As Wang Yingxue’s family arrived, they found themselves in discussions with the Dou family regarding her impending marriage.
Feeling her part was done, Dou Zhao crouched in the Yuji Pavilion overlooking West Dou in the back garden. She earnestly instructed Tuo Niang: “…I must return now. Have you remembered everything I told you?”
Confused, Tuo Niang asked, “Where is Fourth Miss going?”
“Never mind that,” Dou Zhao replied wistfully. “My long-cherished wish has been fulfilled. Even if it was just a dream, it has brought me contentment. I still have my responsibilities and duties. Being able to make this journey was already fortunate. Remember, never leave my mother’s side, and don’t let her do anything foolish. Living is always better than dying!”
Tuo Niang nodded solemnly, “Don’t worry, Fourth Miss. I’ll remember. I’ll keep a close eye on Seventh Madam and never let her be alone.”
Dou Zhao nodded and reached out to pat Tuo Niang’s head, only to realize they were crouching side by side, with Tuo Niang a shoulder taller than her. She smiled awkwardly and went to her room to sleep.
As the sun set and the moon rose, the stars shifted in the sky. Dou Zhao opened her eyes to find herself still surrounded by the same heavy black lacquered furniture and Chuncao’s eager, smiling face.
“How can this be? How can this be?” Large beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she pulled the blanket over her head. “I need to sleep, I need to sleep…”
She believed that if she fell asleep, she could return. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t drift off. When she finally did manage to sleep and opened her eyes again, she was still in the same room, lying on the same warm kang bed.
Tuo Niang asked, “Fourth Miss, what’s wrong? Won’t you get up for dinner?”
“No, no, no!” Dou Zhao replied, panic-stricken. “I must go back. I haven’t seen Brother Wei get married yet, I haven’t arranged Sister Yin’s marriage… I have to go back, I have to go back!”
The maids exchanged bewildered glances. Xiangcao let out a piercing scream and ran out, shouting, “Fourth Miss is possessed! Fourth Miss is possessed!”
Her father and mother were alarmed, and even her grandfather, supported by Aunt Ding, appeared in her room with a grave expression.
“Perhaps we should invite Daoist Master Xu from the Three Purities Temple to take a look?” Aunt Ding suggested quietly.
Before she could finish, Grandfather shot her a fierce glare. He was about to rebuke her when he noticed his daughter-in-law Zhao’s eyes light up. He swallowed his words.
Dou Shiyingknew his father despised such superstitious matters. Seeing his father’s silence as tacit approval, he exchanged a glance with his wife and said softly, “Why don’t we invite Daoist Master Xu from the Three Purities Temple to take a look?”
Zhao Guqiu held her daughter, who appeared dazed and somewhat foolish, filled with regret. She had been too preoccupied arguing with Dou Shiying lately, neglecting her daughter’s daily care. If anything were to happen to her daughter… she dared not think further.
“We must act quickly!” Mother said. “Let’s send someone to invite Daoist Master Xu from the Three Purities Temple right away.”
Grandfather remained silent.
Father immediately summoned Gaosheng and gave him instructions.
Mother stayed behind to keep Dou Zhao company.
Unable to sleep, Dou Zhao repeatedly caressed her mother’s hand. Warm, soft, smooth, and supple… these sensations couldn’t be imagined out of thin air. The sweetness of candy in her mouth, the crumbs of pastry falling on the kang… Could it be that she had truly returned to the past? To her childhood? What then of her previous life? What of the pain she endured during childbirth? Dou Zhao felt utterly confused and at a loss.
Daoist Master Xu caught a fox spirit in the Dou household.
The abbot of Fayuan Temple said she was haunted by a vengeful ghost and needed a forty-nine-day ritual to be performed.
Master Falin from the Imperial Temple said she had been cursed by an evil person and needed to light eighty-one lamps for eighty-one days to ward off misfortune.
Mother and Aunt Ding even secretly invited a spirit medium named Madam Peng to perform an exorcism, despite Grandfather and Father’s disapproval. Only then did Dou Zhao’s condition gradually improve.
