The Wang family women shamelessly tarnished Dou Zhao’s reputation in front of the noble ladies at the Grand Minister’s Temple.
Song Mo had long suspected a rift between Dou Zhao and the Wang family. Otherwise, for any reason, Dou Shiying would never have placed his eldest daughter, who had lost her biological mother, back in their hometown while he remained in the capital with his stepmother and her daughter. To his surprise, the relationship between Dou Zhao and the Wang family had deteriorated to the point where they disregarded the Dou family’s reputation.
What puzzled him even more was Wei Tingzhen’s attitude. Dou Zhao was her future sister-in-law, yet in front of so many people, she neither defended Dou Zhao nor stood up for her when the Wang family tried to drag her into their schemes. Instead, she hesitated for a moment, which was utterly illogical!
Recalling the events at the Thousand Buddha Temple, Song Mo sent someone to investigate the marriage alliance between the Dou and Wei families. He discovered that although Dou Zhao had been betrothed to Wei Tingyu since childhood, the two families had little interaction until He Wenda sought to marry Dou Zhao. Even then, after the old Duke of Jining passed away, the Wei family had suggested that Dou Zhao marry into the Wei family within a hundred days, revealing their disdain and contempt.
Perhaps the Dou family had brought up the alliance again to politely refuse He’s proposal, while the Wei family agreed to the marriage out of obligation due to an earlier agreement with the Dou family. This explained why Ji Yong had a poor opinion of Wei Tingyu, why Wei Tingzhen allowed Dou Zhao to be humiliated, and why Zhang Yuan, knowing he had settled the matter at the Thousand Buddha Temple, hurriedly brought Wei Tingyu to see him.
The Wang family women were malicious, and Wei Tingzhen had ulterior motives, leading to rumors throughout the capital that Dou Zhao, the fourth young lady of the Dou family, who was about to marry into Duke of Jining’s household, had a volatile and aggressive personality, lacking any tolerance. Even before her marriage, she had already clashed with her stepmother.
Song Mo couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. Ironically, Dou Zhao was determined to marry into Duke of Jining’s household. If only he could devise a small scheme to help her withdraw from the engagement unscathed, it wouldn’t be a big deal. The real question was, what did Dou Zhao truly think?
With that thought, he suddenly sat up straight and called out, “Chen He! Tell Mr. Yan that I have a business to attend to for a few days!” If he left Yizhi Hall for an extended period, he would have Yan Chaoqing come up with an excuse to deal with Song Yichun.
Chen He promptly left.
Song Mo slipped on his shoes and instructed Song Luo to assist him in changing clothes. Just as he finished dressing, Yan Chaoqing hurriedly entered, looking flustered.
“Your Highness,” he bowed respectfully to Song Mo, his expression somewhat unusual. “The fourth young lady of the Dou family just arrived in the capital with the matriarch of the Dou family a quarter of an hour ago. She is currently staying at the residence of the fifth master of the Dou family in Huai Tree Alley.”
Song Mo was taken aback. Since she had come to the capital with her elders, she couldn’t leave without preparation. They should have received the news in Zhen Ding long ago!
Yan Chaoqing lowered his head, looking guilty. “Several ladies from the Dou family, including Aunt Cui, had previously urged the fourth young lady to come to the capital, but she always found various excuses to decline. This time, the Dou family claimed it was Elder Dou who wanted to bring the matriarch to the capital for a comfortable life. We thought it was just the matriarch coming, so we didn’t pay much attention…”
The main issue was that they hadn’t anticipated that Song Mo had just returned from Zhen Ding and would be heading back there again, so they hadn’t inquired thoroughly.
After a moment of thought, Song Mo said, “From now on, let all matters concerning the fourth young lady be reported directly to me by Du Wei!”
Yan Chaoqing’s face flushed red.
Du Wei usually collected intelligence in duplicate: one for Yan Chaoqing and one for Song Mo. This had been a rule established during Jiang Shi’s time to train Song Mo’s analytical skills, and it had become a routine that persisted even after Jiang Shi’s passing. Since Yan Chaoqing had been overseeing everything, Song Mo had focused most of his energy on matters concerning Song Yichun, and he hadn’t closely examined what Du Wei provided.
Yan Chaoqing hesitantly replied, “Yes.”
Song Mo explained, “The fourth young lady has saved our lives. While we can’t openly say this, we must keep an eye on her and see how we can assist her. You are responsible for the affairs concerning my father, which are both tedious and chaotic. I thought it would be good to have Du Wei help you share some of that burden.”
The young master didn’t need to explain himself to them.
Yan Chaoqing was taken aback, staring at Song Mo in shock. He called out, “Your Highness,” but hesitated to continue.
Being too close to Dou Zhao brought no benefits. But if he made it clear… even if Dou Si Xiaojie withdrew from the engagement, would Duke allow the young master to marry someone he truly liked?
He sighed softly and replied, “Yes.”
For the first time, Song Mo didn’t want to dwell on Yan Chaoqing’s moment of hesitation.
He instructed Chen He to pass the message along.
Soon, Du Wei arrived.
He repeated Yan Chaoqing’s words, but Song Mo still asked for clarification, as if doing so would ease his mind.
Meanwhile, in the flower hall of Huai Tree Alley, Dou Zhao, seated next to the matriarch, felt a strange absence.
Where was Wang Yingxue?
