Chen Jia’s words sounded absurd at first, but upon careful consideration, they seemed flawless. However, the truth of his claims could be easily verified with a brief investigation.
After a moment of deep thought, Song Mo asked, “What are your demands?”
Chen Jia’s face lit up with joy. Song Mo had believed his account.
He hastily replied with reverence, “Young Master, I only wish to clear up the misunderstanding with Director Wang and continue earning a living in the Embroidered Uniform Guard!”
As long as Song Mo was willing to intervene on his behalf, Chen Jia’s release would be imminent. If Shi Chuan, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—his superior’s superior’s superior—learned that he could influence Song Mo, he would certainly view Chen Jia in a new light. At that point, it would be impossible for him to maintain a low profile.
Why should he make excessive demands of Song Mo and risk offending him? With this in mind, Chen Jia bowed even lower.
Song Mo nodded slightly, considering that the request wasn’t unreasonable given the crucial information Chen Jia had provided. He picked up his tea.
Chen Jia rose to take his leave. As he did so, he couldn’t help but glance at the folding screen from the corner of his eye.
As he walked out the door, he deliberately slowed his pace and strained his ears to listen.
Sure enough, he heard Song Mo speaking softly. His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, tinged with an indescribable tenderness—a stark contrast to his earlier coldness.
Chen Jia was shocked. He wanted to hear what Song Mo was saying, but noticing the steady gait of the servant escorting him—characteristic of a trained fighter—he immediately abandoned the idea.
Who could be behind that folding screen? Song Mo’s attitude was markedly different towards this person.
Was it his beloved?
He shook his head. Given Song Mo’s temperament, even if it were his most cherished woman, he wouldn’t allow her to hide behind a screen and eavesdrop.
Could it be someone from the Jiang family? However, the Emperor exiled all male members of the Jiang family over five years old to Liaodong. Only women and children remained…
That seemed unlikely too. The Jiang family was now in Huaizhou. Even if they had produced a second Madame Mei, they couldn’t have reached the capital so quickly after his sudden defection to Song Mo.
This person had a profound influence on Song Mo… Chen Jia decided to investigate the identity of the person behind the screen thoroughly.
If Song Mo was difficult to please, would the people close to him be just as challenging?
Chen Jia had hesitated for a long time before coming to Duke Ying’s country estate in Daxing. In the eyes of the Duke’s heir, he was merely an insignificant figure.
Song Mo could have easily refused to see him. If he had appeared at the estate, he could have been arrested on the spot, interrogated under torture to extract all the information he knew, and then beheaded. His head could have been sent to the Embroidered Uniform Guard with a charge of “plotting treason” attached. This would have served as a warning to other potential traitors and possibly provided an opportunity to eliminate some of his close associates as well. That’s why Chen Jia had come alone…
Yet, not only had Song Mo received him, but he had also been willing to negotiate! Could it be because of that person’s presence?
Chen Jia had a vague feeling that his future glory and wealth might depend on this mysterious individual.
After Chen Jia left, Song Mo took Dou Zhao’s hand and led her to sit beside him. He asked gently, “Did you feel stifled?”
The space between the folding screen and the wall was only two feet wide.
“It’s fine!” Dou Zhao replied. “It’s cleaned regularly, so it’s very tidy.”
Song Mo sighed deeply, “Could my brother-in-law have died like that?” His mood had sunk, and his tone was heavy with doubt.
“It seems likely,” Dou Zhao felt a sharp pain in her heart, a mix of regret, melancholy, and sorrow. “What do you plan to do?”
She believed Chen Jia wasn’t lying. Not only because Song Mo could easily verify the information, but also because in her previous life, Ding Wei’s head had been cut off and hung on the walls of Chang’an City before the palace coup, becoming a sensational case. The Emperor had been furious and issued an imperial edict ordering the Governor of Shaanxi to solve the case within a set time. However, due to the subsequent chaos in the capital, the matter had been left unresolved. As for Zhong Qiao and Chen Zuxun, whom Chen Jia had mentioned, she hadn’t heard about their fates, possibly because they weren’t as renowned as Ding Wei.
Song Mo hesitated, “Do you believe Chen Jia’s words?”
“He’s a clever man,” Dou Zhao explained. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have used this method to catch your attention. I don’t think he would deceive you about this. Like Chen Jia, I’m also puzzled about how Wang Yuan ended up working with Ding Wei.”
“This matter indeed requires thorough investigation,” Song Mo said. “Wang Yuan isn’t someone who can be easily manipulated by just anyone! Moreover, it’s been three or four years since my brother-in-law’s incident, yet he’s still pursuing those involved in his escort.”
Dou Zhao hesitated before asking, “Could it be one of the other princes?”
Song Mo knew she was hinting at Prince Liao. He replied, “Impossible! Even the Empress Wan might not be able to command him, let alone a prince.”
As they spoke, their expressions suddenly changed, and they simultaneously exclaimed “The Emperor!” Realizing they had the same suspicion, they looked at each other, seeing shock reflected in each other’s eyes.
“How is this possible?” After a long pause, Song Mo said in a low voice, “If it were the Emperor, he could have simply issued an imperial edict… Why would he need to go to such lengths?” As he spoke, a bold hypothesis formed in his mind. “Could it be that the Emperor didn’t want to punish my brother-in-law?” But as soon as he voiced this thought, he rejected it himself. “But it was indeed the Emperor who issued the edict to strip the Duke of Dinguo of his title and exile Fifth Uncle and the others to Liaodong!”
