Although the court was on New Year’s holiday, Song Mo still had to report for duty at the Imperial Guard. So after breakfast on the second day, he headed to the office.
Dou Dechang and Dou Junqi arrived together. Instead of visiting Dou Zhao, they went straight to Qixiang Hall.
Song Yichun, still nursing a headache from Dou Zhao’s outburst on New Year’s Eve, was reclining weakly on a pillow by the window. He was puzzling over this year’s revenue for Duke Ying’s estate – compared to last year, income had decreased by a third, but he couldn’t figure out why.
When Madam Jiang was in charge, Song Yichun didn’t manage household affairs, but he knew the annual income. While weather affected yields, they never varied this drastically. Revenue had been declining yearly, now almost half of what it was under Madam Jiang’s management.
Even a fool could see something was amiss, yet Song Yichun couldn’t pinpoint the cause. The stewards and managers all had plausible excuses.
He called Tao Qizhong over to discuss the matter. Though a scholar unfamiliar with agriculture, Tao Qizhong was adept at strategizing. However, he was even less versed in household management than Song Yichun.
After poring over the account books for a long time without insight, Tao Qizhong suggested, “Why not hire an expert accountant to take a look?”
Song Yichun sighed. At this point, even if he brought in an accountant, he couldn’t recall the stewards and managers who had returned to the farms and shops. He decided to wait until next year, as long as they could uncover the reason then.
Tao Qizhong thought for a moment and recommended a few fellow townsmen who worked as grain accountants.
Song Yichun felt somewhat irritated. When he heard that Dou family’s maternal uncle had brought a nephew to seek an audience, he was taken aback. Recalling Dou Zhao’s words from the other day, he had an ominous feeling. After hesitating for a while, he asked, “Do you know why the Dou family’s uncle is here?”
“No idea!” The servant shook his head, but couldn’t help adding, “Both the uncle and nephew are just over twenty, cultured and refined. They look like scholars.”
Of course, the Dou family members would be cultured and refined. When his daughter-in-law first married into the family, didn’t she also appear virtuous and gentle? Who knew she would turn out to be such a shrew?
Song Yichun grumbled inwardly. After much deliberation, he instructed the servant to receive the Dou family’s uncle and nephew in the flower hall and serve them tea. He changed his clothes and, bringing Tao Qizhong along, went to the flower hall.
Tao Qizhong wanted to remind Song Yichun that as the elder, he needn’t humble himself by meeting the Dou family members in the flower hall if their intentions were unfriendly. He could have summoned them to his study, maintaining the upper hand. But seeing Song Yichun’s worried expression, Tao Qizhong realized that Song Yichun, having grown up in privileged circles, rarely encountered assertive people. When faced with the young mistress, he was like a scholar facing a soldier – unable to argue his case even when right. Intimidated by the young mistress, he became meek at any mention of her. Tao Qizhong couldn’t bring himself to say anything, so he silently followed Song Yichun to the flower hall.
The Dou family had many male members, and Song Yichun, being an elder, couldn’t recognize them all. Dou Junqi, a young advanced scholar, had matured considerably after years of travel. Unlike Dou Dechang, who spent his days studying at home and had typical Dou family features, appearing delicate and only 15 or 16 years old. Seeing one composed and one youthful Dou family member, Song Yichun mistook Dou Junqi for the uncle and Dou Dechang for the nephew. Entering the flower hall, he smiled at Dou Junqi, saying, “What urgent matter brings the Dou family uncle here during the New Year festivities?”
Dou Junqi wore a sapphire blue brocade robe with bamboo patterns and carried a large red lacquered gold fan from Sichuan. Though not as fair-skinned as Dou Dechang, he had striking eyebrows and eyes, exuding the air of a noble young master.
Hearing this, he snapped open his fan and sneered, “How blind you are, mistaking the younger for the elder and disregarding your senior! Without your ancestors’ legacy, you’d likely not even qualify as an errand boy in our Jifeng Pavilion!”
This barrage of sharp words struck Song Yichun like a knife. If not for Tao Qizhong’s quick reflexes in steadying him from behind, he might have stumbled at the doorway.
Seeing this, Dou Dechang leisurely stepped forward, bowed to Song Yichun, and said with a smile, “Father-in-law, I am your daughter-in-law’s brother, and that is my nephew. Being a young advanced scholar, he’s proud and may speak rashly. You’re magnanimous; please forgive him!”
He glossed over the incident and explained their purpose.
“During this New Year, while our great-grandmother is still at Fifth Uncle’s house in the capital, the personal maid of our Fourth Aunt came crying to Huaishu Hutong, saying the Song family wants to divorce her! Upon hearing this, our great-grandmother fainted on the spot. When she came to, she berated Fifth Uncle and Aunt, demanding to know who had arranged this marriage. For five generations, our Dou family has had no criminal men or remarried women, let alone an aunt divorced by her husband’s family.”