Everyone in the family breathed a sigh of relief.
Mother set aside household matters to watch over her day and night. Fearing she might be lonely, she assigned four young maids close to Dou Zhao’s age to keep her company. She even invited a goldsmith to make jewelry at home and a tailor to make clothes. Dou Zhao’s room bustled with activity, livelier than during the New Year celebrations.
Experiencing such indulgence for the first time, Dou Zhao was on the verge of tears.
Mother held her in her arms, gently patting her back. “Be good, Shou Gu. Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Would you like Xiangcao to play with you?”
Since the series of incidents in Dou Zhao’s room, everyone except Tuo Niang, who had tirelessly cared for Dou Zhao without fear of her supposed possession, had been replaced, including the recently assigned Xiangcao.
Dou Zhao shook her head.
Mother thought for a moment, then poured a box of pearls onto the warm kang. “Aren’t they beautiful? Would you like us to make a pearl jacket for our Shou Gu?”
The round, lustrous pearls rolled across the kang, scattering light in all directions.
Dou Zhao scooped them up and let them fall, the pearls pattering like rain.
Even in her fifteen years as a marchioness, she had never been so extravagant.
Mother smiled gently.
She took Dou Zhao to Fayuan Temple to fulfill a vow.
Seeing Dou Zhao’s bright, lively eyes, the abbot of Fayuan Temple persuaded Mother to donate funds to print a thousand copies of the Lotus Sutra for her recovery: “This will also bring blessings to Fourth Miss!”
Mother agreed without hesitation, saying, “Then let’s print two thousand copies!”
The abbot could barely conceal his joy. He clasped his hands together and invited Mother to a nearby meditation room to choose a blessed religious artifact.
Mother carried Dou Zhao there.
Dou Zhao chose an agate pendant with hidden white silk.
Mother was delighted. Accompanied by the abbot, they went to view the Wild Goose Pagoda, which had just begun construction at Fayuan Temple. Mother asked, “If I were to fund the entire project, could the Bodhisattva ensure that Shou Gu will be safe, peaceful, and blessed with longevity from now on?”
“Of course, of course!” The abbot’s smile revealed all his teeth. “How could it not? This Wild Goose Pagoda was originally intended to bring blessings to virtuous people like Seventh Madam.”
Mother was led by the abbot to a side room for tea, where they discussed the construction of the Wild Goose Pagoda.
Dou Zhao stood under the covered walkway, gazing at the resplendent golden statue of Shakyamuni Buddha enshrined in the wide-open main hall. A surge of inexplicable emotion welled up within her.
She ran into the main hall, quietly kneeling on a prayer cushion.
“Bodhisattva, if this is just a fleeting dream, I beg you, let me never wake from it!” she prayed fervently, prostrating herself. “If this is a past life come to the present, I beg you, allow me to care for my mother peacefully until her natural end!”
The Buddha smiled down upon all sentient beings, emanating serenity, tranquility, love, and compassion.
Upon returning home, the maid Yuzhen came to report: “The matriarch from the Wang family of South Hollow has come to visit Fourth Miss!”
Dou Zhao, still in her mother’s arms, was momentarily stunned.
The matriarch from the Wang family of South Hollow must refer to Wang Yingxue’s sister-in-law!
Come to think of it, she was familiar with both of Wang Yingxue’s sisters-in-law, Madam Gao, and Madam Pang.
Madam Gao’s father, Gao Yuanzheng, was skilled in calligraphy and had been a colleague of Wang Xingyi. Later, he worked in the Hanlin Academy alongside her father Dou Shiying, and sixth uncle Dou Shiheng. Coming from a scholarly family, Madam Gao not only wrote beautifully but was also well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics. During the ten years, her husband Wang Zhibing accompanied his father Wang Xingyi in exile to Xining, she managed the household, cared for her mother-in-law, and even began her eldest son Wang Nan’s education. Wang Nan became a xiucai at fifteen, a juren at nineteen, and passed the imperial examination at twenty-one. When the ladies of official families spoke of the Wang family’s eldest daughter-in-law, they would invariably give a thumbs up and praise her as “virtuous and exemplary.”
