Wei Tingzhen was furious, her anger boiling over.
How dare the Dou family threaten her!
She rushed straight to the Yan’an Marquisate and confronted the matchmaker, Madam Yan’an, saying, “How can the bride’s family set the wedding date? I think these dates are ordinary; we should ask the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to select a few new ones.”
Madam Ting’an replied tactfully, “The groom’s family asking the bride’s family to set the date is meant to show affection. Besides, I believe the dates chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau are quite good. Your father has been gone for several years, and your mother is all alone; she must be looking forward to holding her grandchild soon. Some matters, I think, are best left as they are.” She added, half-seriously and half-jokingly, “Everyone in the capital is saying you have your eyes on our Qingyuan. Even when you come to our house as a guest, it’s clear what kind of tea I should serve you. Fortunately, I’m the matchmaker for the Jining Marquis; otherwise, we would be in a real mess.”
The Wang and Wei families had been close friends for generations. When Wei Tingzhen visited their home, there were even rumors in the capital that she had taken a liking to their daughter, Wang Qingyuan. Madam Yan’an had not taken these rumors seriously, dismissing them as idle gossip from those with nothing better to do. However, when the Dou family sent Madam Cai to discuss the cancellation of the engagement between the Dou and Wei families, she became alert. After sending someone to inquire, she realized the rumors were suspicious. She thought the Dou family would not tarnish their reputation and recalled how Wei Tingzhen always subtly inquired about Qingyuan’s marriage whenever she visited. This made her believe that, even if the rumors were just rumors, there was some truth to them. Enraged, she initially wanted to dismiss the Wei family’s matchmaker but feared being seen as “guilty.” Meanwhile, the engagement between the Dou and Wei families had been dragging on, causing her sleepless nights. She worried about her daughter’s age, thinking that if this matter affected the marriage, what would they do? Thus, she urged Wei Tingzhen to expedite Wei Tingyu’s marriage.
Wei Tingzhen was unsure whether Madam Yan’an knew that this matter had originated from her. Her face flushed with embarrassment.
Madam Yan’an casually pointed to the nearest date, saying, “After the fifteenth of July, the weather will cool down. Let’s set the date for August 4th. The new bride will enter the house just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The whole family can celebrate together, and your father’s spirit will surely be pleased.”
Wei Tingzhen wanted to delay things a bit longer.
However, Madam Yan’an insisted, “I’m getting old and need to help Qingyuan prepare for her marriage. If you still want to discuss the Dou family’s engagement, I think it would be better to ask your Second Madam to convey messages between both sides.”
Wei Tingzhen understood that Madam Yan’an was warning her. Although she felt somewhat helpless, she replied, “Then I’ll go back and discuss it with my mother and ask for her opinion!”
“That’s fine,” Madam Yan’an said with a smile, her attitude noticeably cooler than before.
Wei Tingzhen, holding her breath, went to the Jining Marquisate and happened to run into Madam Cai.
Madam Cai was speaking with Tian Shi, saying, “Whether it’s true or not, you must make a decision. It’s not a solution to remain silent. The Dou family doesn’t necessarily have to marry into your family; it’s just that there was a prior agreement that they can’t break lightly. Whether the Wei family acknowledges this engagement or not, you must explain. If you still recognize this engagement, the Fourth Miss of the Dou family has been waiting for your marquis for four years. Shouldn’t we set a wedding date? If you don’t recognize this engagement,” she continued, tapping a thick stack of gift lists on the tea table, “since you don’t agree, the gifts sent by your family don’t need to be returned, but the gifts from the Dou family must be returned double. If some items have been repurposed and can’t be returned, converting them to silver will suffice!”
Seeing Wei Tingzhen enter, Madam Cai abruptly stopped the conversation, smiling as she approached and curtsied, saying, “You’ve returned at just the right time, dear aunt! You’re a sensible person; you should at least say something about the engagement between your family and the Dou family. As it stands, Dou Ge Lao is still unaware of the Wang family’s situation. Everything is negotiable now, but if it drags on, it will be hard to keep it a secret. If Dou Ge Lao finds out, this engagement will no longer be in the hands of Fifth Madam; if it’s to be canceled, it will be canceled…”
Tian Shi sighed in relief and called out, “Zhen’er!”
Wei Tingzhen smiled reassuringly at Tian Shi before her expression darkened, and she said unhappily, “Who’s spreading rumors?”
“We don’t know who’s spreading rumors,” Madam Cai said with a smile, but her words were sharp enough to pierce, “The note that the Jining Marquis wrote to the Fifth Miss of the Dou family is still in Fifth Madam’s hands. Originally, considering the two families are related by marriage, it was best not to mention it. But since the two families are now discussing breaking the engagement, there’s no need for any reservations…”
Wei Tingzhen felt that such matters would only harm the girl involved, calculating that the Dou family wouldn’t make a fuss. She was also furious with Wei Tingyu for acting recklessly. She slapped Wei Tingyu hard, and with her mind racing, she didn’t have the mood to ask for specifics. Just then, hearing that Wei Tingyu had a note in Fifth Madam Dou’s hands made her dizzy with anger. Before she could recover, Tian Shi, worried about her son, said urgently, “I think we should set the wedding date for August 4th…”
“Mother!” Wei Tingzhen was both angry and anxious, shouting at her mother, but when she saw her mother’s pale face and the fear in her gentle eyes, she froze.
