The Second Matriarch, accompanied by Sixth Madam Ji, was playing cards with the two daughters-in-law of Fifth Uncle, Guo, and Cai, as well as Dou Zhengchang’s wife, Han.
Upon seeing Dou Zhao enter, the Sixth Madam quickly stood up, smiling and waving her over. “Come here and help your great-aunt with the cards.”
The Second Matriarch had poor eyesight, so she needed someone to stand behind her and quietly assist her with the game, especially during critical moments. Dou Zhao knew that Ji’s eyesight had also deteriorated over the years, making it a challenging task for her to help the Second Matriarch.
With a bright smile, Dou Zhao sat beside the Second Matriarch. They exchanged casual conversation while Guo and the others listened in.
“Have you seen your father?” the Second Matriarch asked.
“I have,” Dou Zhao replied.
“Why didn’t you stay at home a bit longer?”
“A few juniors from the Hanlin Academy came to visit my father and invited him to Jing’an Temple to listen to the abbot’s teachings, so I returned first.”
The Second Matriarch nodded. Dou Zhao pointed to the cards on the table. “Great-aunt, it’s ‘Kong Yi Yi.'” She helped the Second Matriarch draw a “Kong” card and discarded a “Yi” onto the table.
Cai chimed in sweetly, “Our Fourth Sister is so quick-witted; we can’t even win a single point from our great-aunt!”
The Second Matriarch chuckled.
Everyone’s attention returned to the card game.
By the time dinner was served, Dou Zhao had helped the Second Matriarch win over ten taels of silver.
Cai linked her arm with Dou Zhao’s. “I didn’t expect Fourth Sister to be such a skilled player, helping our great-aunt win all our silver!”
“You’re just teasing!” In just a few days, the Second Matriarch had grown fond of this lively granddaughter-in-law, speaking to her in an affectionate and friendly manner.
Ji and Han both laughed.
Guo’s expression dimmed slightly.
Fifth Madam entered the room.
“Mother, where do you think we should set the dining table for dinner?”
Since moving to Huai Tree Alley, Fifth Madam had insisted on serving the Second Matriarch during meals, regardless of how busy she was, fulfilling her duties as a daughter-in-law. This pleased the Second Matriarch greatly, leading her to be lenient with the Fifth Madam, even exempting her from serving during meals. However, Fifth Madam remained adamant, eventually agreeing to serve only dinner. For this, the Second Matriarch had repeatedly reminded Dou Shishu to treat the Fifth Madam kindly.
Today, Fifth Madam’s expression was somewhat grim, her smile forced.
Dou Zhao suspected she was troubled by the rumors of the Wei family wanting to break off the engagement.
Although she was not the matriarch of the Dou family, Dou Shishu held the highest official position, and with that came responsibilities and obligations—this burden fell on her shoulders.
Dou Zhao seized an opportunity to instruct Su Xin, “Go tell Ji Gongzi that I need to speak with him. Ask him to come by when he has time.” She couldn’t help but reflect on how, back in Zhen Ding, despite having many elders around, she and her grandmother lived in the West Dou residence. Whenever something happened, everyone would report to her, and her word was law; she could decide everything herself. Now, having moved to the capital, although there were fewer elders, she resided in Huai Tree Alley, and matters were reported either to Dou Shishu or Fifth Madam. At best, they would go to Sixth Madam, leaving her out of the loop. Even meeting Mr. Chen had become inconvenient, let alone seeing Ji Yong.
Zhen Ding was indeed better!
Perhaps that was why Ji Yong had taken five or six days to come to see her.
By this time, Fifth Madam had already heard the news that Wei Tingzhen had set his sights on a young lady from the Marquis of Ting’an’s household, and she was furious, strategizing with Sixth Madam behind closed doors.
Ji Yong casually sat in the armchair by the kang and asked Dou Zhao, “What do you want from me? You’re not planning to tell me you want to break off the engagement with Wei Tingyu, are you?” His tone carried a hint of mockery.
It seemed Ji Yong was still fixated on her determination to marry Wei Tingyu.
Dou Zhao asked, “What did you have Dou Ming do for you?”
Ji Yong was momentarily taken aback. “You know?” Then, with curiosity, he asked, “How did you find out? Did Dou Ming let something slip?” He sighed, “I knew Dou Ming was unreliable, but I didn’t expect her to reveal it so quickly! What did she say to you…?”
Dou Zhao stared quietly into his eyes, saying nothing.
Ji Yong felt uncomfortable under her gaze and exclaimed, “Alright, alright! What are you looking at me like that for? You just want to know what I had Dou Ming do, right? I’ll tell you. I noticed that Wei Tingyu lacks resolve, so I had Dou Ming coax him into going to Daxiangguo Temple with her…”
In the end, it was all about creating the illusion of a secret relationship between Dou Ming and Wei Tingyu.
Dou Zhao closed her eyes, taking a moment to calm her emotions before asking, “And then?”
“What?” Ji Yong looked puzzled for a moment but quickly caught on, laughing, “I just wanted to see if Wei Tingyu would fall for it…”
Dou Zhao fixed her gaze on him, interrupting, “I thought you would respect my decision.”
Ji Yong’s voice faltered, and the playful smile on his face faded, replaced by a hint of seriousness.
