As Ji Yong spoke, his eyes were devoid of any hint of amusement. Dou Zhao could even sense a trace of mockery.

He must still be holding a grudge about her previous comment about him “not following the rules,” she thought. She hadn’t expected him to be so petty and vindictive.

Dou Zhao smiled and said, “So you’re going to Daci Temple for vegetarian food! I won’t be joining you. With the New Year approaching, I have a mountain of things to do at home!”

Her response displeased Ji Yong, whose face betrayed a hint of a cold smile.

Ignoring this, Dou Zhao turned to the Dou brothers, Zhengchang and Dechang, and asked, “How are Fifth Uncle, Fifth Aunt, and Sixth Uncle? Did Father bring back any messages?”

Dou Zhengchang replied, “Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt are well. My Tenth Sister-in-law is about to give birth. Fifth Aunt hopes for a girl, saying ‘flowers first, then fruit.’ Father found Fifth Uncle’s place too noisy and moved to Jing’an Temple Alley to live with Seventh Uncle in September. During his time off, Father goes to browse antiques near Daxiangguo Temple, while Seventh Uncle listens to Buddhist teachings at Tianning Temple. Father has put on some weight, but Seventh Uncle remains the same as before…”

Dou Bochang, sixth in the line of cousins, was the Fifth Uncle’s eldest son, while Dou Jichang, tenth in line, was the Fifth Uncle’s second son. Bochang had married the daughter of Guo Xun, the Deputy Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Jichang had married the daughter of Cai Bi, a scholar at the Hanlin Academy. Dou Zhao had met these two sisters-in-law a few times in her previous life but had no close relationship with them. In this life, she hadn’t met them at all. Madam Cai had been pregnant upon entering the family and had given birth to two sons in succession. Fifth Aunt, fearing the bumpy journey might harm her pregnancy, had kept her from traveling. After that, she had two more pregnancies, making it inconvenient to return home for ancestral worship. Madam Guo, on the other hand, had shown no signs of pregnancy for four years after marriage. Although she could have returned home, with Madam Cai preceding her, she felt it inappropriate to do so.

Upon hearing Dou Zhengchang’s words, Dou Zhao learned of Madam Guo’s pregnancy. Remembering that in her previous life, Madam Guo had given birth to a daughter and had no more children afterward, Dou Zhao felt a surge of sympathy. With the strong-willed Madam Cai before her and Concubine Bai, who had borne four sons, after her, Madam Guo had never been able to speak up in the Dou family, even when her father had eventually been promoted to Left Censor-in-chief of the Censorate, a high-ranking official of the second grade.

Dou Zhao smiled and said, “So Tenth Sister-in-law is about to have a little one. Shall I make some baby clothes and have someone bring them over?”

“That would be wonderful!” Dou Zhengchang replied with a smile. “Father wants us to go to the capital with Mother after the New Year. Fourth Sister, why don’t you come with us?”

Go with Sixth Aunt? Dou Zhao couldn’t help but glance at Madam Ji.

Madam Ji’s eyes and brows betrayed undisguised joy as she eagerly asked Dou Zhengchang, “Did your father say this?”

Dou Zhengchang nodded, “Yes, Father also asked me to bring a letter back for Mother. I was in a hurry to pay respects to Grandmother earlier, so I haven’t had a chance to give it to you yet.”

Hearing this, Madam Ji’s smile grew even brighter. She glanced at Wang Mama, who had accompanied Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang to the capital.

Wang Mama nodded with a smile.

Madam Ji could barely contain her excitement.

She turned to Dou Zhao and said, “It’s been some years since you’ve seen your father, hasn’t it? Why don’t you come with us to the capital? We’ll be staying at the Ji family’s residence in Yuqiao Hutong. We’ll only be there for about half a month before returning…”

This meant they wouldn’t have to meet Wang Yingxue or visit the Wang family.

Dou Zhao didn’t want to return to the capital.

The Jining Marquis’s mansion was only three streets away from Yuqiao Hutong.

She had no desire to encounter old acquaintances.

