Dou Zhao’s words plunged the room into silence.
She cleared her throat softly, intending to offer Ji Yong a few more words of advice. However, before she could speak, Ji Yong let out a cold sneer filled with disdain and contempt: “Some people lack ability themselves, yet always blame others for not treating them politely. I despise such people the most!” Although his tone lacked the usual aggressive sarcasm when mocking others, his words remained just as caustic and biting.
Well, it seemed she had misspoken and misjudged the person!
Dou Zhao decided she would never again cast pearls before swine.
She turned to Ji Yong, her attitude now cooler: “What business do you have with me?”
Ji Yong, unfazed, rubbed his nose and drawled, “Don’t you desperately want to avoid marrying He Yu?”
Dou Zhao’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure and asked, “What makes you say that?”
“Why else would you scheme against me?” he replied leisurely.
Dou Zhao’s mind was suddenly in turmoil. She managed to suppress the urge to jump up, but her face betrayed her distress.
Ji Yong nodded with a smile, seemingly in high spirits. He continued nonchalantly, “However, considering our family ties, I’ll help you this time.” His demeanor suggested complete indifference.
Dou Zhao was stunned.
Ji Yong had already risen and left the flower hall.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but press her hand to her forehead.
What exactly was Ji Yong’s intention?
He was the elite of the Ji family, adored by elders and admired by juniors. Not only those like him who shared in the Ji family’s resources and prosperity, but even the Sixth Aunt would prioritize her allegiances at this moment. She would unwaveringly stand with the Dou family, upon which her son’s survival depended and which would offer her posthumous sacrifices, rather than with the Ji family that bore and raised her. How could Ji Yong possibly abandon the Ji family to help her?
It would be like betraying his interests!
From what she knew of him, although his words and actions often infuriated people to the point of spitting blood, he had never gone back on his word…
Or perhaps he had come merely to mock her?
Dou Zhao carefully recalled the subtle hints from their conversation.
Aside from his sarcastic remarks about Dou Qiguang, he had behaved quite normally otherwise!
Could he have come to intimidate her?
But then why would he offer to help her… it didn’t seem likely!
Dou Zhao sat there, shaking her head.
Suddenly, Ji Yong returned.
“Oh, right,” he grinned, his smile dazzlingly offensive, “I forgot to tell you something. Your accountant is quite good, but he’s no match for me. In the future, if you have such matters, feel free to consult me. I guarantee I’ll be more useful than him.”
Dou Zhao couldn’t maintain her composure, her face turning ashen.
Ji Yong, however, looked as if he had witnessed a long-awaited spectacle. Satisfied, he burst into laughter and strode away.
Dou Zhao hastily called out, “Suxin! Please ask Mr. Chen to come over. I have urgent matters to discuss with him.”
The Wu family’s residence in the capital was located in Fangjiahutong of Chongjing Ward, near the Andingmen in the northern part of the city.
To its north lay the Imperial College and Confucian Temple, to the south was Kaiyuan Temple, and to the west was Andingmen Street. It was a quiet spot amidst the bustle, ideal for studying. Scholars from other regions who came to the capital often preferred to rent lodgings in this area, keeping property prices in Chongjing Ward consistently high.
The Wu family’s compound, however, had been purchased by their ancestors years ago. The small two-courtyard residence was planted with crabapple and pomegranate trees. A grape trellis stood in the center of the courtyard, and in a large blue and white fish tank, several goldfish swished their tails as they swam among the aquatic plants. The atmosphere exuded domestic comfort and affluence.
Madam Wu and her daughter sat on beauty chairs under the veranda, doing needlework. They furrowed their brows unconsciously as they listened to the clear sound of reading coming from the western wing room.
Wu Ya looked up and saw her mother’s face full of melancholy again. Puzzled, she asked, “Mother, what’s been troubling you these days? Why do you always look so worried?” She then teased her mother, “I’m so well-behaved, has my brother done something wrong again? Tell me, I promise not to tell Father. I’ll help you teach brother a lesson!”
“Silly child,” Madam Wu couldn’t help but stroke Wu Ya’s jet-black hair.
The New Year had passed, and her daughter was now fourteen, of marriageable age.
Since that incident, her son has become less talkative. Once full of laughter and conversation with her, now their mother-son dialogue was invariably limited to “Are you hungry?” “No.” “Is there anything you’d like to eat?” “No.” “Did you sleep well?” “Yes.” When she mentioned her son’s unusual behavior to her husband, he thought it was a good thing: “Shan has grown up, becoming more steady and composed.”
She had no choice but to tell her husband about what happened to the Dou family, but she didn’t dare mention their son. She only said that she had taken a liking to Dou Zhao.
“Preposterous, absolutely preposterous!” her husband had exploded in anger upon hearing this. “How could you not consult me about such a significant matter earlier? The Fourth Miss of their family is unlike other young ladies. When the daughter of the Wang family was elevated to principal wife, the Dou and Zhao families had an agreement that the Wang family would not interfere in the Fourth Miss’s marriage, fearing she might suffer mistreatment from either the Wang or Dou families. Did you think Yuanji could easily intervene? Even if he agreed to your request, who knows what negotiations went on behind the scenes? You dismissed it with a single ‘unsuitable’ – where were you earlier? How can Yuanji bear this? To only tell me at this point…” He glared at her and said loudly, “You should also write an apology letter to the Second Madam. For your single word, they’ve probably run their legs off!”
Thinking of this, Madam Wu felt as if a hammer was pounding on her forehead, buzzing with pain.
If she had known it would turn out like this, she would have gritted her teeth and refused her son’s request. It would have spared them the subsequent troubles.
Although Dou Yuanji appeared to harbor no resentment, she didn’t believe they truly had no thoughts on the matter. As a result, she no longer visited the Dou family as frequently as before.
