A heavy downpour had affected the entire Zhending Prefecture to varying degrees, with Zhending and Lingbi counties suffering the most severe damage, resulting in an almost complete crop failure. Prefect Lu personally visited Dou Shiheng to discuss disaster relief efforts for Zhending Prefecture. The Dou family, of course, couldn’t refuse to help. Dou Qiguang, Dou Qijun, and others who had originally planned to attend Dou Zhengchang’s engagement ceremony in the capital stayed behind, awaiting Prefect Lu’s instructions to assist with post-disaster matters.
Without family members to accompany her, Miss Shu naturally couldn’t go to the capital either.
Grumbling about her “bad luck,” she went to visit Dou Zhao.
As the weather had gradually turned warmer, Dou Zhao had changed into a white gauze double-breasted shirt and a dark linen vest, wearing small silver bauhinia earrings, looking neat.
She asked Ganlu to brew a pot of Meiwo Longjing tea for Miss Shu.
Miss Shu closed her eyes, savoring the lingering tea fragrance on her lips and teeth, and said contentedly, “Pre-Qingming Longjing! Fourth Aunt always has the best things!”
Dou Zhao laughed heartily and asked her, “Would you like to go to the farm with me? They’re planting corn these days, and I want to take a look!”
“I have nothing else to do anyway,” Miss Shu, with her cheerful personality, immediately had her attention diverted. She stood up excitedly, “Let’s go to the farm!”
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile, appreciating her lively nature. The two of them boarded the carriage one after another.
At the farm, everyone was busy planting. Oxen were mooing, children were chasing and playing noisily on the ridges between fields, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil.
Miss Shu looked around with wide eyes.
Thinking of the Wu family, the great landowners of Pingshan that Miss Shu was about to marry, Dou Zhao asked with a smile, “Shall I find a few women familiar with farming to accompany you?”
Miss Shu understood her meaning and became somewhat embarrassed. However, she had always been frank with Dou Zhao. After some thought, she not only graciously agreed but also asked Dou Zhao to recommend a few people: “…He’s the fourth son in his family. Although I won’t be in charge of household affairs after marrying him, I can’t be completely ignorant either, lest my in-laws and sisters-in-law laugh at me. Mother told me to bring two maids with me, one who knows how to manage shops and one who knows how to manage farms. For managing shops, Father has someone trustworthy; but for managing farms, I’m a bit unsure. Since his family has a tradition of both farming and studying, it would be best if Fourth Aunt could help me with a suitable introduction.”
Dou Zhao liked this approach of openly discussing matters. If she could help, she would; if not, she would say so clearly, making things easier for everyone.
“I’ll ask Hong Gu when I get back,” she said with a smile. “She’s the most familiar with the people on the farm.”
She couldn’t very well say that she was familiar with it, could she?
Miss Shu blushed and expressed her thanks.
In the afternoon, as they were preparing to tour the village with two women, several elders whom Dou Zhao had summoned for questioning during the previous rain came to seek an audience.
“You go ahead and look around,” Dou Zhao sent Miss Shu off and invited the elders to have tea in the main hall.
“We all appreciate Aunt Cui’s kindness,” the elders respectfully bowed to Dou Zhao and spoke one after another. “Although the old lady has reduced our rent, we can’t just take advantage of it. Everyone is working hard to grow this season’s corn well, hoping to be able to give some grain back to the landlord when the time comes.”
This was the simple honesty of the tenant farmers.
Dou Zhao smiled and asked about the affairs in the fields. Seeing that everything was well organized, she nodded approvingly to herself. Then she rejoined Miss Shu, and they toured the village together before returning to Zhending County town while it was still early.
She invited Miss Shu to stay for dinner.
Miss Shu didn’t stand at the ceremony. After the meal, she went to pay her respects to Aunt Cui and listened to her talk about farming for quite a while before taking her leave.
Suxin came in to report, “We received a letter from Mr. Chen this afternoon.”
