Chapter 2: Divergence

Song Mo, courtesy name Yantang, was the eldest legitimate son of Song Yichun, the Duke of Ying. His mother, Lady Jiang, was the younger sister of Jiang Meisun, the Duke of Ding. Born into an illustrious family, Song Mo was granted the title of heir apparent at the age of five. However, at fourteen, he was denounced by a censor when a concubine became pregnant during his mother’s mourning period. The Duke of Ying banished him from the family, and his whereabouts became unknown.

In the twentieth year of Chengping, Emperor Muzong fell ill. The Fifth Prince, the Prince of Liao, who had been enfeoffed in Liaodong, returned to the capital at the urging of his birth mother, Empress Wan. He staged a palace coup, killing the Crown Prince (son of Empress Yuan née Shen) with an arrow, and placed the Emperor under house arrest. Through deception, he ascended to the throne.

Song Mo, who had long faded from public memory, suddenly reappeared as a trusted confidant of the new Emperor. He stormed into the Duke of Ying’s mansion alone, sword in hand, and brutally dismembered his younger brother Song Han in front of their father. He forced his father to watch as Song Han bled to death, wailing in agony, before finally beheading his father. His bloody and tyrannical actions shocked the capital. Even years later, his name could still silence crying children in Beijing.

Censors submitted memorials en masse, demanding the Emperor apprehend the murderer and uphold justice. The Emperor merely gave Song Mo a light punishment, confining him to the Western Palace within the Forbidden City.

Six months later, Song Mo joined the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) as a minor officer in the Northern Inspectorate, at the seventh rank. Within a year, he had risen to become the Commander of the Jinyiwei, at the third rank.

People in the capital whispered that Song Mo’s rapid rise was due to his role in killing the Crown Prince during the coup, earning him the Emperor’s special favor. As if to confirm these rumors, throughout the Emperor’s twelve-year reign, Song Mo’s influence never waned, despite his numerous transgressions: embezzlement, false accusations against loyal officials, intimidation of remonstrating officials, currying favor through bribery, bullying the weak, arrogance, and lechery. Many officials who dared to impeach him were reprimanded, demoted, or even beaten to death by imperial decree.

Faced with such a formidable adversary and dire situation, Dou Zhao felt short of breath. However, allowing Wei Tingyu to proceed would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—it would only bring ruin to their entire family and possibly implicate their relatives.

She murmured, “The Zhou family has fallen, and the Cao family is next. How can you and Lord Wang possibly intervene? Don’t bring trouble upon ourselves! In my opinion, it’s best to be cautious…”

Before she could finish, Wei Tingyu snorted coldly and said disdainfully, “I don’t have as many calculations as you do. I only know that a gentleman must know when to act and when to refrain. I’m determined to handle this matter!”

It was as if he thought her cold-hearted, prioritizing their safety over the plight of the Zhou family’s mother and daughter.

Wei Tingyu’s attitude deeply hurt Dou Zhao.

She laughed bitterly and said, “Song Mo is unmarried and has no children. His residence by Shichahai Lake is filled with beautiful women, rivaling the Emperor’s harem. Most are gifts from officials seeking his favor or assistance. I’ve heard of women hanging themselves and being carried out through the back door, women wanting to become nuns being sent to temples, women being given away as wives or concubines to their colleagues or subordinates, and women fleeing to escape their lustful tyranny. But I’ve never heard of him going to great lengths to recapture any woman. Perhaps you should investigate more thoroughly before speaking?”

Wei Tingyu was thunderstruck, sitting there with a blank stare for a long while.

Dou Zhao ignored him and turned over to lie down.

The candle sputtered, and she heard Wei Tingyu softly say behind her, “I… I already promised Dahe, didn’t I? It wouldn’t be right to go back on my word, would it? Besides, Dahe also invited the Baron of Yong’en and others. It’s not just me. We all agreed to go to the palace tomorrow to petition the Emperor against Song Mo. If I’m the only one who doesn’t go…”

Dou Zhao replied nonchalantly, “Aren’t I ill?”

