Dou Zhao was unaware of Dou Ming’s many hidden thoughts. However, given Dou Ming’s attitude towards her, she didn’t want to offer warmth only to be met with coldness, causing her discomfort. Even if she knew Dou Ming’s inner feelings, she wouldn’t care much. She had many other people to socialize with and no time to worry about Dou Ming’s changing moods.
By the time they left the palace, it was past the hour of You. The setting sun bathed the world in a golden glow.
Song Mo accompanied Dou Zhao in the sedan chair as they returned to the manor, chatting and laughing along the way.
Yan Chaoqing was waiting for Song Mo in the study, much to Dou Zhao and Song Mo’s surprise.
Yan Chaoqing smiled and explained, “We received a letter from the eldest aunt in Huaizhou. The wedding date for the twelfth cousin has been set for the 22nd of this month. The fourth aunt, along with the thirteenth and fourteenth cousins, will accompany the twelfth cousin to Beijing. They’ve asked for your help in arranging a residence for the twelfth cousin’s wedding.” He handed the letter to Song Mo.
Dou Zhao was completely puzzled.
Instead of immediately reading the letter, Song Mo explained to her, “The twelfth cousin is my third uncle’s eldest daughter. Before my eldest uncle’s incident, she was betrothed to Wu Zijie, the eldest son of Wu Liang, the Deputy Commander of the Qishou Wei. After my eldest uncle’s downfall, the Jiang family was quickly demoted and sent back to Huaizhou, leaving no time to attend to the cousins’ marriages. Unexpectedly, after the twelfth cousin’s mourning period ended, the Wu family sent someone to discuss the wedding arrangements. They must be coming to escort the bride now.”
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but admire the Wu family’s integrity. “Then you should lend a hand with this matter.”
Although the Jiang family had fallen on hard times, they still had a powerful connection to Duke Ying’s household. This would allow the Jiang family’s twelfth young lady to have a more dignified wedding.
Yan Chaoqing smiled and said, “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, my lady. The eldest aunt said that since the Wu family has shown such loyalty, they cannot be ungrateful. Therefore, for the twelfth cousin’s wedding, neither the Jiang family nor the Wu family will make a fuss. They’ve asked the young master to help find a quiet residence, to avoid unnecessary trouble. The eldest aunt also mentioned that she sent a letter to the Duke, only informing him of the fourth aunt’s visit to Beijing and that everything would rely on the young master’s assistance, so the Duke need not worry.”
When Song Mo had fallen out with Song Yichun, Madam Mei was still alive, and Song Mo had kept the matter from those in Huaizhou. After Madam Mei passed away, although Song Mo didn’t say anything to the people in Huaizhou, they heard bits and pieces. For any matters, they would contact Song Mo directly and then give Song Yichun a polite but distant notification.
Song Mo agreed, “Let’s follow the eldest aunt’s wishes and arrange a quiet residence for the fourth aunt and the cousins.” He instructed Yan Chaoqing, “Leave this matter to Liao Bifeng.”
Recently, Yan Chaoqing has been helping Song Mo with affairs at the Imperial Medical Academy. He smiled, agreed, and withdrew.
Song Mo then said, “Tomorrow, call for people from the gold and silver shops. Have them make several sets of pure gold headdresses to add to the twelfth cousin’s dowry.”
Given the Jiang family’s current situation, it was commendable that Wu Liang didn’t look down on them. However, not everyone in the Wu family might share his sentiment. Having some conspicuous items as part of the dowry would be direct and practical, and could be exchanged for silver in times of need.
Knowing Song Mo’s feelings towards the Jiang family, Dou Zhao not only helped prepare four sets of pure gold headdresses for the Jiang family’s twelfth young lady at the gold and silver shops, but also added a pair of jade bracelets, a pair of Hetian jade ankle ornaments, a set of southern pearl headdresses, and twenty bolts of various colored silks and satins.
Jin Gui and Yin Gui watched in amazement.
Gan Lu, however, thought they were being short-sighted and asked Dou Zhao, “Should we prepare some antiques and paintings? It would add a touch of elegance.”
Dou Zhao smiled and said, “Since the Jiang family renovates their old mansion in Huaizhou every year, they must still have some good items there. Rather than preparing antiques and paintings for the twelfth young lady, it’s better to prepare more practical things.”
Gan Lu smiled sheepishly.
Chen Jia requested an audience.
He had news so quickly!
Dou Zhao was delighted and met with Chen Jia in the small flower hall.
“No matter how much the Li family moves, they can’t abandon their household registration,” Chen Jia explained the process in detail to Dou Zhao. “I first went to check the Li family’s registration at the Shuntian Prefecture and found that it was still there. Taxes and such were being paid by their current old neighbor who bought their ancestral home, indicating that the two families still have contact. According to our Jinyiwei methods, we could have arrested and interrogated them to find out the Li family’s whereabouts, but since you only wanted to know the Li family’s current situation, such tactics would be inappropriate. So I had my attendant keep watch on their house.”
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile.
It was clear that entrusting this matter to Chen Jia was the right decision.
Even if ordinary people thought of this method, they wouldn’t have been able to verify it at the Shuntian Prefecture.
“Because Master Duan had previously mentioned that Li Diaoniang’s brother, Li Liang, was a scholar, I went to check Li Liang’s student records at the Shuntian Prefectural School,” Chen Jia continued. “He had been taking the imperial examinations since the Wu Shen year, failing the prefectural examination four times. He gave up on the exams five years ago. The instructor at the Shuntian Prefectural School had a deep impression of him and, believing me to be a distant relative, called over a xiucai who had taken the exams with Li Liang.”