In mid-May, news of Duke of Dinguo’s death shocked the court and the country. Soon after, memorials denouncing Duke of Dinguo for “bullying men and women” and “embezzling military funds” flew in like snowflakes. Jiang Lansun and Jiang Songsun were escorted to the capital with utmost haste.
In her previous life, Jiang Lansun had died in Fujian along with his brother Jiang Meisun. In this life, although Jiang Lansun’s legs and arms were broken and he was barely clinging to life, he managed to return to the capital. Jiang Songsun, who had returned to the capital in the previous life, died in Baoding Prefecture due to severe injuries.
It was said that the Emperor was furious.
But Jiang Lansun and Jiang Baisun were still imprisoned in the imperial jail.
Then came a letter from her father. He scolded Dou Ming, saying that if she didn’t listen to her sister properly, he would make her learn etiquette from the Second Madam.
Dou Ming cried secretly for several days and quietly wrote a letter to her maternal grandmother, Lady Xu, asking her to intercede with her father and allow her to return to the capital.
At the end of May, Lady Xu replied, saying that everyone at home was busy preparing for Wang Xingyi’s departure. She told Dou Ming to stay in Zhending for now, and after the family matters were settled, she would help plead her case to her father.
Dou Ming wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant, suddenly losing all her spirit.
In early June, Wang Xingyi, the newly appointed Governor of Yunnan, quelled two small Miao rebellions and received praise from the Emperor.
Dou Ming perked up again, her footsteps becoming noticeably lighter.
What a chaotic early summer this was!
Dou Zhao sighed as she sat on the large kang by the window in the inner room, opening Chen Qushui’s letter.
The Jiang family had been stripped of their title. Males over five years old were exiled to the Tieling Guard, while women and boys under five were demoted to commoners. Except for the ancestral land and ancestral home in their original place of registration, all other property was confiscated.
Finally, there was a small piece of news: Wei Tingyu had successfully inherited the title and was now the newly appointed Marquis of Jining.
Dou Zhao didn’t dwell on this matter.
She was thinking about the Jiang family’s situation.
Exiled to Tieling Guard!
That was the domain of the Prince of Liao.
Judging from everything that had happened in this life, the Jiang family’s men were either imprisoned or followed Jiang Meisun to Fujian. The family’s advisors had no choice but to seek help from Madam Jiang, the wife of Duke of Ying, who had the highest status and position. Madam Jiang did indeed do her best to intercede for the Jiang family.
In her previous life, the entire Jiang family had been executed, Madam Jiang had soon passed away due to illness, and Song Mo had been driven out of the family…
In this life, the Jiang family’s boys under five and the women survived, and they could even return to their hometown to recuperate. Madam Jiang probably wouldn’t have passed away so early, and Song Mo wouldn’t have been driven out of the family.
But now, without Song Mo, a whole Jiang family had been sent away instead!
Was this fate?
Dou Zhao’s head throbbed with pain.
She wondered how many men of the Jiang family had survived this catastrophe.
She put Chen Qushui’s letter in a black lacquer box on the headboard of her bed.
At least now, the child in Tan Family Village wasn’t the only bloodline of the Jiang family anymore.
Song Mo’s wariness towards her should be gone now, right?
When would that Lu Ming leave? And when would Mr. Chen be able to return?
By mid-June, all the crops had been planted, and the corn seedlings covered the fields in a lush green, growing vigorously.
Prefect Lu was overjoyed and said he would petition the court to commend the Dou family.
The Second Madam hurriedly sent Dou Shiheng to the prefectural office to make arrangements.
Meanwhile, Dou Zhao received Wei Tingyu’s wet nurse, Madam Tian, at home.
“…Regarding the previous incident, the Marquis feels very sorry towards Fourth Miss,” she said with a face full of apology and a very respectful attitude. “Our Old Madam originally had good intentions, but unexpectedly made a mistake. The Marquis specifically asked me to apologize to you on his behalf. Our Lady has also reprimanded our Old Madam, and such things will never happen again. We hope Fourth Miss won’t take it to heart and will forgive our Old Madam’s unintentional act.”
