Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 1224: Played for a Fool

Young Master Dou gazed at them, a cold sneer forming on his lips. "Why the surprise? Did you truly believe such petty schemes from that woman could evade my awareness?"

"She was never particularly astute, and now she’s acting even more foolishly, essentially becoming a pawn for someone else."

Back when he was subjected to Ms. Meng’s torment and pushed to the brink of fury, the Young Marquis had once remarked, "There's no need for such exasperation. Your stepmother only knows how to employ brute force; she's truly not very cunning. Had she been intelligent, she wouldn't have abused you but instead would have lavished praise upon you until your demise, all while feigning benevolence and orchestrating your ruin. And, after being utterly destroyed by her, you would still find yourself compelled to offer gratitude."

At the time, those words hadn't deeply resonated, but as the years passed and that woman's methods remained relentlessly brutal, he finally grasped the profound wisdom embedded in the Young Marquis’s past pronouncements.

Indeed, Ms. Meng is undeniably foolish.

Ah, the Young Marquis is truly sharp-witted!

However, despite Ms. Meng’s lack of sense, she holds significant favor with the old patriarch. Regardless of the extent of Ms. Meng’s abuse, including attempts to poison him or orchestrate his assassination, the old man never truly imposed any substantial punishment upon her.

Young Master Dou harbors animosity towards Ms. Meng, yet his heart isn't broken by her actions. The individual who genuinely shatters his spirit is Manager Dou... Young Master Dou could never comprehend why the old man, his own biological father, could stand by indifferently while his son endured numerous attempts on his life.

Truly, there is often a biased father alongside a biased stepmother, who only showers affection upon the second and third sons.

It is a lamentable fact that Dou Ke was born with a natural aptitude for commerce, making him far more suited to lead the Dou Family than his second brother, who is adept only at squandering wealth, or his third brother, whose sole pursuit is endless scholarly endeavors!

"Dou Cang, meticulously preserve those nine deceased individuals using appropriate materials. Once I have concluded my business at the bank, we shall present the bodies along with the Meng Family assassins to the Jingzhao Governor to formally lodge our complaint."

Dou Cang, one of the elite Shadow Guards under Young Master Dou’s command, responded, "Master, is this course of action truly advisable?"

Presenting corpses to the Jingzhao Governor to file a complaint is certain to incite the ire of the old master.

Young Master Dou let out another cold snort. "What is objectionable about it? I declared it long ago: if that woman dares to create difficulties for me, the entire Dou Family will not be allowed to escape unscathed!"

The old man places the utmost importance on reputation; regardless of how that woman treated him in private, as long as such matters were not brought to public light, no repercussions were ever forthcoming.

But ever since he narrowly escaped death at that woman’s hands when he was merely six years old, and subsequently caused a significant disturbance at the Capital's most prominent restaurant, drawing the attention of its populace to Ms. Meng’s cruelty, the old man finally imposed a punishment on Ms. Meng.

Since that incident, he has understood the old man’s vulnerability. He resolutely abandoned clandestine warfare, opting instead to make every conflict a public affair.

Nevertheless, this strategy has progressively worsened the already strained father-son relationship, but he no longer concerns himself with it. His sole objective is to ensure his own survival through this method.

"Yes, I shall depart immediately to handle the deceased." Dou Cang promptly led his subordinates to take charge of the bodies, while the surviving assassins were escorted to a separate location for detainment.

Young Master Dou issued further instructions to others present: "Fetch water to extinguish the flames."

His tone lacked a sense of pressing urgency, primarily because, given Young Master Dou’s immense wealth, even a complete destruction of the residence could be rectified, provided the building housing the crucial contracts and the vault containing the Silver remained intact.

After attending to immediate matters, Young Master Dou directly led his retinue towards the courtyard where the contracts were securely kept. "Company Commander Qin, are you still present?!"

"I am still here," Qin San Lang's voice emanated from within the structure.

Upon hearing this confirmation, Young Master Dou, accompanied by his men, immediately entered the house, their eyes adjusting to Qin San Lang illuminated by the available light. He urgently inquired, "How fares it? Are you injured?"

"No injuries sustained," Qin San Lang replied, gesturing towards Meng Wu. "This individual has a broken arm. Please find a physician to examine him, lest he succumbs to excessive blood loss."

