Chapter 217: Last Night, the Rain Was Light and the Wind Was Strong — The Capital’s Turmoil (Again Version) · Part Two

Chapter 217: Last Night, the Rain Was Light and the Wind Was Strong — The Capital's Turmoil (Again Version) · Part Two

Not even an hour had passed when a blood-soaked house servant came running from afar, shouting, "Master Long, that group of thieves have gone to the back gate. Second Master Long has called for some helpers—!"

Master Long turned to look at Minglan, his eyes asking for instructions. Minglan smiled brightly and said, "A woman like me doesn't understand matters of defense. As for the people and equipment in the house, just leave everything to Master Long to arrange!"

Master Long inwardly praised her for her quick thinking, respectfully cupping his fists. He then immediately selected a team of strong men to go assist at the back while he and the remaining men continued to guard the front gate. The thieves attacking the back gate would need to go around the entire street, but within the mansion, it was a straight path, so as long as they could hold off for a while, they could rotate people smoothly.

In fact, the back gate was easier to defend because the alley was narrow, just wide enough for four or five people to walk side by side. Even using large wooden stakes to ram the door would be difficult. The thieves couldn't spread out, and when three or five squeezed together, methods like pouring boiling oil or throwing lime would be even more effective.

About two or three quarters of an hour later, the sounds of shouting and climbing from the front gate wall were heard again—indeed, the thieves hadn't fully retreated. It seemed they were trying to lure the defenders away, planning to launch an attack at the back while the front might be left less guarded.

Unexpectedly, Master Long had already anticipated this move. He ordered a few young servants to stand guard along the wall, keeping a sharp eye out. As soon as anyone showed the slightest glimpse of a head, they immediately jabbed a pole at them, causing the thieves to fall off the wall without even having time to grunt.

Seeing this, Minglan couldn't help but praise, "Master Long truly lives up to his reputation! No wonder the Marquis often speaks so highly of you."

Master Long turned around with a grin, replying with bold confidence, "These are just some petty tricks, don't laugh. You haven't seen the Marquis in action on the battlefield; that's where he truly shines, invincible and unmatched!"

Minglan was about to offer more praise when suddenly, a burst of intense flames lit up from the side. The people in the front courtyard turned in unison to see that the old part of the Marquis's residence on the east side had turned into a sea of fire, and distant, pitiful screams could be heard. Unlike the others who were frightened, both Minglan and Master Long remained remarkably calm.

Master Long watched the fire in the east, his jaw tightening in frustration. "These damn bastards, they really tried to sneak in from that side! Ah, what a pity for that old house, it's been here for so many years!"

Minglan remained expressionless, casually replying, "No need to feel sorry. The valuable things were moved out long ago, and the ancestral hall is at the corner, so the fire won't spread there. It's of no consequence. After all, life is the most important thing. The house can be rebuilt."

At this time, it was already early morning, and Grandma Ge arrived with a group of servants to deliver food for the night. Minglan hastily ate half a bowl of rice porridge, then set down her bowl. Just then, she noticed that the western side, near the mountain forest, had also erupted into flames.

Minglan stopped what she was doing and, looking far off in the distance, Luzhi sighed, "Ah, what a pity for the cranes and deer on the mountain, and the two young ladies' new cage of rabbits."

Before long, reports came from both the east and west sides, saying that the thieves had been repelled. It seemed that five or six had been burned to death on the east side, while on the west side, due to the forested area, at least four or five were still accounted for.

Minglan lightly stroked her chest, silently relieved.

The Ningyuan Marquis's residence, centered around the Chengyuan Garden, was a vast estate, with a square layout. There were two main gates at the front and back, with the old Marquis's residence on the east and a small forest on the west. To prevent anyone from sneaking in from the sides, Minglan had made a resolute decision to set up flammable materials—during the spring, the forest was dense, and the old beams of the Gu family residence were thick with wood; a fire could easily burn through the night. She also created a wide firebreak between Chengyuan and the old residence, rigging it with a fuse so that once anyone breached the perimeter, they could set the fire off immediately.

Looking at the forest and the old residence engulfed in flames, Minglan couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret, though she hoped it would truly stop the thieves.

At this moment, Master Long walked over with heavy steps. Leaning in close to Minglan, he whispered, "Madam, something's not right."

With his vast experience, he knew that during any disturbance, there were always opportunistic criminals looking to loot and steal. He had assumed that with his setup, he could easily handle an ordinary band of thieves. However, after fighting through the night, both he and his brother were struggling to hold the line and barely managing to fend off the attack.

