Chapter 501: Refuge
Because he had to hurry back to the palace to work, Song Mo got up at 3 a.m. the next day. After a simple breakfast, he rode his horse hurriedly back to Kyoto.
Song Luo stayed and was in charge of the trivial matters in the outer courtyard, while Duan Gongyi and Chen Xiaofeng were responsible for the security of the other courtyard.
There was a small vegetable patch behind the villa. Dou Zhao accompanied her grandmother to water the garden and catch insects. If it weren't for Yuan Ge'er playing mischievously beside them, the days seemed to have gone back to the time when Dou Zhao was not married.
When Song Mo came to see her, he couldn't help pinching her nose and said with a smile: "When we are old, we will move to another courtyard. You plant the flowers and I water them. We will go back to visit our grandchildren during the holidays. If they please us, we will give them more red envelopes; if they make us angry, we will go back to vent our anger..."
Dou Zhao bent over with laughter.
After Song Mo left, Ji Ling came to visit her.
My grandmother knew that she grew up in a wealthy family and was unfamiliar with farming, so she specially entertained her in the small flower hall.
She chatted with her grandmother for a long time with a smile, and also played with Yuan Ge'er for a long time.
Dou Zhao felt that she was suffering when he saw that it was already noon, so he simply asked her to help him make cold noodles and talked to her in the tea room: "Did something happen at home?"
Ji Ling saw that the lunch was noodles made from newly harvested wheat, served with green cucumbers, white sprouts, and bright yellow peanuts. He couldn't help but sigh with envy and whispered, "Yesterday, the second wife of the Wang family in Liuye Hutong came to visit and gave us some gold and silver. She said that they didn't know when your twelfth brother and I got married, and this is a gift for us. She also said that since your twelfth brother has married now, it's not good for the seventh wife to live in the Wang family like this, so she asked me to send someone to bring the seventh wife back. This is what a virtuous woman does. I thought that this was not something I, as a wife, could decide, and I was afraid that the elders would misunderstand, so I came to tell the fourth aunt."
Dou Zhao sneered.
The Wang family had a good idea.
If Dou Dechang had married a daughter from another family, the new bride might have to take care of this matter in order to gain a reputation for being virtuous, which would inevitably be a troublesome matter.
Fortunately, Dou Dechang married Ji Lingze, and they knew each other well. Otherwise, it would probably be difficult to understand if I just explained the ins and outs of the matter.
She said bluntly, "I finally managed to get Madam Seven out of the house, sister-in-law, please don't take her back again."
Ji Ling smiled and said, "I feel relieved when you say that." She changed the subject and asked about Dou Zhao's health, "I see that your steps are very light, you don't look like you are pregnant, do you have any secrets?"
Dou Zhao couldn't help but tease Ji Lingze: "Sister-in-law, why are you so anxious? When your good news reaches me, it won't be too late for me to pass on some of my experience to you."
The disturbance made Ji Ling's face turn red.
After lunch, Dou Zhao saw Ji Lingze off and took a nap in the inner room.
The midday sun shines glaringly into the yard, making people feel lazy and listless.
In a daze, she heard a loud noise.
Dou Zhao couldn't help but frown and ordered Ruotong, who was serving him, "Go and see who is shouting there."
Ruotong trotted out of the house and quickly came back.
"Madam, it's the Second Master." She said hurriedly, "It's said that the Second Master went to the White Sparrow Temple with his friends for a visit. Who knew that the carriage suddenly overturned and the Second Master's leg was crushed. It hurt terribly when he moved. Thinking that Madam was spending the summer in the other courtyard, the Second Master ordered the guards to hire a sedan chair to carry him over, and also asked us to go get a doctor for him."
Dou Zhao frowned and asked, "How many people came? Where are they now?"
Ruotong said, "There were fifteen people in total, three of whom were Second Master's friends, and the remaining twelve were Second Master's guards. Songluo placed them all in the east wing of the outer courtyard. Second Master's leg was injured, so he was taken care of by two servants in the small study in the outer courtyard, and another servant was sent to call for a doctor."
As soon as she finished speaking, a little maid ran in and said, "Second Master's personal servant said that he was ordered by Second Master to send his regards to Madam and Old Lady An on his behalf."
Originally it was just a matter of courtesy. Dou Zhao had someone take a few pieces of silver to send Song Han's servant away, and told Ruotong: "Go and tell Master Duan to send more people to patrol, and never let the Second Master's people sneak into the second gate."
Ruotong bent her knees in response and went back to pass on the message.
Songluo quickly called a doctor over.
The doctor said that Song Han might have sprained his ankle, but it was also possible that he had injured his bones. It would be best for him to take two doses of medicine, not move, and rest for a few days. If his leg still hurt, it was possible that he had injured his bones; if it was just his ankle that was swollen, it was possible that he had just sprained his foot.
Song Han was so frightened that his face turned pale. He urged Song Luo repeatedly: "Quick, go to the Imperial Hospital and invite a doctor." He also asked his personal servant to ask Dou Zhao for a Luohan bed: "If my leg bone is really injured, I will become a cripple. None of you are allowed to touch me. I want to lie on the Luohan bed and recuperate."
Dou Zhaocai was too lazy to bother with him, so he had the kitchen door taken down and sent to the front yard, saying, "There are no spare Luohan beds in the storeroom. Since he needs to stay in bed to recuperate, we can use this door to temporarily carry him to the guest room."
