Song Mo sat at his large purple sandalwood desk inlaid with cloud patterns in his study, gazing out at the snow-like blooms of the crabapple trees. His expression was solemn.

After calming down, he carefully recalled Dou Zhao’s words.

She wanted to tell him they weren’t meant to be together, didn’t she?

Her words always made sense.

Just six days ago, he learned that his father had formally proposed to the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Yan’an on his behalf.

The Marquis neither agreed nor refused.

He received news that after returning home, the Marquis immediately consulted with his eldest son, Wang Qinghuai, who strongly supported this marriage. The Marquis couldn’t help but be somewhat moved.

Song Mo opened the window.

Outside, green bamboo swayed, plum trees stood ancient and strong, Yunnan flowers bloomed alluringly, and under the flower trellis entwined with morning glories, Wuyi was proudly boasting to several young servants.

Song Mo’s lips curved into a slight smile.

He could marry anyone, but he wouldn’t let his father manipulate him!

The next day, he began appearing before Consort Ning, who had always been fond of him and was accompanying the Emperor to the summer palace.

Consort Ning was Princess Jingfu’s birth mother.

Princess Jingfu had come of age this spring.

Three days ago, the day before he took leave to attend Dou Zhao’s wedding, Wang Yuan had emerged from an audience at the summer palace, smiling as he congratulated Song Mo and whispered, “Consort Ning has been speaking highly of you to the Emperor these past two days.”

Connecting this with the questions the Emperor had just asked him, Song Mo understood. He smiled and slipped Wang Yuan a banknote.

If his guess was correct, the Marquis of Yan’an would reply to his father in the next few days.

The palace should also summon his father for questioning soon.

Was he not destined to be with Dou Zhao?

Song Mo paused briefly under the crabapple trees before heading to Yan Chaoqing’s residence.

There was nothing in this world he couldn’t accomplish once he set his mind to it!

Yan Chaoqing personally brewed some Da Hong Pao tea to serve Song Mo. As he poured the tea from a purple clay teapot into small purple clay cups, he smiled and asked, “When will the young master depart?”

Song Mo had only taken two days of leave.

“I’ll leave after lunch,” Song Mo said leisurely, taking a sip of tea. “I want to marry Dou Zhao. There are some things I need to instruct you about.”

Yan Chaoqing was shocked. His hand trembled, spilling hot tea onto his thigh.

He cried out “Ah!” and jumped up. The hot water quickly seeped through his silk robe, soaking his pants. He urgently wanted to remove his robe but, realizing Song Mo was sitting right in front of him, felt it would be disrespectful. He could only lift the hem of his robe and run to the inner room, calling loudly for servants to come and attend to him. This commotion caused Chen He and others waiting outside to rush in, and the room instantly became chaotic.

Song Mo burst into laughter.

He had merely mentioned wanting to marry Dou Zhao, and it had caused Yan Chaoqing to lose his composure like this. If he married Dou Zhao, who knew how many jaws would drop?

Dou Zhao seemed to always have this ability to leave an unforgettable impression and astonish people.

After a while, Yan Chaoqing emerged from the inner room in a change of clothes.

Song Mo asked him, “How is it? Is the burn serious? Should we call for a doctor?”

“It’s fine,” Yan Chaoqing said. “Just a bit of reddened skin.” His thoughts were still immersed in the shock from earlier, and he seemed somewhat dazed. After the servants cleaned up the couch, he finally regained his composure and sat down. With a serious expression, he asked Song Mo, “Has something happened to the Fourth Miss?”

Today was the fifth day of the eighth month, which should have been the day of Dou Zhao’s double morning congratulations.

“The bride was switched,” Song Mo told Yan Chaoqing the information he had gathered. However, he didn’t mention a word about his nighttime visit to Jingan Temple Alley or what he had said to Dou Zhao. Yan Chaoqing also didn’t ask. But this news set Yan Chaoqing’s mind racing.

All along, he had been worried about Song Mo’s marriage.

Now Song Mo controlled the Yizhi Hall, while Song Yichun was the legitimate Duke of Ying, controlling the Duke of Ying’s mansion. Although Song Mo was the heir apparent, he showed his sharp edge, matching the Duke of Ying in power, resulting in a stalemate. The Duke of Ying’s remarriage wasn’t going smoothly, and there was no one to manage the household affairs in the Duke’s mansion. At this time, if Song Mo’s wife could manage the household, she could represent the Duke’s mansion in external affairs and inquire about the daily life of Song Han, who hadn’t come of age yet, breaking the Duke’s control over Song Han.

Although it was unlikely that the relationship between the brothers would return to its former closeness, it could at least reduce the possibility of Song Han standing in opposition to Song Mo, making Song Mo’s position more secure. She could also enter and exit the forbidden palace and the inner courtyards of various mansions, creating influence for Song Mo through those consorts and ladies, making the Duke of Ying wary and unable to act arbitrarily.

On the contrary, if the Duke of Ying’s new wife managed the household affairs, she might spread rumors and cause trouble in front of the consorts and ladies of various mansions, damaging Song Mo’s reputation. This would make it more difficult for Song Han and Song Mo to communicate. If Song Han, with the Duke’s support, set his sights on the position of heir apparent, not only would things become more complicated, but Song Mo might also risk being labeled as unfilial, putting him in a very unfavorable position. If that wife were to give birth to a male heir with her family’s support, it could lead to fraternal strife. Even if Song Mo ultimately won, it would be a pyrrhic victory, potentially damaging the foundation of the Duke of Ying’s mansion and leading to its decline…

Yan Chaoqing was different from other advisors like Liao Bifeng.

