Chen Jia walked out of Duke Ying’s mansion, involuntarily glancing back at the side entrance. Two doormen were whispering to each other while watching him. His expression darkened.

Huzi, who had been waiting outside, ran over and asked eagerly, “Big brother, did it work?”

“We’ll talk when we get back,” Chen Jia replied grimly, quickly leaving Duke Ying’s alley.

Did it work? He feared that this time, he had outsmarted himself!

It was almost New Year, yet the Emperor suddenly decided to stay at the Western Palace for a few days, with each division of the Imperial Guard accompanying him. The heir of Baron Guangen had seized this opportunity. However, this didn’t mean that by staying with the Emperor at the Western Palace for a few days, he could brainwash the Emperor into disliking or hating Duke Ying’s heir, causing him to lose imperial favor. Perhaps Duke Ying’s heir already had a plan, and his warning behavior was like that of a clown, not only insignificant but also making people think he was overly ambitious, ruining the good impression he had previously left on Duke Ying’s heir and his wife.

But he couldn’t make this move.

After so many days, he really couldn’t think of anything that Duke Ying’s heir’s wife needed. He couldn’t just watch the relationship he had worked so hard to build fall apart, could he?

He could only use Duke Ying’s heir’s safety as a pretext.

The heir’s wife indeed saw him immediately…

He couldn’t help but clench his fists.

If only he had considered things more thoroughly.

This time, he had been too rash.

Chen Jia thought of Dou Zhao’s calm face and deeply regretted his actions.

Dou Zhao walked out of the small parlor but didn’t return directly to her inner chamber. Instead, she took a turn and climbed the Taihu Rock artificial mountain not far behind the small parlor.

She sat in the pavilion on the artificial mountain, gazing at Xixiang Court.

Xixiang Court was filled with pavilions and waterside kiosks, surrounded by trees. Maids walking along the covered corridors could only be glimpsed through the gaps in the branches and leaves, their red or green skirts visible, giving a sense of “how deep is this deep courtyard.”

Dou Zhao sneered.

She beckoned Suxin over and whispered a few instructions in her ear.

Suxin was shocked and asked, “Is this… appropriate?”

“Since he’s made the first move, he can’t blame me for retaliating,” Dou Zhao said coldly, her gaze icy. “You know what he’s done to the heir.”

Suxin respectfully agreed and helped Dou Zhao down from the artificial mountain.

Back in her inner chamber, Dou Zhao’s expression was smiling and gentle.

Zhao Zhangru asked, “What did that Chen fellow want with you?”

Her aunt, who was busy taking apart old clothes with Ganlu, also put down her work and looked at Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao inwardly smiled bitterly and said, “One of Official Chen’s friends works at the Five Cities Military Command and wants to meet with the heir, so he came to ask for my help.”

Zhao Zhangru scoffed, “So he’s just seeking a promotion and wealth from the heir!”

Her aunt, however, gently said to Dou Zhao, “These matters in officialdom are complicated! Sometimes, even when someone comes to ask for a favor if you don’t agree, you offend them; if you do agree, you get yourself involved. Sometimes, someone who’s your opponent might stand by your side at a critical moment and help you through difficulties. I see that the heir is a very steady person and respects you greatly. You shouldn’t get involved in these matters; just listen to what the heir says.”

Dou Zhao nodded repeatedly.

Her aunt had always thought Dou Zhao was a smart and dutiful child, so she didn’t say more. She had Ganlu gather the old clothes she had taken apart and said, “I’ll take these back to my room to cut later.”

Ganlu asked curiously, “Aunt, don’t you have scissors? I can go get you a pair right away.”

“No!” Her aunt stopped Ganlu, smiling. “It’s best not to use knives or scissors in front of a pregnant woman these days.”

Ganlu smiled, pressing her lips together.

Zhao Zhangru said, “Is there such a custom? I didn’t know about it.”

Her aunt, thinking about how Dou Zhao was three years younger than Zhao Zhangru yet had to rely on herself for everything, while Zhao Zhangru, born into privilege, was lazy and unwilling to learn anything, only knowing how to make a fuss when faced with problems without using her brain, felt somewhat displeased. She scolded her, “What do you know besides eating?”

Seeing her mother getting angry again, Zhao Zhangru quickly hid behind Dou Zhao, protesting softly, “Eating is also a skill—Father said so!”

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile.

A young maid called out loudly from behind the curtain, “The heir has returned!”

Her aunt gave Zhao Zhangru a fierce glare before putting on a smile and standing up.

Because there were women present, Song Mo came in, paid his respects to his aunt-in-law, and then retreated. It wasn’t until after dinner when her aunt and Zhao Zhangru had returned to the guest room, that he came back to the inner chamber.

Dou Zhao quickly asked him, “Where did you have dinner? What did you eat? Did you eat well? What have you been doing alone in the outer courtyard? Wasn’t it boring?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a pang in her heart.

Since she had married Song Mo, whenever he finished his official duties, he would accompany her. This was the first time he had just greeted her and gone to the outer courtyard.

In high-ranking families, wasn’t it common for women to stay in the inner courtyard and men in the outer courtyard, only seeing each other at night when the man wanted to rest in the main room?

She remembered that when Wei Tingyu had no official duties, he still had to socialize every day and had no time to stay at home. Song Mo, on the other hand, was not only the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard but also supervised the Five Cities Military Command. He knew countless people, yet he accompanied her every day…

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but hold Song Mo’s arm and said, “Aunt and cousin will be staying at home for a few more days. If you’re bored, you can invite friends over or go out to socialize with them. Don’t always stay alone in the outer courtyard, lonely without anyone to talk to.”

