Seeing Wei Tingyu’s expression, Dou Zhao could only sigh. 

In both this life and the last, he rarely used his brain. 

Dou Zhao said, “Everyone is feeling down right now. Discussing the wedding date at this time will likely lead to unpleasant words. Fortunately, we only set a date verbally and haven’t sent out formal invitations. It would be better to postpone the wedding until both families are calm and can discuss it without tension.” 

Indeed, her mother had invited her sister back to discuss the arrangements for the new house. Her sister had thrown a fit over whether to display a pair of sky-blue Ru kiln flower vases or a pair of new pink-and-white plum vases on the antique shelf. She complained that the wedding date was set too hastily, leaving no time for preparation. Then she lamented that Dou Zhao shouldn’t have made an appointment with Dou Ming at the Great Xiangguo Temple; otherwise, the Wei and Dou families would have broken off the engagement long ago, and she could have helped him pursue Wang Qingyuan. Now, she had to go back on her word and sit down with the Dou family to renegotiate the wedding date, losing any chance of marrying into the Wang family and wasting her efforts to leak her plans to visit the Yan’an Marquis’s household.

Thinking of this, Wei Tingyu let out a long sigh. 

Although he didn’t want to break off the engagement, his sister was always so picky, leaving him feeling helpless. 

Postponing the wedding was a good idea; it would save him from his sister’s constant agitation and complaints about him. 

Wei Tingyu smiled and nodded, agreeing, “Alright.” 

Seeing his carefree demeanor, Dou Zhao couldn’t help but shake her head. She wanted to advise him, “Instead of idling away your time, why not hire a master to teach you archery and horsemanship at home? The emperor places great importance on the autumn hunt. If you perform well, you could join the Jinwu Guard or the Fengtai Camp, and your mother wouldn’t have to worry about you all day.” However, she recalled how, in her previous life, when she encouraged Wei Tingyu to participate in the autumn hunt, he was ridiculed by Wei Tingzhen, who said, “My brother is a marquis; he can’t compete for the Jinwu Guard’s small flags with those who aren’t even heirs.” Following his sister’s advice, Wei Tingyu ended up wasting most of his life.

She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and instructed Su Lan to see him out. 

However, Su Lan returned to report, “I escorted the marquis to the flower gate. Just as I was hesitating whether to check on the lunch in the kitchen, I saw the marquis returning with a woman. I quickly hid behind a tree, and when they had gone far, I sent a little maid to follow them. The maid said the marquis followed that woman into the Fifth Miss’s courtyard.” 

Dou Zhao pursed her lips and remained silent. 

She genuinely believed Wei Tingyu had no intentions toward Dou Ming, but she also knew he could not bear to refuse Dou Ming’s tears. 

Some matters truly depended on one’s fate; no amount of urgency from others could change that.

Returning to Huai Tree Alley, her fifth aunt was leading two daughters-in-law to see off a guest. 

Dou Zhao looked closely and realized they were sending off Mrs. Cai—her fifth aunt’s in-law and the mother of her tenth sister-in-law. 

She hurried forward to greet her with a respectful bow. 

Mrs. Cai stepped forward, taking her hand, “Oh, Fourth Miss, you are too polite.” As she spoke, she smiled warmly, looking Dou Zhao up and down with great enthusiasm. 

Dou Zhao remained composed, exchanging pleasantries with Mrs. Cai before accompanying her fifth aunt and two sisters-in-law to see her off.

Guo Shi quietly said to her, “Mother invited Mrs. Cai to discuss breaking off the engagement with the Wei family.” 

Dou Zhao was taken aback. 

Did her father know about this? 

She recalled telling her father a few days ago that she wanted to ask Wei Tingyu a couple of questions, and he had advised her, saying something like, “It’s good to clear your mind.” How could the situation change so drastically in just a few days? 

Dou Zhao wanted to ask her father, but he seemed very busy, having been on night duty in the palace for several days, and she hadn’t been able to find him. 