Tian Shi said, “Zhen’er, don’t say too much. I’ll take charge of this matter; the date is set for August 4th.” She then nodded apologetically at Madam Cai, saying, “Please help us speak well of this to the matchmaker.”
Madam Cai, pleased to have achieved her goal, looked at the sullen Wei Tingzhen and, recalling how she had repeatedly caused trouble, said smugly, “Madam is easy to talk to, but I wonder what your family’s elder aunt thinks? Your elder aunt is quite capable; she can manage the affairs of the Jingguo Duke’s residence and has a say in your family’s matters. I hope I don’t have to report back to Fifth Madam Dou only to find that your elder aunt has changed her mind, making my trip a waste…”
“You!” Wei Tingzhen felt both ashamed and angry, opening her mouth to retort a few words to Madam Cai. However, Tian Shi, wanting to smooth things over, interjected, “It’s only natural to care about one’s brother. There were reasons for the previous matters. Now that it’s settled, there’s no need to bring up the past. We will formally send a matchmaker to deliver the wedding invitation soon.”
Madam Cai smiled and praised Tian Shi for being “generous and kind-hearted,” saying that it was a blessing for the Fourth Miss of the Dou family to marry into their family. She didn’t even glance at Wei Tingzhen as she stood up to take her leave.
Wei Tingzhen stamped her foot. “Mother…”
“Don’t say too much,” Tian Shi remained unmoved. “This matter is settled.”
Fuming, Wei Tingzhen went to find Wei Tingyu and immediately grabbed his ear, which was half a head taller than hers. “You idiot, what on earth did you write to the Fifth Miss of the Dou family?”
Wei Tingyu grinned. “Sister, what nonsense are you talking about? When did I write anything to the Fifth Miss of the Dou family? Let go, it hurts!”
Wei Tingzhen was taken aback and asked seriously, “You didn’t write any notes or anything to the Fifth Miss of the Dou family?”
Her brother never lied to her.
Wei Tingyu swore he hadn’t.
Realizing she and her mother had been tricked, Wei Tingzhen gritted her teeth in anger, cursing Madam Cai in her heart. She pondered how to make Madam Cai embarrass herself, but unexpectedly, the Dou family acted swiftly— the next day, they sent over Dou Zhao’s dowry list.
The list included land, houses, shops, furniture, spices, jewelry, clothing, and medicinal materials, densely packed into a small booklet, amounting to at least twenty thousand taels of silver.
Wei Tingzhen was taken aback.
Tian Shi shot her daughter a pointed glance.
Wei Tingyu was more direct, saying, “Sister, don’t mention Dou Zhao anymore. No matter what, she will be your sister-in-law in the future. I’ll make sure she listens to you from now on.”
Wei Tingzhen’s face turned red and pale in succession.
Upon returning to the Jingguo Duke’s residence, Zhang Yuanming also said to her, “I told you before, don’t just look at the surface of things. If this marriage is broken because of you, won’t you regret it?”
Wei Tingzhen sulked and muttered a few words, but no one could hear what she said. However, she never again meddled in Wei Tingyu’s marriage.
The matchmaker was invited, the wedding invitations were sent out, the wedding canopy was reserved, and the accounts were arranged. The wedding preparations proceeded smoothly, and soon it was the end of July.
Friends and relatives who received the invitations began to send congratulatory gifts one after another.
Among them, Gu Yu and Wang Qinghuai sent five hundred taels of silver as a gift, overshadowing the two hundred taels from Wei Tingyu’s uncle and the four hundred taels from Wei Tingzhen. Song Mo, in addition to the five hundred taels of silver, also gifted a twelve-panel screen made of chicken wing wood with inlaid mother-of-pearl depicting the four seasons, a pair of jade figurines of Fu Lu Shou Xi, a pair of natural agate deer, and a pair of cloisonné vases featuring pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms. Just these few items alone exceeded a thousand taels of silver, causing the accountants to exclaim in admiration and privately discuss, “No wonder people say Duke of Ying’s son may be cold in temperament, but he is very generous. Just look at this gift…”
Gifts must be reciprocated equally, but the gifts given can be adjusted when returning gifts. Song Mo had no intention of requiring Wei Tingyu to return the favor.
Wei Tingyu hadn’t expected such a heavy gift from Song Mo and felt somewhat apprehensive.
Tian Shi repeatedly reminded Wei Tingyu, “You must pay attention to matters concerning Song Shizi from now on.”
Wei Tingyu nodded repeatedly.
Zhang Yuanming, however, frowned.
Compared to Wei Tingyu, Song Yantang’s gift was too extravagant.
He wanted to remind his brother-in-law but held back when he saw Wei Tingzhen admiring the pair of natural agate deer, exclaiming, “So beautiful!” He swallowed the words he was about to say—saying such things at this moment would only spoil the mood.
On the first day of August, the Wei family began setting up the wedding canopy, testing the kitchen, and preparing to welcome friends and relatives.
Dou Zhao returned to Jing’an Temple Alley.
She would be getting married here.
Fifth Madam had arranged for Wang Yingxue to temporarily oversee the household affairs in Jing’an Temple Alley.
In the afternoon, Dou Zhao’s aunt, Madam Zhao, arrived in the capital with her daughter, Zhao Zhangru, looking weary from travel.
Duan Gongyi and others also quietly settled into Jing’an Temple Alley.