Dou Shiying felt a momentary flutter of interest, but he quickly suppressed the feeling.
This Tao Qizhong, with his refined speech and proper appearance, seemed like a modest and polite scholar. However, he occasionally revealed hints of flattery, indicating his character wasn’t particularly admirable. It was clear he was proposing to matchmake for Dou Shiying’s daughter merely to curry favor. Who knew what kind of family he had in mind?
He couldn’t just marry off Shou Gu carelessly just because she was getting older.
Dou Shiying chuckled a few times, brushing off the matter.
Seeing this, Tao Qizhong didn’t press further and took his leave along with Xu Zhiji.
Dou Shiying returned to his study to read for a while, but a servant rushed in, saying, “Master, Mr. Tao who came with Official Xu to visit you earlier has returned. He says he has urgent matters to discuss with you and begs you to see him no matter what.”
Although displeased, Dou Shiying was gentle by nature and agreed to see Tao Qizhong again.
As soon as Tao Qizhong saw Dou Shiying, he bowed deeply, his face full of shame. “Master Dou, a man needs face as a tree needs bark. I couldn’t bring myself to say this in front of Official Xu. My nephew didn’t steal anything. He runs a silver shop in Baoding Prefecture and had an affair with a concubine of the Baoding Prefect, who often called on the shop’s craftsmen to make jewelry. The Prefect suspected something but couldn’t find evidence, so he fabricated a reason to throw my nephew in jail.
I work as an advisor in Duke Ying’s household and have a good relationship with the Duke. I’ve sought the Duke’s help in this matter, initially thinking it was just a misunderstanding. The Duke even sent his calling card to the Baoding Prefect, and that’s how we learned the truth. But since the Prefect had already made such accusations, even the Duke couldn’t intervene openly. Having no other option, I’ve come to seek your help, Master Dou.”
“He committed such a despicable act, and we’re too ashamed to plead for leniency. However, he has a sixty-year-old mother and several young children to support. If something happens to him, his elderly mother and young children might be left destitute. That’s why I’ve dared to ask for your intervention, Master Dou, to spare his life…” With that, Tao Qizhong bowed deeply once more.
This explanation made more sense to Dou Shiying.
As long as the man’s life could be spared, with Tao Qizhong’s further mediation, he could probably be released in three to five years.
Now knowing this was a personal grudge, Dou Shiying became even more cautious. He considered carefully before saying, “Let me inquire about it first.”
Tao Qizhong was overwhelmed with gratitude and quickly said, “My offer to matchmake for your eldest daughter was sincere. The prospective groom is the heir of Duke Ying’s household, my employer. He’s sixteen this year, handsome and talented in all six arts – riding, archery, music, arithmetic, writing, and etiquette. He was granted the hereditary fourth-rank position of Jianshi by imperial favor right after birth. At five, he inherited the title of heir and now serves as a Commander in the Imperial Guard, a proper third-rank military official. He has only one younger brother and a few distant relatives, making for a quiet household. If not for the incident with the Duke of Dingguo’s family and Madam Jiang’s passing, the young master’s marriage wouldn’t have been delayed until now…”
The affair of the Duke of Dingguo was common knowledge.
Many in the scholarly circles believed the Duke of Dingguo died unjustly. Far from considering him a criminal, they compared him to Guan Yu, seeing him as a victim in the power struggle between Zeng Yifen and Ye Shipei.
Song Mo, being the Duke of Dingguo’s nephew, undoubtedly came from a prestigious background.
Dou Shiying was immediately interested. It would be better for Dou Zhao to marry out than to stay at home.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Is this true?”
“How could I dare deceive Master Dou!” Tao Qizhong said solemnly, his expression serious. “I’ve been with Duke Ying’s household for over a decade and have some influence with the Duke. I wouldn’t dare speak falsely about such matters.”
Although many wealthy families relied on trusted servants to arrange marriages for their sons and daughters, Tao Qizhong’s confident manner, as if the matter would be settled as soon as he proposed it, made Dou Shiying suspicious.
If the heir of Duke Ying was such a good match, why would he be interested in Shou Gu?
It wasn’t that Dou Shiying was being overly modest. It was just that the noble families and the scholar-official families moved in different circles. Duke Ying’s household was renowned, known even to someone like him who rarely socialized. He was merely a fourth-rank Hanlin academician, and although his elder cousin was in the cabinet, his position was still new. The two families had no mutual benefits to offer each other. A century-old noble family like Duke Ying’s might not even consider them worth noticing.
Tao Qizhong seemed to sense Dou Shiying’s thoughts and smiled, “To be honest, since Madam Jiang’s passing, Duke Ying’s household has lacked someone to manage domestic affairs. The Duke has no intention of remarrying and wants to find a capable wife for the young master who can run the household. Preferably someone a few years older than the young master, mature, graceful, virtuous, and gentle. However, after much searching, they haven’t found a suitable match. I heard that your unmarried daughter is the eldest, whom you intend to keep at home to care for you in your old age. She must be very capable, which is why I thought of matchmaking. If your unmarried daughter were the second daughter, I might not have dared to suggest this…”
Dou Shiying felt relieved and couldn’t help but say, “Not to brag as a father, but my daughter is indeed very capable. She can handle all matters, big and small, in the household…”
Tao Qizhong listened attentively on the surface, but inwardly he was skeptical.
If she was so capable, how could she remain silent when her younger sister switched betrothals?
Even if she was capable, she was probably the type to keep her head down and work quietly, taciturn and dull.
