Blossom

The situation unfolded exactly as Tao Qizhong had anticipated. The attendant struck swiftly, catching the burly men off guard. With one blow, he knocked out the one walking behind.

The other man turned at the sound, only to receive a punch to the face. With a muffled groan, he too collapsed to the ground.

The attendant hoisted Tao Qizhong onto his back and dashed outside.

The sky was filled with a sea of stars.

Tears welled up in Tao Qizhong’s eyes.

"Sir," the attendant said urgently, "it seems we're in the rear garden of some wealthy household!"

"It must be the Dou residence!" Tao Qizhong glanced back at the building where he had been confined.

It was a pair of small stone huts.

Lonely and unremarkable, they stood in a corner of the courtyard like a neglected storage space, covered in dust and long untouched.

"How clever!" he muttered under his breath. "The safest place is often the one so ordinary that people overlook it entirely!" Tao Qizhong ordered the attendant, "Let’s hurry—head for the nearest military garrison!"

The attendant acknowledged the command and broke into a jog, carrying Tao Qizhong as they crossed a withered flowerbed.

Behind them, a commotion erupted.

"Quick! Stop them!"

The attendant stiffened but ran even faster.

Seven or eight figures surged after them in pursuit.

From the woods behind the stone huts emerged two men—one tall and robust, the other shorter and leaner.

"Don’t you think there are too many pursuers?" remarked the slender man.

Moonlight illuminated their faces. One had sharp, clear eyes, exuding an air of scholarly elegance—none other than Chen Qushui, whom the burly men had claimed would return by morning. The other was agile and alert, his gaze piercing—who else could it be but Duan Gongyi?

Duan Gongyi chuckled. "Don’t worry. I’ve already given instructions. Anyone who actually catches them will have a month’s wages docked. Anyone who doesn’t put in the effort to chase will also lose a month’s pay."

Chen Qushui was torn between laughter and exasperation. "So, are you telling them to chase or not?"

Duan Gongyi grinned. "That’s for them to figure out!"

Chen Qushui could only shake his head.

Dou Zhao’s marriage had come unexpectedly. They had never imagined that their trip to the Capital would result in settling there permanently. Many matters had been left unresolved, with no time for proper arrangements. After seeing Dou Zhao off to her wedding, Chen Qushui, Duan Gongyi, and the others had set out to return to Zhen Ding.

Perhaps lacking Tao Qizhong’s urgency, they had departed the Capital shortly after him but ended up trailing behind.

Along the way, they received word that someone was inquiring about Dou Zhao. Descriptions of the man matched Tao Qushui’s appearance.

Chen Qushui’s plan had been to have Tao Qizhong watched first, then invite him for a "talk" upon their return—using a mix of threats and incentives to make him aware of Dou Zhao’s capabilities. While Tao Qizhong would never switch allegiance to Dou Zhao or Song Mo, the goal was to instill enough caution in him to prevent him from casually poisoning the Duke of Yingguo’s mind against her. This would help clear the path for Dou Zhao to eventually take charge of the household affairs at the Duke of England's Mansion.

But before he could discuss this properly with Duan Gongyi, the latter had already spurred his horse in outrage. "If we don’t show our fangs, they’ll think we’re toothless. I’ll rush back to Zhen Ding and find a way to keep that Tao fellow in place until you return to decide what to do."

With Duan Gongyi handling it, Chen Qushui had no reason to worry.

Yet who could have predicted...

At this thought, Chen Qushui couldn’t help but sigh.It was all my fault for not speaking up at the time. Duan Gongyi came back and gave Tao Qizhong a sneak attack with a club, then set up a scheme to scare him... But so what if he was beaten? Was I supposed to apologize to that Tao Qizhong?

He comforted himself.

Perhaps this was for the best! As the saying goes, when a scholar meets a soldier, reason goes unheard. Maybe Duan Gongyi's sneak attack was more effective than his own words.

Still, this wasn't Chen Qushui's nature, and he couldn't help but sigh again.

The two burly men who should have been knocked out in the stone house emerged, one clutching his head, the other covering his face.

"Guardian Duan, Mr. Chen," they greeted Duan Gongyi and Chen Qushui with grins.

Duan Gongyi and Chen Qushui nodded in acknowledgment.

The pursuers returned one after another.

After exchanging greetings, someone said, "We only sent someone to follow from a distance. What if that Tao guy gets scared and runs back to his hometown?"

One of the burly men smacked the speaker's head and said, "No wonder the Fourth Young Lady always sends Uncle Duan for important tasks. With a brain like yours, you're clearly useless. After being scared like this, wouldn't he fear being silenced on the way? He'll definitely find a safe place to hide. And where's safer than the military garrison? As an adviser without the Duke of England's Mansion backing him, who in the garrison would know him? Once he goes there, those people will report his whereabouts to the Duke of England to curry favor—where could he possibly escape to?" Then he turned to Chen Qushui, "Mr. Chen, don't you agree?"

Chen Qushui laughed heartily, "Well said, well said!"

The earlier questioner could only chuckle awkwardly.

The burly man then leaned closer to Chen Qushui and Duan Gongyi with a grin, "Mr. Chen, Uncle Duan, I heard the Fourth Young Lady is taking some people to the capital. Do you think I'd be suitable?"

