Ji Yong arrived with Fifth Madam and headed straight for Dou Zhao’s east wing. Dou Zhao was sitting cross-legged on the large kang bed by the window with Zhao Zhangru, discussing where to go for fun in the coming days. Hearing that Ji Yong had arrived, she raised an eyebrow and sneered, “I was just about to look for him, and here he comes on his own!” She then instructed a maid, “Invite Cousin Ji to the hall for tea.”
The maid acknowledged and left. Zhao Zhangru, curious, asked, “What’s gotten into you? Why are you so angry? What did Ji Jianming do to offend you?”
“It’s not something I can explain in a few words.” Since it involved Ji Yong’s conduct, Dou Zhao naturally wouldn’t disclose the details to Zhao Zhangru. She brushed it off, saying, “I’ll tell you in detail when I have time. Wait here for me; I’ll be right back.”
Zhao Zhangru nodded and cautioned her, “Be careful!”
“It’s not like I’m going to fight,” Dou Zhao laughed as she headed to the hall.
Ji Yong sat in a grand chair, sipping tea with a hint of smugness. He set down the teacup, picked up a piece of paper from the table, and waved it at Dou Zhao, saying succinctly, “Dou Ming’s marriage certificate!”
This meant that from today, Dou Ming was officially Wei Tingyu’s wife.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but ask, “Did you help with this?”
“Of course!” Ji Yong replied without hesitation. “If I hadn’t personally gone to Shuntian Prefecture, do you think Dou Ming’s marriage certificate would have been so easy to obtain?”
The Ji family intended to marry her, and she wasn’t been sure if Ji Yong knew about it. But seeing the marriage certificate in his hand and hearing his words, she understood everything.
Thinking of all Ji Yong had done, Dou Zhao sneered and mocked, “I wonder what relation you have to our family? My cousins and nephews don’t even know which way the yamen’s gate opens. They had to rely on you to get Dou Ming’s marriage certificate. Thank you, Lord Ji!”
Ji Yong felt a sense of relief knowing Dou Zhao and Wei Tingyu were no longer connected. He had eagerly come to show her the newly obtained marriage certificate, expecting some displeasure but not the harshness of her words. He was momentarily speechless, almost choking.
“If this matter didn’t concern you, I wouldn’t have bothered!” Ji Yong finally retorted, his anger rising. “If not for me, how would the Wei family have accepted Dou Ming? If not for me, how would your marriage certificate with Wei Tingyu have disappeared? If not for me, how would the witnesses from both families have arrived so quickly…”
Dou Zhao interrupted him without hesitation, “If not for you, how would my sister and I have been swapped in marriage?!”
Ji Yong was stunned, suspiciously asking, “You knew?”
“With you running around like this, even if I didn’t want to know, I had to find out,” Dou Zhao replied coldly.
Embarrassed and angry, Ji Yong retorted, “What do you mean running around? I’m not a monkey! If not for you, would I care about these trivial matters? You were eager to marry Wei Tingyu, but what about him? He knew both of you sisters, yet he married Dou Ming; when he saw Dou Ming crying, he immediately comforted her, saying, ‘Since we’ve married, we’re husband and wife.’ His sister didn’t accept this sister-in-law, but he did; while we were busy changing the marriage certificate, he was comforting the bride in the new room. Did he ever care about you? I may not be perfect, but I wouldn’t neglect you as he did, wouldn’t humiliate you as he did, wouldn’t abandon you as he did…”
“So you think you can take someone else’s wife?!” Dou Zhao looked at him, her gaze as cold as moonlight.
Ji Yong was at a loss for words.
Dou Zhao continued, “I once asked you why you didn’t trust my decision. Now, I still want to ask, what gives you the right to make decisions for me without asking? You thought Wei Tingyu wasn’t good enough for me, so you had him spend the night at Nanfeng Pavilion to ruin his reputation; you wanted me to dislike Wei Tingyu, so you had Dou Ming invite him to Daxiangguo Temple; you wanted to marry me, so you swapped my sister and me in marriage… Did you ever consider my feelings? Did you ever ask for my opinion? Is this how you treat me well? If this is your idea of treating me well, I’d rather not have it!”
“You…” Ji Yong’s face turned pale.
If she let Ji Yong off easily now, he might do even worse things in the future!
“You think Wei Tingyu isn’t good enough for me, but he never forced me to do anything.” Dou Zhao’s expression was stern. “You think you’re better than him, yet you’ve made my life a mess. You say you wouldn’t neglect me, wouldn’t humiliate me, wouldn’t abandon me… But look at me now, with my family’s elders’ tacit approval and concealment, swapped in marriage by my sister, forced to smile and comfort my father and aunt. Isn’t this neglect? Isn’t this humiliation? Isn’t this abandonment?
What else would be neglected? What else would be humiliation? What else would be abandonment? You think Wei Tingyu isn’t as good as you, but after marrying Dou Ming, he accepted her as his wife despite opposition, preserving her dignity. You think you’re better than Wei Tingyu, but all you know is to scheme, slander, and entice, making me a laughingstock, a topic for others’ idle chatter. How are you better than Wei Tingyu?!”
