When the news reached Song Yichun’s ears, he was so angry his mouth twisted. He kicked Zeng Wu in the stomach and ordered, “Go, tie up all those gossipmongers, give them fifty lashes each, and then sell them to slave traders!”

Zeng Wu clutched his stomach in pain, hesitating to speak.

The rumor had already spread throughout the mansion. Was he supposed to sell off all the servants in the household?

As this thought flashed through his mind, a bold idea occurred to him.

The Duke merely wanted to make an example. Why not take this opportunity to turn in those who looked down on him?

After that, who would dare to disrespect him?

Having made up his mind, Zeng Wu quickly stood up, respectfully answered “Yes,” and was about to retreat when Tao Qizhong, standing nearby, stopped him.

“Wait a moment!” He bowed to the Duke and said, “I think we need to consider this matter carefully. Why don’t we first find out where this rumor came from before making any decisions?”

Hearing this, Zeng Wu inwardly sighed.

The Duke always listened to Mr. Tao. With Mr. Tao saying this, his plan to take advantage of the situation had fallen through.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Zeng Wu was surprised to see Song Yichun jump up, his face turning pale with anger: “Consider carefully?! What is there to consider?! Didn’t you hear?! Yizhi Hall bought a lot of incense, candles, and white cloth! What are they planning to do? Curse me to death?! For such treasonous behavior, why should I show any mercy? If I don’t beat those who dare to spread such nonsense in the Duke’s mansion to death today, who knows what more outrageous things will be said! I’ve already tolerated them for a long time, but this time I won’t hold back!”

Tao Qizhong looked at the agitated Song Yichun and shook his head helplessly. He still called out loudly, “Your Grace,” and said, “Now is not the time to lose your temper and punish people. You should be thinking about how to clear your name!”

“Clear my name?!” Song Yichun was stunned.

“Exactly!” Tao Qizhong said seriously, “Think about it. If this rumor reaches the Emperor’s ears, what will he think?”

Song Yichun’s mind couldn’t quite keep up, and he asked bewilderedly, “What does this have to do with the Emperor?”

Tao Qizhong had to lower his voice and say, “You’ve been ill for so long, but the affairs at the Five Military Commands can’t be left unattended indefinitely. If this rumor reaches the Emperor’s ears, and if someone with ulterior motives fans the flames, Your Grace’s position as the Chief Commander…”

He might have to be replaced, right?

Without the title of Chief Commander of the Five Military Commands, how would he suppress Song Mo?

Song Yichun’s heart chilled, and he gradually calmed down. But as he calmed down, he became so angry he could spit blood. He said resentfully, “Are we just going to let this go?”

“Take a step back, and you’ll find the sea and sky are boundless,” Tao Qizhong could only comfort Song Yichun. “Your Grace should consider the bigger picture. If you want to deal with a few gossiping servants, you can do it anytime. Why rush? Others might think we’re acting out of shame, trying to cover up our illness. If it provokes the Emperor to send palace eunuchs to check on you, or even have the Imperial Hospital submit your pulse diagnosis, that would be troublesome!”

Song Yichun’s hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms.

“No, we can’t just let that little beast off the hook!” He paced around the room with bloodshot eyes, as vicious as a trapped beast unable to escape its cage. “All these dogs in the mansion have opportunistic eyes. If I let that little beast off just like this, how will I control these dogs in the future…”

He had pinned all the blame on Song Mo.

Tao Qizhong smiled bitterly and said, “Your Grace, I don’t think this was necessarily done by the young master. If it were him, he would have likely bribed those eunuchs to speak ill of you in front of the Emperor. Why would he use such childish methods?”

These words made Song Yichun’s expression falter. He had to admit in his heart that Tao Qizhong’s words made sense. But he was reluctant to admit and believe that this wasn’t Song Mo’s doing. For a moment, his face was a mix of emotions, difficult to read.

Tao Qizhong saw this clearly and quickly said to Song Yichun in a consultative tone, “Why don’t you end your sick leave and return to duty at the Five Military Commands in the next couple of days? I’ll investigate where this rumor came from.”

Song Yichun didn’t respond but continued pacing in circles around the room. However, he no longer mentioned having Zeng Wu arrest people.

Tao Qizhong breathed a sigh of relief.

Song Mo, however, found it strange and asked Yan Chaoqin, “Who started this rumor? It’s forced Father to recover from his illness—Father must be furious!”

Yan Chaoqin smiled and said, “I find it strange too. I’ve looked into it but couldn’t find any leads. If the young master wants to know, I can have Du Wei investigate further. Perhaps he might uncover something.”

“Forget it,” Song Mo said. “As long as Father recovers, this matter will resolve itself. Father now sees me as a thorn in his side. Any unfavorable events or rumors, he’ll assume I’m behind them. I don’t want to invite more suspicion. Let it be!”

Yan Chaoqin smiled and brought up another related matter: “Regarding the Duke’s attempt to kidnap Suxin and the others, do you think we should inform the madam? It would give her some insight and help her be more cautious in the future. Madam Mr. Chen and Guard Duan are no ordinary people. If they know the reason behind this, they’ll find ways to protect the madam thoroughly. It’s better than us only being able to follow her from afar.”

Song Mo smiled and said, “Of course, we should tell her about this.” Then, realizing he had been out all day and hadn’t seen Dou Zhao, wondering what she had been doing, he suddenly felt an urgent desire to return home.

