Blossom

"Who else could it be but Liao Wang?" Dou Zhao said coldly, her hands involuntarily clenching into fists.

"Liao... Liao Wang?!" Duan Gongyi gaped in astonishment. "N-no, that can't be! Wouldn't he fear offending the Young Lord? Moreover, feudal princes are forbidden from associating with court officials. What would kidnapping you and the young master accomplish? How would he handle the aftermath?" His face paled as he continued, "They show no regard for the second master's life... Could they be plotting to harm you and the young master?"

Chen Xiaofeng's face immediately turned ashen. "If we're all trapped inside and they truly intend to... just one fire would be enough..."

With crossbows besieging them from outside, they'd have no chance of survival!

Dou Zhao's expression also changed drastically. "Is there any way to notify the Young Lord?"

If Song Mo knew, he would surely find a way to rescue them.

The people in the room exchanged uneasy glances.

Staying here was dangerous, but breaking through to send word—under fifty crossbows—offered even slimmer odds of survival.

Duan Gongyi forced a smile. "Then I'll see if I can find an opportunity to slip out."

"No," Chen Xiaofeng grabbed Duan Gongyi's arm. "You're the most skilled and experienced among us. If you leave, what will happen to Madam and the young master? I'll go!"

Several guards immediately protested:

"Master Duan, let me go! I'm the fastest!"

"Send me instead! I'm small and harder to spot."

"Stop arguing—I should go! I'm the second of three brothers, and I'm not even married yet..."

The room fell silent.

"We're not sending anyone!" An elderly woman's voice suddenly cut through the tension. "We stay together—live together, die together."

"Grandmother!"

"Old Madam!"

All eyes turned to the elderly woman.

She gently patted the sleeping Yuan Ge'er, her hands trembling slightly but her expression resolute. "I may be just a country woman who's seen little of the world, but listening to you all, I understand a bit. They must have come secretly. Dawn is only two or three hours away—surely they can't keep surrounding us that long! We just need to hold out until then. No one is to throw their life away! Every life is precious!" The last words were directed at Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao smiled bitterly.

Did they think she could bear to watch others sacrifice themselves?

But if they all stayed trapped here, death might be inevitable.

The thought flashed through her mind, then sparked an idea.

Why hadn't she considered this before?

Her eyes brightened as she turned to Duan Gongyi. "Is it possible they only intend to kidnap me and Yuan Ge'er?"

If they wanted captives alive, they wouldn't harm her or Yuan Ge'er—meaning extreme measures like arson were unlikely.

The guards' spirits lifted at this.

If so, they only needed to hold out until dawn to escape.

Duan Gongyi immediately said, "I'll test this theory!"

Dou Zhao nodded.

As Duan Gongyi cautiously approached the door, he called out loudly, "I'm a guard serving Madam Dou. I have questions for you!"

A smooth yet polite voice responded from outside: "Madam Jiang may ask freely."

Exchanging a glance with Dou Zhao, Duan Gongyi said, "Our Madam asks: If she and the young master go with you, will you spare the Old Madam?"Just as Grandmother was about to speak, Dou Zhao quickly signaled her with a glance, and the older woman reluctantly held her tongue.

"We never intended to harm Madam or the Young Lord. That was never Old Madam's intention," the other party replied without hesitation. "But we can't send Old Madam back to the city immediately. She and Madam's guards will have to stay here for a few days."

In other words, they believed the matter of abducting her and her son could be resolved within days.

Dou Zhao was shaken to the core and couldn't help but exclaim softly, "This is bad."

Everyone in the room turned to look at her. Duan Gongyi even forgot he was in the middle of negotiations, and all ears were pricked in tense silence.

"It's Liao Wang!" Dou Zhao's eyes flashed with alarm. "He's making his move... He wants to take me and Yuan Ge'er as hostages to threaten the Young Lord... Because it'll only take a few hours. He doesn't even need days to decide the outcome..."

Once he ascended the throne, all obstacles would cease to matter.

Whether Old Madam lived or died, whether Song Mo survived—none of it would concern Liao Wang anymore.

That was why they had agreed to Duan Gongyi's terms so readily.

"How could I be so foolish!" Dou Zhao murmured bitterly, torn between regret and self-reproach. "So much has changed in this life, yet I'm still blinded by memories of the past, unable to distinguish between reality and recollection..."

She stamped her foot in frustration.

Duan Gongyi didn't understand.

Nor did he need to.

Having been in the Capital for two or three years now, he knew its complexities were beyond the grasp of a simple martial artist like himself. His duty was to focus on the task at hand.

"Madam," he asked, "what should we do now?"

His words struck Dou Zhao like a temple bell at dawn, snapping her back to clarity.

There was no use dwelling on regrets now. The urgent priority was to contact Song Mo—not only to have him send reinforcements but also to inform him of their situation so he could prepare countermeasures... Her greatest fear was that the palace might already be in turmoil, leaving Song Mo unable to help them...

The thought made her inhale sharply.

If things were truly as she feared, they would have to save themselves.

Dou Zhao paced several circles around the room before steadying her nerves.