“Ji Jianming, I will never marry someone who takes another’s wife.”
“From today on, you don’t need to concern yourself with my affairs! You go your way, and I’ll go mine. We’ll never have anything to do with each other again!”
With that, Dou Zhao turned and left the hall.
Someone who takes another’s wife!
From today on… you go your way, and I’ll go mine… never have anything to do with each other again…
Ji Yong stared blankly at the swaying curtain, Dou Zhao’s clear and melodious voice echoing in his ears like a great bell.
Dou Shiying watched Fifth Madam’s lips move, unable to process what he was hearing.
Old Master Ji wanted to propose marriage for Ji Yong to Shougu. After Dou Ming inexplicably married into the Wei family instead of Dou Zhao?
Dou Shiying couldn’t help but ask, “Does Fifth Brother know about this?”
His voice was sharp, but Fifth Madam, who always thought Dou Shiying was mild-mannered, didn’t notice and smiled, “Old Master Ji personally came to propose. How could Fifth Brother not know? Fifth Brother thinks, given the recent events at home, that Jianming and Shougu are technically cousins and grew up together. If people think badly, it won’t just be Mingjie who suffers; Shougu and Jianming will also be gossiped about. The Marquis of Jining might just lose face, but Jianming is young with a bright future, and if the censors impeach him, it would be troublesome. It’s better for the two families to quietly exchange betrothal letters and set a wedding date next spring…”
Dou Shiying thought of the prudent servants in Huai Tree Alley; he recalled his sister-in-law’s calm demeanor when he blamed her after Dou Ming’s marriage swap; he remembered Tao Qizhong’s ingratiating smile; he recalled Gaosheng’s fearful expression when mentioning Song Mo… His lips twitched.
Did he appear so weak and easy to deceive?
One after another, they all tried to fool him!
The anger he had suppressed since learning of Song Mo’s reputation flared up like a fire doused in oil.
“What more do you want?” He stood up, his fair face flushed with anger, his gentle eyes filled with resentment. “I only have two daughters! Isn’t it enough that you’ve harmed them?”
Fifth Madam’s face burned at his words, and she argued, “How can you say that, Seventh Uncle? I was wrong not to stop Mingjie, but I’m trying to make it up to Shougu. Besides, Jianming is much more outstanding than Wei Tingyu. He’s already a two-time jinshi at a young age and could become a prime minister in the future. Old Master Ji personally proposed, showing special regard for Shougu. What more could you want…”
“Enough!” Dou Shiying was even more infuriated by her words, sneering, “In the end, you just want to ally with the Ji family and win over Ji Jianming. How did Fang Zhou, a mere Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel, become the Zhejiang Provincial Administration Commissioner? How did Wang Yingxue marry Dou Ming into the Marquis of Jining’s family? Don’t think I know anything! I’m marrying off my daughter, not selling her!” He pointed to the door, “Fifth Sister-in-law, you’re busy managing Huai Tree Alley’s household affairs, and it’s getting late, so I won’t keep you!”
Fifth Madam had never seen Dou Shiying so angry. She stood there, stunned, realizing that Dou Shiying disagreed with the marriage alliance between the Dou and Ji families!
What should she do now?
She hurriedly said, “Seventh Uncle, don’t act on impulse! Think it over carefully. A good match like Jianming won’t come around again…”
But Dou Shiying no longer wanted to hear her voice, the veins at his temples throbbing, and he loudly called for Gaosheng to “see the guest out.”
Seeing Dou Shiying in such a state, Fifth Madam thought it best to wait until he calmed down before discussing further. She didn’t wait for him to urge her a second time and took her leave.
Dou Shiying felt as if all his strength had been drained, collapsing onto the kang bed by the window.
Ji Yong didn’t know how he left Jing’an Temple Alley. When he came to his senses, he was standing in front of Jing’an Temple.
The bustling crowd occasionally brushed past him, some bumping into his shoulder, repeatedly saying, “Excuse me, excuse me.”
Zishang responded to Ji Yong, staying close by his side.
A carriage suddenly stopped in front of Ji Yong.
“Ji Jianming!” He Yu jumped off the carriage and rushed toward Ji Yong, landing a punch on his face.
Caught off guard, Ji Yong staggered and fell to the ground.
Zixi and Zishang cried out and rushed over, but He Yu’s guards, prepared in advance, blocked them.
Once he regained his senses, Ji Yong felt a stinging in his eyes and warm liquid trickling from his nose. He instinctively wiped his nose and shouted, “What madness is this?”
“What madness?” He Yu advanced, landing another punch on Ji Yong. “Did you forget what you once promised me?”
Ji Yong sidestepped, avoiding He Yu’s punch, but was pinned down by him.
With a fire burning in his heart, Ji Yong didn’t bother asking what he had promised He Yu and struggled as they fought.