As soon as Shi An walked into the village, he saw his own people crouching on the roof of a house, holding a telescope.

  The Dou family's guards surrounded the main house in a dense circle, blocking the path to the main hall like a human wall.

  They were equally tense, one of them even nervously gripped his eyebrow stick, but no one retreated.

  Seeing Shi An, Chen Xiao Feng took a few steps forward and shouted "Halt", raising his chin to gaze at him: "One of Lord Mei's men?" His tone carried a hint of mockery.

  Shi An cursed in a low voice.

  I don't know if it was to scold the people of Tanjia Village for turning traitor, or to scold this matter for being too embarrassing - he didn't even have a chance to take action and lost, and had to respectfully salute the guards of the Douding family: "I am Mei An, please help me pass on a message, I have an urgent matter to report to Young Master Mei."

  Mei An is his external title.

  Chen Xiaofeng sized up Shi An at a glance.

  This must be the guy who went to get reinforcements.

  It seems like you already know what's going on in the house.

  Not rushing forward with a hot head, but coming alone to ask Master Mei for guidance, is also considered a loyal and righteous hero.

  Shi An gave Chen Xiao Feng a good impression, and Chen Xiao Feng's attitude towards him naturally became much more gentle. Thinking that Duan Zhao had unintentionally become enemies with Mei Gong Zi, he thought for a moment, then said: "You wait here, I'll go in and announce our presence."

  Xi An said "thank you" in a hurry.

  Chen Xiaofeng did not approach the door of the hall, but stood on the steps and bowed.

  Before long, Su Lan lifted the curtain: "The young lady says, please come in, Mei An."

  Shi An's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

  Has the young master lost his freedom?

  He thought of the guy who came to Tan's house and wrapped his face with a black scarf, saying something like "Our family and Duan's family have been neighbors for generations, rabbits don't eat grass at the edge of their nest, I really don't want to meet Miss Duan's people" and he felt annoyed in his heart. His movements became bigger as he entered the house, but unexpectedly provoked a white eye from that little maid.

  What the hell is going on here!

  In those days, he was ranked among the top one hundred in the jianghu, no, even among the top fifty. Later, although he joined Ding Guo Gong as a personal bodyguard, he was also a well-known general flag. Now, however, he is looked down upon by a little girl and treated like a thief!

  He suppressed the nameless fire in his heart and stopped outside the study door, shouting "Young Master" through the soft green silk curtains with blue edges.

  "Come in!" The young master's voice was as gentle as ever, with a hint of coldness. But this did not calm Shi An down, instead making him even more nervous.

  The more urgent the matter, the calmer and more composed the young master became.

  The situation is definitely very bad.

  Xi An took a deep breath and responded with a "yes", straightening his back as he walked in.

  The young master sat in a high-backed chair by the window, Mr. Yan sat below him, and across from them was an elegant old man over sixty years old. There was also a girl in the room, fourteen or fifteen years old, with skin as white as snow, long eyebrows that reached her temples, and eyes that shone brightly. She held a child in her arms, smiled faintly at the corner of her mouth, and sat there with a gentle beauty that exuded a few points of dignity. Her expression was calm and quiet, but somehow had an inexplicable air of solemnity that startled him greatly.

  This must be the fourth miss of the Dugu family!

  No wonder people in Tan's Village didn't want to see her!

  If it were me, I probably wouldn't dare to make a move on such a girl either!

  As soon as the thought flashed through his mind, he heard the young master's gentle reminder-like call.

  He quickly collected his emotions and stepped forward a few steps, whispering in his ear, recounting the reactions of the people from Tanjia Village.

  Song Mo couldn't hide the surprise in his heart.

  Tan's house is not an ordinary household. Unruly and unyielding, they are a force to be reckoned with. If it weren't for the Jiang family's long-standing relationship with them, and if Fifth Uncle hadn't been on good terms with Tan Juren and also gained the favor of Old Lady Tan, how could this child possibly be the only bloodline of the Jiang family? The Tan household would never have offered to help him. It's likely that Duan Fourth Miss was able to gain the respect of the Tan household for more than just helping them in times of need and taking in orphans.

  He gazed into Du Zhao's eyes, where a fleeting spark of light flashed by.

  "Miss Dòu," Sòng Mò suddenly stood up, his left hand behind his back and his right hand clenched into a fist, elbow bent and placed on his abdomen, his attitude casual yet elegant. His usually cold face also revealed a few strands of smile, like the warmth of spring thawing ice and snow. "Since that's the case, I'll trouble Mr. Chen to come with us! Lù Míng," he called out to the slender man, "you stay at the Dòu residence for now and take care of protecting Miss Dòu."

  What exactly happened on the side of Tan's village?

  How did the young master change his stance so suddenly?

  Yan Chaoqing and Lu Ming were both stunned, but they quickly covered up the shock in their hearts. Lu Ming even responded with a "yes" and walked forward to give Du Zhao a proper bow and pay his respects.

  You leave someone to supervise me personally, but you're good at it, leaving the best one by your side. Is this protecting me or preparing to kill and silence me at any time?

  Dòu Zhāo scolded Sòng Mò in her heart a thousand times, but on the surface she didn't show anything and smiled as she asked Lù Míng to get up. She called for Duàn Gōngyì to come in and had him take Lù Míng down to arrange his food and lodging, as well as assign him tasks.

  Won't you let him protect me? Can't just eat food and not work? What does the Dou family's guard do, he has to do it for me?

  Dong Zhao muttered in his heart and smiled as he handed the child to Song Mo: "This kid, really looks good! Just held him for a while, my hands are already soft."