Dou Zhao was very surprised.
She hadn’t expected Wei Tingyu to apologize to her on behalf of his sister!
What had happened in this life to cause such a big change in Wei Tingyu compared to her previous life?
Dou Zhao was full of confusion as she politely saw off Madam Tian, unable to figure it out.
Lu Ming came to seek an audience.
Dou Zhao hoped he was coming to say goodbye, but instead, he said, “Fourth Miss, our young master is staying at the farm and wishes to see you!”
Dou Zhao’s eye twitched.
What did he want to see her for?
Hadn’t she already shown her loyalty?
Now that the Jiang family had a chance to make a comeback, what else did she have to do with it?
Dou Zhao smiled and said, “It’s not convenient for me to go out to meet guests, but since your young master has come from afar, I shouldn’t neglect him. How about this: I’ll send Suxin to meet your young master, and if he has anything to say, he can have her relay it to me.”
Lu Ming stood there without leaving: “Please, Fourth Miss, go meet our young master! He originally wanted to visit you at home, but fearing it might put you in a difficult position, he quietly stayed at the farm instead.”
How could she have forgotten about this?
Now that the Jiang family’s matter had been settled, the Song family hadn’t been affected at all. If he were to openly visit her, she wouldn’t know how to explain Song Mo’s background to the Second Madam. Moreover, given Song Mo’s personality, he was entirely capable of doing such a thing…
“In that case, I’ll find an opportunity to meet your young master,” Dou Zhao agreed with a smile.
However, she made Song Mo wait for two days.
“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” she apologized to Song Mo as soon as she entered, though her expression showed no trace of guilt. “There were matters at home that I couldn’t get away from.”
“It’s alright!” Song Mo, wearing a pale white fine linen Daoist robe, leaned against the eastern wing’s veranda, looking at her with a faint smile. His brows and eyes showed undisguised fatigue, which made him appear more approachable, less cold than when they first met, and even more handsome. “The farm is peaceful and quiet. I’ve been able to rest here for a few days.” As he spoke, he entered the main hall with Dou Zhao.
A bright-eyed young servant directed several burly men to carry a large number of items from the eastern wing.
He wasn’t accompanied by the same group as last time; Dou Zhao didn’t recognize any of them.
“What’s this?” she looked at Song Mo, puzzled.
“My mother specifically instructed me to come and thank Fourth Miss Dou,” Song Mo smiled gently, with the serenity of moonlight. “If it weren’t for Fourth Miss Dou’s strong support this time, the Jiang family might not have even been able to keep this bit of foundation!” He sighed, his expression quite sorrowful.
Dou Zhao hadn’t expected Madam Jiang to send Song Mo to thank her.
However, how could she dare to accept such great credit?
“Master Mei is too kind,” Dou Zhao hurriedly said. “I merely followed the book and engaged in armchair strategizing. Without your mother’s decisiveness, without the planning of your family’s advisors,” she decided on the spot to include the killer before her and added a sentence, “Without Master Mei’s assistance, how could the Jiang family have escaped danger? Your mother is too polite, making me feel ashamed instead.”
Song Mo listened with a smile on his lips, but his expression seemed to tell her, “Go ahead and be polite, I don’t believe a word of it.”
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but feel bored.
Song Mo then said, “I should have come earlier. I assume Mr. Chen has already told Fourth Miss Dou about my maternal family’s situation—I’ve been busy helping my grandmother and several aunts pack their belongings these days. My uncles and cousins are being exiled to the Tieling Guard, which is the domain of the Prince of Liao. I used to have some acquaintance with him, but he’s been away from the capital for a long time. To renew this relationship, we still need to find someone to mediate. It’s been a mess of busyness, which is why I’ve been delayed until now. These modest gifts are a token of my mother’s appreciation. Please accept them, Fourth Miss Dou!”