“It’s nothing!” Song Mo smiled at Dou Zhao, allowing her to wipe his fingers. “I’ve just been receiving urgent messages from my father over the past few days. There were some details I needed to discuss with Lu Ming and Du Wei.”
Dou Zhao paused briefly upon hearing this and whispered, “Have you already started sending messages to the palace?”
Song Mo nodded.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but caution him, “Be extremely careful! Just look at what happened to Gu Yu. The Emperor is well aware now!” She then turned to take the robe from Suxin’s hands and helped Song Mo change into it.
Song Mo sat on the large kang by the window, contentedly sipping his tea before replying with a smile, “That’s precisely why this matter can’t be entrusted to anyone else. I must handle it personally.”
Dou Zhao washed her hands and sat down beside him, asking, “So, the marriage arrangement between the Song and Hua families is settled?”
“Yes,” Song Mo smiled. “Hua Tang is quite a character. When my father sent someone to inquire about the reason, he firmly insisted that it was due to incompatible horoscopes, as predicted by a master. No matter how much Father’s messenger pressed, he wouldn’t budge. Someone must have informed my father, which is how he found out I had intervened.” He continued, “Hua Tang is a man of his word, and I won’t abandon him after using his help. I’ve already sent a message to Hua Tang, offering one of the three positions as my guard for his eldest son. This will let others know that I take care of those who follow me.”
There would be many more occasions when they would oppose Song Yichun, so this could be considered an investment for the future.
Dou Zhao nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Lu Ming requested an audience.
As Dou Zhao was about to leave, Song Mo said with a smile, “It’s probably about these messy affairs. You should listen too.” He then teased her, “This way, you won’t have to worry about me, lying awake at night, trying to maintain your gentle and humble demeanor by keeping your questions to yourself and tormenting yourself internally.”
“When have I ever tormented myself?” Dou Zhao retorted playfully. “You come back so late, and if I keep you up with questions, how will you get any rest? I’m concerned for you, and now that’s become my fault? Fine, next time, no matter how late you return, I’ll interrogate you thoroughly. Just don’t complain about me talking too much when I do.”
“If you can’t sleep, we could always do something else,” Song Mo whispered suggestively in her ear. “Who was it the other day that slept so soundly they didn’t even turn over? My arm went numb from you lying on it…”
Dou Zhao’s ears immediately flushed red. She knew this man was becoming increasingly uninhibited, saying whatever came to mind. Realizing she could only lose in this kind of exchange, she pushed him away, saying, “Lu Ming is still waiting. What are you doing lounging around here?”
Song Mo burst into laughter.
Thinking about how he had been taking advantage of Dou Zhao’s concern for him lately, becoming more and more unrestrained in his words and actions, and how Dou Zhao was no longer at a loss like she was in the beginning, only knowing how to blush, he found their daily life increasingly interesting.
He thought it would be nice to find a way to make Dou Zhao unable to refuse him anymore.
Perhaps one day, he could even enjoy a few days of unrestrained indulgence with Dou Zhao…
Song Mo pulled Dou Zhao by the hand towards the study.
Knowing that Song Mo always had his limits, Dou Zhao allowed him to hold her hand.
As expected, upon reaching the study door, Song Mo released her hand, and they entered one after the other.
Lu Ming hurried forward to pay his respects.
The three sat down according to their ranks.
“That Chen Jia has sent a visiting card to the Daxing estate,” Lu Ming said, pulling out a card from his sleeve. “It seems he’s aware of the details of the Daxing estate.” As he spoke, a chilling glint flashed in his eyes, and his voice turned cold and merciless. “Young Master, shall I take a few men to deal with Chen Jia?”
Dou Zhao was startled.
She hadn’t expected the usually docile and respectful Lu Ming to have such a side.
She thought of Xia Lian, who was always courteous in her presence, the honest and loyal Zhu Yicheng, and the cautious Wu Yi and Song Luo… Those employed by Song Mo must all be extraordinary, surely possessing a fierce side she hadn’t seen.
Lost in thought, Dou Zhao saw Song Mo shake his head slightly. He unfolded the visiting card while saying, “If he wants to seek my patronage, he needs to show some skills that impress me. Sending a card to the Daxing estate is just his way of demonstrating his abilities. It’s not time to deal with him yet…” As he spoke, he quickly scanned the card, then casually tossed it onto the small table, saying indifferently, “Since he insists he has urgent matters to discuss with me, arrange a meeting with him at the Daxing estate.”
The Daxing estate housed Song Mo’s most loyal men. Unless Chen Jia brought a dozen firearms to sweep through, he wouldn’t be able to leave without Song Mo’s permission.
This was also a test of Chen Jia’s sincerity.
Lu Ming acknowledged the order and left.
Dou Zhao stood up, saying, “I want to go too!”
She wanted to hear what Chen Jia had to say and use her experience from her previous life to judge whether his words were trustworthy.
Song Mo knew there were many rumors about him outside, but he was a proud man. Even in front of Dou Zhao, he was unwilling to explain himself. However, he vaguely worried about the effect of repeated rumors. The only solution was to lay all his affairs open before Dou Zhao, allowing her to understand him better. With Dou Zhao’s intelligence, there was no better way. But this didn’t mean he wanted Dou Zhao to witness those bloody scenes.
When Lu Ming produced Chen Jia’s visiting card, he had already decided that if Chen Jia couldn’t give him a satisfactory explanation, he wouldn’t hesitate to have Chen Jia’s head cut off and sent to the Imperial Guard under the pretext of “spying on an imperial-bestowed estate.” This would also serve to intimidate those petty individuals, preventing them from thinking they had leverage over him just because they glimpsed a fragment of information!