"Now, the thieves have already suffered over thirty casualties, yet they remain so stubborn… This group seems to have someone backing them." After fighting for so long, he had realized that the enemy originally numbered over a hundred. After the first two rounds of fierce battle, many of the idle followers had fled. He could roughly estimate that the core group of thieves was only about fifty to sixty, and yet, despite more than half of them being injured or killed, they still refused to retreat. It was truly suspicious.

Minglan, however, was thinking on a deeper level.

This disturbance could only be caused by one of two types of people coming to the Marquis's residence. One was a band of robbers looking to take advantage of the chaos—this was what Old Master Tu had originally prepared for. The other was a group of rebel thieves.

The former sought wealth, and there were plenty of wealthy families in the capital to rob. Why would they persist in attacking the Gu family, a hard nut to crack?

The latter sought power, aiming to capture Minglan as a hostage. If the Gu family were wiped out, what could they use to threaten them? It was clear that Gu Tingye would risk everything to take revenge. But this group of thieves, with their extreme ferocity, clearly intended to kill.

"You think…?"

Minglan's face grew serious. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard a familiar voice crying outside. Xiaocui, disheveled and with her sleeves torn, ran in crying, "Madam, it's bad! The thieves have broken into the inner courtyard!"

Minglan was struck as if by a bolt of lightning, exclaiming in disbelief, "How is that possible?!"

Cui Xiu cried out, "They came from the mountain forest! A few thieves broke through the small path with torches! Xiao Shi is leading people to block them! Madam, please hurry and send someone!"

Minglan swayed, barely managing to steady herself.

Tu Long said in a low voice, "Madam, don't worry, I'll lead people there right away!" He immediately grabbed a big man standing nearby and said, "Brother, stay here and watch over this place!" The man agreed, and Tu Long quickly led a group of guards into the inner courtyard.

Luzhi bit her lip tightly, and Xiao Tao held Minglan up, whispering repeatedly, "Madam, don't be afraid. Not many people know where Young Master Tuan and Old Mama Cui are hiding. The mansion is so big, it'll take them a long time to search room by room."

Minglan took a deep breath to calm herself, but as a mother, her heart was in turmoil. She couldn't help but want to check on the situation. Luzhi quickly ordered a sedan chair, but it was dark and the bearers were cautious, so they moved slowly. Minglan was on the verge of tears, but they finally arrived.

Inside the courtyard, there was chaos. Maidservants and women were either crying for help or searching for places to hide. Minglan didn't want to sit in the sedan chair, so she leaned on Luzhi and walked inside. Xiao Tao, with sharp eyes, suddenly grabbed someone passing by and shouted, "Shi Tou!"

The person who arrived was the dim-witted Xiao Shi, covered in blood. Upon seeing Minglan and the others, he happily said, "Madam, I was just about to look for you! Those seven or eight thieves were like headless flies, running around everywhere. Two of them had just reached the Madam's courtyard gate, but the guards outside killed them. Now, Master Tu is going around the world to catch the thieves!"

Minglan breathed a sigh of relief, "As long as everyone is safe…"

"Madam…" Xiao Shi said urgently, "When Master Tu and I arrived at the Madam's courtyard, we saw only Aunt Qiu, Aunt Mei, and her son, along with a few other women."

"Ah! What happened?" Minglan was stunned.

"Master Tu asked," Xiao Shi said awkwardly, "One of the women privately said that the Madam had realized that Old Mama Cui had taken Young Master Tuan to hide elsewhere, thinking that it would be safer. She asked Miss Bi Si about it and found out the location, so she took two of the girls and went there to hide…"

Minglan bit her lower lip—despite all her calculations, this was the one thing she had missed! What a good plan by Bi Si! What a good move by Shao!

"Master Tu asked me to come and ask the Madam where Young Master Tuan is. We can't let the thieves randomly stumble upon him, like a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse… Oh dear…" Xiao Shi realized the analogy was inappropriate and quickly stopped talking.

Minglan hurriedly said, "He's in one of the rooms in Kouxiang Courtyard! Go quickly, find Master Tu!" As she spoke, she stamped her feet. The so-called secret hiding place was supposed to be known by as few people as possible—how had this happened?!

Watching Xiao Shi leave, Minglan also rushed in the same direction. However, Xiao Tao, remembering Mama Cui's instructions, tightly held onto her arm, and several maids were urging her not to walk too fast.

It took nearly half a quarter of an hour before they reached their destination. Minglan felt as if it had been two hours. On the way, she caught a small maid, who seemed to be aimlessly wandering, and asked, "How's the situation at Kouxiang Courtyard?"