Dou Dechang continued, sounding aggrieved, “Most of our Dou family members are in Zhending. Those in the capital are elders, already grandparents. Juniors like me are too young, still studying at the Imperial College. It happened that my nephew came to the capital for the imperial examinations, so my Great-grandmother sent him to accompany me here. We want to know what’s going on. If the Song family truly looks down on us, we Dous won’t cling on stubbornly. We’ll inventory Fourth Aunt’s dowry and take her back. Great-grandmother will have another child to dote on, and she can enjoy a peaceful New Year.” His tone turned sharp and his expression cold, suddenly appearing solemn and stern. “My Fifth Uncle is still kneeling before Great-grandmother, waiting for my return before she’ll pass judgment on him.”
Song Yichun trembled with anger, blood rushing to his head. No wonder that Dou woman was so domineering – it ran in the family!
He had long wanted to be rid of this daughter-in-law. If the Dou family was willing to take her back, did they expect him to persuade her to stay?
Song Yichun called out loudly for “Ceng Wu” and said defiantly, “Take the Dou family uncle and young master to inventory the young mistress’s dowry!”
However, Tao Qizhong stepped forward, blocking Song Yichun. He politely bowed to Dou Dechang and the haughty Dou Junqi, introduced himself, and said with a smile, “It takes a hundred years of cultivation to cross a river in the same boat. The young master and young mistress are fated to be together. Otherwise, how could two families so far apart become in-laws? As the saying goes, ‘Better to demolish a temple than break up a marriage.’ You’re both young and don’t understand that in big households, there are bound to be occasional conflicts. How can you talk about taking her home over a small quarrel? I see you’ve come here angry. Why not calm down and meet our young mistress first?”
He made a gesture of invitation, then quickly whispered to Song Yichun, “These old widows who’ve been alone for decades are never reasonable. I think even the Dou family’s old master is just obeying his mother’s orders, or else they wouldn’t have sent these two. Don’t stoop to their level.”
Was he supposed to just let this go?
Song Yichun clenched his fists, his face pale with anger.
But the visitors paid no heed to Tao Qizhong.
Dou Dechang shook his head, smiling, “No need. My Seventh Uncle has no son, so he gave half of West Dou’s property to his Fourth Aunt to ensure she could stand firm in her husband’s family. Our great-grandmother instructed us to bring Fourth Aunt back today no matter what. We even brought carriages for her dowry. Please ask the Duke to summon the young master to write a divorce letter so we can return home early for a hot cup of tea.”
Half of West Dou’s property?
So that was it!
Song Yichun and Tao Qizhong simultaneously showed expressions of sudden realization, exchanging glances.
It seemed they weren’t just putting on a show!
He grew excited. Why should they have to return the money that had come into their family?
But then he remembered that all this money was now in Song Mo’s hands… He deflated, thinking bitterly that if Madam Dou returned to her family, what would Song Mo have left to contend with him?
If he could clip Song Mo’s wings, what did reputation matter?
He shouted “Come here!” and said, “Take the Dou family uncle and young master to Yizhi Hall to inventory the young mistress’s dowry!”
He showed no intention of persuading them to stay.
Dou Dechang and Dou Junqi were alarmed.
Anyone hearing about such a substantial dowry would try to keep the daughter-in-law, but Song Yichun was doing the opposite.
Something was wrong with this Song family!
Having done this sort of thing many times in their youth, the two were perfectly in sync without needing to exchange glances. One began playing good cop, the other bad cop.
“I’ll go see Fourth Aunt,” Dou Dechang calmly instructed Dou Junqi. “You stay here and get the divorce letter.” With that, he strode out of the flower hall with Ceng Wu.
Dou Junqi sat down brazenly in the master chair and said sarcastically, “Please ask the Duke to summon the young master back to write a divorce letter for me – our Fourth Aunt can’t just return with us without clarity if she’s to go back to her maiden home.”
Song Mo would certainly not agree to a divorce!
Song Yichun said, “The young master is on duty at the palace. When he returns, I’ll have him write the divorce letter and send it to your residence.”
Dou Junqi snorted coldly, “Do you take me for a fool? Not writing a divorce letter but letting Fourth Aunt return with us, keeping her dowry… Your Song family is too much! If the young master writes the divorce letter today, so be it. If not, I’ll go straight to the Shuntian Prefecture and see if there’s any precedent for this since the founding of our dynasty!”
As long as it caused trouble for Song Mo, Song Yichun was more than willing.
“Rest assured, I wouldn’t want such a daughter-in-law even if she were given to me! Feel free to take her back. I’ll have someone send the divorce letter later.”
“Very well!” Dou Junqi said promptly but didn’t believe him at all. “In business, goods and money change hands simultaneously. If we take the person back but you don’t release Fourth Aunt’s dowry, what then? How about this: Duke, you write me a certificate stating that from now on, our two families have no further connection. Seal it with your stamp, and I’ll take it back for Great-grandmother to keep. Then it’ll be proper for us to come back for the belongings later.”
Write something for the Dou family to hold over him.
Song Yichun instinctively sensed danger and refused, “When has there ever been a case of a son divorcing his wife and the father-in-law writing a document?”