Zeng Wu ran back, his face clouded with uncertainty. “My lord, they’re indeed checking accounts at Yizhi Hall. They’ve been at it for a while, supposedly tallying up all of Madam’s dowry additions.”
Song Yichun’s mind buzzed, taking a moment to process this information.
“How is that possible?!” He leaped up, his words trailing off as realization struck. “Just how much dowry could there be…”
Tao Qizhong hurried in, his brow furrowed with worry. He hadn’t noticed the unusual atmosphere in the room. “My lord, I’ve heard that the Dou family has added more to Madam’s dowry. Normally, the list of additions should be given to you. Why has the Dou family handed everything over to the Heir instead? They even sent the third young master of the Dou family to make the handover… This seems utterly unreasonable!”
Song Yichun’s eyes lit up at these words.
How had he not thought of this earlier?
He was Song Mo’s father and Madam Dou’s father-in-law. How could the Dou family bypass him when adding to her dowry? Without proper procedures, even if the Song family forcibly took Madam Dou’s dowry, she would have no recourse. After all, how could she complain if her additional dowry wasn’t officially recorded?
“Quickly, go fetch the Heir!” Yizhi Hall had been managed by Song Mo like an iron fortress for the past two years. Whether through official or unofficial channels, Song Yichun found it difficult to gather any information about Yizhi Hall, and sometimes he was even misled by false information. He had considered investing effort in this area but lacked capable people to oversee such an operation. Moreover, it would be too costly, potentially requiring half of his annual income, which made him hesitant to commit. “I want to question the Heir personally. Surely he wouldn’t dare to conceal anything? Doesn’t he fear that I might refuse to acknowledge this additional dowry?”
Tao Qizhong nodded inwardly.
This matter was of utmost importance!
Even if the Dou family hadn’t known about the conflict between the Duke and the Heir before Madam’s marriage, they must be aware of it now. Yet they still provided such a substantial dowry addition. What could be their intention?
Were they helping the Heir suppress the Duke? Or were they hinting at Madam’s backing from the Northern Dou family?
The Heir had already gained the Emperor’s support. If he could now secure the support of those officials through Grand Academician Dou, the Duke’s prospects would be grim.
But on second thought, this didn’t make sense either.
If the Dou family had such intentions, they could have easily had Grand Academician Dou speak directly with the Duke. Why would they offer so much silver just to boost Madam’s status?
It was truly a perplexing situation that defied logic no matter how one looked at it.
Perhaps questioning the Heir directly would reveal something—after all, the Dou family wasn’t foolish enough to simply hand over silver to the Heir without expecting any benefits in return.
Zeng Wu stood there, dumbfounded, pondering: Just how much silver did Madam have?
How did the Heir manage to marry someone made of gold and silver?
No wonder Madam was so generous with her rewards!
Those serving by Madam’s side must be reaping significant benefits.
The three men were lost in their thoughts.
For a moment, the main hall of Xiuxiang Courtyard fell silent, with only the howling of the north wind breaking the stillness.
Soon after, Song Mo arrived.
But Song Mo didn’t come alone.
Accompanying him was Lu Shi, the second son of Princess Ningde.
Song Yichun was taken aback.
Lu Shi smiled and said, “The wedding preparations for my nephew and his wife were rushed, so some of the properties the Dou family had prepared for my niece-in-law couldn’t be listed on the dowry inventory in time. They’ve specifically sent the Dou family’s third young master to deliver the properties under my niece-in-law’s name. My nephew specially invited me over to serve as a witness.”
Song Yichun felt his breath catch in his throat.
When had Lu Shi arrived?
How had he not known about this?
It seemed this little brat had planned everything, setting a trap for him to fall into!
No wonder the Dou family dared to move their silver into Yizhi Hall!
He couldn’t help but cast a sinister glance at Tao Qizhong.
Tao Qizhong looked utterly bewildered.
How had Lu Shi suddenly appeared?
Why hadn’t there been even a whisper about this?
When had the Heir become so formidable? To quietly invite Princess Ningde’s son to the manor as a guest, and judging by the situation, this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision…
Tao Qizhong suddenly felt a sense of melancholy, like a hero past his prime.
Meanwhile, Zeng Wu shrank back, carefully inching backward, hoping that when the Duke lost his temper, he wouldn’t become the first target of his anger.
Song Yichun turned to face his son, who stood nearby with a graceful smile, his eye twitching. After a long moment, he spoke through gritted teeth, “What exactly has the Dou family added to Madam Dou’s dowry? Yan Tang even went to invite you as a witness. Does he fear I might covet my daughter-in-law’s dowry?” As he spoke, his cold gaze swept over Song Mo, revealing his displeasure with the situation.
Lu Shi chuckled, “Cousin, I must say, even I was moved when I saw the dowry additions the Dou family prepared for your daughter-in-law. It’s no wonder they wanted us elders to help witness this.”
Song Yichun was stunned and looked towards Song Mo.
Song Mo stood quietly to the side, his elegance understated, as serene as the moon.
Song Yichun felt another tremor in his heart.