Chen Qushui and Duan Gongyi were surprised. They exchanged a glance before both turning to study the burly man.

Instinctively, the man straightened his posture, as if ready for inspection.

Chen Qushui and Duan Gongyi couldn't help but laugh.

"Think carefully," Chen Qushui said. "Once you go, you might have to settle in the capital. At the very least, you'll be staying for five or six years."

"I've already made up my mind," the burly man replied. "My wife's aunt is from the same village as Tian Fugui's wife, who followed the Fourth Young Lady to the capital. Now Tian Fugui has bought fifty acres of fertile land back home and built a grand house with blue bricks and tiles... As soon as I heard the Fourth Young Lady was taking people to the capital, I told my family—if Mr. Chen and Uncle Duan approve, I'll pack my bags and leave without a second thought."

Others chimed in, "Mr. Chen, Uncle Duan, we all want to go to the capital too."

Chen Qushui glanced around and noticed most of the volunteers were unmarried young men.

He smiled faintly.

Song Mo's position was unstable now, and he needed passionate young men like these.

"Alright!" Chen Qushui said cheerfully. "Anyone who wants to go, just let Guardian Duan know. We'll discuss the details later."

Everyone crowded around Duan Gongyi.

The man assigned to track Tao Qizhong returned.

"Mr. Chen, Uncle Duan, that Tao guy fled into the Zhen Ding garrison."

Chen Qushui and Duan Gongyi exchanged a knowing smile.A page came running over, panting heavily.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen," he waved the letter in his hand, "Master Yan from the Capital sent you an urgent message via six-hundred-li express delivery."

Chen Qushui's expression changed slightly as he hurried forward to take the letter, turning away to read it immediately. When he turned back, his face bore a peculiar expression.

Duan Gongyi couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"

"Nothing major," Chen Qushui replied, his expression growing even stranger. "He wants me to return to the Capital immediately to discuss something." Then he instructed the page, "Quickly saddle a horse for me—I'll head back to the Capital right away." He then pulled Duan Gongyi aside, "While I'm away, I'll leave household matters to you and Xiaofeng. As for what exactly needs to be done... we should discuss it and finalize a code of conduct as soon as possible..."

Duan Gongyi was utterly baffled. As he followed Chen Qushui to his study, he couldn't help but wonder to himself: If it's nothing major, why is Mr. Chen rushing back to the Capital without even catching his breath?

※※※※※

Meanwhile, Tao Qizhong, who had fled into the Zhen Ding Military Garrison, was still shaken.

For a military garrison to suddenly clash with local officials and gentry was an extremely serious matter, usually requiring direct reporting to the emperor.

Tao Qizhong told the Commander of Zhen Ding Garrison that he was merely passing through Zhen Ding when he encountered bandits who robbed him of his money and belongings. He asked the Commander to help him contact the Duke of Yingguo to arrange for someone to escort him back to the Capital.

The Commander looked thoroughly puzzled.

Zhen Ding Garrison was a necessary route to Baoding, frequented by countless wealthy merchants from the south, high-ranking officials, and even imperial relatives. How could there be bandits here?

But he wasn't entirely sure about Tao Qizhong's identity, so he offered a few polite words and smilingly proposed hosting a banquet to help him recover from the shock.

Tao Qizhong could tell at a glance that the Commander still doubted his identity—how could he take such courtesy at face value?

He politely declined.

The Commander didn't press the matter, exchanging a few more pleasantries before having someone escort Tao Qizhong to a guest room to rest.

Once there, Tao Qizhong paced anxiously.

His life might be safe for now, but how was he going to explain this to the Duke of Yingguo?

All their luggage was still at the inn, leaving them without even a change of clothes. A servant who had been sent to fetch their belongings from the inn returned with a food box.

"Mr. Tao, please eat something!" The servant, feeling guilty for failing to protect Tao Qizhong, set out the dishes while trying to comfort him. "Once we return to the Duke of England's Mansion, everything will be fine!"

Tao Qizhong sat cross-legged on the heated brick bed by the window, staring blankly at the dishes spread across the low table.

The servant, who had been with him for over a decade, knew his temperament and didn't dare disturb him, simply pouring him a cup of hot tea.

If only he hadn't been the one to arrange this marriage!

Tao Qizhong looked up gloomily and saw the worried expression on his servant's face.

An idea occurred to him, and his face showed hesitation.

The servant, skilled at reading moods, spoke up first: "Sir, do you have any instructions?"

"Instructions might be too strong a word," Tao Qizhong said carefully. "I was just thinking about the newly wedded wife of the heir... If the Duke asks, what should we say?"

The servant understood the implication. "I'm just a simple man—I'll naturally follow your lead, sir."

Feeling slightly reassured, Tao Qizhong said, "No matter what, the heir's wife has already entered the household, which involves the dignity of the Duke of England's Mansion... Some things must never be spoken of, do you understand?""Understood," the attendant replied solemnly. "This humble servant won't breathe a word."

Tao Qizhong nodded in approval.

By the time the news reached Dou Zhao's ears, four days had already passed.

She couldn't help but laugh, asking Su Xin, "Do you know when Mr. Tao will return?"

Su Xin smiled, "I've already had people keep watch. He should be back within these two days!"

Dou Zhao thought Duan Gongyi's move was somewhat mischievous, but given their respective positions, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.