Dou Zhao gazed at the two tall magnolia trees in front of the main house, feeling as if she had crossed into another world.

She smiled at Su Xin and said, “Let’s go see Aunt Cui.”

Su Xin’s anxious heart finally settled. She gently grasped Dou Zhao’s arm and said, “My lady, perhaps you should freshen up first. Look at your current state—Aunt Cui might worry if she sees you like this.”

Dou Zhao looked down and noticed several mud spots on her lilac-colored embroidered shoes. She couldn’t help but chuckle. After Gan Lu helped her take a hot bath and dry her hair, she changed into fresh clothes before heading to her grandmother’s quarters.

Hong Gu, having received word of their arrival, was already waiting at the entrance with an umbrella. Upon seeing Dou Zhao, she curtsied with a warm smile and inquired about the situation at the farm: “How is it? Can the crops be saved?”

“We can only hope for the autumn corn now,” Dou Zhao replied as she entered the main room with Hong Gu.

Grandmother, seated on the large kang by the window, had already gathered the gist of the situation from their conversation. She asked about the extent of damage to each household, how it was being handled, and what the villagers were saying.

Dou Zhao answered each question in detail, naturally omitting any mention of Song Mo.

Grandmother praised Dou Zhao: “…I never imagined you’d have such a talent for agriculture! You’ve handled this situation very well. Once the rain stops, remember to tell Mr. Chen to distribute ten dou of corn flour to each household. That should help them get through the next few months.”

“Mr. Chen had urgent business in the capital,” Dou Zhao explained, using the story they had agreed upon with Chen Qushui. “In his youth, he received a great kindness from a friend. Now that friend is in trouble, so Mr. Chen rushed to help. He might not return to Zhending until autumn.”

Grandmother didn’t suspect anything but worried about Chen Qushui’s hasty departure. “It seems this matter is quite serious. Shou Gu, you should write a letter to your father. Even if you can’t help, having a familiar face there might give him some comfort.” She then asked, “Did you provide Mr. Chen with travel funds? Who’s attending to him? He’s not a young man anymore; you must ensure he’s well taken care of.”

Grandmother’s genuine concern and sincerity were evident, without a hint of pretense.

Dou Zhao inwardly sighed, then smiled and said, “Please don’t worry. Everything has been arranged properly. Mr. Chen won’t be inconvenienced.”

In reality, they had left in a hurry, and since Chen Qushui was traveling with Song Mo, he had only taken ten taels of silver coins and twenty taels in banknotes that Dou Zhao and others had scraped together. Fortunately, he had left some clothes at the farm; otherwise, even having a change of clothes would have been problematic.

Song Mo should rightfully bear the responsibility for Mr. Chen’s food and lodging expenses, Dou Zhao thought angrily. Still concerned that Mr. Chen might face hardships, she instructed Duan Gongyi when he went to the accounting office: “Find a way to send Mr. Chen a thousand-tael banknote.”

Having lived in the capital for over a decade, she knew all too well the high cost of living there.

Duan Gongyi agreed and, following Dou Zhao’s instructions, purchased some medicinal herbs to boost Old Master Tan’s health, along with a few calligraphy pieces, paintings, and ancient books to be sent to the Tan family estate.

Old Master Tan, now over seventy, heard that Dou Zhao had sent someone to visit him. Stroking his chest-length snow-white beard, he chuckled and said to his grandson, the Tan scholar, “This Fourth Miss Dou is quite interesting.”

The Tan scholar merely smiled politely beside him.

Old Master Tan then inquired about the child.

“I had the child taken to Baoding Prefecture overnight, and Young Master Mei took the wet nurse back with him,” the Tan scholar explained. “We’ll say that the Eighteen family had twins. If the Jiang family survives this crisis and wants the child back, we’ll say the child passed away. If they don’t make it through, I’ll have Eighteen and his family return in a couple of years. By then, the child will be two or three years old, and even if there’s a few days’ difference, it won’t be noticeable. If someone does notice something, we can explain it away by saying one was born naturally while the other was a difficult birth—not all twins look identical, after all.”

Old Master Tan nodded approvingly, stroking his beard as he mused, “You all complain that the rules set by our ancestors hinder your careers, but look at the Jiang family. They had glory, wealth, and power, but what happened? It all came crashing down in an instant! They couldn’t even protect their flesh and blood…”

The Tan scholar’s face reddened, and he asked in a low voice, “Grandfather, are we not going to intervene in the Jiang family’s affairs?”

“All things in this world, every peck and sip, are determined by heaven,” Old Master Tan sighed. “Even if we wanted to intervene, could we? If the death of one could save the lives of the entire family, then perhaps it wouldn’t be in vain.”

The Tan scholar recalled the image of a man drinking from a large bowl, wielding a sword, singing boldly, and looking down upon the world. Suddenly, his vision blurred.

Dou Zhao was also thinking about the child, wondering about its fate in her previous life.

If only she had paid more attention to Song Mo’s affairs back then!

It would have made it easier to decide how closely to associate with the Tan family.

How could anyone sleep soundly with such a fierce tiger as a neighbor?

Ignorance is bliss—if not for Song Mo, how would she have known about the Tan family?

What a headache!

Dou Zhao bit into the plum in her hand with frustration. The plum made a crisp sound as half of it was bitten away.

Su Lan came bouncing in.

“Fourth Young Miss, I have good news and bad news,” she said, blinking her small eyes at Dou Zhao. “Which would you like to hear first?”

Dou Zhao handed her a plum and said, “Let’s hear the bad news first, then the good news.”

Su Lan giggled and said, “The bad news is—Official Wang has been impeached. They’re accusing him of forced buying and selling, immoral conduct, allowing his children to bully others using his influence…”

She had thought it was Duke of Dinguo who had been impeached!