He waited patiently for Dou Shiying to finish praising his daughter before smiling and saying, “With Official Xu present earlier, I couldn’t say which family I was matchmaking for. I also need to sound out Duke Ying’s household. I’ll come back in a few days to hear your thoughts, Master Dou.”
Dou Shiying nodded with satisfaction.
This was how matchmaking should be done!
Both families were respectable; if the marriage succeeded, everyone would be happy. If it didn’t, wouldn’t it be embarrassing? Especially for Dou Zhao – the matter of the sisters’ switched marriages couldn’t be kept secret for long. If the marriage with the Song family also fell through, she would become the laughingstock of the capital. Being laughed at was one thing – it could be endured and would pass with time. But if rumors spread about Dou Zhao having some hidden illness or defect, that would be disastrous.
He saw Tao Qizhong out and said, “Regarding your nephew’s matter, Mr. Tao, you needn’t worry. The Baoding Prefect and my second cousin are from the same imperial examination year. When he came to the capital for his duty report last year, he even stayed at my fifth cousin’s house. It’s just a matter of a concubine after all. It speaks to his poor household management, and I’m sure he’s aware of this. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have found an excuse to imprison your nephew.”
The implication was clear: if you can help arrange this marriage for my daughter, I’ll take care of your nephew’s situation.
Tao Qizhong bowed repeatedly before leaving Jing’an Temple Alley.
Dou Shiying, however, was too excited to sit still.
If Shou Gu could marry the heir of Duke Ying, she wouldn’t need to stay at home and take a husband into the family.
Having wronged Shou Gu last time, he felt he should prepare more dowry for her this time.
Surely Ming’er would understand and wouldn’t compete with her sister over these things.
He called for Gaosheng and instructed, “Prepare another set of dowry for the eldest young lady, double the original amount.” As soon as he said it, he felt it was inappropriate. Others might think he favored Dou Zhao over Ming’er, which would make Ming’er look bad. He quickly added, “Never mind, just prepare a dowry worth twenty thousand taels of silver for the eldest young lady. I’ll give her the rest privately.”
Gaosheng was stunned.
How could the eldest young lady be getting married so soon?
Surely the master wasn’t marrying off the Fourth Miss rashly just to prove a point?
He couldn’t help but say, “Master, who is the groom? Have you sent someone you trust to inquire about his background? The words of matchmakers are often unreliable!”
Dou Shiying was taken aback. “Ah, yes! How could I have forgotten about that?!”
Perhaps he was too eager to make amends to Dou Zhao.
Dou Shiying chuckled at himself, then told Gaosheng about Tao Qizhong’s matchmaking proposal for Dou Zhao and asked, “…What do you think?”
Gaosheng felt this marriage proposal came too suddenly, but seeing Dou Shiying so excited, he didn’t want to dampen his spirits. Yet he was also afraid that if this marriage truly was a rare good match and his words ruined it, he would never be able to forgive himself.
“If it can be arranged, what could be a better match than this!” he said diplomatically. “However, we should still make inquiries. That way, when the Fourth Miss marries into the family, she won’t be going in blind, knowing nothing.”
“Of course,” Dou Shiying nodded repeatedly. Realizing Gaosheng was the person he trusted most, he smiled and said, “Then I’ll leave this matter to you.” He repeatedly instructed, “Make sure to find out everything.” He added, “If you handle this well, I’ll reward your son with an official position.”
Gaosheng had always respected Dou Zhao, and even without Dou Shiying’s instructions, he would have made inquiries. Now that Dou Shiying was also rewarding his son with an official position, Gaosheng was overjoyed. He thanked Dou Shiying profusely, knelt to kowtow three times, and then withdrew.
Dou Shiying’s feelings were very mixed.
He was afraid that Gaosheng might uncover unfavorable information about the heir of Duke Ying, leaving Dou Zhao without a marriage prospect. Yet he was also worried that if Gaosheng’s findings confirmed Tao Qizhong’s glowing description, Duke Ying’s family might still look down on Dou Zhao…
He practiced calligraphy in his study, anxiously waiting for news from Gaosheng.
Unexpectedly, Gaosheng returned at dusk.
“Master, I’ve learned something,” he said, his face pale, making Dou Shiying’s heart sink. “I heard that the heir of Duke Ying has a very violent temper. After an argument with the Duke, he killed all the guards under the Duke’s command. Not only that, but he neatly arranged the bodies of the slain guards in the middle of the courtyard. When the Duke returned home, all the noble families in the capital were terrified when they heard about this…”
“What did you say?” Dou Shiying jumped up.
No wonder Tao Qizhong was matchmaking for Shou Gu – it turned out the heir of Duke Ying had such a bad temperament that no one dared to marry into their family!
Wasn’t this pushing Shou Gu into a fire pit?
That Tao Chi, how dare he try to deceive me!
He trembled with anger. Seeing that all the servants in the room had been sent away, he shouted at Gaosheng, his face ashen, “Where’s Tao Chi’s calling card? What was his nephew’s name again? Help me grind the ink, I want to write a letter to the Baoding Prefect. Does he still want to save his nephew’s life? I’ll have his nephew exiled three thousand li… No, exiled to the nine borders. That might play right into his hands – if Duke Ying’s household intervenes, a three-year sentence might end up being more comfortable than life outside. I’ll make sure he rots in jail…”
Gaosheng had never seen Dou Shiying so angry. He didn’t dare to speak, only responding with meek acknowledgments. Just then, a servant – either very dim-witted or perhaps too clever – rushed in to report, “Master, the Fifth Madam from Huaishu Alley is here. She says she has something to discuss with you!”