Chapter 520: It was the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes, those Han noble families, who secretly incited this rebellion!

Ruyang Hou Fu.

The morning sun at the hour of the Dragon filtered through the carved windows, scattering onto the Blue Bricks floor of the side hall, casting mottled light and shadow.

The hall was scented with a delicate fragrance; a set of Ru kiln tea ware rested on the table, and boiling water poured into the tea cups, rising in wisps of white vapor. The tea aroma mingled with the perfume, exuding a hint of luxurious leisure.

Ku Di Gan reclined at an angle on the Grand Master's Chair, which was padded with a soft cushion, his face bearing a touch of post‑drunken laziness.

He lifted the warm tea cup, took a shallow sip, and his gaze lingered as it swept across the hall, then laughed loudly toward Lou Ting opposite: "Brother Lou, the dancing girls in your manor are truly supple!"

He set the cup down, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his tone full of admiration: "Last night's banquet, those figures, those dances, were absolutely unparalleled in beauty, as soft as boneless spring water."

"What's even rarer is the discernment, having someone attend to you so thoroughly that you feel entirely at ease!"

He appeared utterly refreshed and invigorated.

Lou Ting heard this and burst into hearty laughter, his voice booming like a great bell, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes relaxing: "Hahaha! Ku Di Gan, as long as you're satisfied!"

He immediately raised his hand to signal a maid to refill the tea, "Ku Di Gan, as long as you're satisfied!"

"If you like them, you may present those two dancing girls to Ku Di Gan!"

Ku Di Gan, without refusing, clapped his hands and laughed, "Very well! I shall humbly obey!"

The atmosphere in the side hall was in full swing, the tea scent, laughter, and incense intertwining, presenting a scene of affluent leisure and carefree ease.

Just then, with a "Bang," the wooden door was violently pushed open.

Lou Rui burst in, his clothes in disarray, his hair bun tangled, his face full of panic, dust clinging to his forehead, shouting as he ran: "Father! Something terrible has happened!"

Lou Ting's smile froze instantly, his brows furrowed sharply, a flash of anger flashing in his eyes.

He slammed the tea cup down heavily, a few drops of tea spilling onto the table, and scolded Lou Rui sternly: "What makes you so frantic! What a disgrace!"

Ku Di Gan also withdrew his smile, his hand holding the cup pausing slightly, his gaze turning inquisitively toward Lou Rui.

Lou Ting inhaled deeply, trying to suppress the fire in his heart, and said gravely: "Didn't I teach you, as a father, to remain calm in the face of trouble?"

"Take your time to explain; the sky won't fall!"

Lou Rui's urgent expression was like a red‑hot iron, beads of sweat sliding down his cheeks, striking his collar and leaving damp spots.

He shook his head vigorously, his voice trembling with over‑burned anxiety, repeatedly shouting at Lou Ting: "I can't stay calm!"

"Father! The mad rioters in the city have already broken into our manor!"

"What?!" Lou Ting's eyes widened as if struck by lightning, his pupils contracting, the color draining from his face, and he gasped, "The rioters entered the manor?!"

Ku Di Gan beside him could no longer sit still and sprang to his feet with a "Swoosh."

The Brothel, moved too violently, swept across the table, toppling the tea cup onto the floor, which shattered with a "Clang."

His face was filled with incredulous shock, his brows knotted, and he said gravely: "Where did these rioters come from?!"

"The manor's defenses are stringent; how could they have managed this?!"

Lou Ting looked at Lou Rui, demanding sharply: "Where are the manor's personal troops and guards?!"

"What are they, to be eaten?!"

Lou Rui trembled at his father's harsh rebuke, but could no longer afford fear and hurriedly explained: "There are too many rioters!"

"A sea of black swarmed, countless, pouring in through the main gate, side gates, even over the walls, flooding in from all directions…."

"Our people can't possibly hold them back!"

He recalled the scene he had just witnessed in the corridor.

The rioters, brandishing shoulder poles and hoes, eyes reddened, roared as they charged.

Although the personal troops fought fiercely, they were like a lone boat in a massive wave, instantly overwhelmed.

Lou Rui's voice trembled more, "Just now I saw with my own eyes that Zhang Hubeichang was surrounded by several people and beaten; his fate unknown…."

"If we don't leave now, we'll truly be trapped!"