“Yes! Yes!” Wei Tingyu exclaimed happily, “I need to stay home to take care of you!”

Dou Zhao smiled, intending to advise Wei Tingyu further to prevent him from changing his mind if persuaded by the Baron of Yong’en and others. Just then, Cui Leng hurriedly entered, “My Lord, My Lady, the Marquis of Ding’an has arrived!”

“Ah!” Wei Tingyu anxiously glanced at Dou Zhao’s expression.

The Marquis of Ding’an, Wang Qinghuai, was Wang Qinghai’s elder brother.

“It wouldn’t be good to avoid him,” Dou Zhao pondered. “For him to visit you in the middle of the night, it must be urgent. Just firmly insist that you need to take care of me. Don’t agree to anything else.”

“Alright!” Wei Tingyu, emboldened by her advice, went to the outer courtyard.

Dou Zhao quickly instructed Cui Leng, “Go and see what the Marquis of Ding’an wants with the Lord.”

Cui Leng acknowledged and left.

When the fourth watch drum sounded, Wei Tingyu returned to the inner chamber, beaming with joy.

“My Lady!” he said, raising his eyebrows, “Can you guess why the Marquis of Ding’an came to see me?”

Although Dou Zhao already knew, she played along and asked with a smile, “Why?”

“The Marquis of Ding’an forbade Dahe from interfering in the Zhou family’s affairs and confined him to his quarters. Fearing that we might still go to the palace tomorrow as planned, he visited each of us with gifts to express his gratitude. We were the first household he visited. The Marquis even said the same things you did!”

Dou Zhao smiled, “That’s good. Now my Lord can rest easy.”

“No wonder people say that a virtuous wife is like a treasure,” Wei Tingyu complimented Dou Zhao. “It’s fortunate to have you, my Lady. Otherwise, I would have made a fool of myself.” Then he pouted, trying to squeeze Dou Zhao to the inner side of the bed, loudly proclaiming, “I want to sleep on the bed. I don’t want to sleep on the wooden couch.”

This was his way of apologizing.

Dou Zhao smiled and made room for him on the outer side of the bed.

Soon, Wei Tingyu began to snore softly.

Dou Zhao had been having trouble sleeping lately and found herself disturbed by the noise. After some thought, she gently nudged Wei Tingyu.

“What is it?” Wei Tingyu opened his eyes briefly, then closed them again.

“My Lord, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Oh!” Wei Tingyu responded, taking a moment before lazily sitting up and leaning against the headboard. Yawning, he asked, “What do you want to say?”

Dou Zhao instructed Cui Leng to bring Wei Tingyu’s sable cloak and drape it over him before slowly saying, “I think it’s time we arrange Young Master Wei’s marriage.”

Wei Tingyu was taken aback.

Young Master Wei was their eldest son, now fourteen years old. Not only was he handsome and dignified, but he was also intelligent and mature beyond his years. His aunt, Wei Tingzhen, was particularly fond of him and had been hinting for the past two years that she wanted to marry her eldest daughter, Caiping, to him.

One was the heir to the Marquis of Jining, and the other was the eldest granddaughter of the Duke of Jing. It was a perfect match in terms of social status, and they were cousins as well. Wei Tingyu thought there couldn’t be a better marriage arrangement. However, whenever his sister, mother, or he brought it up, Dou Zhao would always deflect the topic with a smile, leaving the matter ambiguously unresolved.

Now that Dou Zhao had brought up their eldest son’s marriage, Wei Tingyu’s sleepiness vanished. He teased, “When your sister-in-law approached you about it, you barely paid attention. Now that you’re taking the initiative, be careful she doesn’t play hard to get and rebuff you.”

Dou Zhao smiled slightly, waiting for Wei Tingyu’s excitement to subside before saying, “I was thinking of betrothing Young Master Wei to the eldest granddaughter of Marquis Guo Haiqing of Xuanning.”

Wei Tingyu’s smile froze on his face, his lips quivering, at a loss for words.