“Or do you not trust my judgment?” Dou Zhao continued. “So no matter what decision I make, if you think it’s wrong, you’ll find a way to correct it until I act according to your wishes.”
That’s not how it is!
Ji Yong instinctively wanted to argue, but as the words formed in his mouth, he felt that no matter how he defended himself, it would sound weak.
“Ji cousin,” Dou Zhao said earnestly, “I hope you can have a little more faith in me and stop interfering in my marriage. If I need your help, I will naturally ask for it.” As she spoke, she smiled slightly at Ji Yong.
Ji Yong couldn’t muster a smile in return.
For the first time in his life, he felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on his heart, making it hard to breathe.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside.
This was the Dou family’s inner courtyard; how could there be such a disturbance?
Dou Zhao furrowed her brow.
Su Xin rushed in, flustered, disregarding Ji Yong’s presence. “It’s bad! Fifth Miss is trying to go to Daxiangguo Temple with the Marquis of Jining, and Chief Steward Gao caught her at the gate!”
Although Dou Zhao had anticipated such a possibility, hearing it confirmed still made her expression change.
Dou Ming must have intended to create such a scene!
If she went to Daxiangguo Temple with Wei Tingyu, not only would her reputation be ruined, but the Dou family’s reputation would also suffer. The Second Matriarch would never let her off the hook. However, if she failed to go with Wei Tingyu, she would have no explanation for Ji Yong. This was the best outcome—silencing Ji Yong while preventing the situation from spiraling out of control, thus avoiding becoming the target of everyone’s ire.
She glanced at Ji Yong.
His face was extremely grim.
He believed that the naive Dou Ming would simply comply if threatened, yet at a critical moment, she had outsmarted him, following his instructions to the letter, leaving him with no grounds for complaint.
Dou Zhao instructed Su Xin, “Let’s go take a look!”
She left Ji Yong alone in the flower hall.
On an early spring afternoon, the sunlight streaming through the glass windows in the flower hall felt warm, yet the wind still carried a biting chill.
Ji Yong stared at the dancing dust in the sunlight, feeling lost as he left the Dou residence.
A few days later, he received news that the Wei family had once again sent a matchmaker to the Dou family to discuss the wedding date.
Lying in bed, reluctant to get up, Ji Yong couldn’t help but curse loudly.
Old Master Ji entered with a smile, saying indulgently, “I heard you’re not feeling well. You look fine to me. Who made our Ji Ming unhappy? Do you want your great-grandfather to help you deal with them?” He spoke in a tone as if coaxing a child.
Ji Yong found it annoying.
He glanced at his great-grandfather and lazily replied, “Why didn’t you go out to play with my cousins today?”
The implication was clear: he wanted Old Master Ji to go find something fun to do.
Old Master Ji chuckled and sat beside Ji Yong. “I heard the Dou family and the Wei family have started discussing the wedding date. It seems your plan didn’t work out!”
Ji Yong was taken aback, sitting up straight with wide eyes fixed on Old Master Ji.
Old Master Ji laughed even more heartily. “You wanted to ruin the Marquis of Jining’s reputation to make the Dou family dissatisfied and break off the engagement with the Wei family, but instead, you dragged Duke Ying’s son into it. The Marquis of Jining’s reputation remains intact, and now he has a grudge against Song Mo. Then you incited Dou Ming to trick the Marquis of Jining into going to Daxiangguo Temple, but when Dou Ming didn’t even leave the house, the plan fell apart. The Dou family not only didn’t break off the engagement with the Wei family but also reconciled and sat down to discuss the wedding date… Ji Ming, what are you planning now?” His tone was laced with mockery, almost gleeful.
Ji Yong’s face turned ashen.
Old Master Ji continued, “I remember when you were little, you jumped off the eaves wrapped in a cloth, claiming you wanted to learn to fly like a bird; then you burned down half of the ancestral house, saying you were trying to concoct an elixir for immortality; later, you said you wanted to be a sycophant so you could become a minister before thirty and give the Ji family a good name… Although these things were absurd, at least they had some reasoning behind them. Look at you now; the Fourth Miss of the Dou family has made it clear she wants to marry into the Wei family, yet you insist on breaking up their engagement. Tell me, what exactly are you trying to achieve?”
As if facing a teacher’s question, Ji Yong immediately entered a state of readiness.
“Since you know everything, then tell me, does someone like Wei Tingyu deserve to marry Fourth Miss? If Fourth Miss marries Wei Tingyu, wouldn’t it be like a beautiful flower planted in cow dung? It’s like a wolf hair brush paired with a blue-and-white porcelain handle—looks good but is useless.”
“And even if that’s the case, so what?” Old Master Ji’s smile gradually faded, and the curiosity and sparkle in his eyes were replaced by a hint of seriousness, revealing a sharp edge. “I remember once when I took you, Min Ge, and Ne Ge to Longhu Mountain to visit the leader of the Tianyi Sect. On the way, we saw a woman begging with a three- or four-year-old girl who had lost her legs.
Min Ge and Ne Ge showed pity and gave their New Year’s money to the woman, but you turned around and jumped into the carriage, taking the best seat, saying, ‘There are many beggars in the world; just because she is a woman and has a girl with no legs, does that mean I should help them? There are many capable women married to incompetent men; just because the Fourth Miss of the Dou family is your cousin, does that mean you should rush to help her?'”
Hearing this, Ji Yong broke out in a cold sweat!