As Madam Gao stepped out, her wet nurse immediately approached. Seeing Madam Gao’s ashen face, the wet nurse’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly asked in a low voice, “What happened?”
“They’ve gone mad, completely mad!” Madam Gao trembled with anger. “They’ve all lost their minds!” As she spoke, she scanned the courtyard.
The courtyard was silent. The large red lanterns under the eaves cast their light on the blooming tuberoses by the steps, making the flowers appear even more vibrant.
Coming from a noble family, Madam Gao knew that an empty courtyard didn’t necessarily mean it was unoccupied.
“Go call the coachman and give him one tael of silver,” Madam Gao instructed her wet nurse. “We’re leaving for Nanwa now.”
The carriage and coachman belonged to Scholar Li from their village, who had forcibly lent them to the Wang family after hearing about Wang Xingyi’s reinstatement. They had originally planned to return tomorrow night, so asking the coachman to travel through the night warranted a reward.
The wet nurse, aware that something had changed, was well-versed in etiquette, having come from the Gao family. She asked no questions, called for the coachman, and left the Dou residence under the pretext of an urgent matter at home.
On the road, they encountered the Dou family’s carriage.
The wet nurse exclaimed, “Oh! It might be the Dou family’s Seventh Master returning!”
Her tone implied they should perhaps greet them.
However, Madam Gao pulled her wet nurse back and hurriedly instructed the coachman, “Don’t stop!”
The two carriages passed each other.
Madam Gao let out a long sigh, muttering, “How could I face the Dou family now!”
The wet nurse leaned in close to Madam Gao’s ear and whispered, “What happened?”
Madam Gao had been cared for by this wet nurse since birth, and they had endured ten difficult years together in the Wang family. Considering her family, Madam Gao held nothing back and recounted the entire incident.
The wet nurse listened in shock, anxiously exclaiming, “What are we to do? What are we to do?” Realizing why Madam Gao was rushing back to Nanwa, she grasped her hand and advised incessantly, “You and the Master were married for only nineteen days before he followed the Old Master to Xining Wei. There’s only obligation between you, not affection. Don’t be foolish. This is a matter between siblings. You can try to persuade them but don’t stand alone against them. You know the Old Madam’s temperament. Without you these past years, how could the Wang family have bought land? How could the Young Miss have started her business? You’ve been kinder to the Old Madam than her daughter, yet when it comes to family matters, she always puts the Young Miss before you. Madam Pang married in reluctantly, and even when the family had no surplus, she looked at you with disdain. Relying on the Second Master’s indulgence, she’s always trying to outdo you. Now that the Old Master has been reinstated, who knows what she’s planning? Don’t let the whole family turn against you.”
“All mothers dote on their daughters, just as my mother dotes on me,” Madam Gao weakly argued. “The reason I’m rushing back is to convince the Master to ask Father-in-law to intervene and forcibly bring the Young Miss back. If we let Madam Pang continue stirring up trouble, even if we bring the Young Miss back, it might cause such a commotion that everyone will know. That would be utterly humiliating!” Her expression was one of helplessness.
The wet nurse nodded repeatedly, “As long as you understand, I’m relieved.”
Meanwhile, Dou Zhao saw a carriage pass by and turned to look.
This half of the street was all Dou family residences. Who would be passing through at this hour?
As the thought crossed her mind, she heard High Sheng say, “Seventh Master, it looks like the Wang family’s carriage.”
Dou Shiying was startled for a moment, then relaxed and said, “They might have something to discuss with Wang Zhibing. Let’s pretend we didn’t see them.”
High Sheng responded with an agreeable “Yes,” and the carriage continued until it reached the second gate before stopping.
The steward and servants came forward, and the manager said with a smile, “Seventh Master, the Sixth Master arrived at the hour of you and has been waiting for you in the study until now.”
Dou Shiying, carrying Dou Zhao, went straight to the study.
Dou Shiheng was leisurely sitting in a drunk’s chair, reading. A small table beside him held tea and fruit.
Hearing the commotion, he looked up and said to his father, “You’re back,” then asked, “You went fishing again?” His tone was so natural that an outsider might have thought he was the master of the study.
Father smiled without responding.
Sixth Uncle seemed to want to say something but held back.
Father said softly, “I know what I’m doing!”
“As long as you know,” Sixth Uncle replied.
The two of them spoke as if in riddles, quickly changing the subject.
“What did you want to see me about?” Father asked. “You’ve been waiting all this time, couldn’t you have left a note?”
“I just wanted to ask if you’re participating in this year’s provincial examination,” Sixth Uncle poured Father a cup of tea. “If you’re going, it’s time to prepare for the journey.” Then he tugged at Dou Zhao’s hair playfully and smiled, “Little tail, did you go fishing with your father? Was the food at Uncle Feng’s house good?” He handed her a cup of tea as well.
It seemed that Sixth Uncle not only knew about Father’s secret visits to Grandmother but was also aware that Father would seek out Feng Baoshan for heart-to-heart talks after these visits!
Dou Zhao politely called out “Sixth Uncle,” replied “It was good,” and sat quietly drinking her tea.
Father hesitated, “If I go, what about Shou Gu? I’m worried about leaving the inner courtyard without someone in charge.”
Sixth Uncle dismissed his concern, “Send her to my place. Your Sixth Sister-in-law can help look after her.”
“We’ll see when the time comes!” Father still seemed uncertain.
Sixth Uncle didn’t press the matter, pointing to several large volumes of books on the desk, “These are this year’s new essay collections. Fifth Brother had them brought back. There’s one set for each person in the family who’s entered the academy.”
