“Tian Ci Ge, do you not want to marry Wang Dahai’s sister?” Gu Yu asked, his mouth full of apples, making his words unclear. “The Wang family members are all quite good-looking, so Wang Dahai’s sister should be no exception. Don’t mess things up and end up marrying Jiang Yi! Sure, Jiang Yi is beautiful, but her temper makes it seem like everyone in the world should revolve around her. Jing Fu is a bit better, but both in looks and temperament, she’s quite ordinary.”

As he spoke, he leaned over to Song Mo’s desk, winking at him suggestively. “How about I help you think of a way to marry either Shufei Niangniang’s Jing Tai or Chen Fei Niangniang’s Fu Yuan? Jing Tai is so beautiful! Compared to her, Jiang Yi is like gold and silver next to jade. But if you compare Jing Fu to her, it’s like wood next to a gem! Fu Yuan may not be as pretty as Jing Tai or Jiang Yi, but her temperament is good! When she was very young, Chen Fei Niangniang personally taught her to read ‘Nü Jie.’ If you marry her, you might even have the good fortune of Yong Cheng Bo Feng Jian in the future. Why did you set your sights on Jing Fu? No wonder Ning Fei Niangniang would rather offend my aunt this time than let Jing Fu marry you…”

Yong Cheng Bo Feng Jian married Princess Yongping, the sister of Emperor Taizong. Princess Yongping was virtuous and generous; after marrying Feng Jian, she not only honored her in-laws and maintained harmony with her sisters-in-law but also took good care of the concubines Feng Jian had. He had over twenty children with just his concubines, and because of this, Princess Yongping was praised by Emperor Taizong and became a model for the royal family, celebrated as a paragon of virtue.

Song Mo listened, somewhat dazed.

Yes, why did he choose Princess Jing Fu?

Dou Zhao had also suggested he marry either Fu Yuan or Jing Tai.

But when he learned that Princess Jing Fu was two years younger than him, he suddenly decided to marry her.

Perhaps in his heart, he thought that since Princess Jing Fu was younger, they wouldn’t marry so soon. At least, he wouldn’t marry before Dou Zhao got married…

What was Dou Zhao doing?

Today was the day Dou Ming returned home after three days.

Dou Zhao was listening to Su Lan talk about the happenings in the Jining Marquis’s residence with her aunt and cousin Zhang Ru.

“… The eldest master is really impressive. As soon as he met the Jining Marquis, he immediately recognized the fifth miss and demanded a marriage certificate from the Wei family,” Su Lan said, taking a sip of tea before continuing. “The wife of the Duke of Jing Guo didn’t agree, but she was stopped by the Duke of Jing Guo’s son. The eldest master, the Duke of Jing Guo’s son, Lord Ji, and the second master of the Duke of Jing Guo’s residence all went to the Jining Marquis’s study to discuss the marriage certificate, leaving the Duke of Jing Guo’s wife in the hall.

She got furious and grabbed a feather duster, hitting the Jining Marquis without restraint, leaving the fifth miss stunned. The Jining Marquis didn’t dare to make a sound, just held his head and let her hit him. The fifth miss wanted to step in and stop it but ended up getting hit several times herself. Later, when they recognized their kin, the red marks on the back of the fifth miss’s hand hadn’t faded yet!”

At this point, she smiled, “I don’t think the Duke of Jing Guo’s wife accidentally hit the fifth miss; it seemed intentional.”

Her tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.

Zhao Zhang Ru laughed heartily.

Su Xin, who was pouring tea for Dou Zhao, shot Su Lan a glare.

Su Lan quickly straightened up.

Dou Zhao and her aunt couldn’t help but laugh, and her aunt gently said, “It’s rare for Su Lan to be so innocent; there’s no need to be too harsh on her.”

Su Xin could only respond respectfully.

Su Lan shot her sister a triumphant look and then said solemnly, “I originally planned to come back last night to report to you, but those rough servants in the Wei residence, following the orders of the Duke of Jing Guo’s wife, kept us all under watch. I was afraid the Wei family would become suspicious and involve the miss, so I stayed with the accompanying maids in the Wei residence and returned with the fifth miss this morning. Gan Lu was worried that if we all returned, something might happen to the miss’s dowry, so she stayed at the Jining Marquis’s residence with Liu Yun and the others, planning to return with the miss’s dowry later.”

Dou Zhao nodded slightly.

Although the sisters had exchanged marriages, the Wei and Dou families still maintained the necessary formalities.

As soon as dawn broke, Dou Wenchang was sent to fetch Dou Ming back home.

Madam Wu was worried about her sister’s embarrassment and invited her to stay at Huai Tree Alley, but her sister refused, saying, “Our Shou Gu hasn’t done anything wrong; why should Ming Jie give up her place? If she doesn’t feel ashamed, why should I?”

With that, she pushed Madam Wu back.

Madam Wu felt somewhat awkward.

Madam Liu, not wanting to put Dou Zhao in a difficult position, stepped in to mediate: “In that case, let’s have Aunt accompany Shou Gu. Having someone to talk to will make her feel better.”

Madam Zhao led her daughter to Dou Zhao’s room.

Madam Wu, Madam Liu, and the other female relatives of the Dou family in the capital dressed up to welcome Dou Ming, the newly minted aunt.

Dou Ming’s uncle, Wang Zhibing, didn’t come, but the female relatives of the Wang family accompanied Dou Ming’s younger uncle, Wang Zhipiao.

Her aunt praised Su Lan, saying, “It’s rare for you to be so articulate and clear-headed at such a young age.” She had a maid reward Su Lan with two taels of silver.

