Blossom

"I am Chang Wu," the person outside the door said politely. "There's a fire outside. Mr. Tao is concerned about Madam and worried there might be some mishap, so he specifically sent us to check."

The massacre Song Yichun inflicted upon Song Mo in the year of Wu Wu acted like a touchstone, revealing not only the inclinations of people's hearts but also the stances of everyone in the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion.

The Duke of Yingguo's Mansion and the Hall of Cultivating Will appeared as one family to outsiders, but behind closed doors, they were adversaries.

If there was a fire in the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion, why wasn't it Master Yan who sent someone to inquire after Madam, but instead Mr. Tao's people came to ask if she was alright?

This defied common sense!

The pages couldn't help but look at Wuyi in confusion.

Wuyi had already muttered "This is bad" under his breath. Shouting "Song Luo!" he leaped up and ran toward the tightly shut main courtyard gate. "Go quickly and inform Madam that Tao Qizhong, that old scoundrel, has sent people to take advantage of the chaos to harm her. Tell her to hide immediately and find a way to send word to Master Yan." As he spoke, his body slammed into the gate like a stone slab with a loud "bang." "Come and help! We can't let them break in!" He pressed his shoulder against the door.

The Young Lord's respect for Madam was evident to all.

If something were to happen to Madam under their watch...

The pages in the main courtyard didn't dare to think further. Before Wuyi's words had even faded, they rushed over one by one, following Wuyi's example and pressing their bodies firmly against the gate.

Hearing the commotion outside, the intruders dropped all pretense. They began cursing loudly and vulgarly, kicking and striking the gate to force it open.

Song Luo's face turned ashen. Not daring to delay any longer, he mustered all his strength and sprinted toward the main house, shouting as he ran, "Madam, it's bad! Tao Qizhong is taking advantage of the chaos to harm you! Hide quickly!"

Dou Zhao and Su Xin, who had been in conversation, were startled. Without hesitation, they slipped on their shoes and rushed out.

"What's happened?" Dou Zhao asked, looking at the panting Song Luo before her.

Song Luo hurriedly recounted the events.

Dou Zhao's expression turned cold, but inwardly, she was puzzled.

For subordinates to rebel against their superiors was a grave taboo. Tao Qizhong couldn't possibly be unaware of this. Even if it were Song Yichun's orders, wouldn't he fear staining his hands and leaving his descendants with a tarnished reputation? Moreover, Song Yichun wasn't even in the mansion at the moment. If he later denied involvement, the blame would fall entirely on Tao Qizhong. Was Tao Qizhong truly so loyal to Song Yichun? And she was merely Song Mo's wife. Even if she died, how would it significantly alter the power struggle between Song Yichun and Song Mo? On the contrary, Song Mo could use this incident to pressure Song Yichun.

Su Xin was horrified upon hearing this and urgently said, "Madam, let me go and see."

"We'll go together," Dou Zhao said.

The Hall of Cultivating Will was divided into inner and outer courtyards. The main house was located at the center of the inner courtyard—a four-row, five-bay structure with two side rooms. From the main gate to the Hanging Flower Gate, there was also a passage hall in between, spanning about thirty feet. If anything happened, they would still have a chance to retreat.

"Madam..." Su Xin and Song Luo spoke in unison, both opposing her going.

"In emergencies, we must adapt. I need to assess the situation to make a decision. Don't waste time dawdling. We may still need to arrange for someone to seek Master Yan's help."Su Xin was naturally reliable, and Song Luo, having experienced the events of the Wuwu year, had matured and stabilized considerably. Both understood the logic in Dou Zhao's words. Su Xin summoned Su Lan, while Song Luo grabbed the crossbar from the Hanging Flower Gate and followed closely behind Dou Zhao. Together, they stepped out through the gate.

The shouting outside grew clearer.

Dou Zhao halted.

These couldn’t possibly be the Duke of Yingguo’s guards.

The Duke’s mansion would never employ such vulgar men.

Her expression darkened.

A prison break in Shuntian Prefecture… a fire at the Duke of Yingguo’s mansion… Tao Qizhong and Yan Chaoqing leading their guards to fight the flames… and now she was under attack… It was as if an invisible hand had woven all these events together.

Dou Zhao watched as Wuyi, his face flushed red, strained with all his might but still couldn’t stop the gate from swaying precariously. She ordered firmly, "Wuyi, find some wooden beams to brace the gate. All of you, fall back to the Hanging Flower Gate and hold it at all costs."

The immediate priority was to find a way to alert Master Yan.

Though Su Xin and Su Lan were skilled fighters, they were still young women, and she needed protection herself. Sending others to scale the walls was risky—who knew if there were ambushers lying in wait outside?

Dou Zhao’s mind raced as she, Su Xin, and Su Lan hurriedly retreated to the main courtyard.

Song Luo shouted warnings along the way, alerting everyone in the compound that intruders were attacking. Gan Lu and the others paled in fear, but Mrs. Luyi and a few sturdy maids had somehow armed themselves with kitchen knives and fire pokers, crowding around Dou Zhao in a clamor.

"Madam, just say the word, and we’ll fight them to the death!" Mrs. Luyi declared. "I refuse to believe anyone would dare cause trouble at the Duke of Yingguo’s mansion!" Their ignorance of the true danger made them seem less like defenders and more like household servants off to catch an adulterer.

