Despite knowing Song Mo was teasing her, Dou Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. She instructed Suxin, “Remember the Young Master’s words carefully. From now on, count every word Princess Ningde and the Young Master exchange. We’ll see just how many conversations they’ve had, lest the Young Master tries to fool us here!” Inwardly, she marveled at why her friend from her previous life, Lady Xuanning, had said there was no secret to being a daughter-in-law – it was simply about reporting early and late. She had adopted the demeanor of a daughter-in-law to befriend Princess Ningde, unexpectedly receiving such heartfelt words from her. This was indeed an unexpected gain!
Suxin simply smiled, thinking to herself that since the Young Miss knew the Young Master was coaxing her, their days of marital harmony weren’t far off.
She followed Ganlu in to help Dou Zhao prepare the clothes and accessories for tomorrow’s palace visit.
Song Mo had wanted to ask Dou Zhao about lending money at interest, but seeing the women rummaging through boxes in the inner room, he swallowed his words and went to the study to practice calligraphy alone.
When he returned, Dou Zhao had finished her preparations.
A bright red lined jacket with wide sleeves hung on the clothes rack. A set of dazzling pearl-studded headdresses lay on the dressing table, each pearl the size of a lotus seed. A pair of brand new dark green embroidered shoes made of Zhang velvet sat on the embroidered stool. Several undergarments of various colors were draped over the folding screen nearby. Dou Zhao sat cross-legged on the nanmu bed, wrapping red envelopes. The room appeared somewhat chaotic, yet it exuded a sense of peace that made Song Mo feel as if he and Dou Zhao had been living together for many years. No matter how capable and organized Dou Zhao was, he could still catch glimpses of her absent-minded and lazy side that others never saw.
This version of Dou Zhao felt real and… intimate to Song Mo.
He quickly washed up and contentedly climbed onto the kang bed.
Dou Zhao asked him, “Is five taels of silver per red envelope too little?”
Song Mo, noticing the pile of red envelopes beside her, exclaimed in surprise, “How do you have so many small-denomination silver notes?”
Dou Zhao glanced at him with a smile and said, “Can’t I have my private funds?”
Song Mo laughed awkwardly and said, “How much silver did you wrap? I’ll have Chen He replenish it for you tomorrow.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Dou Zhao lowered her head and continued wrapping the silver notes. “If one couldn’t line their own pockets, who would want to manage household affairs and do such a thankless job?”
Song Mo couldn’t help but laugh.
He had just entrusted Dou Zhao with overseeing the inner courtyard of Yizhi Hall.
He hadn’t expected her to speak so amusingly.
Lying on the kang, he chatted with Dou Zhao: “With annual expenses of only a few thousand taels of silver, how could you possibly line your pockets?”
“This is where you lack understanding,” Dou Zhao continued to banter with him, finding even his speech pleasing to the eye with his exquisitely handsome features. “Money always accumulates bit by bit. For instance, hawthorn candy from Nanjing tastes better than that from the capital, but it’s also eight wen more expensive. Similarly,福饼 from Fujian is larger than those from Shandong, and although they taste about the same, they cost twenty-some wen more… Aren’t these all forms of money?”
Song Mo was shocked: “Surely you wouldn’t skimp on these few wen?”
“Am I such a person without taste?” Dou Zhao glared at Song Mo. “How many people have amassed fortunes of millions by saving money? Especially by pinching pennies from one’s mouth—wouldn’t that be cheating oneself? Shad comes to market in April, but if caught and sold in March, the price is more than double. Rice from Liaodong is soft and glutinous at 900 wen per shi, while xian rice from Jiangnan is firmer at 700 wen per shi.
For porridge, use two bowls of Liaodong rice with one bowl of xian rice; for regular meals, use two bowls of xian rice with one bowl of Liaodong rice. Both the porridge and rice turn out delicious… Over a year, this adds up to five or six hundred taels of silver in savings. Half can be deposited at the silver shop, earning 6% interest annually. The other half can be lent to traders dealing in cotton or tea leaves at 15% interest. After two years, that amounts to one or two thousand taels of silver… How is that not money?” As she spoke, her expression became somewhat distant, recalling her early days after marrying into the Ji’ning Marquis’s household.
Song Mo, however, listened with a heavy heart.
For Dou Zhao, a young lady raised in seclusion, to mix two types of rice just for a meal—what kind of life had forced her to devise such methods?
He decided not to ask about the money-lending business anymore.
If this could give Dou Zhao peace of mind and make her happy, why not allow it?
Among the noble families in the capital, who didn’t engage in some side business to supplement their household income? His wife was merely lending money at interest—what was the big deal?
He slipped off his shoes and knelt on the footstool of the nanmu bed.
“Shou Gu,” Song Mo said seriously, “How about I give you an extra five thousand taels of silver each year? You can use it however you like, alright?”
He tilted his head slightly, gazing at Dou Zhao. His ink-black eyes seemed to be soaked in water, like a clear lake surface reflecting her image.
Dou Zhao was stunned, then understood his intention.
Her eyes suddenly became moist.
She had never been afraid of giving, but sometimes, when you give and others take it for granted, even if she were more open-minded, there would still be moments of discontent. Moreover, she wasn’t an open-minded person.
She also had the vanity of hoping to receive praise and appreciation.
Dou Zhao felt emotional, and a long-forgotten shyness welled up inside her. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she said, partly to cover her feelings and partly out of concern, “You’re supporting so many people and need money right now. Five thousand taels of silver could support ten highly skilled guards. You should keep it for yourself. If I need money, I’ll ask you for it.”
