Dou Zhao sat in the grandmaster’s chair with a beaming smile, appearing completely unfazed by Song Yi’s words, as if they were directed at someone else. Calmly, she replied, “Your words make no sense, Gonggong! You witnessed the situation just now. If Jin Jie’er hadn’t spoken out of turn, how could she have provoked the ridicule of the household servants? I have only been married into the Song family for a short time and am still unfamiliar with their customs. However, in our Dou family, if a junior speaks out before an elder has a chance to say anything, the nursemaids would step in and slap them. Afterward, the mother would thank the nursemaid, saying, ‘Well done!’ How is it that the Song family is so different? Does the Song family not even distinguish between seniority and junior status?”
“I must have a serious talk with you about this matter.”
“If this incident spreads, it would be one thing for Duke Ying’s residence to be laughed at, but Jin Jie’er is already of marriageable age. If she gains a reputation for being ‘headstrong and violent,’ that would be disastrous. My child hasn’t even been born yet, and being of the legitimate line, who knows what the situation will be like in ten or twenty years when it’s time for my child to marry? Who will remember this incident then? It’s a pity for Er Ye, as he will be burdened with the difficulty of finding a wife!”
Her words struck Song Yi Chun’s heart while also threatening Song Feng Chun.
Song Yi Chun was so furious that she couldn’t utter a word for a long time.
Song Feng Chun shot a fierce glare at the Third Madam.
The Song family had already experienced Dou Zhao’s formidable nature. Song Mao Chun remained silent, while Song Qin and Song Duo dared not speak. The First Madam and Tan Shi stood at a distance, seemingly afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
The Fourth Madam frowned, wanting to step forward to say something, but was pulled back by Song Tong Chun, who whispered, “Think of Yao’er!”
Song Yao was only six years old this year. Song Mo had already made it difficult for Song Yi Chun to hold her head high, and in ten years, Song Yi Chun would likely be a mere shell of her former self.
The Fourth Madam fell silent, holding her son’s hand and standing with the First Madam.
Song Feng Chun watched in frustration, wishing she could jump up and down, constantly signaling to the Third Madam, but the Third Madam, being overly concerned for her daughter, was entirely focused on Song Jin.
Unable to swallow her anger, her eyes reddened as she said defiantly, “Er Bo if you don’t stand up for us, our Jin’er will have suffered for nothing at the hands of these two servants! Although we are a branch family, we cannot be treated this way! How can we hold our heads high in front of the servants in the future?”
Song Yi Chun’s face darkened like a storm cloud as she shouted at those nearby, “Get these two maids out of here!”
“Wait!” Dou Zhao shouted, rising to support Ruo Tong. “I want to see who dares to touch my maid without my permission!”
A few young servants glanced at the furious Song Yi Chun and then at the icy Song Mo, hesitating as they approached Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao continued, “When did my maid hit Jin Jie’er? It was the personal nurse of San Aunty who wanted to strike my maid! If we’re discussing right and wrong, we should first deal with San Aunty’s nurse before addressing Jin Jie’er’s offense against me!”
In the end, she insisted that her maid was innocent.
Song Jin burst into tears, exclaiming, “San Tang Sao is bullying me! San Tang Sao is allowing her maid to hit me!”
Dou Zhao sneered at the Third Madam, saying, “If a mother fails to teach her daughter, it’s her fault. Since you can’t even manage your daughter, I’ll take it upon myself to discipline her.” She then ordered Su Lan, “Take the eldest young lady and lock her in the woodshed. She can come out when she understands her mistake.”
The Third Madam glared, shouting at Dou Zhao, “You dare!”
Dou Zhao remained silent.
Su Lan stepped forward to grab Song Jin.
Several of the Third Madam’s maids rushed to block Su Lan.
With a few punches and kicks, Su Lan quickly knocked the maids to the ground, leaving them groaning in pain, clutching their waists and stomachs.
Only then did the people in the room realize something was amiss—this young girl had such strength; she was a trained fighter.
The Third Madam finally felt fear and began to scream, holding onto Song Jin, who was crying even louder.
Song Yi Chun could no longer bear to watch and slammed the table, making a loud noise. “This is outrageous! Do you not see me, the Duke, in your presence?!”
The room fell into a dead silence.
How could anyone dare to argue with their elders at the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, knowing the Duke was present?
Dou Zhao silently scoffed, signaling to Su Lan.
Su Lan quietly stepped back behind Dou Zhao.
Song Yi Chun pointed at Dou Zhao, shouting, “If you dare to stir up trouble again, I’ll have Song Mo divorce you!”
Dou Zhao smiled brightly and replied, “Gonggong, don’t try to intimidate me. I’m not from a poor family without support. If you want to divorce me, you need a valid reason. If I complain that the hall is too cold, and you want to force your son to divorce me over that, even if this matter reaches the Emperor, you won’t have a leg to stand on.” She then called out, “Ruo Zhu, go to Jing’an Temple Alley and report that because I said, ‘The hall is too cold,’ the heir’s cousin jumped out to teach me a lesson, and I had to teach her a few lessons in return. Now the Duke wants to force the heir to divorce me under the pretext of ‘stirring up trouble.’ I’m not so shameless that I can stay in the Duke’s residence after being yelled at to ‘get out.’ Let them come and count my dowry and take me back.”
Ruo Tong wiped her tears and responded, “Yes,” lifting her skirt and rushing outside.
Song Yi Chun was so furious she nearly fell backward.
Regardless of whether Dou Zhao’s claims were true or not, if she summoned the Dou family, the Duke’s residence would become the laughingstock of the entire capital during the New Year.