“That fellow is too dangerous. I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you properly,” he tried to dissuade Dou Zhao. “Whatever he says, I’ll tell you everything in detail when I return.”
“If it were anywhere else, I might be a bit scared,” Dou Zhao smiled. “But at the Daxing estate, I’m not afraid!”
Song Mo was at a loss for words.
For the first time, he had the thought that “sometimes a woman being too clever isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
Dou Zhao was already smiling and asking him, “When did you arrange to meet? I’ll go tell the coachman to prepare the carriage and horses.”
Looking at Dou Zhao, who was as excited as if preparing for a spring outing, countless excuses that could have easily rolled off his tongue now seemed weak and powerless.
Song Mo, feeling somewhat helpless, told her the truth: “We arranged to meet tomorrow night…”
“That’s perfect!” Dou Zhao, fearing he might change his mind, immediately said, “I’ll go make the preparations now.” She hurriedly left the study.
Song Mo couldn’t help but smile.
The usually composed Dou Zhao rarely had such childish moments. He decided to let her come along. At worst, he could keep her away when dealing with Chen Jia…
Having made up his mind, he felt more at ease.
A servant hurried in: “Young Master, there’s an invitation from the Jining Marquis’s mansion.”
Song Mo responded with an “Oh” and told the servant to come in.
The one delivering the invitation was a steward from the Jining Marquis’s mansion. Standing before Song Mo, he was already starting to sweat before he could speak.
“The Madam’s title has been conferred, and the Marquis has been appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Eastern City in the Five Cities Military Command. They wish to invite the Young Master and his wife for a modest drink.”
Song Mo said “I see” and dismissed the messenger, then returned to the inner chamber.
Dou Zhao was talking with Suxin about something. Seeing Song Mo enter, Suxin quickly withdrew.
Song Mo handed the invitation to Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao glanced at it and smiled, “We have so many matters at home, how can we possibly get away? If the Young Master wishes to go, you can represent me and offer congratulations. Otherwise, we can just send some congratulatory gifts.”
Song Mo hesitated, saying, “For the sake of appearances…”
“If it weren’t for appearances, I wouldn’t even send gifts,” Dou Zhao said. “Why should I go and give her face when Dou Ming didn’t come to my invitation? There’s no need to humble myself like that. From now on, I’ll treat her exactly as she treats me!”
Since Dou Zhao had been engaged to Wei Tingyu since childhood, Song Mo always felt that if not for the twist of fate, Dou Zhao would have married Wei Tingyu. He couldn’t help but feel elated hearing Dou Zhao speak this way, and said, “Alright! We’ll say we’re too busy at home to go for drinks, and we’ll send a generous gift instead.” He then added, “In that case, shall we go to the Daxing estate early tomorrow morning? We can take the opportunity to visit Fengtai as well. Last time you were disappointed, but this time, without Chen Jia, we might be able to choose some good flower seedlings!”
“Why should we change our plans for Dou Ming?” Dou Zhao said. “We’ll do as we’ve always done. If anyone asks why we didn’t go, it’s a good chance for the message to reach Dou Ming’s ears.” She insisted, “We’ll go to the Daxing estate after lunch tomorrow. If we want to visit Fengtai, we can go in the afternoon.”
This way was better, as it would prevent people from saying Dou Zhao was arrogant.
Song Mo nodded in agreement.
The next day, while one of them met with several people who came to Duke Ying’s mansion to receive rewards in the outer courtyard, the other dealt with some household matters in the inner courtyard. Just as they were about to have lunch, Gaosheng rushed over, out of breath.
“Fourth Young Mistress, Fourth Young Master,” he wiped the sweat from his brow, “Everyone is waiting for you two to start the banquet!”
“The Young Master and I have urgent business at the Daxing estate, I’m afraid we won’t be able to attend,” Dou Zhao smiled. “We’ve already sent congratulatory gifts, so it’s not discourteous. Please help explain on our behalf.”
“What could be more important than Fifth Young Mistress’s banquet?” Gaosheng knew this was Dou Zhao’s excuse, but having been sent on Dou Shixing’s orders, he had to persist, “Last time it happened to coincide with Fifth Young Mistress’s return home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it couldn’t be helped…”
Dou Zhao smiled and interrupted Gaosheng’s words, “If she truly had no time and explained it to me afterward, I would have gladly given her face today. Unfortunately, she hasn’t said a word to me to this day. Since that’s the case, both sides should keep things clean – send gifts but don’t meet in person.” Seeing Gaosheng about to persuade her further, she simply said, “As the elder sister, I should yield to her, but I’ve been yielding for over ten years and haven’t seen her show me any kindness. There’s no need for you to persuade me further.” Suddenly, she asked, “Did Fifth Aunt and the others go?”
Gaosheng, not knowing her intention, respectfully replied, “They all went!”
Dou Zhao smiled and said, “Then when you go back, report my words to Father in front of the relatives at home. Let them know that I won’t tolerate any disrespect. I’ll treat others exactly as they treat me!” She then reminded Gaosheng, “Mr. Chen and the others will be coming to the capital in a few days. It’s a good opportunity to give the people from East Dou a warning!”
This way, when she settled accounts with the Dou family regarding her dowry, the people from East Dou wouldn’t think she was a pushover.
Gaosheng understood and felt a chill run down his spine. He said nothing more and respectfully withdrew.