Was Wang Yingxue ill? Or had something happened?
After lunch, Dou Zhao clung to Ji Shi’s arm, unwilling to let go.
Madam Wu teased, “This is just like a daughter meeting her mother; she would cry three times for no reason.”
Although she had raised Dou Zhao, she was not her biological mother. Dou Zhao was reluctant to come to the capital with Ji Shi, which left Ji Shi feeling somewhat disappointed. Now, after reuniting with Dou Zhao, who was usually so rational, she was unabashedly acting spoiled in front of her. How could Ji Shi not feel a pang of affection?
She wrapped her arm around Dou Zhao’s shoulders and smiled, “This is my child.”
Dou Zhao giggled, “I want to sleep with my sixth aunt tonight.”
The young son of her cousin, Dou Jichang, who had just begun to speak, parroted, “I want to sleep with my sixth aunt.”
Laughter erupted among the crowd.
Madam Er hurriedly held her great-grandson, her face full of affection as she said, “Alright, tonight you can stay with your fourth aunt and rest at your sixth uncle’s house.”
Hearing this, the little boy cried out, searching for his wet nurse, “I don’t want to stay with my fourth aunt! I don’t want to stay with my fourth aunt!”
The way he mispronounced “fourth aunt” as “fourth dudu” caused another round of laughter.
However, Dou Ming maintained a stern expression.
Standing beside her, Han Shi couldn’t help but advise, “Everyone is having a good time. Even if you consider Madam Er’s feelings, you shouldn’t act so willfully.”
Perhaps because Dou Shiying had a very good relationship with the sixth branch, and since the sixth branch had come to the capital, especially after Han Shi married, Dou Ming had grown particularly close to Han Shi. When Han Shi first entered the Dou family, having a sister-in-law to joke with her brought her joy and gratitude. As they interacted, their relationship deepened.
“I can’t help it,” Dou Ming pouted, forcing a slight smile.
Han Shi shook her head secretly.
Dou Ming often unconsciously spoke sharply about Dou Zhao, but in her eyes, it seemed less about dissatisfaction with Dou Zhao and more about jealousy. Having heard many secrets from the past, she felt pity for Dou Ming, leading her to have an unusual compassion and tolerance for her.
That night, Dou Zhao rested in Ji Shi’s room.
The two leaned against the headboard, sharing intimate conversations, and gradually the topic shifted to Wang Yingxue.
After a moment of hesitation, Ji Shi thought that even if she didn’t tell Dou Zhao, she would eventually find out, so she recounted the events at the Grand Minister’s Temple: “Your father was furious and wrote a letter to question Governor Wang. Your fifth uncle was also quite angry and scolded your fifth aunt for not stopping the old lady of the Wang family and Wang Yingxue in time.” She smiled wryly, “Your fifth aunt had no one to confide in and secretly cried several times. When your father found out, he even went to apologize to her. This time, when the matriarch came, your father didn’t bring Wang Yingxue, saying she was ill. Your fifth aunt didn’t ask, so I didn’t pry. I don’t know what’s going on.”
Dou Zhao listened, coldly laughing to herself. “When the seventh madam said I wasn’t worthy, what did the wife of Duke of Jingguo say?”
Ji Shi thought Dou Zhao was worried that the Wei family would be biased, so she quickly reassured her, “You don’t need to worry. The wife of Duke of Jingguo didn’t say anything. Although she was somewhat concerned, your fifth aunt personally visited her afterward. According to your fifth aunt, the wife of Duke of Jingguo said she was just too surprised at the time and didn’t react quickly enough. By the time she wanted to confront Wang Yingxue, the mother and daughter had already left. Not only did she not believe their slander, but she also inquired about your marriage. From her tone, it seems she will send someone to discuss the wedding date in the next few days.”
Dou Zhao responded vaguely.
Based on her understanding of Wang Yingxue and Wei Tingzhen, she found it strange that the usually maternal Wang Yingxue would so eagerly attack her, and she was equally puzzled as to why the protective Wei Tingzhen would allow Wang Yingxue to speak so freely.
What had transpired between them?
Ji Shi felt it inappropriate to delve further into these matters, so she comforted Dou Zhao a bit and then asked about Aunt Cui, steering the conversation away.
Dou Zhao seized the opportunity to inform Su Xin about the situation, instructing her, “You must tell Mr. Chen about this immediately. I will find a way to clarify what’s going on between the seventh madam and Wei Tingzhen. Also, have him keep an eye on the movements of Duke of Jingguo’s household. It would be best if he could find out about the situation at the Grand Minister’s Temple through Jin Mama or Lu Mama.”
As long as she could grasp Wang Yingxue or Wei Tingzhen’s weaknesses, she could reposition herself strategically.
She hoped that Wang Yingxue and Wei Tingzhen could be of great help to her!
Dou Zhao suddenly felt invigorated.
Things needed to be flexible and adaptable; it seemed she had made the right decision in coming to the capital!
Meanwhile, Ji Yong was having a tough time.
He had meticulously plotted the events at the Thousand Buddha Temple, only to have them disrupted by Song Mo. Not only was his plan thwarted, but when he tried to spread rumors about “Wei Tingyu spending the night at the Thousand Buddha Temple and Song Shizi catching them in the act,” he was not only stopped by He Yu but was also relentlessly questioned, “What exactly do you want to do?”