Song Han was so angry that he was shaking all over, but seeing his three companions present, he had to agree sullenly and was carried into the guest room by his guards.
Song Luo settled Song Han's three friends in the guest room next to him, and asked a servant to go to the capital to invite a doctor to treat Song Han.
The maidservant in the front yard boiled the medicine and brought it over, but Song Han knocked her to the ground in annoyance. He stiffened his neck and said in a rough voice: "Which courtyard are you from, idiot? Didn't you see that it was a Mongolian doctor just now? How dare you give me the prescription he wrote? Are you tired of living?!"
The little maidservant usually just guarded the empty house and cleaned the place. She had never seen such a situation before and she was immediately frightened and started crying.
Song Han's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
His friend came forward and persuaded the little maid to leave, comforting her, "Second Master just broke his leg and is feeling uncomfortable, don't take it to heart."
The little maid nodded and retreated sobbing.
In the front yard, people wanted tea, snacks, and novels to relieve their boredom. They were busy all afternoon and only stopped when it was time to light the lamps.
Grandmother asked Dou Zhao, "Should we send a little maid to check on his injuries?"
"No need!" Dou Zhao said calmly while playing tumbling with Yuan Ge'er, "The day after tomorrow, Yantang will be closed. He will definitely come over tomorrow night. Then we can let him handle it."
Grandmother knew that the Song brothers were not on good terms, but she did not know the details. However, she had always trusted Dou Zhao and Song Mo, so she stopped asking questions and continued to teach Yuan Ge'er how to flip the rope.
Ginger is still old and spicy. In the end, Yuan Ge'er actually beat Dou Zhao.
He was so happy that he jumped up and down on the kang and pestered Dou Zhao for another plate.
Dou Zhao played with the child with a smile on his face, and it was not until the hour of Hai that Yuan Ge'er began to yawn.
She and the wet nurse gave Yuanger a bath, and Yuanger fell asleep with his head resting on the pillow.
Dou Zhao smiled and touched his son's smooth black hair, then stood up and went back to his room.
The night in the countryside is especially quiet.
In Xiangshan Villa, the only sounds one could hear were the rustling of the wind through the treetops and the intermittent chirping of insects.
Three dark shadows jumped out from the roof of the guest room and landed on the roof of the main room.
Two men kept watch, while one quietly pried open the roof tiles, took out a thin bamboo tube and blew air into the house.
After a while, a faint sweet fragrance wafted out from the main room.
Three people were lying on the roof.
About an incense stick of time later, three people jumped in through the gaping hole in the roof.
It was like a drop of water falling into a lake.
The main room was quiet, without a sound.
Suddenly, a black shadow rose into the sky and ran out of the courtyard.
The lights in the courtyard were suddenly bright, and the thin figure of the black shadow with his masked face was exposed in the light.
"My friend, where are you going?" Duan Gongyi walked out from the darkness holding a big knife. His loud voice was deafening in the night sky. "This is the villa of the Duke of Ying's mansion. Do you think it is one of those small alleys where you can come and go as you please?" Before he finished speaking, a cold light suddenly flashed beside the black shadow, and someone swung a big knife and chopped it down at his head, forcing the black shadow off the roof.
The black shadow was very skilled. Not only did he dodge the unexpected sneak attack, he also drew the soft sword at his waist and engaged in a fight with the attacker.
Duan Gongyi exclaimed, "This isn't a martial arts competition. Are you guys still going to fight one-on-one?"
There was a burst of laughter in the courtyard, and more people gathered around the black shadow.
There is strength in numbers.
The dark shadow was soon defeated.
Duan Gongyi, who was patrolling nearby, warned: "Be careful, he might commit suicide!"
But just as he finished his words, the black shadow suddenly paused and fell to the ground.
"Fuck!" Duan Gongyi ran over cursing and pulled off the black cloth on the shadow's face.
He is one of Song Han's twelve guards.
"He's a black-hearted bastard. I wonder what else he has to say!" Duan Gongyi said angrily, "Kill those three guys who broke into the house. This way, there will be someone alive when the prince comes."
A guard answered "yes", took out a handkerchief, dipped it in water, covered his face with it, and entered the main room.
Duan Gongyi asked, "Where is the Second Master?"
Another guard said, "Don't worry, our people are watching closely! We guarantee that not even a mosquito can fly in. However, if the Second Master commits suicide, I will be helpless."
It takes courage to commit suicide.
The guard's tone was somewhat sarcastic.
Duan Gongyi couldn't help but mutter: "If only he had committed suicide, it would have saved us so much trouble!"
He went to the courtyard where Song Han was staying with a knife in hand, and stood at the gate and said, "Second Master, your guard broke into the main courtyard in the middle of the night, was surrounded by us and committed suicide. Can you come out and give us an explanation?"
The room was quiet and silent.
Duan Gongyi laughed and said, "Second Master, what if this happened? A thief broke in at night, and you were killed by the thief in order to protect your wife!" As he said this, he took two steps back and shouted, "I set fire to the guest room!"
The lights in the room were immediately turned on, and the door creaked open. Song Han walked out with a pale face, shouting, "I was kidnapped when the carriage flipped over. I tried to send you letters several times but failed. I am also a victim! Hurry up and report to my brother. Someone is trying to kill him!"
Duan Gongyi couldn't help but grin and said, "Second Master, I'm sorry, you should come with me to see the Madam first! As for your guards, either drop your weapons and raise your hands and walk out, or you can throw their bodies out! I dare not barge into the place where you lived!"