He kicked Zeng Wu, saying, “Why aren’t you going to bring her back?!”
Zeng Wu replied, “Oh,” coming to his senses and rushing out, thinking to himself: The heir’s wife is too formidable! She’s both hitting and scolding, her words sharp as swords, and she has completely subdued the Duke. In the future, it’s best to say less when dealing with the heir’s wife.
There are distinctions between men and women, and he quickly caught up with Ruo Tong, blocking her in the corridor. He advised, “Ruo Tong, why must you act this way? The heir’s wife and the Duke are at odds; we, as servants, should mediate, not add fuel to the fire. Hurry back inside! If this reaches Jing’an Temple Alley, we’ll all lose face.” He then called to a few young servants who had followed him, “Quickly, take Ruo Tong back to the hall.”
Ruo Tong had no choice but to return to the hall.
Song Yi Chun was utterly defeated.
She was filled with rage!
However, Dou Zhao had no intention of letting this go.
She insisted that Song Jin apologize to her and that the Third Madam’s nurse and maid apologize to Su Lan and Ruo Tong.
The Third Madam refused, and Song Jin was even more unwilling.
Dou Zhao remained unperturbed, looking at Song Yi Chun and calmly instructing Ruo Tong, “You should go send a message to Jing’an Temple Alley.”
If she didn’t use the Fifth Madam to help her out now, when would she?
Song Yi Chun was furious.
He thought to himself that Dou Zhao was only acting this way because she relied on Song Mo’s support. To catch a thief, one must first capture the ringleader; why should he be angry with her? If he was to be angry, it should be with Song Mo!
His gaze shot daggers at Song Mo. “Your wife, do you expect me to help you discipline her?”
Song Mo bent slightly, respectfully saying, “Father, my wife is the heir’s wife of the Duke’s residence, representing the Duke’s family. Jin’er’s behavior is indeed inappropriate; she has made a mistake. Our family is not large, and we place great importance on offspring, so we tend to be more lenient in disciplining the children. The Dou family has a long-standing tradition of education and is a prestigious family in the North Zhili region, having produced several scholars over the past century. They must have exceptional methods for raising children. Since this is Jin’er’s first offense, I think an apology is unnecessary. Instead, it would be better for Jin’er to learn some manners from my wife so that when she marries, she knows how to honor her elders, respect her brothers and sisters-in-law, and care for her younger relatives, preventing her from being misunderstood and looked down upon by her in-laws.”
Everyone in the room widened their eyes in shock.
Song Jin, who had stopped crying, began to weep again, “I don’t want to learn manners from San Tang Sao; she will make things difficult for me!”
What a pretty face hiding a foolish mind!
She looked like a lovely young girl, yet she had no sense at all.
Even if she thought that there was no need to shout it out loud!
Dou Zhao shook her head inwardly.
The Third Master scratched his head, no longer caring about anything else, and pushed Song Jin forward, “Hurry and apologize to your San Tang Sao!”
The Third Madam turned around and urged Song Jin as well, “Quickly apologize to your San Tang Sao.”
With tears in her eyes, Song Jin shyly and angrily whispered an apology to Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao remained silent, watching the maids still lying on the ground.
The Third Madam had no choice but to have her nurse and maids apologize to Su Xin and Ruo Tong.
What kind of situation was this?!
Song Yi Chun felt a rush of anxiety and fainted.
Song Jin no longer needed to learn manners from Dou Zhao, and she couldn’t eat during the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve. Everyone sat in the Xiangxiang Courtyard’s hall, waiting for Song Yi Chun to wake up.
Dou Zhao, wearing a pearl leather jacket, found the room too hot. She sat on the beauty couch in the corridor, lost in thought.
Today, her advantage is entirely due to Su Lan’s excellent skills. However, after Su Xin and Su Lan married, she no longer had such capable help by her side. In the future, when faced with similar situations, she would have to resort to persuasion, compromise, and negotiation, which, while effective, wouldn’t be as satisfying as today.
It seemed she needed to find two maids skilled in martial arts.
However, few women learned such skills, and finding ones who would be loyal to her would be difficult.
With this thought, Dou Zhao couldn’t help but sigh.
When Song Mo returned from sending the doctor away and saw her sitting alone in the corridor, he walked over, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and kissed her forehead, smiling, “Don’t worry; Father is fine! The doctor said he just fainted for a moment and will wake up soon.”
Dou Zhao was not concerned about whether Song Yi Chun would wake up.
She said, “I was thinking about whether I could find two maids like Su Xin and Su Lan.”
Song Mo pondered for a moment and understood her meaning, smiling, “Don’t worry; I’ll find a way!”
Dou Zhao knew he would keep his word, so she put the matter aside and instead sent someone to invite Dou Dechang over.
Upon receiving the message, Dou Dechang hurried over, asking, “What happened?”
Dou Zhao recounted the events that had transpired during the New Year celebration.
Dou Dechang burst into laughter, saying, “You’re not trying to scare your father-in-law with a play, are you?”
Dou Zhao gave him a thumbs-up, saying, “I knew I could count on you!”
Dou Dechang replied, “For something like this, how could I do it without Bo Yan?”
“Eh!” Dou Zhao exclaimed happily, “Bo Yan has come to the capital as well?”
Last time, when the Third Uncle and Third Cousin came to the capital, Dou Qijun hadn’t come along, saying he was visiting a friend in Lingnan and hadn’t returned. For this, the Second Madam had scolded the Third Uncle and Third Cousin harshly. Unexpectedly, during this New Year, Dou Qijun had arrived in the capital.