The little maid, who had just come from that direction, saw her mistress and stuttered, "Everything's fine… ah… no, Mama Lu said that Miss Rong went to Madam's place, so we don't need to guard it anymore…"

Minglan felt a bit reassured, and was about to tell her to hide in Shao's courtyard when the little maid suddenly added, "But… but… just now I saw Aunt Ren leading two or three shadowy figures toward Kouxiang Courtyard… Huh, that's strange. Isn't it empty over there?"

"Ren Yi-niang?!" Lü Zhi shouted loudly, gripping the little maid's wrist tightly. "The one beside the Madam…?" Ren Yi-niang had originally been a maidservant to Shao Shi, who later gave her to Gu Tingyu as a concubine. Before Gu Tingyu passed away, she was promoted to the status of Yi-niang (secondary wife).

The little maid, in pain, quickly nodded.

Minglan's heart sank in terror, unable to speak, and she could only force out one sentence: "Quick, go!" Everyone dared not delay any further and hurried on.

As soon as they stepped into Kouxiang Courtyard, they were hit by a strong smell of blood. Looking down by the lantern light, the ground was covered with bloodstains, and two maidservants' bodies were lying at the entrance. They were the ones who had been guarding Mama Cui.

Minglan felt dizzy, nearly collapsing, but at that moment, Tu Long and the others arrived. He bowed and said, "Madam, we've dealt with two of them and caught an inside traitor."

The guards behind him threw two black-clad corpses heavily onto the ground, then pushed out a woman in disheveled clothes—Ren Shi, who often followed Shao Shi. Minglan was furiously enraged and immediately slapped the woman twice. She was about to ask Tu Long where her son was, but suddenly, there came the sound of women and children screaming from the west side of the courtyard, followed by Xiao Shi's shout—"You thief, how dare you…!"

Tu Long and the others quickly rushed over, holding torches. A room in the dark row of chambers lit up, and Minglan hurriedly supported Xiao Tao and went over. On the table, a candle was burning, and Shao Shi was crouching in the corner, holding Xian Jie'er. Mama Cui seemed to have been knocked unconscious, slumped weakly against the bedpost. Xiao Shi came out of the inner room, his arm bleeding profusely, covering the wound with his hand. "Madam, it's inside…"

Minglan pushed Xiao Tao aside and rushed inside recklessly. She tore down the half-loosened curtain and saw a black-clad corpse lying on the floor. Tu Long and two guards stood at the door with knives in hand, smiling and glancing sideways.

Minglan followed their gaze—Rong Jie'er was half-sitting on the edge of the bed, holding the crying, chubby child in her arms.

The girl's face was streaked with tears, her hair a mess. A lock of hair had been pulled from her forehead, and blood spread near her temple. Her right hand tightly gripped a golden hairpin, while her left hand was bloody, the bone clearly visible. Her face was pale, but her eyes burned with fiery anger. Her mouth was stained with blood, and her jaw was slightly clenched.

Tu Long secretly smiled, having guessed the situation. Seeing that there was no immediate danger, and remembering the situation outside, he left two guards and Xiao Shi to stay behind while he went out to capture the remaining thieves.

Minglan walked over slowly, cradling her belly, and gently embraced Rong Jie'er. She softly asked, "Good child, what happened? Tell me, what's wrong?"

Rong Jie'er blankly raised her head, opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Xian Jie'er, hearing the commotion outside, struggled free from Shao Shi and rushed into the room. She spoke loudly and fluently, and after a moment, Xiao Shi, his arm haphazardly bandaged, came in, chattering away and adding more details.

As they spoke, Minglan's gaze toward her biological mother grew gentler and more approving, but she felt lost and confused in her heart.

—The moment that had just passed felt like a dream.

The womenfolk had been hiding in the dark room while the thieves, holding torches, kicked open door after door. The crude and cruel insults echoed as everyone trembled in fear. They saw the thieves getting closer to their room, and even Mama Cui was powerless.

In that moment, for reasons she couldn't explain, she mustered the courage to grab the chubby child and rush into the inner room. She stuffed the boy under the bed, moved a chair to block the door, and pulled out a golden hairpin, gripping it tightly in her hand, standing up.

The thieves kicked open the main door. The loud, shrill scream of her aunt could be heard, sounding like an old hen being strangled. Xian Jie'er only cried softly. Then came a muffled sound, and Mama Cui fell silent.

Listening to the footsteps of the thieves approaching the inner room, her palm was almost pierced by the hairpin's sharp end as she clenched her teeth, making no sound. The moment the thief stepped into the room, she leapt forward.