“I think I’ll pass,” she said with a smile. “Dou Ming is still at home…”

Ji Yong suddenly interjected coldly, “Is it that you want to take care of Dou Ming, or that you don’t want to stay at the Ji family’s residence?”

Even if she didn’t want to stay at the Ji family’s residence, wasn’t that perfectly reasonable?

Dou Zhao pretended not to hear and continued smiling at Madam Ji, “Also, Aunt Cui loves pork belly. If I’m not there to keep an eye on her, no one can stop her from indulging.”

Madam Ji assumed Dou Zhao truly didn’t want to encounter Wang Yingxue. Feeling a twinge of disappointment, she didn’t press the matter further and changed the subject with a smile, “The capital is full of treasures. Is there anything you’d like me to bring back for you?”

Remembering that Sulan liked to eat wosigang (a type of candy), Dou Zhao didn’t stand on ceremony with Madam Ji. She smiled and said, “If it’s not too much trouble, could you bring back two packages of wosigang… and ten or eight boxes of the Eight Delicacies from Fuxiang Zhai? I’d like to give them as gifts… Also, some preserved fruits from Lin’s shop – plums, apricots, olives, and winter melons… Two packages of each, please.”

“You’re not afraid of breaking down the carriage!” Madam Ji chuckled, but a hint of confusion crossed her mind.

Dou Zhao had never been to the capital. How did she know so much about its local specialties?

Perhaps Dou Ming had boasted about them to her, and that’s why she specifically requested these items.

A pang of heartache flashed through Madam Ji’s heart. She took Dou Zhao’s hand and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to bring back everything you’ve asked for, without missing a single item.”

Everyone burst into laughter, except for the stone-faced Ji Yong.

Dou Zhengchang even took the rare opportunity to joke with Dou Zhao, “Fourth Sister, do you want any clothes or jewelry? I’ve heard that East Street in the capital is full of shops selling these things, though I’ve never been there myself. Why don’t you ask Mother to bring you some clothes and jewelry too? Mother will surely make us brothers go along to help carry everything…”

The atmosphere in the room was warm and harmonious.

Despite this, Dou Zhao’s disregard for Ji Yong and his cold demeanor towards her added a strange flavor to the warmth.

He Yü glanced at Dou Zhao, then at Ji Yong, a glimmer of interest flashing in his eyes.

A thirteen-year-old provincial examination champion, the direct descendant of the Ji family, was praised repeatedly by his father. Knowing he was coming to the capital, they had even specially prepared a banquet at home to welcome him.

Ji Jianming Ji Yong is widely acclaimed by the capital’s scholarly circles for his profound knowledge, modesty, and elegance, as warm and gentle as the winter sun. Who would believe that he would become so furious just because the young lady from the Dou family ignored him?

He Yü’s lips curled into a slight smile as he lowered his head to take a sip of tea. His mind flashed back to the first time he saw Dou Zhao.

The morning light had shone on her smooth forehead, fine beads of sweat glistening like dewdrops. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright and spirited. She was like a flower in full bloom, more dazzling than the morning glow.

He couldn’t help but feel a sense of bewilderment.

He Yü unconsciously began to compare Dou Zhao with his sisters at home.

The He family had been prominent since the previous dynasty, and their influence had only grown in the current era. In terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, few families could compare to theirs. His sisters were particularly pampered, each with their charm, like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums. But compared to Dou Zhao, they seemed to be lacking something. To be fair, while Dou Zhao was pretty, she couldn’t be called a great beauty. Her attire was tasteful but not particularly ingenious, and couldn’t even compare to Ji Yong’s. The seemingly ordinary true cyan cloth robe he wore had a fine, even texture and seemed to have a layer of fleece. It was made from Jiading’s special twill fabric, which cost three taels of silver per bolt even in its natural color. Dyed true cyan, it was probably more expensive than the gold-threaded robe He Yü was wearing. This was the typical attire of those well-established noble families, but He Yü disliked such affectation and disdained to follow suit.

Yet for some reason, Dou Zhao possessed a quality that his sisters lacked.

