Such a significant matter naturally required informing the master and her two younger brothers-in-law. What did it have to do with Madam Cai?
A fleeting thought crossed the fifth madam’s mind, causing her to pause. Wait a moment! Wang Yingxue wanted to change the marriage arrangement… which meant she wanted Dou Ming to marry Wei Tingyu… and they were trying to break off the engagement with the Wei family. Yet Wei Tingzhen, oblivious to the situation, was trying to coerce the Dou family… And that Wang Yingxue, whom she considered a sister-in-law, didn’t regard her or the Dou family at all. First, she disregarded her status and slandered Shou Gu, making it seem as if the Dou brothers were at odds. Now, she had come up with such a ruthless scheme, disregarding the Dou family’s reputation. If she allowed her to act as she pleased, wouldn’t that make her look foolish?
With this thought, the corners of the fifth madam’s mouth tightened, and a glint of coldness flashed in her eyes.
The Dou family had not made a big fuss about breaking off the engagement because the reasons were simply too embarrassing to disclose. The Wei family dared to challenge the Dou family because they calculated that the Dou family wouldn’t confront them directly—after all, both parties were involved in a scandal. If a man admitted his mistakes, he was seen as a reformed rogue; if a woman admitted her mistakes, she was deemed shameless. The Dou family had suffered from the consequences of gender differences!
Since the Wei family refused to break the engagement, then they wouldn’t. After all, there would be a scapegoat afterward; what was the harm in that?
The fifth madam’s smile deepened.
Leaning in, she whispered to Madam Cai, “This matter may require your assistance, Madam Cai…”
Dou Shishun stared at the jade paperweight on his desk, remaining silent.
After more than twenty years of marriage, the fifth madam had long understood her husband’s temperament. She quietly poured him another cup of tea and settled into the armchair beside the desk.
After a moment of silence, Dou Shishun finally spoke, “But this is a reckless marriage…”
If it came to a lawsuit, the marriage would be invalidated. The Dou family wanted to ally with the Ji family but didn’t want to create a deadly feud with the Wei family, becoming a laughingstock in the capital.
The fifth madam understood her husband’s concerns and smiled, “Although the person has changed, the Wang family is agreed upon by both the Dou and Zhao families, and a formal document has been established. Ming Jie is also a legitimate daughter. Marriage is meant to unite two families; Ming Jie marrying in place of Shou Gu does not imply a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate. She is worthy of the Wei family. The law is ultimately about human feelings; if we don’t raise a complaint, it won’t be pursued. As long as the Wei family acknowledges this marriage, do you think the officials will insist on enforcing the rules? Besides, since it’s a proxy marriage, Ming Jie should understand the situation, right? Previously, Shou Gu was adamant about not wanting to marry into the Wei family. It’s a matter of mutual consent; this is the seventh madam’s idea. Although we treat these two children well, we are still their uncles and aunts. In matters of marriage, we can only offer our support from the sidelines and cannot overstep our bounds. Ming Jie will get her wish, and Shou Gu is clever; I’m sure both children can understand our difficulties.”
“Moreover, Shou Gu and Ji Ming have known each other since childhood. Ji Ming is knowledgeable and has a bright future. The elder of the Ji family personally came to propose, showing great regard for her. What could she possibly be dissatisfied with?”
The Ji family valued Dou Zhao precisely because she could manage Ji Yong. If Dou Zhao married with resentment, Ji Yong might distance himself from the Huai Tree Alley side. The Dou family was willing to risk the reputation of being unfaithful to ally with the Ji family because they valued Ji Yong’s future. If Ji Yong developed a rift with the Huai Tree Alley side, what was the point of the marriage between the Ji and Dou families?
The key was that Shou Gu had to be satisfied.
Dou Shishun slowly said, “Then we need to find a way to get the Wei family to acknowledge this marriage. Otherwise, if Wei Tingyu feels deceived and causes a scene after the wedding, it would be troublesome. But if Wei Tingyu pretends to be oblivious and creates a ruckus three days after the wedding, when she returns to her family, wouldn’t Ming Jie suffer for nothing?”
Hearing this, the fifth madam chuckled and said, “It seems the master doesn’t know everything and can’t handle every situation effortlessly. In this matter, the master will have to rely on me!”
Dou Shishun was taken aback, recalling how, years ago, when the scholar Fang Shizeng was forced to retire and his future was uncertain, he often sat in the study like this, lost in thought. His wife would come in, pour him a cup of tea, and cheerfully discuss household matters, occasionally teasing him with her words. This would lift his spirits, and his frustrations would gradually dissipate, bringing him peace of mind. However, since Fang Shizeng regained power, he had been so busy that it had been a long time since he had spoken to his wife like this.
Suddenly feeling mischievous, he smiled and bowed to his wife, pretending to be respectful, and said, “I would like to hear more!”
The fifth madam laughed heartily, taking a moment to compose herself before saying seriously, “Since this is the Wang family’s idea, even if Ming Jie suffers a loss, how could it be blamed on us?” She continued, “Moreover, this isn’t just our family’s affair; shouldn’t the Ji family also contribute?”
Dou Shishun pondered this.
The fifth madam added, “We can send the person over, but whether they can stay and whether the Wei family will acknowledge this marriage is up to the Ji family. Why should we exhaust ourselves while the Ji family just waits to reap the benefits? They should show some sincerity too!”
Dou Shishun’s eyes flickered.
