Song Mo sat cross-legged on the kang by the window in the inner chamber, his face cold as he said to Dou Zhao, “Go make some gourd cakes!”
Why was he acting so awkwardly, like a child throwing a tantrum?
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile, pressing her lips together.
Song Mo glared at her.
Dou Zhao stepped forward, took his hand, and said soothingly as if coaxing a child, “I’m sorry, alright? I know you’re concerned about me. I won’t say such things again.” Then she took the hot tea from the maid’s hand and passed it to Song Mo, saying, “I’ll go make you some gourd cakes!”
But Song Mo wrapped his arm around her waist and said, “The kitchen is full of smoke and fumes. Let the kitchen maids make them.”
His voice had softened, and there was even a hint of laughter in it.
“You!” Dou Zhao exclaimed, torn between laughter and exasperation as she gave Song Mo a sidelong glance.
Song Mo smiled slightly and pressed his face against Dou Zhao’s chest, saying softly, “Shou Gu, please don’t say such things again. It hurts me to hear them.”
Dou Zhao’s heart instantly melted, becoming as soft as water.
She gently embraced him in return.
“I’m the one who was wrong,” Song Mo apologized, his voice sounding somewhat gloomy. “I don’t know why, but usually I’m quite tolerant. However, when I think about you not appreciating my good intentions, I can’t control my emotions… If I act like this again in the future, don’t pay attention to me. Just let me stay alone in the small study for a while, and I’ll be fine.”
Dou Zhao listened, tears almost falling from her eyes.
Song Yichun had wanted to kill Song Mo, and Song Mo had once questioned Song Yichun about it. When Song Yichun didn’t answer, Song Mo never asked again, treating Song Yichun like a stranger. This was Song Mo’s nature, but now, fearing her misunderstanding, he laid bare his thoughts to her, completely unguarded…
Dou Zhao kissed the top of Song Mo’s head and said softly with a laugh, “How could I bear to?”
Song Mo looked up, his face full of surprise.
Dou Zhao crouched down, pressing her face into his palm, and said again in a low, gentle, yet firm voice with a smile, “How could I bear to leave you alone in the small study?”
“Shou Gu!” Song Mo was stunned, but his surprise quickly turned to wild joy.
He grabbed Dou Zhao and lifted her like a child, exclaiming, “Shou Gu, Shou Gu!”
Dou Zhao was truly afraid he might drop her and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. “Don’t, don’t, don’t! I’m still carrying a child!”
“Oh!” Song Mo’s face lit up with joy as he carefully placed Dou Zhao on the kang. He gazed at her lovingly, called out “Shou Gu,” and kissed her lips.
It seemed that getting along with Song Mo wasn’t so difficult after all!
Dou Zhao closed her eyes, passionately responding to Song Mo’s kiss.
Let’s leave Song Mo and his wife to their private moment and turn our attention elsewhere. Although Duke Jing’s mansion had only invited close relatives and in-laws, they still set up fifteen tables. A stage was erected across the water pavilion for theatrical performances, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
Dou Ming stepped forward to offer a toast to Duchess Jing, then rose to take her leave, saying, “My mother-in-law is slightly unwell and alone at home. I don’t feel at ease drinking and watching performances here by myself. I’ll come another day to play cards with you, Duchess.”
The Duchess Jing was somewhat displeased, but since Dou Ming had used her mother-in-law as an excuse, she couldn’t refuse without appearing unconcerned about her in-law’s health.
“Oh!” she quickly said with concern, “Your mother-in-law is ill? Why didn’t you tell me? I should visit her. You should hurry back and take good care of her. I’ll come to see her once I’m less busy.” She then instructed Wei Tingzhen to escort Dou Ming out.
“It’s just a minor digestive issue. She’ll be fine after some rest. We didn’t want to trouble the relatives,” Dou Ming graciously exchanged a few more pleasantries with Duchess Jing before following Wei Tingzhen out of the water pavilion.
Wei Tingzhen anxiously asked, “How is Mother? Why wasn’t there any news before? Tell Mother I’ll return early tomorrow morning to attend to her.” She then asked Dou Ming, “Is there anything the family needs? I can bring it along tomorrow.”
“There’s nothing,” Dou Ming said calmly. “It’s just indigestion.”
Wei Tingzhen wasn’t worried about her concealing the illness; she could always ask Wei Tingyu later.
As they exited the second gate, the Wei family’s carriage was waiting quietly under the locust tree in front of the gate.
Wei Tingzhen didn’t see Wei Tingyu and asked curiously, “Where’s my brother?”
Dou Ming replied, “He still has some social obligations. I can take care of Mother.”
Wei Tingzhen nodded with satisfaction, feeling that Dou Ming was finally showing some sense of being a Wei family daughter-in-law. Her earlier anger dissipated considerably.
She watched Dou Ming get into the carriage, then turned back to the water pavilion.
However, Dou Ming instructed the driver, “Go to Jing’an Temple Alley.”
Although her dowry wasn’t as lavish as Dou Zhao’s, it was still far superior to that of daughters from ordinary official families. Being a clever person, it had taken her only a few days after marriage to dazzle everyone in the Wei household with her silver. There wasn’t anyone who didn’t try to curry favor with her.
The driver responded loudly, “Yes,” and with a shake of the reins, the carriage turned a corner and headed towards Jing’an Temple Alley.
Dou Shiyingdisliked social gatherings and returned home after finishing his official duties. Upon entering, he saw his younger daughter, Dou Ming, sitting with a cold expression on the master chair in the main hall.
He was momentarily stunned, mistaking her for Wang Yingxue. For a moment, he thought he had returned to many years ago when he would come home every day to find Wang Yingxue waiting for him like this, followed by an argument.