Despite the tension, Dou Zhao couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight.

The others exchanged bewildered glances.

Yet Dou Zhao’s eyes stung slightly, her heart swelling with emotion.

She had always been strong-willed, and the more perilous the situation, the more she refused to yield.

Gazing at the faces around her—some fearful, some agitated, some indignant—she felt an overwhelming surge of determination.

Though Su Xin and Su Lan were her hidden aces, she had no intention of revealing their skills prematurely. With Mrs. Luyi and her group now in the fray, she was certain the inner courtyard of the Duke’s mansion would soon become a lively battleground.

If she had felt any fear earlier, it was now replaced by unshakable resolve.

"Good!" she declared with a loud laugh. "If those intruders dare step inside, we’ll make sure they never leave!"

Her words instantly lifted everyone’s spirits.

Dou Zhao stood on the steps of the main hall, waiting for Wuyi and the others to retreat to the Hanging Flower Gate.

The air was thick with floating ash from the distant fire, making it hard to breathe.

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

"Mrs. Luyi," she ordered, "gather the firewood from the storage and pile it in the courtyard’s center. Light it up. When Master Yan and the others see the flames, they’ll rush here." This way, there was no need to send a messenger—time would be saved, and their immediate crisis resolved.

"Madam, brilliant idea!" Mrs. Luyi’s eyes lit up with admiration, and the others, seeing this, suddenly felt confident in their escape. The courtyard buzzed with excitement, morale soaring.

This was exactly the effect Dou Zhao had hoped for.Only by firmly believing you can win is there a possibility of victory.

The maids spontaneously joined the laboring women in gathering firewood.

Though the courtyard was silent with no one speaking, everything proceeded in an orderly manner, and everyone was in high spirits.

The pages who had retreated with Wuyi saw this and felt reassured. When Wuyi noticed the firewood in the courtyard, he was momentarily stunned but quickly understood. He looked at Dou Zhao with unconcealed astonishment in his eyes.

But Dou Zhao had no time to dwell on this. She instructed him, "Take your men and guard the Hanging Flower Gate. No matter what, don’t let them break through. Can you do it?"

Wuyi straightened his expression and solemnly clasped his fists. "Madam, I swear not to fail you."

Dou Zhao nodded in approval. She ordered them to block the Hanging Flower Gate with heavy furniture from the side rooms. Just then, the bandits arrived.

Another round of battering began.

Hearing about it was one thing; experiencing it firsthand was entirely different.

The deafening crashes and vulgar curses not only made the maids and pages tense but also filled Dou Zhao with worry—if they breached the Hanging Flower Gate, they would lose their last barrier and have nothing left to stop the intruders.

Fortunately, Mrs. Luyi soon lit the firewood.

A roaring blaze shot into the sky, illuminating the heavens and lifting the spirits of the maids and pages.

The men outside howled, "These damned women actually came up with this trick... Put your backs into it, or we’ll have to retreat empty-handed..."

Their shouts grew louder, and the battering intensified.

This couldn’t go on.

As Dou Zhao watched the loosening Hanging Flower Gate and felt the heat of the flames, a bolder idea formed in her mind.

"Mrs. Luyi, do we have any ladders in the courtyard?"

"Yes!" Mrs. Luyi, who had never experienced such a situation before, found her earlier bravado nearly shattered by the relentless pounding. She forced herself to focus and asked, "What does Madam need them for?"

Dou Zhao ignored her question and pressed, "How many do we have?"

Mrs. Luyi silently counted. "Four. One is in the kitchen—"

Dou Zhao cut her off. "Take some old women and boil water—quickly. Then send someone with Su Lan to fetch all four ladders."

Though puzzled, Mrs. Luyi respectfully complied, leading the women to boil water while Su Lan directed the old women to bring the ladders.

Dou Zhao announced, "Soon, we’ll pour boiling water down on them. I refuse to believe they’ll keep battering the gate like this." She encouraged everyone, "Master Yan and the others must have seen the fire by now. They’ll surely arrive soon."

"Madam is as clever as Zhuge Liang!" The group’s spirits lifted, and they praised Dou Zhao enthusiastically.

She smiled gracefully.

When Mrs. Luyi, who was tending the fire, learned of Dou Zhao’s plan, she stoked the flames with renewed vigor. Soon, two pots of boiling water were ready and carefully carried over.

Fearing the scalding water might harm her own people before the bandits, Dou Zhao had the steady-handed Su Xin and Su Lan stand atop the wall to pour it. She instructed Mrs. Luyi, "Keep boiling more water—don’t stop!"Mrs. Luyi was reluctant to leave. Only after seeing Su Xin and Su Lan place two ladders side by side, climb onto the wall with a pot of boiling water, and splash it down with a "hiss"—eliciting several screams from outside and hearing the assailants' furious shouts of "On the wall! Watch the wall! Get a long pole and knock them down!"—did she scurry back to the kitchen.

By the time Mrs. Luyi brought boiling water for the third time, chaotic footsteps sounded outside, along with Xia Lian and others shouting in panic, "Madam! Madam..."

Dou Zhao let out a sigh of relief.

Su Lan excitedly peeked over the wall, waving at the approaching group of familiar faces. "We're here!" Then she hurled the boiling water and the pot down. Though the now-alerted group managed to dodge, she was still overjoyed.