The fifth madam knew her husband had agreed with her idea and smiled, “In that case, the master should pretend not to know. I will negotiate with the elder of the Ji family. If we can’t reach an agreement, it won’t be too late to ask the master to step in.”
“Then it’s settled!” Dou Shishun replied, “In the end, the one who benefits will be the Ji family.”
The fifth madam thought of the half of the West Dou estate under Dou Zhao’s name and nodded heavily.
Ji Yong returned from the Hanlin Academy and heard that the fifth madam had been talking with his great-grandfather in the study for quite a while. He felt anxious and rushed straight into the elder Ji’s study.
The elder Ji was chatting with Ji Fu when he saw Ji Yong and couldn’t help but laugh heartily, “What are you worried about?”
Ji Yong, unfazed, replied, “What did the fifth madam come for?”
The elder Ji pretended to be helpless, shaking his head and sighing, “Everyone says, ‘A married daughter is like spilled water,’ yet here you are, defending your wife’s family before even knowing where she is.”
Ji Yong wouldn’t fall for it and coldly snorted, “The fifth madam wouldn’t come to see you for no reason. Is it about Dou Zhao…?” For the first time in his life, he felt a sense of anxiety about returning home, fearing that the fifth madam might bring bad news.
The elder Ji genuinely sighed this time and said, “In marriage, as in warfare, you must remain calm.” He then explained the fifth madam’s intentions to Ji Yong.
Even Ji Yong was taken aback, saying, “Surely the Wang family can’t be that foolish? Dou Ming isn’t someone who can’t get married; why would she demean herself like this?”
The elder Ji chuckled, “The fourth miss of the Dou family and the seventh madam haven’t seen each other for over a decade, so the resentment must be deep. It’s likely a matter of pride.” He didn’t want to get involved in the Dou family’s affairs and instead asked, “What do you think?”
“Such a good opportunity should not be wasted; that would be foolish!” Ji Yong replied. However, thinking about the elder’s tone regarding this marriage proposal, he felt uncomfortable, as if it were another trial for him. Still, he said, “What’s so difficult about it? The Dou family is just afraid of taking responsibility. When the time comes, we’ll just step in.”
“When Dou Zhao gets married, her cousins will come to see her off. We can get Wei Tingyu drunk, let him stumble into the bridal chamber, and when there’s noise in the new room the next morning, we’ll have the maids rush in to confront Wei Tingyu about his actions—he knows who the bride is, yet he still enters the bridal chamber with her. What is his intention? Then we’ll call the Dou family over to acknowledge the marriage.” As he spoke, he recalled how Dou Ming had once played a trick on him, and he snorted coldly. “If Wei Tingyu refuses to acknowledge it, isn’t there still Dou Ming? If she dares to do such a thing, she should be prepared to be rejected. When the time comes, we’ll just shout about going to the officials, and do you think the Wei family would want to go to court with the Dou family? As long as the Wei family doesn’t cause a scene, this matter will be settled.”
The elder Ji asked, “What if Wei Tingzhen causes a ruckus? If things escalate, it will ultimately be detrimental to the Dou family.”
Ji Yong laughed, “That’s easy to handle. We’ll just offer some compensation to the Wei family.”
The elder Ji nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Dou Zhao was conversing with Chen Qu Shui.
“… The Gao family proposed a marriage to Dou Ming. After she went to see the matchmaker, instead of discussing it with her father or seeking out the fifth madam, she went to great lengths to find out Madam Cai’s whereabouts and managed to meet with her. As for Madam Cai, she stayed at home for several days before finally going to Huai Tree Alley for Ren Ge’er’s birthday.” She pondered, “I feel like there’s something more to this…”
In the capital, her people couldn’t even appear openly with the Dou family, which diminished her control over many matters compared to before.
She asked Chen Qu Shui, “Is there any news from the seventh madam?”
Chen Qu Shui replied, “It seems the seventh madam is preparing for the young lady’s marriage on the orders of the seventh master.”
That didn’t seem right! Wang Yingxue had long lost her authority over household matters. Even if her father was unaware that Huai Tree Alley was helping her break off the engagement with the Wei family, he wouldn’t allow Wang Yingxue to prepare for her marriage. Even in her previous life, when Wang Yingxue had all the advantages, her father had still invited the sixth madam to give her some advice before her marriage. It made no sense for her father to act contrary this time!
But it was also possible that her father had changed his mind again.
In her previous life, her father had often changed his mind.
With these thoughts, Dou Zhao felt a stirring in her heart.
In her previous life, the Gao family discovered that Gao Mingzhu’s death was related to Dou Ming, and they stormed into Jing’an Temple Alley to have a huge argument with Wang Yingxue.
Her father had been anxious and angry, asking the fifth and sixth madams to help Dou Ming find a matchmaker.
At that time, her marriage to Wei Tingyu had already been arranged, and when Wei Tingyu came to deliver the betrothal gifts, for some reason, Dou Ming saw him and suddenly changed her mind, wanting to marry Wei Tingyu. Wang Yingxue had listened to her and told her father to let Dou Ming marry Wei Tingyu. Her father had been furious but hadn’t outright rejected Wang Yingxue. Dou Zhao had been very worried and had cried in front of her father, which was when he finally made it clear that he would refuse Wang Yingxue’s request.
Because of this, she had always been wary of Wang Yingxue and Dou Ming, taking precautions from the engagement to the wedding. To avoid getting sick from contaminated food or other ailments that would prevent her from getting into the bridal sedan, she had asked Gan Lu to boil a whole basket of white-shelled eggs for her. Before her wedding, she had not touched any food from her family…