Song Mo laughed and said, “Why does this sound like you’re tired of me being at home?”

“Who’s tired of you being at home?” Dou Zhao laughed, her voice particularly gentle. “I’m just afraid you’ll be bored alone.”

Hearing this, Song Mo felt his heart fill with tenderness.

He said softly, “Going out to socialize isn’t that interesting. It’s either drinking with courtesans or listening to music, all noisy. It’s better to stay at home!”

Dou Zhao thought of the unfamiliar perfume smell that occasionally clung to Wei Tingyu in her previous life…

It seemed that men’s social activities were all similar.

If Song Mo’s body also carried such a scent…

The thought had barely flashed through her mind when she felt as if her insides were churning. She couldn’t help but lean over the washbasin and start vomiting.

“What’s wrong?” Song Mo hugged Dou Zhao, somewhat panicked. “Are you feeling unwell? Should I call your aunt over?”

“No need,” Dou Zhao bent over and dry heaved a few more times before taking the handkerchief from Suji and wiping her mouth. “I feel a bit unwell in the mornings and evenings. Aunt says it’s normal.”

“Oh!” Song Mo felt slightly relieved. He took the tea brought by Ganlu and helped Dou Zhao rinse her mouth, then carried her to the kang bed. He smiled and said, “No wonder they say filial piety is the most important virtue. Raising a child is not easy!”

Dou Zhao coquettishly complained, “Now you know—you’d better treat me well in the future!”

As soon as she said this, she felt extremely embarrassed.

How did she end up talking about this?

She wasn’t a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. Couldn’t she distinguish between what was genuine and what was pretense? Did she have to put on an act of concern to be considered good?

Song Mo, however, liked her occasional display of willfulness in front of him. It only showed that Dou Zhao trusted and relied on him, which was why she could be so uninhibited in his presence.

“Haven’t I been treating you well enough?” He pretended to frown in difficulty and said, “Then tell me, how should I treat you to be considered good?”

Dou Zhao felt awkward and abruptly changed the subject: “Oh right, Chen Jia came to see me today. He said the Emperor wanted to stay at the Western Palace for a few days, and Dong Qi was taking the Imperial Guard with him. Will you be alright staying at home?”

“The Emperor and Empress argued, and he’s going to the Western Palace out of anger. The schedule hasn’t been set yet, so it’s not certain if he’ll go or not,” Song Mo whispered in her ear, laughing. “Don’t spread this around!”

Dou Zhao was dumbfounded.

Song Mo was already breathing hot air into her ear, asking, “Tell me, how should I treat you to be considered good?”

That ambiguous tone made Dou Zhao blush.

“Go wash up,” she pushed him away, somewhat flustered. “Let’s rest early.”

Song Mo chuckled but took the opportunity to cling to her, insisting that Dou Zhao explain clearly what would be considered treating her well. He couldn’t be pulled away.

The servants in the room had gradually become accustomed to the noble and elegant heir becoming a different person when he met his wife, enjoying joking around. They all pretended not to see, lowering their eyes and retreating.

Song Mo slowly began to lose control of himself.

Dou Zhao quickly held his hand, her voice becoming a bit hoarse: “You promised me you wouldn’t act rashly.”

Song Mo’s body stiffened slightly, and after a while, he withdrew his hand.

Dou Zhao retreated to sit by the window.

Song Mo felt very uncomfortable and turned his face away, saying in a low voice, “I’ll go wash up.”

Dou Zhao then realized that her behavior seemed to be rejecting Song Mo as if trying to avoid him.

She pulled Song Mo’s sleeve, lowering her eyelids and speaking in a barely audible voice: “I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist and will give in to your wishes…” As she spoke, her face turned completely red.

Song Mo thought of her beneath him, from rigid to soft, from soft to becoming aroused with just a slight caress… His chest suddenly felt like it was filled with spring water, soft and gentle as if it was about to overflow. He couldn’t help but lean down to embrace Dou Zhao, gently kissing her temples.

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh.

Although the sound was soft, Song Mo still heard it.

He looked up, his gaze clear as he stared at Dou Zhao: “What’s wrong?”

Dou Zhao saw her reflection in his eyes.

Could this be considered having each other in their hearts?

She reached out, fascinated, gently stroking the corner of his eye, murmuring, “Don’t drink with courtesans in the future…”

Song Mo was stunned, then burst into laughter: “Alright, I won’t drink with courtesans in the future!”

He held Dou Zhao in his arms.

Dou Zhao’s face was burning hot, and she buried it in Song Mo’s chest, unable to lift her head.

Under the eaves, the large red lanterns swayed cheerfully in the wind, casting a red glow.

However, in Xixiang Court, rumors were spreading: “Did you know? The Duke won’t live much longer!”

“Is that something you can just say casually?”

“I’m not lying. The Emperor wanted to stay at the Western Palace for a few days and was originally going to take the heir with him. But the Duke is ill, and the heir is afraid that the Duke might… at any time, so he specially requested an imperial edict to stay at home and attend to his father’s illness.”

“That’s impossible, right? I saw the Duke looking ruddy and healthy, not like someone on his deathbed!”

“What do you know? That’s the return of vitality before death! Otherwise, why would the Imperial Hospital’s physicians only prescribe tonics for nourishing qi and replenishing blood?”

“That’s true! The Imperial Hospital’s physicians said the Duke caught a cold, but the Duke isn’t coughing or having a fever. It doesn’t look like a cold at all… Could you be right?”

The speaker’s voice grew even softer: “I heard that Yizhi Hall bought a lot of incense, candles, and white cloth recently…”