Song Mo was instructing Yan Chaoqing, saying, “…Make a trip to the Earl of Jiading when you have a moment.”
The Earl of Jiading was Wan Cheng, the younger brother of Empress Wan and the uncle of Gu Yu.
Yan Chaoqing understood and stood up, saying, “I will prepare to leave right away.”
Song Mo nodded.
A servant entered and reported, “Young Master, the Tenth Young Mistress from Huai Shu Hutong has arrived.”
Song Mo asked, “Is she here to see me?”
The servant quickly replied, “No, she is here to see the Madam…”
Song Mo said lightly, “If she’s here to see the Madam, why are you reporting this to me?” He then turned to Yan Chaoqing and added, “Have him reassigned to another task.”
Yan Chaoqing glanced at the servant and replied affirmatively.
The servant, frightened, suddenly knelt before Song Mo and began to bang his head on the ground.
Song Mo’s maid, Song Luo, pointed at a few people to escort the servant out.
Song Mo instructed Yan Chaoqing, “I don’t want to hear such heartless words again.”
Yan Chaoqing replied, “Understood,” and withdrew.
Song Luo, worried, asked, “Do we not need to inform the Young Master?”
Yan Chaoqing looked at her, half warning and half sighing, “If even the Madam cannot be trusted, the Young Master would probably prefer to be betrayed!”
Song Luo was confused, scratching her head in bewilderment.
Yan Chaoqing smiled and said, “If you don’t understand, don’t think too much about it. Just remember to respect the Madam as you would the Young Master.”
As the military advisor to the Young Master, following his advice would surely be wise.
Song Luo cheerfully replied, “I’ll listen to you,” and went to deal with the servant.
Yan Chaoqing frowned deeply.
Where was Chen Qu Shui? Why hadn’t he arrived yet? He wouldn’t have disregarded his words, would he?
Meanwhile, Chen Qu Shui, who was hurrying to the capital, sneezed.
Dou Zhao met with her sister-in-law, Cai Shi, in the flower hall.
Cai Shi, beaming with joy, congratulated Dou Zhao, “…What a coincidence to run into you! Have you heard about the situation over at Jing’an Temple Hutong? Would you like me to send a message to Uncle Qi?”
Perhaps because she trusted Song Mo, Dou Zhao felt calm about receiving the title of “Madam” ahead of time. Hearing Cai Shi’s words made her realize that this early title was indeed a royal favor, and her father would surely be pleased to know.
She smiled and said, “I’ll have Su Xin inform my father; there’s no need to trouble you, Tenth Sister-in-law.” She then turned to Su Xin and said, “Go and inform both Jing’an Temple Hutong and Mao’er Hutong.”
She also needed to inform her sixth aunt.
Su Xin smiled and accepted the task.
Dou Zhao then asked Cai Shi, “Did you come to see me for something specific?”
Having been granted the title of Young Master’s Wife, Dou Zhao had many responsibilities to attend to, including making appropriate ceremonial garments, crafting jewelry, rewarding servants, notifying relatives and friends of the Dou family, and gauging Song Yichun’s reaction. She truly had no time to engage in idle conversation with Cai Shi.
Cai Shi, sensing Dou Zhao’s busyness, worried that she might be impatient, smiled and conveyed the message from the Fifth Lady, who had sent her to visit.
Although Song Mo had said there was nothing to worry about, Dou Zhao thought it would be beneficial to have her fifth uncle analyze the Emperor’s intentions from another perspective. Perhaps he could uncover something related to the Prince of Liao.
She shared the details of the situation with Cai Shi.
To her surprise, Cai Shi’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Did the Empress Dowager say that the Young Master was raised under her watch and that since you married him, you are family now?” Then she asked, “Is the gift from the Empress Dowager truly a token from the Emperor?” And again, “Why didn’t you elaborate on your family matters when the Empress Dowager inquired?”
Dou Zhao grew annoyed and darkened her expression, saying, “Tenth Sister-in-law, are you asking these questions on behalf of Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt, or are they your own?”
Cai Shi’s face turned crimson.
Dou Zhao poured herself some tea.
Cai Shi was embarrassed and angry but dared not show it, her face reddening like liver until she returned to Huai Shu Hutong, where she still bore the unmistakable anger.
Cai Shi’s maid was startled and asked, “What happened to you?”
Cai Shi took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, saying, “It’s nothing.” She then asked, “Has there been any word from my mother?”
The maid leaned in and whispered, “Madam said you must take good care of Fourth Aunt. The Marquis of Jining wants to petition for Fifth Aunt to be granted the title of Marquis’s Wife. The Ministry of Personnel has been slow to respond, and it was only after the Fifth Lady personally spoke to the wife of the Ministry’s official that the petition was finally submitted. Even so, there has been no news yet.”
Cai Shi gasped, taking several deep breaths to calm herself before changing her demeanor to one of joy as she headed to the upper courtyard where Fifth Lady resided.
Meanwhile, Song Yichun’s face was as cold as ice.
He had ways of finding out what the Empress Dowager and the Empress had discussed with Song Mo and Dou Zhao during their visit to the palace. Given that Dou Zhao had received her title ahead of time, especially at such a critical moment, he couldn’t help but suspect Song Mo.
“Keep an eye on Yan Chaoqing, who is close to the Young Master,” Song Yichun instructed his bodyguard, Chang. “Some matters he won’t handle personally, but he will delegate them to Yan Chaoqing.”
Chang bowed and replied, “Understood.”
A servant entered and reported, “Mr. Tao has returned!”
Song Yichun perked up and said, “Quickly, invite Mr. Tao in.”
Chang rolled his eyes and stepped back.
Tao Qizhong appeared somewhat disheveled and greeted Song Yichun repeatedly, calling him “Dong Weng.”