Father asked, “Does this mean Fifth Brother is determined to have all our family’s successful candidates participate in the metropolitan examination?”
Sixth Uncle laughed, “Zijun says he’s not going. He’s afraid of becoming a jinshi of the same rank!”
Zijun was the courtesy name of their second cousin, Dou Yuchang. He later did indeed become a jinshi of the same rank, and fearing ridicule, he refused to take office no matter what. In the end, he stayed at home helping Third Uncle manage the Dou family’s affairs.
Father laughed heartily and instructed a maid to call Tuo Niang over, asking her to help Dou Zhao return to bed. He then began reviewing the essay collections with Sixth Uncle.
Dou Zhao tried hard to recall events from her previous life.
Father and Sixth Uncle had gone to the capital together for the provincial examination, both passing as juren. They then stayed in the capital until returning in June of the following year. In the metropolitan examination, Father had ranked thirteenth in the second class, while Sixth Uncle had failed to place.
She remembered that Father’s examiner was He Wendao, then a Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy. He had been a Grand Secretary for twenty years, presiding over two metropolitan examinations and serving under two emperors, known in official circles as an “unsinkable.” As for the name Chen Jizhou, she had never heard of it. However, having married into a noble family, her acquaintance with scholars was limited, so it wasn’t unusual that she hadn’t heard of him.
Thinking of this, she suddenly sat up.
Dou Xiao was born on the sixteenth day of the third month in the gengxu year, which would be next year. When he was a month old, news of Father’s success in the imperial examination arrived. Wang Yingxue often used this to prove how Dou Xiao was born with luck that would prosper the family.
Calculating the dates, Wang Yingxue should be conceiving around this time.
She felt restless but did nothing.
When it rains, it pours. When a mother wants to remarry, she will.
Even if she could prevent it once, how could she prevent it two or three times?
Dou Zhao thought of her mother.
Even if she hadn’t died that time, seeing Wang Yingxue pregnant and giving birth, wouldn’t she still have done something foolish?
Dou Zhao was angry at her mother’s lack of fight, but more than that, she felt heartbroken over her mother’s devoted love.
She tossed and turned in bed for a long time before falling into a confused sleep.
The next day when she woke up, a light rain was falling, washing the leaves in the courtyard to a bright green and filling the air with a fresh scent.
Tuo Niang was leading Jasmine and Begonia in making winter socks for Dou Zhao when Yuzhen rushed in.
“The rain outside is so heavy!” she said to Tuo Niang, wringing out her soaked skirt. “I need to take some silk thread to Sister-in-law Yu’s place later. Lend me that Hangzhou silk embroidered skirt that the Fourth Young Miss gave you. I’ll return it as soon as I get back.”
Sister-in-law Yu referred to Yu Daqing’s wife. Yu Daqing was the son of Nanny Yu.
Tuo Niang looked displeased and said, “If Sister-in-law Yu needs silk thread, why doesn’t she buy it herself? Be careful about using things from the Fourth Young Miss’s room to curry favor with others. The Seventh Master might get angry if he finds out.”
Yuzhen, embarrassed and angered, sneered, “As long as you don’t say anything, the Seventh Master won’t know.” She continued, “You think everyone’s like you, feeling rich with just ten taels of silver in your pocket! The Seventh Master is a lord of the Dou family. He gave three thousand taels of silver to the Fourth Young Miss without a second thought. It’s just a few threads of silk. If you tell him, he might even reward me with a few boxes of silk thread, seeing that I’m taking care of the Fourth Young Miss on behalf of the Madam from the front courtyard. If you don’t want to lend the skirt, just say so. Don’t use the Fourth Young Miss’s name to belittle me.”
Jasmine was so frightened she cowered in the corner, trembling. Begonia, however, retorted boldly, “Then let’s go tell the Seventh Master and see if he rewards you with a few boxes of silk thread or a few strokes of the cane!”
“You little wretch, how dare you!” Yuzhen stepped forward and slapped the seven-year-old Begonia. As she was about to strike again, Tuo Niang rushed forward and grabbed her hand, yanking it hard. Yuzhen stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.
“Try that again!” Tuo Niang glared at Yuzhen fiercely. “I’ll tell the Seventh Master immediately.”
Yuzhen, knowing Tuo Niang’s background as a rough maid from the laundry room and fearing immediate retaliation, glared back at Tuo Niang before storming out, slamming the curtains behind her.
Jasmine was on the verge of tears, “Sister Suxin, please apologize to Yuzhen quickly. She’s surely gone to complain about you to Nanny Yu.”
Tuo Niang snorted coldly and said stubbornly, “I’ve done nothing wrong. She was clearly in the wrong for hitting someone. Why should I apologize to Yuzhen?”
“But…” Jasmine, a year older than Begonia, was very worried. “Sister-in-law Yu is Nanny Yu’s daughter-in-law…”
“So what if she’s the daughter-in-law?” Begonia retorted defiantly. “That’s all the more reason she shouldn’t be taking things from the Fourth Young Miss’s room.” She supported Tuo Niang, “Sister Suxin, last time when the Second Madam from the East Mansion returned from Fujian, she especially sent some Fujian specialties to the Fourth Young Miss. I saw Yuzhen pick out two of each snack and send them to Sister-in-law Yu. If the Seventh Master asks, I’ll testify for you!”
They treated Dou Zhao as an ignorant child, not bothering to hide Yuzhen’s actions or Begonia’s tattling from her.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
This was the trouble with not having a mistress of the house.
However, Yuzhen could no longer stay in her room. Her behavior would set a bad example for the younger maids.
As for Nanny Yu, she would wait and see how she handled this matter.