“According to that xiucai, Li Liang was a gloomy person who spoke little and didn’t socialize much. He also didn’t have much money. The xiucai didn’t know much about Li Liang’s situation, only that although he was from Beijing, he didn’t live in the city but somewhere nearby. No one knew exactly where.”
“So I went to check the Li family’s land holdings at the Shuntian Prefecture.”
“The Li family’s land was in Langfang, managed by an old servant. Every year on the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Liang would come to collect the rent. At other times, even the old servant couldn’t find him.”
“However, the Li family’s situation hasn’t been good in recent years. Their two hundred mu of good land has gradually been sold off, leaving only about ten mu. Moreover, Li Liang hasn’t come to collect rent for the past two years.”
Dou Zhao frowned slightly.
It seemed as if the Li family was hiding from something.
She recalled Master Duan saying that “for the first two years, people still came asking about where the Li family had gone,” and became even more curious about the Li family’s current situation.
“So, all the leads have gone cold?” Dou Zhao pondered. “We can only wait for Li Liang to appear on his own?”
Hearing this, Chen Jia smiled, his ordinary features suddenly becoming animated, showing a vibrant and radiant expression. “Just as you say, my lady. At the time, I was also worried that this approach was too passive, so I thought of a plan.” He glanced at Dou Zhao somewhat cautiously and said softly, “I had someone pretend to be a steward from Duke Ying’s manor and go to the farm to inquire about the Li family’s whereabouts. The old servant appeared very calm at the time, insisting he didn’t know anything. But three days after my man left, our people who had been hiding near his house for three days and two nights without moving finally saw the old servant leave on a donkey.”
“I sent seven or eight groups of people to follow him.”
“He took a winding route, and on the fifth day, he got on the post road to Beijing, heading straight for the city.”
“Once in Beijing, isn’t that our Jinyiwei’s territory?”
“My people followed him and quickly discovered Li Liang.”
Dou Zhao perked up and asked eagerly, “Where is the Li family living now?”
Chen Jia smiled and said, “It turns out the Li family is now living in Shuzihutong, not far from Wanming Temple.”
Dou Zhao raised an eyebrow.
She knew that place.
Because one street was full of comb shops, the alley behind it was called Shuzihutong. When Zhao Zhangru was in Beijing, she had gone there with him to buy many combs.
“I didn’t expect this either,” Chen Jia wasn’t surprised by this result, but seeing Dou Zhao’s astonishment, he also expressed some amazement considering her feelings. “Although Shuzihutong is two alleys away from the Li family’s old home, with one in the south and one in the north, they’re only separated by two main streets. Surprisingly, Li Liang would choose to live there.”
“Perhaps it’s because that place holds the most emotional significance for him,” Dou Zhao said. “Isn’t that why they say ‘fallen leaves return to their roots’ when people get old?”
“That’s exactly right, my lady,” Chen Jia smiled. “The Li family has moved several times in recent years. It might be because Li Liang gave up on his scholarly pursuits that they moved back to Beijing five years ago.”
Dou Zhao nodded slightly and asked, “What is the Li family’s current situation? Is Li’s mother still alive? The Li family has sold most of their land, so how are they making a living now?”
Chen Jia replied, “Li’s mother passed away four years ago. Li Liang now works as an accountant for a general goods shop. He changed his name to Li Xun. Every year after the first month of the lunar calendar, he travels south with the shop’s second manager, returning only in the twelfth month. His wife and children live with him in the south. Only a widowed cousin who sought refuge with him years ago, having nowhere else to go after her husband died, stays in Shuzihutong with her daughter to look after his house.”
A widowed cousin?
Dou Zhao’s heart skipped a beat. She asked, “Have you investigated this cousin’s background?”
Hearing this, Chen Jia’s expression became somewhat uncomfortable. He coughed lightly and said, “According to the neighbors, his widowed cousin has a somewhat questionable reputation… The neighbors all speculate that this so-called cousin living in Li Liang’s house is either Li Liang’s concubine or has an affair with him. Since Li’s mother passed away, Li Liang’s wife and children have gone with him to Jiangnan and haven’t been seen since. Li Liang is rarely at home, and the widowed young woman was initially cautious, but in the past two years, she has become bolder. She once let a merchant from the northwest stay at the house for some time. This spring, that merchant came again. Li Liang might have heard something because he returned just as the merchant arrived. If the merchant hadn’t run away quickly, Li Liang would have caught him red-handed.”
“Despite this, they still had a big argument, and Li Liang seemed to have gotten physical, beating the widow quite severely. He was seen buying medicinal wine for bruises.”
“My men spent a night on their roof and discovered that although the two didn’t share a room, Li Liang entered and exited the widow’s room without any restraint, far too casually for a normal relationship between a widowed cousin and her cousin.”
Dou Zhao frowned and asked, “Doesn’t Li Liang’s cousin care about having a daughter?”
Chen Jia replied, “Li Liang’s cousin’s daughter was married off to Baoding last autumn. It was said to be an engagement arranged since childhood, to a distant nephew of the Li family. Li Liang personally escorted the bride. The increasing boldness of Li Liang’s cousin is also related to her daughter having married.”
Everything sounded normal, but Dou Zhao felt an inexplicable unease.
She asked, “How old is Chen Jia’s cousin? How old is the daughter she brought with her?”
Chen Jia said, “Li Liang’s cousin is quite beautiful, looking only about 25 or 26 years old. However, her daughter was 14 when she got married, so I think she must be at least 28 or 29 years old…”