He stood up and said, “I need to go to the palace tomorrow. You should rest early too, sir!”

Yan Chaoqin saw Song Mo out of the study.

Song Mo’s figure quickly disappeared behind the hanging flower gate.

Wuyi, who had been pouring tea in the study earlier, appeared beside Yan Chaoqin and hesitantly said, “This was done by the madam. Is it appropriate not to tell the young master?”

“What’s inappropriate about it?” Yan Chaoqin smiled and said, “The madam didn’t harm a hair on the Duke’s head. She just complained a bit in private, which was spread by those thoughtless maids and old women. What’s there to make a fuss about? And to let it reach the young master’s ears. Although the Duke and the young master are father and son, the madam and the young master are husband and wife. The madam is wholeheartedly on the young master’s side. As servants, we should be happy about this.”

Wuyi nodded and smiled, “I also think what the madam did was quite satisfying. Now, the Duke won’t dare to pretend to be sick so casually, right?”

Yan Chaoqin laughed.

Dou Zhao, upon hearing that Song Yichun had “recovered” and had already returned to duty at the Five Military Commands, also laughed.

Suxin couldn’t help but marvel, “Who would believe it if we told them? The great Duke Ying fell ill because his daughter-in-law’s dowry was too generous. Not only did he fall ill, but because he wanted to know exactly how much dowry his daughter-in-law had and couldn’t find out through secret inquiries, he sent assassins to kidnap his daughter-in-law’s maid, hoping to learn about his daughter-in-law’s assets from her maid’s mouth…”

Dou Zhao also felt somewhat helpless and teased Suxin, “This just proves how well you manage things. Even Duke Ying couldn’t find out about the affairs in my chambers, so he had to resort to desperate measures and use such a foolish plan.”

Suxin shook her head and laughed.

Dou Zhao, however, said, “For a Duke to be pushed to such extremes by us is truly one of a kind!” Then she put her palms together, sincerely chanted “Amitabha” towards the west, and said seriously, “With this, our Suxin can set her wedding date!”

Suxin’s face turned red, and she shyly called out “Madam.”

Dou Zhao smiled and said, “Go ask Chen He later where Chen Jia’s previously pawned house is located. Can we buy it? I want to give it to Chen Jia.”

Suxin was quite surprised.

Dou Zhao said, “He has helped me so much. I can’t let him work for nothing. Buying back the house he previously pawned and giving it to him is a way to repay his kindness!”

Suxin nodded and instructed Chen He to handle this matter.

Chen He, of course, didn’t dare to hide this from Song Mo and reported it to him. Song Mo smiled and said, “Since it’s a reward from the madam, just handle it carefully.”

A few days later, Chen Jia received this gift.

Looking at the small courtyard house with its gray tiles and pink walls, Chen Jia was deeply moved.

This house was near Yuqiao Hutong, priceless in the market. He had originally sold it to the adopted son of Cui Yijun, the chief eunuch by the Crown Prince’s side, for only half the market price. He never expected to be able to buy it back from Cui Yijun’s adopted son. He didn’t expect that not only had the young master’s wife found out about his former residence, but she had also bought it back so quickly…

Chen Jia’s face showed determination as he called out to Huzi, who was excitedly running around the house, “Let’s go to the antique shop on West Street and see if there’s anything we can give to Madam Dou!”

Huzi responded loudly and locked the main gate.

Meanwhile, Dou Zhao was busily looking at the almanac with her aunt and others, choosing an auspicious date for Suxin’s wedding.

Song Mo, however, smiled and said, “When do you plan to arrange Sulan’s marriage? Whether you have money or not, it’s better to get married before the new year.”

Dou Zhao blinked and said, “No one has come to propose, how would I know how to arrange it?”

“You little minx!” Song Mo leaned down and bit her shoulder.

Dou Zhao’s face turned red, and she cried out, “Oh!” She quickly said, “Stop fooling around, my aunt is here!”

Song Mo reluctantly straightened up.

The winter clothes were thick, so they didn’t hurt the skin at all.

Dou Zhao giggled.

Song Mo asked, “Have you talked to Suxin about Sulan’s marriage?”

“Yes!” Dou Zhao smiled, “Not only does Suxin think it’s good, but Mr. Chen also thinks it’s good. He’s just a bit worried that their personalities might not be compatible.”

“Nanny Chen thinks it’s good,” Song Mo sat down beside Dou Zhao. “She says Chen He is quiet by nature, rarely speaking much at home or outside. Sulan is lively and active, which could be good for bringing Chen He out of his shell. I asked Chen He, and he blushed, saying he’d listen to whatever Nanny Chen said. I think this marriage is quite suitable. After you marry off Suxin, let’s arrange Sulan’s marriage!”

Dou Zhao nodded.

The next day, the Chen family sent an official matchmaker to propose.

Yizhi Hall was filled with double happiness, everyone’s faces beaming with smiles as if it were the New Year.

Song Mo said, “Let’s visit the Eastern Palace in the next couple of days. Before our wedding, His Highness the Crown Prince asked me to bring you to pay respects to the Crown Princess. By custom, after you’ve stayed at your maiden home for a month, our marriage is considered complete, and we can move about freely. Who knew that Father would fall ill and we had to avoid celebrations, so the visit to the Eastern Palace was delayed. Now that Father has recovered, we should go pay our respects to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.”