As she pondered this, a young maid came to report that Master Wu had returned from his official duties.
Madam Wu straightened her clothes and went with her daughter to greet him.
Wu Songnian, in his fifties, was tall and imposing with a stern countenance. Seeing his obedient daughter, his eyes couldn’t help but reveal a warm smile.
“Where’s Shan?” The reading had stopped, and the courtyard fell silent.
“He was just studying!” As Madam Wu’s voice faded, the door of the western wing creaked open, and Wu Shan, having heard the commotion, walked out.
“Father!” He respectfully bowed to Wu Songnian. His demeanor now lacked the sharpness of youth, replaced by a more restrained and introspective air.
Wu Songnian nodded approvingly and began inquiring about his studies.
Wu Shan answered each question in turn.
The father and son stood in the courtyard, engrossed in their academic discussion.
Wu Ya tugged at her mother’s sleeve.
Madam Wu found an opportunity to interrupt the father-son conversation, smiling as she said, “…There will be plenty of time to talk after dinner.”
Wu Songnian, satisfied with his son’s academic progress, smiled as he entered the main house.
Although Wu Shan’s lips curled upward, his eyes remained devoid of mirth as he followed his father inside.
Madam Wu couldn’t help but sigh.
After helping her husband freshen up, she couldn’t resist asking, “Didn’t you say Minister Cai invited you for drinks today? Why are you back so early?”
Wu Songnian shook his head with a smile: “Don’t mention it—Old Cai went to play matchmaker for someone!”
“Matchmaker?” Madam Wu was greatly surprised. “How did he end up being a matchmaker? Who has such great influence to persuade him?”
Cai Bi’s scholarship was first-rate, but so was his snobbery. If Cai Bi and Dou Shizhu weren’t in-laws, their family would never associate with Cai Bi. Even so, Wu Songnian rarely visited the Cai residence without good reason.
“It’s for Minister He,” Wu Songnian explained. “He wants to seek a marriage for his youngest son with a Dou family daughter, so he asked Cai Bi to be the matchmaker.” He added, “From what Cai Bi implied, it seems Minister He fears the Dou family might not agree, so he asked him to intervene and ensure the match is made, no matter what.”
Madam Wu’s eyelids twitched: “A Dou family daughter? Which one?”
“How could I inquire about such details?” Wu Songnian replied. “Yuanji has seven brothers, so there should be several nieces in the family.”
“Nieces?” Madam Wu was taken aback. “Wouldn’t that be a mismatch in generational order?”
“Indeed!” Wu Songnian frowned. “That’s why they asked Cai Bi to step in! Firstly, he’s related to the Dou family by marriage, so it’s easier for him to broach the subject. Secondly, besides Cai Bi, who else could come up with those clever ideas, citing classics and historical precedents to make this arrangement seem reasonable?” He then added with some emotion, “It seems the He family is determined to make this marriage happen. This is also Yuanji’s good fortune—if Grand Secretary Zeng retires, with Grand Secretary He’s strong support, Yuanji’s entry into the cabinet would be assured.”
Madam Wu’s heart began to churn like boiling water.
Her husband might not know how many young ladies were in the Dou family, but she knew clearly.
Among the Dou family’s nieces of marriageable age, only Dou Zhao fit the description.
As this thought flashed through her mind, she heard her son exclaim in shock: “Could it be Shou Gu?”
The couple couldn’t help but look towards Wu Shan.
They saw their son standing there, looking dazed and lost.
The couple exchanged a glance, but then heard their daughter Wu Ya loudly refute: “How could it be Shou Gu? She grew up in the countryside of Zhending. How would the He family know about her? It must be Dou Ming! After all, Dou Ming is the granddaughter of Minister Wang…”
“Right, right,” Wu Shan seemed to come back to his senses. Although his forehead was covered in sweat, he suddenly became animated, exclaiming with joy, “Shou Gu is betrothed to the Wei family of the Jining Marquis’s household. It can’t be her, it can’t be her…”
Wu Songnian’s face changed dramatically. He sternly commanded, “Do not look at, listen to, or speak of what is improper. We shouldn’t discuss other people’s affairs behind their backs. You two, leave now! I have more to discuss with your mother.”
Wu Shan and Wu Ya withdrew.
Wu Songnian’s expression grew even more serious as he asked Madam Wu, “Is this Shou Gu the Fourth Miss you mentioned?”
Madam Wu nodded.
“I’m afraid it’s this Shou Gu that the He family wants to marry,” Wu Songnian said gravely. “Today, Minister Cai went to the Jining Marquis’s residence.”
“What did you say?” Madam Wu exclaimed in shock. “That’s impossible! Dou Zhao is already engaged to someone else. How could the He family still want to marry her? Is Dou Zhao the only woman the He family can marry?” Inwardly, she felt a mix of conflicting emotions.
“The He family is of high status; they couldn’t possibly be marrying Yuanji’s niece just to curry favor with him,” Wu Songnian said, finding the idea laughable. He paced the room with his hands behind his back. “He Yu is the youngest son; they seek virtue in a wife… It’s likely that this Fourth Miss… is extraordinary!” Realizing this, Wu Songnian’s tone carried a hint of reproach. “You should have consulted me about this matter earlier. A good wife is half of one’s fortune. Our family doesn’t have many descendants, while the Dou family has numerous nephews and nieces. If we could have married a Dou family daughter, it would have been beneficial for our Shan…”
Madam Wu’s face alternated between pale and flushed, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Wu Shan, who had been eavesdropping outside his parents’ window, slid down the wall carved with passion flowers as if all strength had left his body.
Wu Ya, who had followed her brother’s actions, bit her lip as she looked at him, her eyes clouded with gloom.