Dou Zhao’s words felt like a riddle to Chen Quishui, who couldn’t decipher their meaning. His pride prevented him from asking her directly, so he let the topic drop.

After sending Chen Quishui away, Dou Zhao stood for a moment under the eaves of the main house, lost in thought.

In her previous life, the Marquis of Jining had suddenly fallen ill and died on the ninth day of the fifth month in the thirteenth year of Chengping. She had “coincidentally encountered” the Tian family on the nineteenth day of the eighth month in the fifteenth year of Chengping after the Marquis had finished mourning.

Now it was already March of the thirteenth year of Chengping. If nothing unexpected happened, the Marquis would pass away in a little over a month, and Wei Tingyu would need to observe a three-year mourning period, naturally delaying the marriage.

Three years from now, who knew what the situation would be like?

She wasn’t worried.

The following days brought continuous spring rain, and Dou Zhao busied herself tending to her peony plants.

Chen Quishui brought her news: Zeng Yifen had passed away.

“Finally, a position has opened up in the cabinet,” Dou Zhao said with a smile, inviting Chen Quishui to sit at the stone table in the warm room. She brewed some Biluochun tea and added, “I wonder who will become the Prime Minister? And which of the vice ministers will enter the cabinet? Someone in the capital will surely lose sleep over this in the coming days!”

Chen Quishui accepted the tea with a smile and analyzed, “Ye Shipai and Yao Shizhong have the highest chances, but with the support of the eunuch Wang Yuan from the Imperial Ceremonial Office, Dai Jian also has a shot.”

Dou Zhao was surprised. “So Dai Jian has the support of Eunuch Wang…”

Chen Quishui was even more astonished to hear Dou Zhao refer to Wang Yuan as “Eunuch Wang.” “How do you know about Wang Yuan?”

How could she not know about Wang Yuan?

In her previous life, during the coup by the Liao King, Wang Yuan had been a trusted eunuch of the late emperor and had managed to remain unscathed. After the Liao King ascended the throne, although he no longer served as the chief eunuch, he became the Grand Steward of Cining Palace. The emperor’s favored concubine, Lady Jiang, was said to have fallen out of favor with the emperor because she offended Wang Yuan, leading to her two sons being raised under the name of her rival, Consort Qi. Wang Yuan despised being called “Gonggong” (a term for eunuchs), so whether it was inner or outer court ladies, they would always respectfully refer to him as “Eunuch Wang.”

Dou Zhao had simply gotten used to it.

Feigning ignorance, she replied, “Everyone refers to these people as ‘eunuchs,’ so I used that title.” Fearing Chen Quishui would pursue the topic further, she quickly changed the subject. “Isn’t Ye Shipai the Vice Prime Minister? Now that Zeng Yifen has passed, he should take over as Prime Minister. Why do you say he’s just a possibility? And who are Yao Shizhong and Dai Jian?”

These were topics of great interest to Chen Quishui, and Dou Zhao’s explanations made sense, so he didn’t think much more about it. He smiled and said, “Logically, Ye Shipai should succeed Zeng Yifen as Prime Minister. However, Zeng Yifen had suppressed him quite a bit during his lifetime, leading to Ye Shipai taking the blame for several important political matters, which damaged his reputation. Plus, he’s getting older and may not have the energy, which could cause him to miss out on the Prime Minister position.”

“Yao Shizhong started as a middle-level official in the Ministry of Revenue and is known for his financial acumen. The emperor has borrowed a lot of money from the Ministry for his grand tomb construction, and with two major fires in Jiangnan, tax revenues have plummeted. The military expenses for the southern campaign against the pirates cannot be reduced at all, putting a strain on the treasury. Perhaps the emperor will appoint Yao Shizhong as Prime Minister to address the treasury’s emptiness.”

“As for Dai Jian, you can imagine how powerful he is if Wang Yuan can send the chief eunuch Ding Wei, who has served the emperor since his youth, to Shaanxi as a military governor. It’s said that Dai Jian arranged for his nephew to marry Wang Yuan’s adopted daughter, making them in-laws. This man is talented, capable, and shameless; he might just pull off a surprise!”

If it were anyone else, they would surely doubt Chen Quishui’s deductions, but Dou Zhao knew how formidable Wang Yuan was and found Chen Quishui’s words reasonable. The court appeared dignified, yet all sorts of absurdities could occur. After the Liao King became emperor, he even appointed the abbot of Longshan Temple, Master Yuantong, as a vice-minister of rites, specifically to oversee Buddhist affairs. Longshan Temple was subsequently designated as the Great Longshan National Protection Temple, flourishing from a little-known temple to the largest ancient temple in the region.

Once, she had inadvertently overheard the empress subtly complaining to the empress dowager that Master Yuantong had encouraged the emperor to bestow the golden tiles from the Golden Hall to build a grand hall for Longshan Temple, and the emperor had not opposed it. The empress dowager had been furious, scolding Master Yuantong as a “traitor.”

Thinking of this, Dou Zhao felt a jolt of alarm, and her expression changed dramatically.

Master Yuantong’s surname was Ji, his given name Mingjian, and his courtesy name was Buer.

Could Ji Yong… no, no, it couldn’t be!

She had met Master Yuantong twice. He was tall, with a fair complexion and handsome features. Not only was his smile warm and gentle, but his demeanor was also humble and gracious, making conversations with him feel like a refreshing spring breeze. He was nothing like Ji Yong, who spoke sharply and acted arrogantly, his shrewdness always on display. But if one were to overlook those traits… when Ji Yong pretended to be serious, he did bear some resemblance to Master Yuantong…

Dou Zhao suddenly stood up, knocking over the teacup beside her.