Song Yichun stepped forward, looking Tao Qizhong up and down, and exclaimed, “It’s good to have you back! It’s good to have you back!” He then pointed to a nearby armchair, saying, “Let’s sit down and talk… You mentioned someone was trying to kill you; what’s going on? Could it be related to the Young Master?”
Tao Qizhong lowered his head, appearing guilty as he said, “I was careless!”
Song Yichun raised an eyebrow.
Tao Qizhong continued, “The Dou family is a local power in Zhen Ding. We were targeted after asking a few questions about the Fourth Miss of the Dou family. We were afraid of damaging the relationship between the Dou and Song families, and we didn’t dare to say we were from Duke Ying’s residence, so we had to seek help from the local garrison!”
“That doesn’t make sense!” Song Yichun frowned. “If you sought help from the garrison, why would the Dou family continue to pursue you?”
Tao Qizhong quickly replied, “The Dou family indeed stopped pursuing us afterward. However, I learned something important and hurried back to report to you without explaining the situation to the garrison.”
Song Yichun felt relieved about the garrison’s involvement.
Tao Qizhong explained, “We initially thought the Fourth Miss of the Dou family was being mistreated by her stepmother, Wang Shi, which is why she was placed in Zhen Ding. But it turns out that’s not the case—Wang Shi was originally a concubine who was elevated to the main wife and was already three months pregnant when she entered the family. The Fourth Miss’s maternal uncle is quite powerful and has held onto this point. As the Fourth Miss grew up, she didn’t respect her stepmother, and the Dou family had no choice but to leave her in Zhen Ding.”
Song Yichun’s expression darkened as he listened. “So, the Fourth Miss of the Dou family isn’t the lonely and pitiful figure we thought?”
“That was my oversight,” Tao Qizhong admitted, feeling guilty. “I didn’t expect the Wang family to be so helpless against the Zhao family. For the sake of face, they claimed that Wang Shi was unwilling to raise the Fourth Miss of the Dou family.” He then shifted the topic, “However, I found out that the Fourth Miss is quite headstrong and cannot be easily managed.
The Dou family members avoid her, and Wang Shi has her eyes on the Marquis of Jining, which is why the Dou family turned a blind eye and allowed her and her mother to cause a ruckus without anyone standing up for the Fourth Miss. Later, when the Fourth Miss personally demanded her dowry, the Dou family’s Seventh Master accompanied her with a large sum of silver notes, which was also due to her habit of throwing tantrums, forcing the Dou family to settle the matter.”
Song Yichun thought of Dou Zhao’s dowry and recalled how she had boldly confronted Song Jin on her first day in the household. He couldn’t help but believe this. Although he had initially thought of her as a gentle and kind wife, she had turned out to be a fierce and assertive woman. While this caused him headaches, it also made him feel somewhat relieved that she was not favored by the Dou family.
“What should we do now?” he asked Tao Qizhong. “I’ve heard that the eldest daughter of the Hua family in Weizhou is exceptionally beautiful but has high standards. She’s still unmarried at over twenty. I was thinking of investigating her background; if she’s gentle and kind, marrying her would help manage Tian En…” He implied that this plan might now be in jeopardy.
Tao Qizhong sighed inwardly.
No wonder people often say that honest officials find it hard to resolve family matters.
It would be best for him to stay out of the affairs of Duke Ying’s residence.
Tao Qizhong tactfully suggested, “You are still in your prime and should have someone by your side. If the Hua family’s daughter is indeed outstanding, marrying her to take care of your daily needs wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
This was essentially a non-answer.
Song Yichun sighed and rewarded Tao Qizhong with two hundred taels of silver, saying, “You’ve worked hard on your trip to Zhen Ding. Go and rest for a couple of days. Although the Marquis of Anlu is willing to act as a matchmaker for me, I’ll likely need your help to manage the details.”
Tao Qizhong smiled and accepted the task before leaving.
A subordinate anxiously waited in the corridor. Upon seeing him come out, he discreetly accompanied him out of the Xiangxiang Courtyard and then whispered, “What did the Duke say?”
Before coming, they had already agreed on their story.
“The Duke has no suspicions,” Tao Qizhong replied. “We had to say it this way! Think about Dou Shi; she’s so fierce that it won’t be long before everyone in the residence knows. Rather than letting people think Dou Shi is weak and easy to bully, it’s better to say she’s quite headstrong, which can help us out.” It sounded like he was explaining his actions, but it felt more like he was trying to convince himself.
The subordinate nodded repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Song Yichun was pacing in the room.
Should he pursue a marriage alliance with the Hua family?
Logically, the Hua family wouldn’t be of much help to him. But if he didn’t remarry, over time, Dou Shi would become even harder to manage.
Yet Dou Shi was not easy to deal with; her gentle demeanor might not be enough to keep her in check. But if he married someone shrewd and capable… he was truly fed up with that.
This was a real dilemma!
At that moment, Dou Zhao had gone to visit Princess Ningde.
The residence of Princess Ningde was just a street away from the Lu family’s estate, and the two sisters-in-law had a very good relationship, which brought their families closer together.
When Princess Ningde heard that Dou Zhao was visiting, she was quite surprised and asked her maid, “Is there something going on recently?”
The maid smiled and replied, “I heard that the Young Master of Duke Ying’s residence was summoned and entered the palace with his wife early this morning.”
This was quite normal.
Princess Ningde couldn’t think of why Dou Zhao wanted to see her.
The maid who had come to deliver the message smiled brightly and said, “Princess, the Young Master’s wife from Duke Ying’s residence said she just received an imperial decree, granting her the title of ‘Madam.’ She specifically came to thank you!”
Princess Ningde suddenly understood and smiled, saying, “Please invite her in!”