Dou Zhao understood her mother-in-law’s and husband’s thoughts all too well.

But she had her considerations.

Her father-in-law had died suddenly from illness when Wei Tingyu was not yet twenty, lacking experience in managing household affairs. Her mother-in-law had a gentle and soft personality and couldn’t help with matters in the outer courtyard. It was only with Wei Tingzhen’s guidance that they made it through the initial chaos. Because of this, both Wei Tingyu and his mother liked to consult Wei Tingzhen on various matters, relying on her to make decisions. Over time, Wei Tingzhen’s influence in the Wei family grew significantly. No matter how big or small, once she spoke, neither Wei Tingyu nor his mother would disagree. In the Wei household, Wei Tingzhen’s words carried more weight than those of Wei Tingyu and his mother.

Dou Zhao had lost her mother early and always felt like an outsider growing up. Her greatest desire was to have a home of her own. How could she allow Wei Tingzhen to constantly interfere and dictate matters?

When she first married into the family, she knew nothing and suffered greatly, shedding many tears in private. It wasn’t until she had given birth to two sons and a daughter, taken charge of the household affairs, and then taken over the family’s business matters—leading to increasing prosperity year after year—that Wei Tingzhen finally began to show some restraint.

If they were to become in-laws with Wei Tingzhen, she would be both the mother-in-law and the aunt of their son. Given her consistently domineering way of doing things, would their son have to live under her shadow for the rest of his life? If there were any rifts between the couple, who would be able to mediate impartially?

She was determined not to agree to this marriage.

However, she also knew that without a legitimate reason, her mother-in-law and Wei Tingyu would not approve of her choosing another bride for their son.

She had been pondering this matter for a long time.

Coincidentally, during the Double Ninth Festival at the Duke of Jing’s mansion for chrysanthemum viewing, the Duke’s eldest daughter teased her: “…Sister-in-law truly cares for her younger brother, insisting on marrying Caiping into your family despite my brother’s objections. If it were up to my father, Caiping would have been married into the Marquis of Jingjiang’s family!”

Only then did she learn of the Duke of Jing’s intentions.

Dou Zhao had a sudden inspiration, thinking of a way to convince her husband and mother-in-law, but she hadn’t had the opportunity to discuss it in detail with her husband.

Now, in the quiet of the night, it was the perfect time to talk.

Seeing her husband’s dumbfounded expression, she smiled slightly and relayed what the Duke of Jing’s eldest daughter had said. She continued, “The Duke’s eldest daughter wouldn’t have told me this without reason. I fear there may be disagreements between her and her husband regarding Caiping’s marriage. Over the years, she has helped us a great deal. Although she is the wife of the Duke of Jing’s heir, the current head of the family is still the Duke himself. If we cause her to fall out of favor with the Duke because of Young Master Wei and Caiping’s marriage, we would be greatly at fault!”

Filial piety comes first in all matters.

If a daughter-in-law were to be disliked by her father-in-law, what good life could she possibly have? She might even face the risk of being divorced.

Wei Tingyu’s face changed dramatically, and he reproached her, “If you had agreed to this marriage earlier, we wouldn’t be in this predicament now! What should we do?”

She offered advice to Wei Tingyu: “Why don’t you discuss this with Mother? See how we should handle this matter?”

“That’s right!” Wei Tingyu’s eyes lit up. “Why didn’t I think of that?” Disregarding the early hour, he called loudly for Cui Leng to help him dress. “I’ll go see Mother right away.”

His mother, being older, slept less and would likely be awake at this hour.

Dou Zhao didn’t stop him, instead calling for a young maid to carry a lantern for Wei Tingyu as he went to his mother’s quarters.

If her calculations were correct, once her mother-in-law received this information, she would immediately come with Wei Tingyu to seek her advice.

She took a short nap and was awakened by Cui Leng.

Her mother-in-law and Wei Tingyu had arrived.

Before she could speak, her mother-in-law anxiously asked, “Is what you said true?” Then, confused, she added, “Why has Tingzhen never mentioned this to me?”