Standing before the kang, she swept her gaze over each of the guards who had followed her from Zhen Ding to the Capital.

The men instinctively straightened their postures, expressions turning grave.

Only by standing united could they hope to overcome this crisis!

People were inherently self-interested, and this decision might plunge her into greater danger—or it might give her the strength for a desperate last stand.

Dou Zhao turned back to glance at Yuan Ge'er and her grandmother.

Though the old woman didn't understand her granddaughter's intentions, her simple wisdom told her they had reached a critical juncture.

She gave Dou Zhao a firm, resolute nod.

Dou Zhao smiled faintly before turning back to face the room, spine straight as she declared, "There's something the Young Lord and I have been keeping from everyone..."

She proceeded to calmly explain Liao Wang's suspicious activities to those present.

Duan Gongyi and Chen Xiaofeng, who had noticed some signs, remained silent. The others looked horrified, taking a long moment to process the information—but once they did, they understood Dou Zhao's purpose.

After a heavy silence, one man spoke up: "Madam, fortune never favors the idle. Since we followed you to seek our futures, we can't expect rewards without sacrifice. A servant dies with his master's disgrace. We're at your command!"The others also grew agitated.

"Madam, just tell us what you need us to do!"

"That's right! Since there's no peaceful resolution anyway, what's there to fear? If Madam and the Young Lord are in trouble, how could any of us escape unscathed? If not for Madam earlier, we'd already be dead under those crossbow bolts!"

"At most we'll fight once more! Even if we die, we'll take some down with us!"

"When the time comes, please tell our families that none of us from Zhen Ding disgraced ourselves!"

Tears welled up in Dou Zhao's eyes, her chest filled with indescribable emotion, feeling strength coursing through her entire body: "Good! Then let's fight them once more. I refuse to believe we can't defeat these sneaky cowards. At worst, I'll lead you all to Tianjin—the Young Lord still has a shipyard there!"

This last spur-of-the-moment remark further boosted everyone's morale.

Dou Zhao continued: "For them to dare act like this, they must be at a life-or-death juncture. What worries me most now is that something might have changed on the Young Lord's side. I fear they might use our safety to deceive him, making him break faith with the Crown Prince. Then we'd truly be left with nothing. We must find a way to contact the Young Lord!"

They still needed someone to break through and deliver word to Song Mo!

Perhaps because the current situation involved court intrigues, making these guards feel they were serving the nation, none hesitated. Several stepped forward immediately, with one saying: "Why don't we split into two groups—one acting openly, the other covertly. Whoever escapes should find a way to reach the Young Lord."

This was the best plan they could devise under the circumstances.

Duan Gongyi said: "A few will stay with me to protect Madam and the Young Lord, while the others slip out separately."

Chen Xiaofeng studied Duan Gongyi for a long moment.

If they failed, those men might vent their anger on Dou Zhao's guards. Duan Gongyi would be in grave danger. If they succeeded, Duan Gongyi would merely have done his duty as a guard, making his contribution seem insignificant.

Duan Gongyi was well aware of this. Smiling, he patted Chen Xiaofeng's shoulder: "I'm getting old—I just want to stay by Madam's side. You're still young—go make your mark in the world!"

Chen Xiaofeng's eyes grew moist. Turning to the others, he asked: "Is everyone ready?"

"Ready!" They dared not speak loudly, but their expressions were resolute.

Chen Xiaofeng nodded.

They divided into pairs or trios and began slipping away in sequence.

Within moments, someone was discovered.

The enemy shouted "Halt!" and mercilessly shot them down.

The piercing whistle of arrows tore through the air as figures tumbled from the wall, limbs twitching before collapsing in the corner, soon falling silent.

Dou Zhao's vision blurred instantly.

Yet Chen Xiaofeng's voice grew even colder: "Your turn now. Be careful."

Three guards nodded and soundlessly climbed out the window.

Grandmother tightly grasped Yuan Ge'er's hand.

Another muffled thud.

Outside, Song Han's pig-like squeals rang out: "Help! I'm the second son of the Duke of Yingguo's household... Sister-in-law, it's Liao Wang who wants to abduct you. You shouldn't resist pointlessly—Liao Wang has already secretly entered the palace under the Empress's arrangements..."

※

In the palace.

Song Mo was on duty today.The bed was too hard, the blanket had an indescribable smell, and the food was just boiled with salt. He could only hope for dawn to come quickly so he could go home and rest for a day.

But the night was long, and there was truly nothing to do in the palace. After finishing his patrol, he picked up a brush and began practicing calligraphy.

Around the time the third watch was about to strike, he set down the brush, took out his pocket watch to check the time, and walked toward the door.

The moon was bright, the stars sparse, and a cool breeze drifted gently.

Song Mo took a deep breath.

The Golden Guard's Record Keeper on duty with Song Mo heard the noise and hurried out from the nearby tea room. With eager yet respectful deference, he whispered, "Metropolitan Commander, are you going on night patrol?"

Song Mo gave a quiet "Mm" in response and began his inspection along the usual route.

The Record Keeper and several Golden Guard members followed closely at his sides.