Upon hearing this, Song Mo’s eyes lit up.
With this, Yizhi Hall could establish its reputation, no longer constrained by Duke Ying’s household.
“However, ‘Yizhi Hall’ is a hall name; it might not be entirely suitable,” he pondered. “It would be better to choose a different name.”
“I think so too,” Dou Zhao replied with a smile. “I just can’t think of a good name at the moment. Do you have any ideas?”
“Let’s use your alternate name!” Song Mo suggested with a grin. “After all, you’ll be helping to plan these things in the future.”
Dou Zhao felt embarrassed and said, “I don’t have an alternate name!”
Song Mo was quite surprised but soon became eager to brainstorm.
“Then let’s come up with one right now!” he exclaimed, pulling Dou Zhao to the study. He sent away the attendants and personally laid out some rice paper, grinding an ink stick. “Zhao, the sun is bright. The autumn moon shines brightly, and the winter ridge boasts solitary pines… It seems a bit too lonely and cold, not fitting for what we want to do. The bright moon rises over Tianshan, amidst the vast sea of clouds… Cloud Sea Master… that doesn’t seem quite right either…”
Seeing him deep in thought, Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile and stepped forward to take the ink stick from Song Mo’s hand. “Let me help you grind the ink!”
Their fingertips brushed against each other.
Song Mo paused for a moment before letting go.
“How about we use ‘Zhengding’ as the name?” he suggested, walking to the brush stand and picking up a wolf hair brush. “The Chah River in Zhengding originates from the Hutuo River. In the ‘Rites of Zhou,’ it is referred to as the ‘Thick Pool,’ and during the Northern Wei period, it was called the ‘Qingning River.’ Let’s choose one of those names.”
Dou Zhao, who hailed from Zhengding, only knew that the Chah River was a tributary of the Hutuo River in her previous life. She had no idea that the Hutuo River was once called the Thick Pool and Qingning. In this life, she learned about it when Song Mo casually mentioned it during a lesson. It was only because he had come to Zhengding and consulted ancient texts that she discovered the river’s history.
She believed that most people wouldn’t pay attention to such details.
Yet, Song Mo spoke confidently, showing great familiarity with the topic.
Dou Zhao’s gaze on him deepened.
While Song Mo continued to write, he muttered to himself, “I think ‘Qingning’ sounds better. Laozi once said, ‘In the past, when one attained unity, heaven became clear, and the earth became peaceful.’ How about we take the alternate name ‘Qingning Master’ or ‘Qingning Scholar’… ‘De Yi Pavilion Master’ also sounds good.”
Dou Zhao liked the idea and smiled, “Then let’s engrave ‘Qingning Master’.”
Seeing Dou Zhao’s enthusiasm, Song Mo felt delighted and eagerly rummaged through the study. “I remember my grandfather left me a piece of Tianhuang stone. I’ll carve a seal for you.”
Dou Zhao was taken aback. “You can carve seals?”
“Yes!” Song Mo replied. “My uncle sometimes checks how well I practice my internal martial arts by having me carve seals to see if my hands are steady. I once studied seal carving under the renowned master Jin Shouyan from Minnan.” He turned around with a smile. “Found it!” He pulled out a gold lacquered box painted with plum blossoms and placed it on the kang table.
The seal knob depicted a cicada resting on bamboo, vibrant in color and exquisite in texture, as smooth as a baby’s skin, making Dou Zhao reluctant to part with it.
“Shall we use this to carve the seal?” Song Mo was skilled in calligraphy, and since he claimed to know seal carving, she assumed his technique would be good. However, seal carving requires not only good calligraphy but also a keen sense of layout. Given Song Mo’s age, even with talent, he might still lack experience. She felt it would be a pity to use such precious Tianhuang stone now; it would be better to wait until his skills matured. “When I was young, I once took a few pieces of bloodstone from my father. I brought them with me for my marriage. How about we use the bloodstone instead? We can save the Tianhuang stone for later when you can carve a seal.”
Her tone carried a hint of affection, which surprised Song Mo, but he quickly broke into a joyful smile.
“We have several such small stones at home,” he hadn’t expected Dou Zhao to like the seal materials. “Only this one’s seal knob is more suitable for you, which is why I thought of it. If you like it, you can take them all.” He called out loudly for Chen He.
Chen He quickly entered.
Song Mo instructed him, “Go get the key to the storeroom. I need to find some seal materials with my wife.”
Chen He complied and went to fetch the key.
Dou Zhao felt a surge of excitement.
She followed Song Mo to the storeroom.
The young servant held a lantern high, illuminating the storeroom brightly.
Dou Zhao felt a fine sweat bead on her forehead.
There were five pieces of Tianhuang stone casually scattered in a box. Two of them were raw materials, but their patterns were clear and of excellent quality. The other three had already been carved into seal knobs: one was a tiger, another a lion, and the last a deer.
No wonder Song Mo said that only the cicada seal knob in her hand was more suitable for her.
Dou Zhao murmured to herself, feeling pained as she wiped the dust off the white jelly-like Qingtian stone, the lotus pink bloodstone, and the white hibiscus Shoushan stone.
Seeing this, Chen He hurried over to help and explained, “These are just small items with no place to store them, so they were left in this treasure box. If you like Tianhuang stone, there’s also a small statue of Guanyin carved from Tianhuang stone in the storeroom. If you don’t mind, I can find it for you to take a look?”
Using Tianhuang stone to carve a statue—whose idea was that?
Dou Zhao nodded.
Chen He took a ledger and went to find the statue, while Dou Zhao discovered two inkstones in an old box. One was skillfully carved into a lotus leaf frog, the stone smooth and lustrous. The other was purple, with various-sized stone eyes on the bottom, appearing like misty water, exceptionally round. It was not an ordinary item.
