked at Dou Zhao in fear and terror.

Dou Zhao never doubted him and said in a deep voice, "All of you retreat."

A smile appeared on Ji Yong's lips.

The maids retreated quietly.

Ji Yong took a few steps forward and walked to Dou Zhao's side, whispering, "What's going on with your brother-in-law? He has been very close to the Liao Palace recently. Tell Song Mo to take care of his adopted brother and don't let him drag down the whole family."

Dou Zhao's heart beat like a drum when he heard this, and he asked, "How did you know that there was something wrong with the Prince of Liao?"

Ji Yong's eyes darkened as he listened, and he slowly took two steps back, saying, "It seems that I was worrying about you for nothing. It turns out that you already knew that something was wrong."

There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

The waiting is so exhausting.

Dou Zhao now felt that if one more person knew about it, it would be an extra helper.

She said frankly, "It's because Yantang is in charge of the Jinwu Guards, and we can't get around it. As for the others, we dare not reveal a single word."

Ji Yong's expression brightened up, and he said proudly, "Who am I? I think about the people in the court every day. If I can't even see this clearly, why would I be appointed as prime minister and enter the cabinet?" At this point, he sighed, "I originally planned to take advantage of the situation and join the Liao King, but it seems that you are going to stand on the side of the prince... Forget it, I'll help the prince too - lest I help the Liao King ascend the throne and you become prisoners. The Liao King is a proud son of heaven. He has suffered a great loss and bowed his head too much. When he ascends the throne, his temper will definitely be domineering. You married the Song Mo family. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. I'm afraid that I may not be able to protect you and Yuan Ge'er by then..."

The arrogant tone, as if everything was under his control, took Dou Zhao a long time to come back to his senses.

But she had to admit that Ji Yong was very accurate in predicting things.

In the previous life, King Ji of Liao was indeed a bit stubborn and self-willed, and was not an easy-to-talk-to emperor.

But she still couldn't help but poke him, and said with a smile: "Are you sure that you are just a small official in the Ministry of Personnel and not a minister in the inner cabinet?"

Ji Yong completed his task well last time, so the emperor took him to the Ministry of Rides to serve as a messenger.

The Jinshi scholars of the same class as him were either gaining experience in the Hanlin Academy or working at the six ministries after their graduation. Only he had changed jobs three times. He was young and capable, and very impressive.

Ji Yong glanced at Dou Zhao with contempt and said, "Do you know what the Xingren Division does? They are the emperor's close ministers! They are close ministers! If they want to seize the palace, can they get around the Xingren Division? You are really short-sighted! I won't talk to you anymore. Remember to tell Song Mo what I said, otherwise he will kill you."

He said, and walked away.

Dou Zhao was so angry that his face turned red. He stood alone in the small flower hall and took several deep breaths before he calmed down.

Song Mo walked in holding Yuan Ge'er.

Yuan Ge'er called "Mom" from a distance and stretched out his hands for her to hug him.

Dou Zhao hugged his son with a smile and asked curiously, "Why are you here?"

Song Mo smiled and said, "Father asked me to carry Yuan Ge'er out to show everyone. Who knew he kept asking for you? So I thought, why not let you hold him for a while first, so that he won't start crying in the front hall..."

Who knew that before he finished speaking, Yuan Ge'er pouted and said aggrievedly: "I didn't cry, I didn't cry!"

Dou Zhao couldn't help but laugh, patted his son's head and said, "Our Yuan Ge'er is the most obedient. He didn't cry. He didn't cry."

Only then did Yuan Ge'er laugh.

That smile is brighter than the summer sun.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but kiss his son.