Meanwhile, Mrs. Cai frequently traveled between the Dou and Wei families. 

Dou Zhao quickly gathered information. 

Initially, the Wei family opposed breaking off the engagement. Mrs. Cai approached Wei Tingzhen, who launched into a tirade, saying, “What has the Dou family been doing? They’ve dragged Wei Tingyu along for years, delaying the marriage, and now they want to break the engagement. Where will the Wei family’s face go?” She also refused to agree. 

The fifth madam was taken aback, then sneered, saying to Mrs. Cai, “Isn’t this just an attempt to extort money from our Dou family? We haven’t even discussed Duke of Jining’s matter with her, and she dares to act so high and mighty! In that case, let’s put this matter on hold until everyone has calmed down.” 

Mrs. Cai smiled in agreement. 

On Song Mo’s side, upon hearing the news that the Dou and Wei families were temporarily not holding the wedding, he felt relieved, thinking that the Dou family still valued Dou Zhao. With Dou Zhao’s assurance that she had her plans, he turned his attention back to his affairs. 

Since he had already removed his mourning attire, he needed to secure a position for himself. This way, even if his father wanted to trap him, it wouldn’t be so easy. 

Although the emperor had previously mentioned sending him to the Flag Guard or the Fengtai Camp—both desirable places for noble youths in the capital—he found the Flag Guard too trivial and the Fengtai Camp unsuitable for his current situation. The best option was to join the Jinwu Guard, which served as the emperor’s guard, allowing him to leave at any time if needed. 

Fearing his father would discover his true intentions, Song Mo didn’t approach the Third Princess or Gu Yu but instead sought out Wang Yuan, asking him to relay a message to the emperor while serving him, stating that he had removed his mourning attire and submitted a memorial to thank the emperor for his previous rewards during the sacrifices for his mother. 

The emperor casually asked, “Has Duke Ying taken a new wife?” 

“No,” Wang Yuan replied with a smile. “The Duke Ying’s household currently has only three sons, and I fear there isn’t even a female mosquito.” 

The emperor laughed heartily, summoned Song Mo to speak, and not only appointed him as the Right Commander of the Jinwu Guard but also bestowed upon him the courtesy name “Yantang,” saying, “You are the only two brothers left in your family, and your mother passed away early. Although you have not yet reached adulthood, I still grant you a courtesy name. You must strive to uphold Duke Ying’s family name.” 

When the news spread, Song Yichun’s face turned ashen. 

He was wary of Gu Yu, the Third Princess, and even had arrangements with Princess Ningde, but he never expected the rebellious Song Mo to align himself with the eunuchs. He couldn’t help but scorn, “I see he will eventually become a sycophant!” 

Even if he became a sycophant, that was a matter for the future. 

Tao Qizhong couldn’t help but mutter to himself. 

Now, the heir had caught him off guard and smoothly entered the officialdom; it would likely be even more difficult to deal with the heir from now on. 

He said, “Duke, don’t you think it’s time to consider the heir’s marriage? I’ve heard that since the emperor’s words, families with unmarried daughters have frequently invited the heir to their homes… Yesterday, the heir was drinking at the Changxing Marquis’s house…” 

If it weren’t for Wang Yuan’s matter, Song Yichun would have scoffed at such claims, but now, as soon as Tao Qizhong finished speaking, he became furious. 

He believed he had a close relationship with Shi Suilan, yet the Shi family had rejected his marriage proposal. Now they were even eyeing Song Mo… The Shi family was truly shameless! 

Song Yichun couldn’t help but ask, “Which families invited him to drink?” 

Tao Qizhong listed a long string of names. 

Song Yichun gasped, shifting from anger to shock, “Quickly find out what kind of character these young ladies have!” 

