Chapter 90 — Uproar

Since ancient times, the common folk have not contended with officials.

Chen Lanxu's expression turned somewhat grim: "Young Miss, I'm afraid we're in trouble—that Pang Kunbai has most likely quietly borrowed troops from the guard post to help him..."

But the deed was done. Did they think that if they simply surrendered, the Pang family would let them off?

Dou Yan's fury burned hotter still. "Are you certain you can hold those men here?" she demanded.

Chen Lanxu hesitated. "We're all commoners..."

In other words, they were confident they could keep the men there—they simply dared not, held back by the men's official status.

"Then keep them all for me!" Dou Yan cut Chen Lanxu off with the decisiveness of a born commander. "If they have the audacity to be so reckless, what have we to fear? If we can hold every one of them, then with officials and bandits colluding, even if Wang Xingyi were the Shaanxi provincial governor himself, he couldn't cover this up!" As she spoke, she turned and strode toward the door. "I'd like to see who has the nerve to mobilize men from the guard post to do the Pang family's private bidding?"

Seeing Dou Yan so calm and assured, Chen Lanxu felt somewhat reassured.

Perhaps to them the Shaanxi provincial governor was already an unattainably great official—but the Dou family did not even deign to notice such a person!

The Dou family's young miss was so young, yet she did not shrink back in the face of trouble. For that bold spirit alone, she was worth fighting this battle for.

It was only a pity that the Dou family's young miss was a girl. If only she were a young master!

He sighed inwardly and followed Dou Yan out of the hall.

In the courtyard, Uncle Duan and the others stood staring at one another, their expressions very grave. Pang Kunbai and his attendants all lay limp on the ground, groaning in agony, utterly unable to fight back.

When they saw Dou Yan come out, everyone's eyes fell upon Dou Zhiwei.

"Don't worry, everyone!" Dou Yan stood straight as a spear on the steps, her expression composed, imposing without anger, and said calmly, "No matter who comes, colluding with robbers is a crime punishable by exile three thousand li away. I've said it before: if anything happens, it all falls on the Dou household. All you brave men need do later is keep these people here."

So she said, but Dou Yan was a woman, and far too young. Many still wore hesitant looks. It was Uncle Duan who, seeing this, spoke up: "Things have come to this. There's only one road left—we walk it to the end. The more hesitant you all are, the more fear you'll show when the fighting starts; and the more fear you show, the less likely we are to keep those men here. And then I fear for all our lives. So I beg you, brothers, to pull together and see us through this crisis first—at worst we can flee beyond the passes and hide for a few years." Then he added teasingly, "Since Miss Dou has already paid out so much, I doubt she'll mind sparing a few more taels of silver for our settling-in expenses. Isn't that so, Miss Dou?"

This Uncle Duan seemed to command great respect among them. The moment he finished, everyone burst out laughing, and their faces relaxed.

"Naturally," Dou Yan said with a smile.

Seeing that Dou Yan valued his words, Uncle Duan volunteered to organize everyone into a strict defense.

The sound of hooves swept up to the gate like wind scattering clouds. With a crash, the door panel fell, and several guards in blue rushed in.

Dou Chu froze.

Weren't these Ji Yong's retainers?

Ji Yong's retainers froze as well.

Hadn't they heard that Miss Dou had been taken hostage?

But there stood Miss Dou, perfectly well, surrounded by strong guards, with groaning wounded men sprawled at her feet... This looked nothing like a hostage situation—it looked more like she had beaten people up while abusing her power...

Dou Qu shouted, "Stop!"

Someone urgently pushed through the blue-clad retainers and burst in: "What happened? Why are you all standing there stunned? Where is Fourth Sister?" The voice was anxious, yet it could not conceal its refinement.

It was Wu Shan's voice.

Dou Yan suddenly felt a little moved.

But Wu Shan stood rooted to the spot as though struck by lightning: "This—what on earth is going on here?"

He raised his head and stared blankly at Dou Yan, safe and sound, unable to understand why so many unfamiliar guards had suddenly appeared at her side. Still less could he understand how she, a frail young woman, had escaped unscathed...

"What happened?" Dou Huaide and Ji Yong, who had followed behind Wu Shan, squeezed in as well, and at the sight of the courtyard they too were dumbstruck!

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"...At the time I was so flustered, all I could think of was hurrying off to fetch help. I feared Suzhu was unfamiliar with the household and would waste time looking for someone, and her senior fellow disciple was a guard, so I had her go find Guard Chen. I didn't think much beyond that." Dou Zhiwei sat facing Wu Shan and Ji Yong, with Suzhu, Sulan, and Sujuan standing at her left and Dou Huaide seated at her right. More than half an hour had passed since the incident; the courtyard had been swept clean, the still-breathing Pang Kunbai and his attendants were locked up in the main hall, Chen Lanxu was leading Uncle Duan and the others on patrol in the courtyard, and Ji Yong's retainers had not yet returned from fetching a doctor. Seizing the opportunity, she recounted the whole affair to Dou Huaide, Wu Shan, and Ji Yong: "...I was truly furious, and that was why I ordered Guard Chen and the others to teach these robbers a lesson... Who would have known that Pang Kunbai actually knew those robbers? When he kept shouting about who he was, naturally I didn't believe him—I thought it was some scheme of the robbers'. Who would have known it really was Pang Kunbai!" She sighed. "Thank goodness Twelfth Brother, Fourth Brother Wu, and Cousin Ji arrived in time. Otherwise, if Pang Kunbai had been beaten to death, this would have been a real mess."

In her heart, though, she complained that they had not come a moment later—by then, not even the gods could have saved Pang Kunbai—and she resented that Uncle Duan and the others had not put in a little more effort and simply beaten Pang Kunbai to death and been done with it.

Outside on patrol, Uncle Duan sneezed several times in a row.

He could not help muttering to himself: Who's cursing me now? Good thing I kept my wits about me when I heard Pang Kunbai shouting and didn't kill the bastard with a single punch—otherwise we'd be in trouble now! Still, that bastard's skin is split open and every bone in his body is broken. Without three to five years of recovery, he won't even dream of walking on his own, let alone touching a woman!

At the thought, he felt rather smug.

At last he could teach a lecher like that a lesson without restraint.

He rubbed his nose and, chest out and head high, went on with his patrol.

In the inner room, Dou Dezheng and Wu Shan thought of Pang Kunbai's unrecognizable state and did not know what to say.

The two of them sat stunned, silent for a long while.

It was Ji Yong who finally said, "Two of those robbers are dead and two wounded, and six of Pang Kunbai's attendants are dead as well. I wonder what Cousin Dou plans to do?"

He gazed at Dou Yan, his eyes shining.

Dou Yan found it strange.

She had kicked up such a storm herself—so why was this cousin from the Ji family not thinking about how to help her clean up the mess, but instead wearing the eager, delighted look of a spectator who wished the stage were a little higher?

She thought of what her Sixth Aunt had said...

Could he be one of those whose face and heart did not match?

Dou Yan said flatly, "Naturally it must be handed over to the authorities—a death is involved!"