“Fourth Miss, what’s wrong?” Chen Quishui’s face changed; he thought Dou Zhao was pondering who might enter the cabinet. “Have you thought of something?”

Whether Dou Shishu could enter the cabinet was related to Wang Xingyi’s promotion, which in turn affected their plans in the capital.

“Nothing, nothing!” Dou Zhao murmured, “I just recalled some past events, unsure of their truth…” She abruptly asked Chen Quishui, “Do you know what Ji Jianming’s pseudonym is?”

She simply couldn’t connect Ji Yong with that monk.

Chen Quishui was taken aback. “I hadn’t noticed that. Would you like me to find out?”

Ji Yong had quietly gathered all the information about him, yet Chen Quishui was unaware. Although he had left in a huff, it would be self-deceiving to say he hadn’t felt a tremor in his heart. He was also curious how Ji Yong, at such a young age, had acquired such unsettling skills.

Dou Zhao nodded repeatedly, her heart filled with mixed emotions. “It would be best if you could also investigate his background in Yixing…” Perhaps it would reveal some clues.

Chen Quishui nodded.

Dou Zhao thought of her sixth aunt’s hesitance and Ji Yong’s reckless behavior…

Could Ji Yong really be that Master Yuantong?

For a moment, neither Chen Quishui nor Dou Zhao felt inclined to continue the conversation.

Meanwhile, far away in the capital, Dou Shiying stepped out of Dou Shishu’s study with a grim expression, pausing under the grape trellis outside to let out a long sigh.

Dou Shiheng followed him out, smiling, “What’s wrong? Are you reluctant to part with Shou Gu?”

“Yes!” Dou Shiying sighed again, “Becoming someone else’s daughter-in-law means serving in-laws and managing the household. She’s still so young; how could she handle all that?”

Just moments ago, the Wei family had sent a matchmaker to formally propose to Dou Shiying.

He hesitated.

Was he going to marry off his daughter like this?

He rushed to consult Dou Shishu.

Dou Shishu laughed, “What do you want? A selection process? Don’t forget, that the He family has backed down because of the prior agreement between the Dou and Wei families. Now that the He family is no longer pursuing the marriage, you wouldn’t want to break off with the Wei family, would you? How would we explain that to the He family?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Dou Shiying replied, “I just don’t want to marry Shou Gu off so soon. I don’t even know what kind of person Wei Tingyu is…”

“Weren’t you inquiring about him before? Both your sixth brother and sister-in-law think he’s quite good.” Dou Shishu chuckled. “Besides, an engagement isn’t a marriage. Once engaged, there’s still time to prepare the dowry. It’s common to wait two or three years before the wedding. I’m sure the Wei family thinks the same. You can’t keep Shou Gu at home forever, can you?”

Though he said this, Dou Shiying felt uneasy. After exchanging a few words with Dou Shishu, he saw Dou Shiheng approaching and decided to take his leave, but unexpectedly, Dou Shiheng followed him out.

“Come, let’s go drink at my place.” Dou Shiheng seemed to sense Dou Shiying’s inner turmoil and pulled him toward his home.

Feeling cold and unwelcoming at his own house, Dou Shiying didn’t want to return. He and Dou Shiheng went to Cat Alley.

On the way, he asked Dou Shiheng, “What did you need to see Fifth Brother about? Is it related to the cabinet?”

He was a bit worried that Dou Zhao’s marriage would cause a rift between the He and Dou families.

“Nothing major,” Dou Shiheng replied. “I heard Fifth Brother was back, so I came to check on him.” Dou Shishu had been helping the Zeng family these days. He added, “Don’t overthink it. You have to walk your path; relying on others isn’t dependable. I think Fifth Brother understands this too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to let the He family go to the Wei family to retrieve the jade pendant.”

Dou Shiying nodded as they entered the flower-laden gate.

The Ji family was busy directing the maids and servants in preparing the meal. Upon seeing the two enter, they quickly called a maid to fetch water for them to wash their faces and hands and sent a servant to inform the kitchen to add more dishes.

Dou Shiying didn’t hold back, changing into one of Dou Shiheng’s outfits to have lunch.

Noticing that Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang were absent, he asked, “Where have those two brothers gone?”

Ji Shi, helping Dou Shiying serve a bowl of soup, smiled, “They went to Yuqiao Alley.”

A few people from the Han family in Huzhou had come to see Dou Zhengchang and were staying at the Ji family in Yuqiao Alley.

Dou Shiying inquired about Dou Zhengchang’s marriage, “When will the engagement be set?”

Ji Shi beamed, “They’ve looked at a few dates, all between June and July. We’ve already sent someone to discuss it with the Han family, so we should receive a reply in a few days.”

Dou Shiying sighed, “It’s better to marry off a daughter!”

Dou Shiheng exchanged a knowing glance with Ji Shi, who immediately understood.

Thinking that Shou Gu was about to be married, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy!

“Although the Wei family has declined, they are still a respectable marquis family. Wei Tingyu is their only son, and he was early on granted the title of heir,” she advised Dou Shiying. “Lady Tian has a good temperament, and that boy is handsome and cheerful, treating others kindly. Though he’s a bit impetuous now, what young person isn’t? Our Shou Gu is smart; once they’re married, she can gradually teach him, and he’ll become more stable over time.”

Dou Shiying slowly nodded.

Neither of them mentioned the Wei family’s financial situation—Dou Zhao’s assets were already enough for them to squander.