The person was caught off guard and knocked to the ground in one swift strike. She tightly clung to the thief's back, stabbing wildly with all her strength. Some of the stabs hit the shoulder and neck, others struck the back. The thief cried out in pain, dropping his long knife and pulling a dagger from his boot. Without thinking, she grabbed at the blade, and the sharp edge cut into her palm, sending a sharp pain straight to her heart.

She never knew she could be so tough. Not a sound escaped her, only a growing anger igniting the fierceness deep within her. She bit down on the thief's face and head. The thief, in intense pain, grabbed her hair from behind. Despite the excruciating pain of her scalp tearing open, she stubbornly refused to let go, clenching her teeth and continuing to stab with a golden hairpin in her hand.

In the end, the thief tore away a chunk of her hair and scal' it she managed to bite off half of his ear. Just as the thief was about to throw her off his back and deliver a fatal blow, Xiao Shi arrived.

Brother Tuan crawled out from under the bed, looking around unsteadily before opening his arms and tearfully reaching out to her. Rong Jie could no longer hold back, rushing to tightly embrace her chubby younger brother. The two siblings cried loudly together.

...

Minglan's eyes were filled with tears as she gently stroked the girl's bloodied and mangled wounds. She was so grateful that she almost wanted to prostrate herself on the ground and kowtow in thanks. Choking up, she said, "Good child, with you as his sister, Tuan'er is truly blessed!"

Rong Jie was embraced by her step mother, overwhelmed with mixed emotions, feeling an inexplicable ache, and she began crying again. The chubby Tuan'er, not understanding the situation and unable to form complete sentences, could only tug at his sister's clothes, crying "sister" repeatedly.

At the doorway, Shao Shi hesitated, wanting to enter but not daring to. Minglan noticed her and deliberately ignored her, turning to Rong Jie and wiping her tears as she smiled and said, "Rong girl, tell me honestly, are you scared?" She pointed to the corpse on the ground.

Rong Jie glanced at the body, thought for a moment, and shyly said, "…To be honest, I'm not that scared…" She was just very angry.

Minglan shook her head, clicking her tongue in admiration, and clapped her hands with a laugh. "As expected, you are your father's daughter! Naturally tough and courageous, fearless to the extreme!"

By now, the sky was faintly lightening. The thieves who had entered the inner quarters had been dealt with. Minglan took the two children back to Jiaxi Courtyard. Cui Wei found out Gu Tingye's wound medicine, and Minglan personally cleaned Rong Jie's wounds and bandaged them.

Xiao Tao smoothly took a small portion of the ointment and quietly slipped away to bandage Shi Xiaodi's wounds.

After all, she was just a child—having stayed up all night, shocked, injured, and crying. Rong Jie was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep on Minglan's bed, with the little chubby boy sleeping soundly beside her like a pig.

Minglan stood by the bed, holding a candle and quietly watching. A smile played on her lips as she observed how the siblings even slept in exactly the same sprawled-out position.

Speaking of which, Rulan also liked to sleep in the starfish position. Minglan wondered how her brother-in-law had managed all these years, whether he had ever been woken up by his wife's leg on top of him in the middle of the night. As she thought about it, she suddenly wished that one day this girl could be like Rulan, finding a good place to settle down.

The noise outside gradually died down, and Minglan knew that the worst was over.

Soon after, the Tu brothers sent word, saying that the group of thieves had intended to make a final stand but fled when they saw that Lord Liu had sent soldiers for protection.

Minglan, feeling exhausted, rubbed her forehead. "Everyone's worked hard. Let's set everything else aside for now. First, please summon some doctors; there are many people in the house who need treatment for injuries and illnesses. Later, we'll assess the damage to the property, reward those who deserve it, and deal with things one step at a time." Cui Mama had woken up, but the swelling on her head might still be a concern, and Rong Jie's palm also needed proper care.

Hao Dacheng couldn't help but ask, "Madam, aren't you going to ask about the situation outside?"

Minglan put down her hands, smiled, and said, "Although Lord Liu cares about our household, his loyalty to the emperor is still far greater. If things aren't peaceful in the palace, would Lord Liu really have the manpower to come and rescue us?"

Hao Dacheng couldn't help but laugh bitterly, and with a sigh, he said, "Madam's insight is truly extraordinary."

"Forget it, what does it matter if the world is in chaos? For now, I just want to focus on my children and have a good rest!" Minglan lightly tapped her neck, feeling the soreness. "Hao, don't overexert yourself. Once things are nearly done, go and rest as well."

Just as Hao Dacheng was about to leave, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and hesitated. "Madam, last night… there was one thief who, many people thought… resembled Third Master…"

Minglan's hand, which was rubbing her shoulder, paused mid-motion. She looked at him with uncertainty.

—Gu Tingbing?!