"What should we do now!" Lou Ting was completely at a loss, pacing in circles on the spot, his hands clasped behind his back, the veins on his forehead throbbing, "These rebels dare such lawlessness!"

"Father! It's too late to talk about this now!" Lou Rui hurried forward, grabbing his father's sleeve, his tone urgent, "As long as the green mountains remain, we need not fear lacking firewood!"

"First leave this place of trouble, then we can deliberate further."

Lou Ting heard this, stopped abruptly, a flash of hesitation in his eyes before survival instinct took over.

He turned to Ku Di Gan, his expression solemn: "Brother Ku Di, at this point we can only retreat first!"

Ku Di Gan also understood the peril, hesitated not a moment, and nodded gravely: "Very well!"

The two did not hesitate any longer and immediately sprinted with Lou Rui and the guards toward the rear courtyard.

The manor was already in utter ruin.

Carved tables and chairs were overturned, precious porcelain shattered to pieces, and the embroidered curtains torn beyond repair.

The commoners, eyes reddened, brandished hoes, shoulder poles, and hatchets.

Some even seized scattered copper cauldrons and wooden benches from the manor, scouring for food and valuables, cursing the aristocracy's greed.

"The grain is in the eastern courtyard's granary! Go fetch it!" someone shouted loudly, and a crowd surged forward, leaving the ground littered with wreckage.

Another group rushed into the inner chambers, overturning all the gold, silver, jewels, and silk brocades from the chests, stuffing them into their arms and slinging them onto their backs.

The once solemn and splendid manor had now become a chaotic plunder ground.

Outside the Moon Gate in the rear courtyard, Lou Ting and Ku Di Gan, accompanied by a few close‑guard bodyguards, hurried forward, seeking to escape through the side gate.

At that moment, a group of food‑searching commoners emerged from behind a false rock, colliding head‑on with them.

Among the crowd, a rag‑clad, dark‑skinned man stared intently at Lou Rui, hatred burning deep in his eyes.

He was momentarily stunned, then recognized the face he could recall even after it had been burned to ash, and pointed at Lou Rui, shouting hoarsely: "I know that person!"

He stepped forward two paces, his fists clenched with a crackle, gritting his teeth as he roared: "It was he who, with his household slaves, forcibly bought ten acres of my good farmland!"

"I became a Liuren because of him!"

Those words were like a spark on dry wood, instantly igniting the surrounding crowd's fury.

Next to him, a man with half an arm broken also shoved forward, his gaze fixed on Ku Di Gan, and said gravely: "I also know that man over there!"

"It is Prince of Anding Ku Di Gan!"

The crowd is enraged, the commoners' faces full of ferocious hatred, they wave their weapons and shout at the top of their lungs: "Slaughter these parasites that feed on the people's flesh and blood!"

"Eradicate a great menace!"

The shouts shake heaven and earth.

The commoners surge toward Lou Ting, Ku Di Gan and the others like a tide, the fury in their eyes nearly swallowing them.

"Block them!"

"Quickly block these rioters!"

Lou Ting is terrified, his soul fleeing, his face as pale as paper, repeatedly ordering his guards, his voice trembling.

Several guards, daring not to delay, immediately draw the daggers at their waists, forming a human wall in front of the crowd.

The blade's cold glint flashes, colliding with the peasants' farming tools, producing a harsh "ding‑dang" clatter.

Though the guards are agile, they cannot hold back the multitude; each with reddened eyes, fighting for their lives, like starving wolves charging forward.

A guard just cut down a peasant before him, and two hoes fell from behind, crushing his back; he groaned, spitting blood, and collapsed with a thud.

Another guard is surrounded by the crowd, his dagger quickly knocked out of his hand.

Immediately, he is pulled and beaten by countless hands, his screams instantly drowned by angry shouts.

In the blink of an eye, several guards fall one after another, blood staining the courtyard's Qingshi Shiban.

Lou Ting watches the scene, his legs go weak, almost losing his balance, his face full of despair, murmuring: "I fear this won't hold for long…"

The dark‑skinned man who recognized the prince, eyes blood‑shot, raises his hoe high, the wind whooshing as it cuts the air, charging straight at the stumbling Lou Ting.

He steps on scattered broken porcelain and dust, each step exuding desperate ferocity, roaring curses: "Damned Xianbei dog!"

"Seizing my Han family's land, causing my house to fall and people to die, today I'll send you straight to hell!"

