Suxin placed the small wooden bucket of warm tea on the long table by the wall and quietly retreated, closing the lattice door of the inner room.

The room immediately fell silent, with the distant sound of the night watchman’s drum audible.

Song Mo asked Dou Zhao, “What did Princess Ningde and Madam Lu talk to you about?”

Today, they had been separated – he followed Song Yichun to entertain male guests, while she accompanied Lu’s eldest daughter-in-law to attend to the female relatives. Although they knew where the other was, they hadn’t had a chance to speak.

Among the female relatives at the family recognition ceremony, Princess Ningde was the most noble, and Madam Lu the most respected. If Dou Zhao could gain their approval, it would greatly benefit her future interactions with noble families and relatives.

“Nothing special,” Dou Zhao smiled. “Just casual conversation.” Sensing Song Mo’s regard for the Lu family, she told him about Princess Ningde and Madam Lu’s invitations to visit their homes. “…They said they’d send formal invitations later.”

Song Mo was pleased.

Princess Ningde and Madam Lu were the types who appeared kind and approachable but kept people at arm’s length. Gaining their approval was no simple matter, and being actively invited to their homes was even more remarkable.

“It seems the two ladies like you!” Song Mo smiled, remembering how his mother had also been favored by them when she was alive. He felt a pang of sadness.

If only Mother were still alive!

He recalled how his mother had once praised Dou Zhao for her intelligence. If she knew he had married Dou Zhao, wouldn’t she have liked her as much as Princess Ningde and Madam Lu did?

He thought back to that day under the grape trellis.

His mother had asked, “How old is the girl you met in Zhending?”

He had blurted out, “She’s already engaged…”

For many nights after that, he had secretly asked himself why he had suddenly uttered such an inappropriate response.

But before he could find an answer, his third uncle passed away.

What followed was a period of chaos.

His small concerns became insignificant and were pushed to the back of his mind.

Now, thinking about it… Could it be that he had already developed unusual feelings for Dou Zhao back then?

The thought startled Song Mo.

He involuntarily looked up to observe Dou Zhao.

She wore a moon-white silk robe, leaning against a purple-red woolen bolster. Her jet-black hair was neatly coiled into a bun, thick and luxurious, clearly indicating her beautiful hair.

What would it look like if it were let down?

Song Mo’s mind conjured an image of Dou Zhao lying on the bed with her long, lustrous black hair spread out.

Black was her hair, white her face, and purple-red her pillow… The colors were rich to the extreme, with a hint of allure, striking Song Mo’s heart directly. His emotions surged like waves crashing against the shore, uncontrollable. Suddenly, he felt as if he were in the midst of a raging fire, his face burning hot, and Dou Zhao was the flame…

He quickly turned his head away and said, “Mr. Yan discussed with me the day before yesterday about bringing the people from Yizhitang to meet you on the second day of our marriage. I wanted to properly introduce you to everyone from Yizhitang, but I was worried Father would send someone early in the morning to hurry us to the ancestral hall. So I changed the time to after we return from visiting your family – I’ve taken five days off, and I’ll return to court duty the day after tomorrow afternoon. We’ll have half a day free that morning. Before that, we’ll go pay our respects at Mother’s grave…”

Song Mo’s mind was blank, and he wasn’t aware of what he was saying.

Song Mo’s relationship with Song Yichun was certainly tense, but needing to introduce his subordinates to her behind Song Yichun’s back meant it wasn’t just about the people working at Yizhitang. It might even include the hidden forces that allowed Song Mo to contend with Song Yichun.

Dou Zhao was very surprised and somewhat touched.

Song Mo’s actions showed that he not only considered her his wife but also a like-minded partner.

But remembering how Song Mo had just glanced at her and quickly turned away, rambling on while blushing from his ears to his cheeks, she felt both amused and exasperated. The seriousness of his intention to introduce his subordinates to her vanished in an instant.

She was fully dressed, yet a mere glance had made him blush so deeply. How would he manage in the future?

She realized that although Yizhitang had seven or eight maids, they were all for rough work, while Song Mo’s attendants were all young male servants. This made her feel more at ease. Taking advantage of his speech, she casually put on a padded jacket and smiled, “We have plenty of time, no need to rush. If there’s not enough time now, we can meet your subordinates later. After all, I’ve dealt with Mr. Yan many times before. With his help, I’m sure there won’t be any difficulties with daily matters.” Inwardly, she thought about how early this morning, before dawn, Song Yichun had sent a matron called “Nanny Lu” to hurry them to the ancestral hall.

Fortunately, she had developed the good habit of early to bed early and early to rise from her grandmother, so she was already up when Nanny Lu arrived. Otherwise, the entire Duke Ying’s mansion would probably be gossiping about her laziness by now.