Then Lu Shi’s smiling voice reached his ears: “My nephew had the head manager of his Thirteen Hongs in Guangdong lead six or seven experienced accountants from Yizhi Hall. They’ve been going over the books for four or five days and have only managed to audit half. Cousin, you can imagine how many properties are under your daughter-in-law’s name. If we were to list them all on the dowry inventory, it would likely fill several volumes. I believe your daughter-in-law’s dowry might be the most substantial in our dynasty’s history.” He then sighed, “That single chest of banknotes already attracted those desperate criminals to raid Duke Ying’s manor that night. If it were me, I too would do as the Dou family did, quietly sending people to add to your daughter-in-law’s dowry…”
“What did you say?” Song Yichun felt his temples throbbing, the surrounding sounds becoming indistinct. “Six or seven people, auditing for four or five days, and they’ve only gone through half…”
“Indeed!” Lu Shi’s voice seemed to fluctuate in distance as it reached his ears. “These properties were registered under your daughter-in-law’s name more than a decade ago. All the earnings from these years also belong to her. Accounting for all these earnings is what’s taking so much time…”
Just how much silver was that?
That unfilial son Song Mo was someone who could turn one tael of silver into two. How could he not have known about the extent of Madam Dou’s assets?
No wonder he hadn’t said anything when this marriage was proposed.
He must have known Madam Dou for some time and had long planned to marry her!
Song Yichun felt stars dancing before his eyes.
He had been deceived!
He had been thoroughly deceived!
He could have easily manipulated Song Mo’s marriage, but instead, he had fallen for this trap.
He had personally handed a mountain of gold to Song Mo!
He had given Song Mo the means to raise a private army, to buy loyalty, to maintain a network of spies even when he couldn’t afford to do so… He had practically washed his neck and presented it to that unfilial son to chop!
Could there be anyone more foolish in this world?
Song Yichun felt a surge of bitterness in his throat. His vision darkened, and he collapsed, his body suddenly weak.
“My lord, my lord…” Tao Qizhong and Zeng Wu crowded around him in panic.
The guards stationed at the door rushed in upon hearing the commotion.
Song Mo remained motionless where he stood.
Lu Shi, however, furrowed his brow.
Later that evening, upon returning to the Princess’s manor, Lu Shi spoke in hushed tones to Princess Ningde, who had been waiting for him: “I believe the rumors weren’t unfounded! What kind of father stops guards in secret when meeting his son? Young Tianci’s situation is truly precarious!”
Princess Ningde sighed and said, “This is their family matter; we shouldn’t interfere. Tianci is a clever child. Judging by his actions these past days, it’s clear he knows what he’s doing.” She paused briefly before asking her son, “What have Han’er’s wife and Qin’er’s wife been up to lately? Tell them to visit Yizhi Hall more often when they’re free. Duke Ying’s manor only has Tianci’s wife as a female family member, and she’s a new bride who just married. She’s bound to feel uncertain at times. As her sisters-in-law, they should look after Tianci’s wife more.”
Lu Han and Lu Qin were Lu Shi’s two sons.
The Emperor had always been wary of factions forming, so to avoid suspicion, Princess Ningde had always kept her family members in check, rarely allowing them to socialize extensively.
Lu Shi looked at his mother in surprise.
Princess Ningde couldn’t help but sigh.
She had kept her son too restrained. What would happen to this large family after she was gone?
She leaned back wearily against the large welcoming pillow and said, “Just follow my arrangements. Since Tianci has invited you this time, do your best to help him.” Then she inquired about Duke Ying: “…How is he now?”
Lu Shi, not questioning further, respectfully replied, “The Imperial Physician has examined him and says it’s a case of pent-up emotions affecting his heart. With a few doses of medicine and some quiet rest, he should recover.”
“I’m afraid this ailment of the heart requires a remedy for the mind,” Princess Ningde disagreed with the Imperial Physician’s assessment. “He has always been narrow-minded, and at his age, we must be careful not to let this develop into a chronic condition.”
Recalling how Duke Ying had coughed blood upon learning of his daughter-in-law’s substantial dowry, Lu Shi found himself at a loss for words. He could only respond with a soft “Yes.”
Princess Ningde then asked about Dou Zhao: “Just how much dowry did the Dou family add? Did you see clearly? Is it that the accountants are too slow, or are there truly so many accounts to audit?”
Lu Shi smiled wryly, “Those accountants have been working through the night for several days now. From what I’ve seen, just the properties that have been audited so far exceed those of our own family…”
“Oh!” Princess Ningde sat up straight, her expression turning serious. “How can this be?”
Lu Shi didn’t know either.
Princess Ningde fell into deep thought.
Fearing to disturb his mother’s contemplation, Lu Shi held his breath and remained still.
After a long while, Princess Ningde turned to Lu Shi and said, “It’s getting late. You need to go to Yizhi Hall tomorrow, so get some rest now!”
Lu Shi quietly withdrew.
The large red lanterns under the eaves swayed in the wind, while the shadows of the trees thrashed wildly in the howling north wind as if trying to devour someone.
He gazed at the bright North Star in the deep blue sky, lost in thought.
With Duke Ying’s sudden illness, who knew when he would recover?
Tianci and his wife would likely have to attend to the Duke’s sickbed.
Would he make things difficult for these two young people?
Tianci’s wife might fare better, as she had no mother-in-law to deal with; at most, she might have to prepare a few more bowls of medicine. But Tianci would likely face some hardships.