Song Mo was a perceptive person, skilled at reading facial expressions. With all his attention focused on Dou Zhao, how could he not notice her emotions? He thought back to their initial hostile encounter, her decisive action when saving him, and her calm rationality when accepting his proposal… He suddenly realized that Dou Zhao was a person who responded to strength with strength, but what about when faced with vulnerability? His heart began to race uncontrollably.
“Now that I’m married and have my own small family, the affairs of the inner courtyard should naturally be separate from the outer courtyard,” he said with a smile, looking at Dou Zhao. Though his expression seemed casual, Dou Zhao inexplicably felt as if he were examining her, with a hint of nervousness. “You’re good at managing the household, so I’ll allocate more silver to you. Let’s consider it our private funds.” He smiled and continued, “I’ve always wanted the famous Henan ironworker, Master Ou, to forge a halberd for me in the style of the famous generals from the Sui and Tang dynasties. Unfortunately, Mother thought it was too dangerous and didn’t agree. I haven’t had the chance to do it since. I’ll give you the silver, and you can keep it for me. When the time comes, you can help me get that halberd made.”
Boys seemed to always like these things.
Like famous swords and fine horses.
Dou Zhao had always thought this was a good thing.
Compared to keeping actors in pear gardens or squandering money in brothels, this hobby was worlds apart. It could even strengthen the body and prolong life.
She agreed without hesitation, but after agreeing, she realized that since Madam Jiang didn’t approve, there must be some difficulties in forging the halberd that couldn’t be resolved quickly.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but ask, “What are the conditions for forging a halberd?”
“It’s just very time-consuming and expensive,” Song Mo knew he had found the right approach the moment Dou Zhao agreed. Dou Zhao was generous and wouldn’t place much importance on material possessions. What could move her was only genuine care. Song Mo suppressed his excitement and explained with a smile, “For example, a three-foot-long halberd requires high-quality poplar wood, which grows slowly in the frontier regions, only about two fens a year. It also needs to be perfectly straight, which isn’t easy to find…
But these are minor issues. I’ve liked practicing with weapons since I was young, but my uncle thought it would leave calluses on my hands, making insiders wary of me at first glance. So he had me practice internal martial arts instead.” As he spoke, he showed his palm to Dou Zhao. Indeed, it was translucent like carved jade, without even a scar, let alone calluses. Dou Zhao thought it looked even more delicate and soft than her own hands. “Mother was afraid that if I got a halberd, I’d switch to practicing halberd techniques and neglect my internal martial arts. That’s why she didn’t agree to have one made for me.”
Since Dou Zhao had agreed to help Song Mo, she would naturally see it through. Whether things were as he said, she would find out with a little inquiry.
She didn’t want to put Song Mo in a dangerous situation.
He was the person she had gone to great lengths to protect.
Looking at his thin clothes, she couldn’t help but ask, “Is the bedding on the kang soft and comfortable? Would you prefer to sleep on the bed?”
“Sure!” Song Mo sprang up, his face unable to hide his excitement.
Dou Zhao felt embarrassed.
She had only been concerned for his well-being and didn’t mean… anything else… But explaining now would not only seem like a cover-up but also appear a bit affected.
Dou Zhao’s face burned as she was about to make room for Song Mo when Suxin’s voice came from outside the door: “Young Master, My Lady, the Duke has returned and sent someone to summon you both.”
Song Mo and Dou Zhao were both startled. A flash of displeasure crossed Song Mo’s brow as he said, “Understood,” and instructed Suxin to come in and help Dou Zhao change.
Dou Zhao, meanwhile, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As she got off the bed to change, she asked Song Mo, “Do you know what this is about?”
Song Mo thought for a moment and said, “He might have heard about the Emperor asking me to bring you to the palace tomorrow—Tao Qizhong couldn’t have returned so quickly.”
Dou Zhao nodded.
If the Emperor had been angry with Song Mo, he could have simply punished him. Since he asked Song Mo to bring her to the palace, it was likely there would be some favor bestowed.
Once she gained the approval of Empress Dowager or Empress, unless she disgraced the family and was caught in the act, the Duke of Ying would never be able to force Song Mo to divorce her. Song Yichun should understand this clearly and would probably be worried.
Dou Zhao and Song Mo went to Xiangxiang Hall.
Though the September air in Xiangxiang Hall no longer carried the full fragrance of osmanthus, the osmanthus trees were still lush with greenery.
Song Yichun had returned from drinking somewhere. Although he had washed up, the smell of alcohol still clung to him.
After Song Mo and Dou Zhao paid their respects, he looked at them with flickering eyes and an odd expression. He spoke slowly, “I’ve decided to take the eldest daughter of Hua Tang, the Commander of Weizhou Guard, as my second wife. The engagement will be set in a few days. If you’re not busy, stay home and help with the preparations.” The last sentence was directed at Song Mo.
Both Song Mo and Dou Zhao were shocked, but neither showed any unusual expression. They respectfully agreed and asked Song Yichun if he had any other instructions. If not, they would take their leave.
Song Yichun felt somewhat disappointed.
His son always maintained a calm demeanor, regardless of the situation. He wondered what could surprise him.
He felt a bit awkward.
However, the calmness of his daughter-in-law, Dou Zhao, surprised him.
Judging by her demeanor, she seemed to be an intelligent person. Didn’t she understand his intentions in taking Lady Hua as his second wife?
Thinking of this, he felt a glimmer of hope.
If his daughter-in-law dared to interfere in his affairs, he could use filial impiety as a reason to strip her of her position as the Young Madam.
A Young Master’s wife without the title of Young Madam would lack confidence. What could she do then?
Song Yichun smiled again, feeling triumphant.