Dou Shiying shook his head, let out a long sigh, and walked in.
“Why are you sitting there?” he asked, handing his official hat to his servant. “When did you come back? Where’s Peijin? Didn’t he come back with you…”
Before he could finish speaking, Dou Ming had already jumped up. “Father, I’m your daughter too. Why do you only have Dou Zhao in your heart? Do you know that people outside are saying you’ve given Dou Zhao another two hundred thousand taels of silver as additional dowry… I know Dou Zhao deserves it, but have you ever thought about me? What will the Wei family think when they hear about this? How am I supposed to answer when they ask?
Do you want me to say that because I’m a child of a concubine, the properties under Dou Zhao’s name are your hush money to buy off Dou Zhao’s uncle to support my mother’s promotion? When the Dou and Song families exchanged betrothal gifts, you didn’t list those properties on the gift list. Why didn’t you just quietly return those properties to Dou Zhao? Why did you have to make such a big fuss about it, making it difficult for me to face others?!”
As she spoke, she began to cry softly. “You don’t even know that when I went to Duke Jing’s mansion for the banquet today, everyone was fawning over Dou Zhao, just because they all know she has money…”
Dou Shiying was stunned and then felt sorry for Dou Ming.
“Alright, alright, don’t cry,” he awkwardly comforted Dou Ming. “Don’t talk about your sister like that. You know that because of that stack of banknotes, our family was robbed. How could we dare to publicize the properties under your sister’s name? It might be that your Third Uncle and Third Cousin were going over accounts at Yizhi Hall recently, and someone found out and spread the news.”
Dou Ming gradually stopped crying and said, “Father, why don’t you give me an additional dowry of fifty thousand taels of silver, just like Dou Zhao’s?”
This way, she would have an explanation to give to the Wei family.
Dou Shiying’s smile became somewhat forced as he said, “The family probably can’t come up with that much money right now.”
Upon hearing this, Dou Ming’s anger flared up again. “Father, how can you say such a thing? Our family has an annual income of at least fifty to sixty thousand taels of silver. I’m not trying to compete with Dou Zhao; I just want to give the Wei family an explanation. You can give me the money, and I’ll return it to you right away. It’s not like the Wei family can count my dowry, can they?”
Dou Shiying frowned slightly and said, “Does the Wei family care so much about how much dowry you have? You should know that your dowry is already quite substantial!”
Dou Ming heard this and laughed coldly. “Who wouldn’t want more money? If you hadn’t given my sister such a large dowry, would the Wei family be so greedy?”
Hearing these words, Dou Shiying felt very uncomfortable.
It was as if he was seeing another Wang Yingxue.
Always blamed him, saying that if it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have ended up in such a situation.
Dou Shiying couldn’t help but say, “In a marriage, the most important thing is mutual understanding. Your sister is the eldest legitimate daughter, so it’s natural for her dowry to be a bit more. What does the Wei family have to argue about?”
Dou Ming’s face turned pale.
So this was what her father had always thought.
Dou Zhao was the rightful eldest daughter, while she was an illegitimate child who couldn’t see the light of day. She was born to make way for her sister.
She swept the teacup off the table onto the floor with her hand and shouted, her neck stretched out, “Then what am I? What are you? Why did you bring me into this world in the first place? Why didn’t you just strangle me in the blood basin when I was born? You did all this, and now you want me to bear the consequences. Why? Why?!”
Dou Shiying’s face turned ashen.
“You!” He pointed at Dou Ming, his lips trembling, unable to find words for a long time. He then collapsed into the master chair.
Gao Sheng, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, had fire in his eyes.
The Seventh Madam wasn’t good herself, and now she had even corrupted the Fifth Miss.
He knew that Dou Shiying had always been soft-hearted and treated his two daughters like precious jewels, but today was different from the past. During the Fourth Miss’s last visit home, he had overheard the Fifth Madam asking the Fourth Miss if the Fifth Branch could arrange for the Seventh Master to take a concubine. The Fourth Miss had refused at the time, saying that the matter of taking a concubine should be decided by the Seventh Master himself, but she would try to persuade him.
Others might not know, but he understood clearly.
For so many years, the Seventh Master had been so harsh on himself because he felt guilty towards the late Seventh Madam.
If the Fourth Miss had spoken up, the Seventh Master might have taken a concubine, and then the Seventh Branch would have had an heir. How could he allow the Fifth Miss to empty the family’s coffers? How would the young master study in the future? How would he marry? How would he take the imperial examinations?
Unprecedentedly, he brought tea forward and advised Dou Shiying, “Seventh Master, you feel guilty towards the Seventh Madam, which resulted in the Seventh Madam changing the Fourth Miss’s marriage. Now, you feel guilty towards the Fifth Miss… If a couple’s relationship relies solely on money, always looking to the next mountain, even a mountain of gold and silver will be exhausted one day. You need to think this through carefully!”
Before Gao Sheng could finish speaking, Dou Ming threw a cup of tea in his face.
Tea leaves clung to his sideburns, and tea dripped down his face.
However, Gao Sheng didn’t move a muscle, not even raising an eyebrow. He just stared at Dou Shiying with wide eyes.
Dou Shiying thought of Wang Yingxue.
She had once thrown a cup of tea at him like this too.
Dou Shiying slowly stood up, staring at Dou Ming, and said, “If the Wei family wants me to add to your dowry, tell them to come and ask me themselves!”
Dou Ming looked at her father and suddenly felt that Dou Shiying’s figure seemed particularly tall and straight, and his expression revealed a solemnity and dignity she had never seen before.