The hoe, wielded with a force of a thousand pounds, falls, about to crush Lou Ting's head.

Lou Ting, terrified, his whole body stiff, face ashen, suddenly closes his eyes, despairingly murmurs: "My life is over!"

At this hair‑s‑breadth moment, a crisp "whoosh!" slices through the courtyard's clamor.

The man is swinging his hoe at full force, when suddenly a sharp pain hits his shoulder, he cries out: "Ah!"

The impact of the arrow knocks him off balance, his hoe clatters to the ground.

He looks down at his shoulder; a Feather Arrow has pierced flesh, blood gushing, staining his tattered clothes.

Before he can react, a second arrow flies, striking his chest.

The man's eyes widen, the hatred in them solidifying into unwillingness.

His body falls limp, twitches a few times then falls silent, completely lifeless.

Lou Ting trembles all over, hasn't recovered from near‑death terror, when he hears at the courtyard entrance a series of synchronized clanking of armor plates and footsteps.

He opens his eyes dazed, sees Lou Xu clad in shining silver armor, a sword at his waist, holding a Chang Qiang, leading a well‑equipped army, marching grandly into the courtyard.

"Brother, fear not! Your younger brother has arrived!" Lou Xu's voice booms like a bell, cutting through the chaos, clearly reaching Lou Ting's ears.

Lou Ting startles, then recognizes the familiar voice, his eyes instantly flashing with ecstatic light, his voice trembling with excitement: "Ah Xu! Ah Xu has come!"

Lou Xu pulls the Horse Rein, sternly orders the soldiers in dark armor behind him: "Deliver my General's Order! Slay all these rioters, leave none!"

"As you command!" the soldiers reply in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

They are well‑trained, wielding long Blades and Shields, charging into the crowd like tigers descending a mountain.

The peasants' farming tools are no match for the sharp weapons, their original anger and courage instantly replaced by fear.

The soldiers, like wolves entering a flock of Sheep, flash Blades, and screams follow in succession.

Some peasants, before they can raise a weapon, are cut down by a Blade.

Some try to flee, but a Shield blocks their path, and they are immediately pierced by a Blade.

Others attempt resistance, but are no match for the armored soldiers.

In a short moment, the courtyard's Qingshi Shiban is covered with corpses and blood.

The originally surging crowd is quickly dispersed, the remaining people, terrified, kneel and beg for mercy, the situation instantly brought under control.

Lou Xu dismounts, hurries to Lou Ting's side, grasps his older brother's cold hand, his tone full of concern: "Third brother, you were frightened!"

"Your younger brother arrived late!"

Lou Ting tightly squeezes his brother's hand, lets out a long sigh, the color returning to his face, his gratitude for surviving evident: "Not late, not late!"

"Fourth brother, thank goodness you came in time!"

"Otherwise, my brother, Ku Di Gan, and your nephew would have perished at the hands of these rioters today!"

Beside them, Ku Di Gan also sheathes his dagger, his solemnity easing, steps forward, respectfully bows to Lou Xu, and says gravely: "Thank you, Lord Lou, for saving my life!"

Lou Xu nods, the pressure of his palm tightening slightly, his tone serious: "Fortunately we arrived in time!"

He turns his head, scanning the upright soldiers in the courtyard and the corpses strewn about, and says gravely, "These rioters have gathered and rebelled; it's no longer a small disturbance, now it has swept across all of Jinyang…"

"The city is in chaos like a pot of porridge!"

Lou Ting, whose mind had just steadied, feels his heart tighten again, his face again heavy with sorrow, brows furrowed, his voice tinged with unmistakable fear: "With such turmoil in the city, will Your Majesty punish…"

After all, if accountability is pursued, his responsibility as Minister of Revenue would be enormous…

Ku Di Gan, however, is completely different; his face shows not a hint of worry, but unusual excitement.

He steps forward, a gleam in his eyes, grabs Lou Ting's arm, exclaiming excitedly: "Lou brother, a heaven‑sent opportunity!"

"Perfect to pin the cause of the unrest on those people!"

Lou Ting, upon hearing this, feels as if a revelation poured over him, the confusion in his eyes vanishing, a bright insight flashing, he exclaims: "Yes! It's the Five Surnames Seven Hopes… the Han noble families!"

"They secretly incited this rebellion!"

——

PS: Tonight's wind keeps grinding; two chapters, eight thousand words, equivalent to four updates, seeking a free little gift.