Su Lan happily accepted the silver, thanking her profusely, and then withdrew with her sister to let Dou Zhao, her aunt, and cousin talk privately.

Although her aunt felt that the marriage with the Wei family didn’t need to be salvaged at this point, she still felt uncomfortable hearing that Wei Tingyu had quickly recognized Dou Ming.

She sighed deeply and asked, “Shou Gu, what are your plans for the future?”

Dou Zhao thought that if she said something like “I’ll never marry again,” her aunt would surely think she was heartbroken and would feel upset and guilty.

“Let’s go back to Zhen Ding first!” she smiled, “Then keep an eye out for a good family!”

Her aunt saw that she was still optimistic and felt a bit of her worry at ease.

Gu Yu noticed that Song Mo seemed lost in thought and waved his hand in front of his eyes.

“Tian Ci Ge, snap out of it!” he joked, “You’re not thinking about brides, are you?”

Song Mo flicked Gu Yu on the forehead and laughed, “What nonsense are you talking about?” However, his ears suddenly felt warm. He quickly grabbed an apple and shoved it into Gu Yu’s hand, saying, “Eat your apple and stop talking nonsense!”

Gu Yu felt he had guessed Song Mo’s mood correctly.

He grinned like a little fox, rolling back onto the large kang by the window with the apple. “Tian Ci Ge, when you get married, let me help you with the wedding! I’ll protect you and not let them force you to drink…”

But Song Mo was lost in thought about Dou Zhao.

Yesterday, the Dou and Wei families rewrote the marriage certificate, and the Wei family immediately invited their two witnesses, Yan An Hou and Zhang Jiming, to re-endorse the marriage certificate. Today, after the couple recognized their kin and drank the return-home wine, the Dou family would likely invite Yang Sen and Cai Bi to endorse the marriage certificate, which would then be filed with the Shuntian Prefecture.

Once that happened, the news of the Dou sisters’ marriages would spread quickly.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching on the fifteenth of August, the Emperor would certainly not spend the festival at the summer palace. Once the Emperor returned to the palace, the matter of his marriage to Jing Fu would be brought to light, and he would truly be in a bind!

No matter what, he had to get things sorted out before the Mid-Autumn Festival!

Ignoring Gu Yu’s chatter, Song Mo called out loudly to Chen He, “Go back to the residence and see if Mr. Yan has any messages for me.”

Ji Yong personally went to invite Yang Sen to the residence.

Yang Sen couldn’t help but sigh, “Poor Fourth Miss Dou, about to get married but suffering from such a strange illness.”

Ji Yong laughed, “It’s just a skin condition on her face. It’s not untreatable, just a bit troublesome. The Jining Marquis’s residence is being overly cautious; it’s just that the fifth miss hasn’t been betrothed yet, and the Dou family agreed to this marriage.”

This implies that the Wei family was dissatisfied with Dou Zhao and pressured the Dou family to marry Dou Ming at the Jining Marquis’s residence.

Yang Sen didn’t mind much, but Cai Bi, who was well aware of the intricacies and eager to please Dou Shishu, wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by. He smiled, “If anyone is to blame, it’s the Fourth Miss Dou’s dowry being too generous.”

This subtly suggested that the Wei family was eyeing the Dou family’s dowry, knowing Dou Zhao had an illness but still unwilling to break off the engagement.

Ji Yong couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at Cai Bi.

Yang Sen shook his head dismissively, sighing about the decline of societal morals, before being assisted by Ji Yong into the carriage.

Tao Qizhong’s news arrived earlier than Song Yichun had imagined.

After dinner, Tao Qizhong, with a serious expression, requested to see Song Yichun.

“Your Highness is probably going to marry a princess!” he said solemnly. “The news came from the Yan An Hou’s residence, and by now, all the prominent noble families in the capital probably know.”

Song Yichun nearly knocked over his teacup.

“What did you say?” His face changed dramatically. “Is the news reliable?” As he spoke, he thought of his son’s unpredictable behavior and, without waiting for Tao Qizhong’s answer, he believed it somewhat.

“The news is reliable,” Tao Qizhong confirmed. “It was the Yan An Hou’s son who told me personally—presumably to give our residence an explanation. Moreover, he said that both the Empress and Ning Fei Niangniang have taken a liking to Your Highness, and Ning Fei Niangniang has already spoken to the Emperor about it. The Emperor is also inclined, but because the Empress wants Your Highness to marry Princess Jing Yi, this matter has been delayed. However, the decision for Your Highness to marry a princess is set in stone.”

Song Yichun slumped into the armchair.

“How could this happen?” he murmured. “In recent years, those marrying princesses have been the fallen sons of noble families, but Song Mo is the heir of the Duke Ying’s residence… How could Ning Fei Niangniang take a liking to him…”

“It must be your Highness’s idea!” Tao Qizhong said bitterly. “If Your Highness marries a princess, no one can shake his position as heir… You should encourage the second master to spend more time with your Highness… If your Highness is determined…”

The impact would be quite significant!

“No, no!” Song Yichun was anxious, pacing back and forth. “We can’t let him marry a princess…” He instructed Tao Qizhong, “Didn’t the Earl of Dongping say he has a daughter the same age as Song Mo? She would be perfect! You go to the Earl of Dongping’s house to propose tomorrow morning…”

“Lord,” Tao Qizhong had to remind Song Yichun quietly again, “The news about Your Highness marrying a princess should be known by all the noble families in the capital.”

Who would dare to propose marriage to the Song family at this time?

Song Yichun was stunned. “Is there no other way? Are we just going to watch as Song Mo marries a princess?”

Tao Qizhong remained silent.