It seemed that Song Yichun, despite being a man, hadn’t focused his attention on court matters but was still preoccupied with domestic affairs…

Although this incident exposed Song Yichun’s small-mindedness, it also served as a reminder to Dou Zhao.

She would need to be more cautious in the future!

“Princess Ningde and Madam Lu have only just met me. If they like me, it must be because of you,” Dou Zhao smiled. “Have you always been in their good graces since childhood?” As she said this, she suddenly realized that with the Jiang family’s decline, the Lu family elders had become the only ones who could morally restrain Song Yichun!

Her eyes lit up, and suppressing her excitement, she said, “My lord, do you know what Princess Ningde and Madam Lu like? When we visit the Lu family, we should choose some gifts they would appreciate. This time, Princess Ningde gave me a pair of precious bracelets as a welcome gift, and Madam Lu gave me a pair of jewel-encrusted necklaces. Both are very valuable. We shouldn’t be remiss in our gifts to the two ladies!”

Song Mo’s upbringing and position had taught him that only court struggles could affect life and death. He didn’t pay much attention to his father’s petty actions, occasionally finding them annoying but too lazy to bother much about them. Therefore, he wouldn’t think of using Princess Ningde and Madam Lu to restrain his father – if he wanted to restrain his father, he would only ask Lu Fuli to intervene.

He thought Dou Zhao simply wanted to get along well with Song’s family relatives as a new bride.

Song Mo felt relieved.

Dou Zhao probably hadn’t noticed his unusual behavior!

“If you want to know, you can ask Mr. Yan to look into it for you,” he quickly composed himself and said casually, “I haven’t paid attention to what the two ladies like. Especially Princess Ningde, who grew up in the inner palace – it’s hard to know her preferences.”

Dou Zhao then asked Song Mo, “I’ve heard that when the Emperor eats, he only takes three bites of each dish, whether he likes it or not, to prevent poisoning. Is that true?”

She looked at Song Mo, her eyes bright and sparkling with curiosity.

Song Mo laughed, feeling a warmth in his heart: “Who told you that? It’s complete nonsense! The Emperor and the ranked consorts in the inner palace all have their small kitchens. Everyone usually eats from their small kitchens. The dishes from the Imperial Kitchen are just for show.”

“I read it in an unofficial history book,” Dou Zhao said, lying on the bolster as she often did when chatting comfortably with Suxin and the others. “So it’s not entirely made up? Because the author said the Emperor usually doesn’t eat his fill and secretly eats from the small kitchen.”

With her head tilted on the pillow, one cheek pressed red, this version of Dou Zhao had less of her usual vivacity but more of a playfulness he had never seen before. Song Mo found it very interesting.

He lay on his side, propping his head on his arm, looking at Dou Zhao, and smiled, “That’s what you’re saying. I didn’t say anything.”

“You’re no fun!” Dou Zhao teased him with a smile. “Don’t you ever slip up?”

The atmosphere in the room became very warm.

Song Mo’s heart softened along with it.

“Hmm…” he pretended to ponder, “I don’t know if I talk in my sleep…”

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but laugh.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash.

Dou Zhao was startled.

Song Mo had already leaped up, displaying his agility.

They both held their breath and listened.

Outside the window, there was a rush of wind, accompanied by the clattering of window shutters.

They couldn’t help but smile at each other.

“The wind has picked up!” Song Mo put on his outer robe. “I’ll go check.”

“Be careful,” Dou Zhao said. “With such strong wind, the weather might change tomorrow. Have them pay attention and be careful that the wind doesn’t break trees and collapse roofs.”

Duke Ying’s mansion was full of large trees.

“Alright!” Song Mo smiled and went out, calling for Suxin on duty to keep Dou Zhao company, while he summoned Chen He and went somewhere unknown.

Dou Zhao lay on the bed, listening to the gusts of wind outside growing stronger and stronger. She felt as if she were hiding in a sturdy ship, protected from wind and rain, with someone always by her side to wake her in times of danger, never having to fear sinking with the ship.

Drowsily, she fell asleep.

Half-asleep, she seemed to hear someone by her side saying, “…Don’t wake her up. Let her have a good sleep!”

The next morning when she woke up, sure enough, there was a fierce wind and heavy rain outside.

Song Mo was already awake, sitting on the kang reading something. Seeing her wake up, he smiled, “It’s a good thing you reminded us yesterday. A hundred-year-old phoenix tree by the flower hall has broken.” He clicked his tongue, “The middle of the tree was completely hollow.”

Dou Zhao smiled, “Those hundred-year-old trees are the most dangerous. They look thick and strong on the outside, but they’re completely hollow inside. You never know when they might fall.” She sighed, “It’s a pity we have to visit my family today. I wonder if the roads will be passable?”

“I’ve already sent someone to check the road conditions,” Song Mo smiled. “You should get ready quickly. We’ll pay our respects to Father and then head to Jing’an Temple Alley.”