“Could there be some misunderstanding?” Dou Zhao’s mind was racing. “After the Duke of Dinguo passed away, the Emperor has been so kind to you…”
In her previous life, the Emperor hadn’t held Song Mo in high regard. While this was partly due to Song Mo’s timely efforts to gain the Emperor’s attention, if the Emperor still harbored resentment towards the Duke of Dinguo, Song Mo wouldn’t have been able to gain the Emperor’s favor no matter how hard he tried.
She asked, “Should we invite Mr. Yan and the others to discuss this?”
Dou Zhao’s words reminded Song Mo of many things. His mind in turmoil, he nodded absently and instructed Chen He to invite Yan Chaoqing over.
Dou Zhao carefully recounted Chen Jia’s words to Yan Chaoqing.
Yan Chaoqing was quite surprised. He also believed that Chen Jia wasn’t lying.
But everyone has their perspective on matters.
After pondering for a while, he suddenly exclaimed “Oh!” His face turned pale as he glanced at Dou Zhao, then said solemnly, “Young Master, if the Emperor believed that the Duke of Dinguo was unruly and that his achievements overshadowed the throne, what do you think he would do?”
Song Mo was momentarily stunned but quickly understood the implication.
His expression became distant. But after this brief lapse, he tightly grasped Dou Zhao’s hand.
Unlike his usual dry warmth, his hand was now cold and clammy.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but gently stroke the base of his thumb with her own, trying to soothe his emotions.
Far from calming down, Song Mo excitedly called out “Shou Gu” and gazed at her intensely: “Do you realize that if it weren’t for you, my uncle’s entire family might have been executed?”
Dou Zhao was greatly startled. How did Song Mo know…
Before she could complete her thought, Song Mo’s grateful voice reached her ears: “If we had followed Mother and Mr. Yan’s earlier plan to mobilize the Jiang and Song families’ in-laws and old friends to petition for my uncle’s innocence, the Emperor, seeing the Jiang family’s great influence, would have become even more wary and taken drastic measures to uproot the Jiang family completely, eliminating any potential threat. But because Mother followed your advice to appear weak, it aroused some pity in the Emperor, allowing the Jiang family to preserve some of their lineage!” As he spoke, unable to contain his emotions and disregarding Yan Chaoqing’s presence, he embraced Dou Zhao: “Shou Gu, you truly are our family’s lucky star!” Realizing this description wasn’t quite right, he added, “No, you are my lucky star!”
Dou Zhao’s face turned bright red, and she hurriedly whispered, “Let go of me!”
Song Mo ignored her plea and held her even tighter. It was as if she were a life raft, or perhaps his most precious treasure and even a glance from others would make him anxious.
Dou Zhao was extremely embarrassed and smiled apologetically at Yan Chaoqing.
However, she found Yan Chaoqing watching them with a look of contentment, deep amusement in his eyes.
After his moment of impulsiveness, Song Mo finally calmed down and began discussing business with Yan Chaoqing: “…Please verify Chen Jia’s words, sir. As for Wang Yuan, I’ll visit him myself.”
Yan Chaoqing respectfully agreed.
Song Mo, barely able to contain his emotions, asked, “Do you think it’s possible that while the Emperor intended to discipline my uncle, he didn’t want his life?”
Yan Chaoqing was quite surprised. After pondering for a while, he had to admit that Song Mo’s speculation wasn’t unfounded.
“Then we need to find out why the Emperor was displeased with the Duke of Dinguo,” he said, somewhat uncertainly. “But is now the right time to investigate these matters?”
“Let’s first clarify the matters Chen Jia mentioned, and then we’ll decide,” Song Mo and Yan Chaoqing agreed on the next steps to take, and Yan Chaoqing took his leave.
Song Mo and Dou Zhao spent the night at the country estate and returned to Duke Ying’s mansion the next day.
To their surprise, Madam Wang, Third Madam Zhang, and Madam Cai had all sent their visiting cards yesterday afternoon.
Ganlu, who had stayed at home, smiled and said, “Everyone was asking if Madam was unwell.”
They probably wanted to know why I didn’t attend Dou Ming’s banquet, Dou Zhao thought to herself, smiling.
A young maid came in to report, “The Tenth Aunt from Huaishu Alley has arrived.”
She came quite quickly!
“Please show her to the flower hall,” Dou Zhao said as she went to change her clothes.
When Madam Cai saw Dou Zhao, she almost threw herself at her: “Fourth Young Madam, why didn’t you go to the Jining Marquis’s mansion? We were all so worried.” She hinted at the circumstances of that day, “Without you, it wasn’t as lively. Not only did my Sixth Aunt and Eleventh Sister-in-law not attend, but my mother-in-law and I also returned to Huaishu Alley early…”
As she was speaking, Madam Wang and Third Madam Zhang arrived together.
Madam Wang explained to Dou Zhao, “We didn’t expect to meet at the door.”
Dou Zhao smiled, “Third Madam is a relative of the Young Master, we’re all family here. Please, let’s all sit down and have some tea.”
Perhaps due to the presence of others, Madam Cai became more restrained.
Third Madam Zhang, clearly more sophisticated than Madam Cai, only inquired about Dou Zhao’s health. Madam Wang, on the other hand, sat quietly to the side, sipping her tea.
Dou Zhao smiled slightly and decided to be straightforward: “My health is fine. Dou Ming and I have never been close since childhood. When I hosted my first banquet, I sent her an invitation, but she neither came nor sent anyone to inform me. I believe she doesn’t want to see me. This is her first time hosting a banquet, and she surely wants it to be perfect. I didn’t want to spoil her mood by attending.”