  Song Mo gazed at her, his eyes gleaming with a double-edged smile: "This child is a bit heavy-handed, no wonder Miss Duan can't hold him!"

  Dong Zhao wanted to retort, but thinking of his vengeful personality, he immediately changed to flattery and smiled: "So this child is more suitable for Master Mei to hold."

  Song Mo's eyes flickered and he handed the child over to Yan Chaoqing before walking out with quick steps.

  Yan Chaoqing and others hastily gave Dou Zhaohui a courtesy, and rushed out of the door.

  Dong Zhao finally let out a long sigh.

  Su Lan didn't understand Du Zhao's fear, staring with her eyes wide open: "I thought he was a good person, who knew he even wanted to kill Miss, it's really 'knowing the face but not the heart', 'gold and jade on the outside, rotten inside', 'virtuous appearance'... I don't know how many people will be deceived by his good looks in the future..."

  Chen Qu Shui couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Alright, alright, with this much energy to scold people, it's better to quickly go and tell my servant to help me pack up. It seems like the person who came to pick up the child has arrived. They should be leaving soon. Anyway, those who need to know already do, and those who shouldn't know also know. I'll just follow them and see if I can find out more. When the time comes, I'll have a few extra cards up my sleeve." He then reminded Du Zhao, "You see, Segments of Gong Yi and others will know about it. With Ding Guo Gong's inquiry into the crime, many chivalrous scholars will probably take action. True, the northern route is a must-pass road, I'll tell Segment Gong Yi to take care of these guards. Miss, no matter what happens, just endure it and don't go out, lest you get into unnecessary trouble. As for Cui Niangniang's place, don't worry, Hong Gu will be serving her, taking good care of her, nothing big will happen... The engagement with the Hou Mansion of Jining may not be to everyone's liking, but it's not entirely without its advantages either. Miss is clever beyond compare, I'm sure she already has a plan..." Everything was taken into consideration, speaking in a tone as if handing over matters after his death.

  Her eyes reddened as she interrupted him, "Don't worry, my plan will definitely work and you'll return safely!" She didn't want the sadness to linger, so she smiled and discussed with Chen Quanshui, "He's sent skilled guards to monitor me, but do we not have our own people? You go to Kyoto and let General Duan choose someone from these guards to be your attendant. If that Lord Mei dares to skimp on your food and clothing, you'll have him send a message to me. We'll make sure that Lu Ming also goes hungry and thirsty, and won't let Lord Mei get away with it!" Chen Quanshui burst out laughing at her words, sighing with a mix of relief and melancholy.

  Fortunately, Duan Zhao treated him as one of her own, but unfortunately, Duan Zhao was implicated by herself and had to get involved in the turmoil of rescuing Ding Guo Gong - if her plan wasn't adopted, this letter would be delivered in vain. What's meant to come will still come anyway.

  If her plan is adopted and works, Song Mo will not pursue the grudges between them; without the memorial, the fate of Dingguo Gongfu would likely be blamed on Duan Zhao, as a hostage, his life would be in danger, and Duan Zhao would also face danger.

  No matter how you calculate it, they are always at a disadvantage, and he can't help but feel deeply moved.

  Finally got rid of this plague god!

  Su Xin, who had slipped out of the village earlier under orders to pretend to break through and lure Song Mo and others away, saw the signal from her hiding place in the haystack. After tidying herself up, she learned about what had happened from her sister's chatter, but couldn't bring herself to smile. She wanted to ask if Mr. Chen would really return safely, but seeing Du Zhao's slightly tired face, she swallowed her words.

  Su Lan and the others only knew that their young mistress had defeated Mei Gongzi, but they didn't know about the danger involved. Upon hearing this, they covered their mouths and laughed.

  Dong Zhao clapped his hands and laughed: "We should also leave, hurry up and pack your things!"

  A few little girls giggled and dispersed.

  Su Xin asked Du Zhao anxiously: "Miss, is it true that someone dared to harm Ding Guo Gong on the way?"

  Miss reminded Mei Gongzi repeatedly before leaving, asking Mei Gongzi to secretly protect Ding Guo Gong, lest Ding Guo Gong be harmed by villains, and mentioned something about forging an imperial edict. At that time, Mei Gongzi's face turned slightly pale, and he hastily set off on his journey.

  "I hope not." Du Zhao let out a long sigh, his mood becoming depressed, "I hope I'm just worrying for nothing."

  Pure heart involuntarily raised her head and gazed at the sky.

  She only then discovered that she didn't know when the rain had subsided, a golden light pierced through the dark clouds and illuminated the horizon, as if the sun was about to break through the clouds.

  Dou Zhao stopped Duan Gongyi, who was directing the groom to harness the horse: "After returning to the mansion, go to the accounting room and withdraw 500 taels of silver. Buy some ginseng, bird's nest and other things, and visit Old Master Tan on my behalf. Just say thank him for maintaining peace in the countryside, and if there is anything I can help with among the villagers in the future, I will definitely do my best to assist."

  If Tan Jiazhuang gets involved, it's hard to say what kind of situation will develop.

  The people of Tan's village did not show up, and Duan Gongyi was unaware of the inside story. However, Dou Zhao prepared a heavy gift to visit Old Master Tan, and as a disciple, he also felt honored.

  He responded loudly and personally put the reins on the sorrel horse.

  ※

  Supplement of March 18 update.

  These two days have been carded very badly, and tonight's overtime time is uncertain, but I will try to be as early as possible...

  o(n_n)o~

  ※