Just as she chose not to engage with Ji Jianming, she could do so without forcing herself, without pretense, without feigning. Among his sisters, there were the gentle ones, the strong ones, the exceptionally intelligent ones, and those adept at reading situations. If faced with such a circumstance, even if they disliked it in their hearts, they would still make some effort to respond, fearing reproach from their father and brothers or loss of their mother’s favor. No matter how uncomfortable they felt, they would still put on an act. But no one could express their true feelings as straightforwardly and honestly as she did.

As this thought flashed through his mind, He Yü felt a slight tremor in his heart.

His sisters were more like flower arrangements or beautiful paintings. While pleasing to the eye, they always lacked a certain vitality. Dou Zhao, on the other hand, was like a tree or a bamboo grove – tall, lush, changing with the seasons, growing and withering of her own accord, natural and unrestrained, unmoved by anyone.

“Fourth Young Lady,” He Yü suddenly interrupted Dou Zhengchang, sincerely inviting Dou Zhao, “Why don’t you set aside your chores for a moment and join us for a vegetarian meal at Daci Temple tomorrow? There’s a joy to be found in stealing a moment of leisure amidst busyness!”

Dou Zhao, of course, politely declined.

There was no logic in refusing Ji Yong only to accept He Yü’s invitation.

Ji Yong’s expression improved considerably.

A look of disappointment flitted across He Yü’s face.

Thinking that Dou Zhengchang and the others must be tired from their journey and hadn’t even had time for a private word with Madam Ji since arriving, Dou Zhao stood up to take her leave. “I’ll go pay my respects to the Second Madam and check on Cousin Ming’er from Ninth Cousin’s family.”

Ming’er was Dou Huanchang’s son.

Remembering that they had an honored guest in He Yü, Madam Ji gave Dou Zhao a few perfunctory words about “coming over to play when you have time” and asked Caishu to see her out. She then exchanged a few pleasantries with He Yü before they all dispersed to rest in their rooms.

Madam Ji, however, closeted herself with Wang Mama to talk.

“Did you see the young lady from the Han family?” Madam Ji asked, unable to hide the joy and curiosity in her expression. “What’s her temperament like? How does she look?”

Dou Zhengchang was seventeen this year, well past the age for marriage talks. Madam Ji didn’t think much of the young ladies from Beizhili and was intent on finding a match for him among the Ji family’s in-laws.

The Han family from Huzhou was her sister-in-law’s – Ji Yong’s mother’s – natal family. They were a generations-old official family that had produced not only jinshi scholars but also zhuangyuan and bangyan (top scorers in the imperial examinations). They were one of the most prominent families in Jiangnan and had intermarried with the Ji family for generations, maintaining a very close relationship.

She had written to her sister-in-law several times, asking her to act as a matchmaker for Dou Zhengchang. Her sister-in-law had always politely declined, saying she hadn’t met Dou Zhengchang. This time, Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang’s trip to the capital was actually to be seen by the Han family.

When Madam Ji first heard Dou Zhengchang say that Dou Shiheng wanted her to bring the two sons to the capital again after spring, she knew this marriage arrangement was likely settled. That’s why she couldn’t wait to pull Wang Mama aside to ask about the situation.

Wang Mama smiled, curtsied to Madam Ji, and said, “Congratulations, Madam. You’re about to become a mother-in-law.” She then continued with a smile, “No wonder you entrusted this matter to the Seventh Madam. She truly knows how to handle things! The tenth young lady of the Han family she introduced is not only gentle and kind-hearted but also very dignified in appearance. Her conduct is impeccable, leaving no room for criticism. I even made some discreet inquiries and heard that the tenth young lady of the Han family had been passionate about calligraphy since childhood. Her chancellery script is said to be even better than that of the Han family’s young masters, though she’s not particularly skilled in needlework. But as the Seventh Madam said, no one is perfect, and even gold isn’t pure. In families like ours, it doesn’t matter whether one is proficient in needlework or not. What matters is the ability to support one’s husband and educate the children…”

Madam Ji nodded repeatedly, “Sister-in-law is right. There are no perfect people in this world. I’m most wary of those who seem flawless without a single fault. Such perfection is usually just a facade…”