Not only was he indebted to the Jiang family for their recognition, but he had also watched Song Mo grow up. Beyond the master-servant relationship, there was also a fatherly affection. He not only hoped that Song Mo’s wife would be capable of managing the Duke of Ying’s household but also that she could be in harmony with Song Mo.

Hearing that Dou Zhao’s sister had married into the Duke of Jining’s family in her place, his eyes lit up.

He had always admired Dou Zhao’s intelligence and quick wit.

The usually mature Song Mo always seemed more lively when he encountered Dou Zhao, always having endless topics to discuss.

He had regretted more than once that Dou Zhao had been betrothed early on.

If Song Mo married Dou Zhao, wouldn’t they live happily together?

Moreover, with Dou Zhao’s support, wouldn’t controlling the Duke of Ying’s mansion be within reach?

Yan Chaoqing was excited, unable to hide his joy, his mind racing even faster.

“Whether it’s the Dou family’s Fifth Madam or Seventh Madam, they’re all women of the inner court. They might have acted out of momentary grudges. But switching brides is a major matter. Dou Yuanji couldn’t have been unaware,” he spoke rapidly, perhaps due to his excitement. “Even if he didn’t know beforehand, he could have remedied it afterward. Judging by his usual behavior, he wouldn’t allow his wife to do something so damaging to the Dou family’s reputation over trivial matters. He knew about the Dou sisters’ switch. This doesn’t make sense.

If the young master wants to marry the Fourth Miss, we must first understand why Dou Yuanji would do this, so we can address the issue appropriately. Secondly, regarding the Duke of Jining’s family, if they accept this marriage, that’s fine. If not, we need to find a way to help the Dou family. We should immediately send someone to closely monitor the situation there. Then there’s the matter of the Fourth Miss’s marriage. Who ultimately has control over it? The Fourth Miss has been humiliated, what’s Aunt Zhao’s attitude? Can we influence the Fourth Miss’s marriage through Aunt Zhao’s stance…” At this point, his expression became slightly tense, and he said, “Most importantly, how do we get the Duke to agree to help you propose… “

He tapped his forehead, thinking of several reasons, but rejecting them one by one. Remembering that the Marquis of Yan’an might agree to Song Mo’s marriage in the next few days and that the palace might issue an imperial decree for marriage at any time, he immediately felt overwhelmed and said, “No matter what, this matter must be handled quickly! The fear is that the Dou family might make other arrangements for the Fourth Miss to cover up this incident…”

He added, “I feel that this bride substitution is not a simple matter…” Suddenly remembering Dou Zhao’s request, he said, “There’s another matter. Because the Fourth Miss didn’t give specific instructions, I haven’t mentioned it to you, young master…” He told Song Mo about Dou Zhao’s request to help arrange for a family to change their registered status, “Since it was the Fourth Miss’s matter, I didn’t investigate what was going on with this family. Now it seems it might be related to the Fourth Miss’s broken engagement…”

Song Mo’s eyes were filled with amusement.

Giving up a royal marriage and choosing a more difficult path was his choice, but not the choice of those around him who shared his life and honor.

He thought he would need to spend a lot of energy persuading Yan Chaoqing and others, and might even need to use Dou Zhao’s life-saving grace to pressure Yan Chaoqing. That’s why he used a commanding rather than consultative tone when he first brought up this matter to Yan Chaoqing.

Unexpectedly, Yan Chaoqing had such a good impression of Dou Zhao.

Inexplicably, Song Mo’s heart was filled with warmth.

It felt like returning to the time when his mother was alive when everyone was united and happy.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and said in a low voice, “Sir, you and I are thinking along the same lines. However, there are a few things I’d like you to handle, which are the most urgent matters at hand.”

Yan Chaoqing said solemnly, “Please instruct me, young master!”

Song Mo pondered and said, “The Fourth Miss’s broken engagement is a scandal, isn’t it?”

Yan Chaoqing was taken aback.

“My father will certainly hear about it,” Song Mo said in a tone full of suggestion. “The Fourth Miss is the eldest legitimate daughter, who lost her mother at a young age. Her only uncle, though a distinguished scholar, has been serving in the Northwest; her father’s new wife is the daughter of Wang Yousheng, the Governor of Yunnan, but the Fourth Miss grew up in Zhending with her grandmother, who was originally a concubine. Although she has an uncle who is a current cabinet minister, they are almost beyond the five degrees of mourning relationship, and now her marriage has been switched… My father will certainly be very interested, especially when rumors are circulating that Consort Ning is looking for a son-in-law for Princess Jingfu.”

“Indeed!” Yan Chaoqing couldn’t help but clap his hands. “We just need to find out what plans the Dou family has for the Fourth Miss!”

At this moment, Song Mo couldn’t help but be grateful for the conversation he had overheard by chance that day.

“Regardless of what plans Dou Yuanji has for the Fourth Miss, whether it’s marrying her off or finding her a husband to marry into the family, given the current mood of the Dou family’s Seventh Master, as long as my father shows sincerity, the Seventh Master will certainly not refuse,” he said leisurely, remembering his father’s words and actions before his mother’s death, feeling a faint sadness in his heart.

At this moment, Wei Tingyu was sitting woodenly on the large kang bed by the window in the reception room. In his ears, he heard either the wailing of the Dou family’s maids and servants or his sister’s shrill scolding, as well as the angry rebukes of the Dou family’s young master, Dou Wenchang.

How did things turn out like this?

He had merely heard that his sister was arguing with the Dou family people and wanted to think carefully about how to handle this matter. He had just had a cup of tea in his study when Dou Ming attempted to hang herself.

Fortunately, the Dou family’s maid sensed something was wrong and pushed the door open in time…

Wei Tingyu’s head was throbbing with pain!