Young Master Dou exclaimed, "Yes, yes! Dou Meng, hasten to dispatch someone to summon Doctor Zhou to attend to Company Commander Qin, to ensure there are no unseen internal injuries he might be harboring."

"..." Dou Meng flinched, casting a sideways glance at his young master, a palpable sense of apprehension washing over him. Young master, since when have you developed such peculiar preferences? Did you not recently task Dou Zhi with finding you a suitable young woman? How could your tastes have shifted so drastically and so swiftly?

But if you absolutely must alter your preferences, could we not at least find a delicate scholar type? Someone as robust as Company Commander Qin is truly leagues beyond your usual preferences; you risk ending up severely injured yourself.

Observing Dou Meng’s continued inaction, Young Master Dou erupted in an angry shout, "Why are you lingering there? Go without delay and summon a physician!"

"Yes." Dou Meng cast aside his presumptuous thoughts and hurried out, summoning his Shadow Guards to fetch Doctor Zhou from the Zhou Family Clinic.

Inside, Qin San Lang inquired of Young Master Dou, "Is Brother An doing well? He’s carrying the contracts, nothing should happen to him."

Young Master Dou chuckled, "Rest assured, Company Commander Qin, your brother-in-law is quite dependable. Both he and the contracts are completely secure."

They were concealed within the government office’s cells; those assassins would never have fathomed such a hiding spot in a million years.

What!

Meng Wu, upon hearing this, abruptly looked up. Could it be that the contracts were not actually in this room? Then their efforts tonight were all for naught? What a farce!

Young Master Dou observed Meng Wu’s astonished reaction and let out a laugh, "Precisely, the contracts aren't here at all. This room contains nothing but a stack of scrap paper; burning it down would be inconsequential."

Meng Wu’s face contorted with fury at this revelation, realizing he had been utterly deceived!

Yet, a subtle twitch pulsed across his cheek, almost resembling a smile: Haha, do they truly believe their plan to infiltrate the bank and destroy the contracts was their sole tactic? Just wait! By tomorrow at the latest, news will erupt that the Silver transport by Silver Dou Ke and the Ouyang Family has been waylaid by bandits.

Without the Silver, incensed farmers would not only raze the bank but also tear Dou Ke limb from limb.

Furthermore, those hidden powers in the shadows would disseminate rumors, fanning the flames of the farmers' anger, inciting them to storm the government office, and possibly triggering a full-blown rebellion.

By then, Dou Ke, the Ouyang Family, and this lowly soldier who lost his arm would all face execution!

Noticing the quivering in Meng Wu’s cheeks, Young Master Dou frowned and addressed him, "Why is your face twitching? Are you going to end up paralyzed?"

"He’s laughing. When someone’s jaw is dislocated, only their facial muscles and eyes can move, resulting in such a peculiar laugh," Qin San Lang explained. He then looked at Meng Wu and added, "I understand your thoughts, but regrettably, you are mistaken. The Silver convoy will not be intercepted; those so-called bandits will be annihilated by the Prefecture garrison’s soldiers."

What!

Meng Wu was utterly dumbfounded, staring at Qin San Lang in disbelief. How could a mere soldier from the countryside possibly command the Prefecture garrison?

Young Master Dou bellowed with laughter, "Ah, so that’s what you were laughing about? Then your joy was in vain. Do you truly believe our efforts these past few days were for nothing? We've already devised countermeasures for every move you intended to make."

Upon hearing this, Meng Wu’s cheeks twitched once more: Impossible, he refused to believe it. This had to be a fabrication!

"You don’t believe it?" Young Master Dou inquired. "Well, you had best start believing. General Guo holds Company Commander Qin in high esteem, and this presents an opportunity for merit, so he is naturally inclined to dispatch his troops."

He concluded with a chilling expression, continuing, "Ms. Meng had best not have implicated assassins among the bandits intending to rob the Silver, lest the Meng Family face utter ruin!"

Robbing the bank’s Silver and subsequently being annihilated by the army would constitute a clan-destroying offense if it reached the Capital.

The Dou Family would also be dragged down, hence Young Master Dou sincerely hoped Ms. Meng was not so foolhardy.