Madam Pang, whose maiden name was Yulou, was originally the daughter of a merchant in town. She was exceptionally beautiful and excelled in needlework, household management, and accounting. Her father, reluctant to marry her off carelessly, noticed that Wang Zhibiao was over twenty and still unmarried. Admiring Wang Xingyi’s integrity and the Wang family’s scholarly background, he prepared a dowry of five hundred taels of silver and actively sought to form a marriage alliance with the Wang family.
Initially, Pang Yulou looked down on Wang Zhibiao, who, despite his handsome appearance, was clumsy in his actions. It wasn’t until Wang Xingyi was reinstated that she settled into her life with Wang Zhibiao, skillfully manipulating him to do her bidding and prioritizing her wishes over those of his father and elder brother.
In the past, it was thanks to her that Dou Zhao learned of Wang Yingxue’s plans, allowing her to thwart her younger brother Dou Xiao’s marriage.
Calculating the dates, Madam Pang should have already married Wang Zhibiao by now.
Dou Zhao wondered whether it was Madam Gao or Madam Pang who had come to visit. She suddenly felt a bit nostalgic for Madam Pang. If it were her, given her greed, she might put on quite a show for Wang Yingxue.
Dou Zhao smiled to herself, only to see Yuzhen leading the dignified and graceful Madam Gao.
She immediately lost interest.
Madam Gao curtsied to Zhao Guqiu: “Seventh Madam, is Fourth Miss feeling better?”
She looked at Dou Zhao with concern.
Dou Zhao lowered her gaze.
Mother replied coolly, “Thank you for your concern, Eldest Madam Wang. Shou Gu has recovered.” She then instructed a maid to bring an embroidered stool for Madam Gao.
Madam Gao expressed her thanks and sat down with perfect posture. She spoke softly, “I’ve been away from home for some time now, and with the New Year approaching, there are many matters to attend to. The household is full of either elderly or young, and my sister-in-law has just joined the family. There’s a mountain of tasks waiting for me. I’m thinking of returning home in a few days. Regarding Yingxue’s matter, I stand by what I said before. Since our family isn’t providing a dowry, your family needn’t prepare a betrothal gift. Once Madam has set a date, just let us know. Despite the long journey, our brothers and sisters-in-law will certainly come to see her off. I kindly request that Madam prepare a couple of extra tables for the wedding feast.”
Her words were forceful and righteous.
Dou Zhao was stunned.
How could Madam Gao, known for her virtue, speak so sternly about Wang Yingxue’s affairs?
Mother smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She merely said, “Then I won’t see Eldest Madam Wang out,” her dismissive tone evident.
Madam Gao’s expression changed slightly, her chest rising and falling. After a moment, she regained her composure and said pointedly, “Seventh Madam, why must women make things difficult for other women? I know my sister-in-law well; she is not someone who disregards propriety and shame. If you harbor resentment, you might want to ask Dou Wanyuan. My sister-in-law was also forced into this situation.” With that, she turned and left, her face downcast.
Once the room was clear of others, Mother immediately reverted to her true nature. Furious, she exclaimed, “What does she mean by that? Is she suggesting that Wang Yingxue’s current situation is somehow Dou Wanyuan’s fault?”
Dou Zhao nearly burst out laughing.
You understand? What do you understand?
If you truly understood, why didn’t you agree to let Dou Ming become your daughter-in-law fifteen years later?
If Dou Ming’s marriage prospects hadn’t suddenly vanished, how would Wang Yingxue have set her sights on Wei Tingyu?
Who knows what Wang Yingxue told Madam Gao to make her speak up so righteously on her behalf?
Dou Zhao thought of her brother Dou Xiao, five years younger than herself and two years younger than Dou Ming.
Her understanding of this stepmother was not yet deep enough!
Dou Zhao’s lips curled slightly.
In the past, she had managed to humiliate Wang Yingxue even without knowing anything. Now that she knew what would happen in the future, with all the cards in her hand, how could she possibly fear her?
Thinking of this, Dou Zhao felt a warmth in her heart.