Dou Zhao felt a bit disappointed and asked, “Did they specify what exactly they did?”

“No,” Su Lan smiled. “But I heard he was criticized quite harshly, and even the Emperor issued an edict asking questions.”

Dou Zhao pursed her lips and said, “Then I suppose your so-called good news is that my Fifth Uncle has become a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet?”

“How did you know?” Su Lan’s eyes widened in surprise.

“That’s easy,” Dou Zhao said disinterestedly. “If it were someone else impeaching Wang Xingyi, they would surely list his crimes one by one, not just make vague accusations and use broad labels like they’re doing now. They must be afraid of implicating the Dou family. Since even the Emperor has issued an edict asking questions, whether these matters are true or false, the Cabinet will certainly want to avoid suspicion and won’t let him join. You said there was good news, so what else could it be but my Fifth Uncle becoming a Grand Secretary?”

“Young Miss, you’re so clever!” Su Lan’s face was full of admiration.

“It’s nothing special,” Dou Zhao said dismissively. “If you were in my position, you’d be just as clever.”

“But not everyone can be like you, Young Miss!” Su Lan looked at Dou Zhao enviously. “No matter how much sun you get, you never tan, while I can’t get fair skin even if I stay indoors all the time.”

Dou Zhao was taken aback and then burst into laughter.

Su Xin entered, lifting the curtain with a plate of freshly washed peaches. She scolded her sister, “What nonsense have you been spouting again?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Dou Zhao waved her hand, gesturing for Su Lan to eat some peaches. “Where did you hear these two pieces of news?”

Su Lan replied, “The Sixth Master sent someone back to report the good news. The Eastern Mansion has already started giving out rewards. The little maids and servants who sweep the floors and wipe the tables each got ten copper coins from the first year of Chengping. Third-class maids, old women, and wives got a hundred each, second-class got two hundred, first-class got three hundred, and the stewards and head matrons with some status got one tael of silver. I saw the Third Master’s attendants carrying silver back with my own eyes!”

In official circles, passing the imperial examination a day earlier or entering the cabinet a day sooner were important factors in determining seniority.

This was indeed an event worth celebrating.

She instructed Su Xin, “When the Eastern Mansion’s people come to report the good news to us, we’ll give out rewards just like they did.”

Su Xin smiled and went to prepare copper coins and silver.

The people from the Eastern Mansion came to report the good news.

“Go tell Fifth Young, Miss,” Dou Zhao called for Gan Lu and Su Juan to help her get ready. “We need to go to the mansion to congratulate Second Madam.”

Su Lan volunteered to inform Dou Ming.

When she returned, she whispered to Dou Zhao, “As soon as I told Fifth Young Miss, she started crying. I said, ‘On such a joyous day if you show up with red eyes, Second Madam might be displeased.’ Fifth Young Miss got so angry she threw a teacup at me. I dodged it, and it shattered on the floor. I told Madam Zhou that it was a new doucai teacup from the imperial kiln, worth twelve taels of silver for a set. Now that one is broken, the whole set is ruined. The storeroom matron might have trouble explaining this, so it might be better to buy a new set to replace it…”

Gan Lu and Su Juan covered their mouths, trying to suppress their laughter.

Dou Zhao shook her head helplessly.

At that age, she too had enjoyed engaging in conflicts, not to mention Su Lan, who was so lively she seemed to thrive on chaos.

“You’re all older than her. Why stoop to her level?” Dou Zhao admonished them. “Don’t say such things again in the future.”

Gan Lu and Su Juan both agreed, but Su Lan made a face and darted away.

About half an hour later, Dou Ming, dressed and groomed, arrived accompanied by Madam Zhou.

Seeing her face smooth and rosy, with no signs of distress, Dou Zhao nodded slightly in approval. They set off together for the Eastern Mansion.

Everyone’s faces were beaming with undisguised joy. Upon seeing Dou Zhao and Dou Ming, they offered endless congratulations and flattery, even more enthusiastically than during the New Year celebrations.

When they entered Second Madam’s hall, Dou Zhao realized that all the Dou family members had gathered.

Second Madam was discussing celebration plans with Second Madam.

Seeing Dou Zhao arrive, she quickly beckoned her to sit nearby and asked, “Should we have the opera performance for ten days or fifteen days?”

Last time, when the family produced three scholars, they had ten days of opera performances.

Dou Zhao smiled and said, “I think it would be better if the family just gathered for a meal. Having opera performances might be too ostentatious.”

It seemed a bit excessive to celebrate so grandly for just entering the cabinet, almost like nouveau riche behavior.

Everyone was taken aback.

Second Madam pondered for a moment, then clapped her hands and said, “Our Shou Gu is indeed perceptive. Let’s do as she suggests—we’ll just have a family celebration and leave it at that.”

Second Madam also came to her senses and looked at Dou Zhao with newfound respect. “Your Sixth Aunt has gone to the capital, so we’re short-handed at home. Shou Gu, since you don’t have much to do at home, why don’t you come over for the next few days and help me prepare a few tables for the banquet?”

For other young ladies, this would be a rare opportunity for training, but for someone like her who could instruct others on how to manage a household, it was merely helping out.

She had no intention of doing such thankless work!

“I don’t know anything about it. It’s better to let my sisters-in-law help you,” Dou Zhao politely declined with a smile. “The rain has just stopped, and now the sun is blazing. My flower house must be in a terrible state. I need to supervise the maids and old women in tidying up my flower house these next few days, otherwise, the bicolor peony that survived this year might not make it.”

Second Madam didn’t understand flower cultivation, but she knew what it meant to raise a bicolor peony. She let Dou Zhao return to her residence without hesitation.

After the Dou family had their celebratory feast, news arrived from the capital: Wang Xingyi had been reassigned as the Governor of Yunnan.