Dou Zhao gasped and asked Song Mo, “How many of these are there?”
“I don’t know.” Song Mo seemed to be seeing these two inkstones for the first time as he played with them in his hands. “There are too many items; I’ve recorded them in several thick ledgers. I only take out the ones that leave a deep impression…” He gestured with the inkstones to Chen He, saying, “Make a record of these. I’ll take them back to the study.”
Chen He agreed and continued to sweat as he and the storeroom manager flipped through the ledger, muttering, “I clearly remember these were stored in this storeroom… How come they’re missing…”
Out of sight, out of mind; Dou Zhao didn’t want to wait around. She told Chen He and returned to the room with Song Mo.
Both of them were a bit dusty, so they called for the maid to bring water for a fresh wash.
When Dou Zhao came out, Song Mo was examining the two inkstones under the light.
Hearing the noise, he looked up and smiled, “What do you think? If I give these two inkstones to my father-in-law, do you think he will like them?”
It turned out he had brought out the inkstones to gift to his father.
Dou Zhao was taken aback but quickly smiled, saying, “He will love them and will be reluctant to use them. He’ll display them in his study and show them off to guests, telling them they were given to him by his son-in-law… Are you still going to give them?”
Song Mo opened his mouth wide but replied, “Of course! Not only will I give them, but I’ll also look for even better items.”
Dou Zhao laughed heartily.
Song Mo sat on the kang, drafting his notes.
Dou Zhao urged him, “You should go to bed early. We have to get up early tomorrow.”
However, Song Mo was more determined than she had imagined.
“You go to sleep first!” he said without looking up. “I’ll finish this and then sleep.”
Dou Zhao chuckled and went to bed.
The next morning, when she woke up, Song Mo was sleeping beside her.
He lay curled up, carefully resting on the edge of the bed, as if he might fall off with a single movement, leaving most of the bed for Dou Zhao, appearing quite reserved.
Thinking of all the treasures in the room and seeing Song Mo’s sleeping posture, Dou Zhao felt a pang in her heart, and her eyes began to sting.
She tucked the blanket around him gently, then quietly got out of bed and softly reminded Gan Lu, who was attending to her, “Be quiet, be careful not to wake the young master.”
Gan Lu responded softly, “Yes.”
Dou Zhao went to the inner room to wash up.
Unbeknownst to her, Song Mo had already opened his eyes, facing away from her.
In the soft morning light, his eyes sparkled like stars.
Since the banquet was hosted by Song Mo and Dou Zhao, apart from Old Lady Lu and Princess Ningde, only younger relatives attended.
Madam Feng Hui, the third wife of the Jingguo Duke, smiled brightly as she introduced her sister-in-law to Dou Zhao—Lady Shi, the niece of the Marquis of Changxing: “… I heard that you are hosting a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet and wanted to come see. I told her that you are kind-hearted, so she could just follow me. And here she is. Speaking of which, we are not strangers; my sister-in-law’s family brother married your sister, so our families are even closer now.”
Compared to her previous reserve, Madam Zhang was particularly warm, and even Madam Zhang Er, who had come uninvited, appeared very friendly.
In times of poverty, no one in the bustling market cares; in times of wealth, distant relatives come from the mountains.
Having lived two lives, Dou Zhao had seen countless such situations and had long since learned to remain calm.
She exchanged a few pleasantries with Madam Zhang Er when Lady Wang Shao approached with a plain-looking young woman dressed simply.
“Madam,” she introduced the woman to Dou Zhao, “this is the wife of the Heichang Marquis’s heir.”
Dou Zhao’s heart jolted.
Heichang Marquis’s heir, Shen Qing, had married the daughter of Xiao Sanyou, a friend of the Heichang Marquis before he rose to prominence. After the Liao King ascended the throne, it was precisely because of the censure against Xiao Sanyou for bullying the market and using his mother’s grave as an excuse for construction that the Heichang Marquis was implicated, leading to the execution of his entire family.
Of course, she had never believed the reasons given for the Shen family’s execution, but she couldn’t help but scrutinize Shen Qing’s wife, Lady Xiao.
Lady Xiao hadn’t yet adapted to her change in status; she timidly greeted Dou Zhao, softly calling her “Madam.”
“No need to be so formal,” Dou Zhao smiled warmly, her tone light. “Today, without the elders present, we can do as we please, say what we want. Even if we drink too much and act out of line, I’ll find a way to help you sober up before you go home.”
Lady Xiao sighed in relief, her face reddening as she replied, “I… I don’t drink.”
Dou Zhao laughed, “That’s great! I don’t drink either. I’m just afraid that if someone does, I’ll have to drink with them.”
Lady Xiao chuckled, her demeanor relaxing as she revealed a relieved smile.
Meanwhile, Song Mo was conversing with Zhang Xuming: “… Keep an eye out for me. If the position of Qiu Ling Qianhu is confirmed, let me know.”
Zhang Xuming glanced at Wu Qing, who was sitting on the water pavilion, tossing fish food into the lake, and whispered, “Young Master, this Qianhu is worth at least twenty thousand taels of silver. Why not team up with Gu Yu to secure this position? I can help find a buyer!”
“Don’t act recklessly,” Song Mo chuckled. “This is something the Marquis of Changxing has his eye on!”
Zhang Xuming couldn’t help but scoff, “He has his eyes on many things! Just because he’s eating meat doesn’t mean others can’t have soup!”
“I have my plans,” Song Mo patted his shoulder. “Just keep an eye on it for me.”
Zhang Xuming served as the chief officer in the rear military governor’s office.
He nodded in agreement.
Song Mo walked towards Gu Yu.