He couldn’t allow Song Mo to marry a concubine; that would be a loss of face. Even more so, he couldn’t let him marry the legitimate eldest daughter, as that would give Song Mo complete control over the inner household. It would be best to find someone whose father and brothers were capable but who was weak-willed and lacked opinions… 

Song Yichun pondered this in his heart. 

Gu Yu then asked Song Mo, “What are your plans?” 

For some reason, Song Mo suddenly recalled Dou Zhao’s words. 

Perhaps Dou Zhao was right. 

Since he had no high expectations for his future wife, he should prioritize his family background! 

Song Mo said, “Besides Princess Jingyi, which other princesses are of marriageable age?” 

Gu Yu looked at Song Mo in shock, “You… you can’t be thinking of marrying a princess, can you?” 

Song Mo found it amusing and teased, “If a princess won’t do, a county princess will work too!” 

Gu Yu opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words. 

Song Mo laughed, putting his arm around Gu Yu’s shoulder, “Alright, alright, I’m just joking with you. I’ve just arrived at the Jinwu Guard, and there are still some matters to sort out. There’s no rush to discuss this now; let’s see how my father reacts first.” He then inquired about Gao Yuanhua, the commander of the Jinwu Guard, “I heard he is your brother-in-law. What kind of person is he?” 

Gu Yu curled his lip, “What brother-in-law? Who knows how many twists and turns that took! But he’s quite good at scheming. Last time at the Huichang Marquis’s house, I heard Shen Qing say he almost made Wang Yuan his godfather…” 

The Dou family intended to distance themselves from the Wei family. Wei Tingzhen resented Dou Ming for disrupting her relationship with Madam Wang and ignored the Dou family. In the blink of an eye, it was the end of April, and it was time to send gifts for the Dragon Boat Festival. 

Tian Shi was somewhat troubled—should they send the gifts or not? 

“Of course, we should send them,” Wei Tingyu said, but before he could finish, Wei Tingzhen shot him a glare, saying, “We’re breaking off the engagement; what’s the point of sending gifts? As for the Wang family, I heard Madam Wang caught a cold and isn’t feeling well. You should go check on her instead.” 

During this time, Wei Tingzhen was particularly irritable, and he didn’t dare to say much, obediently going to the Yan’an Marquis’s household to inquire about her health. 

Fortunately, the two families frequently interacted, and the Yan’an Marquis’s household didn’t take it to heart. 

After leaving the Wang family’s residence, Wei Tingyu bought some realgar wine, tea, and zongzi on the street as a gesture and delivered them to Jing’an Temple Alley. 

Dou Zhao accompanied the second madam to visit the Sansheng An, while Dou Shiying was summoned to the palace for a banquet, leaving the house empty. 

“Where is the Fifth Miss?” 

He had come to deliver gifts and should at least inform the head of the Dou family! 

Gao Sheng was somewhat surprised but still smiled, “The Fifth Miss and the Madam went to Liuye Alley.” 

Wei Tingyu was momentarily stunned. 

He had heard from Dou Ming that because her mother was dissatisfied with Dou Zhao for not visiting her maternal grandmother after arriving in the capital, she had complained a few times in front of her grandmother. This displeased her grandmother, who had said a few words against Dou Zhao in front of others, angering her father. Now, her mother had been sent to the Dou family’s estate in Wanping. 

“Mother-in-law—has she returned?” he asked Gao Sheng. 

Wei Tingyu, being the son-in-law of the Dou family, was likely to know these things. 

Gao Sheng didn’t think much of it and replied, “Lord Wang has achieved great merit in Yunnan. To show his appreciation, the emperor conferred the hereditary title of Qianhu on Lord Wang’s maternal uncle. The Wang family held a grand banquet, and the old lady of the Wang family specifically sent someone to invite the madam to celebrate. The master brought the Seventh Madam back.” 

So that’s how it is. 

Wei Tingyu responded with an “Oh,” handing the gift list to Gao Sheng and repeatedly instructing his attendant not to mention this to Wei Tingzhen before returning to Duke of Jining’s residence.