The Duke Ying’s residence has been a noble family for a century, and over the years, its relationships with various prominent families in the capital have become intricate and tangled. The Spring Banquet is an excellent opportunity for each household to deepen their connections, mend rifts, and re-establish interpersonal relationships. If you think organizing the Spring Banquet at the Duke Ying’s residence is challenging, you might be mistaken—the standards and protocols are well-established, and the person in charge only needs to follow the rules. However, if you believe that hosting the Spring Banquet is that simple, you are also wrong. Last year, when someone visited the Duke Ying’s residence, they might have been arranged for a first-class banquet, but this year, they might only be accommodated in a third-class banquet.
Song Yichun found it difficult to strike the right balance, let alone the newly married Dou Zhao. He was more than happy to leave the organization of the Spring Banquet to Dou Zhao. Although Dou Zhao was unfamiliar with these matters, she could mobilize Song Mo’s people at any time. Yan Chaoqing and Liao Bifeng were both at her disposal, not to mention she had Song Mo.
“I’ll host this year’s Spring Banquet,” he said, patting Dou Zhao’s hand to reassure her. “I’ve already spoken to the Emperor. Our Duke Ying’s family has few descendants, and since you are pregnant, it’s not suitable for you to take on too much work. The Emperor agreed and even granted me five days off.”
However, as of now, she still hadn’t received the guest list for the banquet.
Dou Zhao chuckled. She increasingly felt that Song Yichun was rather feminine in his demeanor. While Song Mo couldn’t quite grasp what Song Yichun was thinking, she could easily guess his intentions from a woman’s perspective. This time, she wanted to impress Song Yichun.
She instructed those around her not to reveal a word and leisurely stayed at home, nourishing herself with tonics. So when Zeng Wu brought the guest list for today’s banquet as per Song Yichun’s orders, Dou Zhao set down her half-finished bird’s nest soup and crisply called out, “Yantang, the Duke has brought the guest list for today’s banquet. You should hurry to the main courtyard; the stewardess is waiting there for your instructions!” She added, “It’s almost time for lunch, and the invited guests should be arriving soon. If they arrive and the food isn’t ready, that would be a disaster.”
Her tone was akin to instructing a steward.
Zeng Wu was taken aback. How dare the lady command the young master like that? Yet, Song Mo responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Understood. I’ll head over right away. It’s too cold outside, so don’t wander around the house; be careful not to catch a chill.”
Zeng Wu felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. How had he allowed himself to be dragged into this mess by the Duke? If the Duke offended the young master, what could the young master do to his own father? But if he offended the young master, he had seen what happened to Lü Zheng!
Zeng Wu stealthily followed Song Mo out of Yizhi Hall, took a roundabout route, and then suddenly knelt before Dou Zhao, saying, “Madam, it’s not that I didn’t want to bring the list over sooner, but I just received it myself. I wouldn’t dare delay even a moment! If you don’t believe me, you can ask the servant beside me! I wouldn’t dare deceive you! I’ve always been on your side. Just like last time, when the Duke’s room was running low on silver frost charcoal, he wanted me to buy some outside. I was worried it would tarnish your reputation, so I immediately had a little maid send a message to Sister Ruozhu!”
That was because you were afraid of being implicated, wasn’t it? Dou Zhao waved her hand dismissively. She wasn’t inclined to argue with someone like Zeng Wu. However, she couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. Song Mo’s authority was indeed quite effective! Otherwise, even if Zeng Wu feared being implicated, he wouldn’t be so obsequious.
Watching Zeng Wu leave with his head down, she suddenly had a thought and called out to him, “What are the Duke’s plans for the three maidservants who are to be released after the New Year?”
Zeng Wu perked up at her words and quickly replied, “Madam, don’t worry. I’ll find out about this right away.”
Dou Zhao smirked and said, “No need. Since you’re going to inquire, I might as well have Zhu Ruo ask the Duke directly; she might get a response faster than you.”
Zeng Wu immediately wilted, awkwardly saying, “The Duke wants to assign a maid named Chuan’er to serve the Second Master, but he hasn’t mentioned anything about the third-class maidservants.”
Perhaps he looked down on them! Dou Zhao asked with a half-smile, “What about you? Didn’t anyone come to you seeking a position? Serving in the Second Master’s household, even as a third-class maid, would allow you to wear gold and silver and command the matrons. That’s quite a good position.”
Zeng Wu’s face turned bright red, and he hurriedly replied, “These matters are for the masters to decide; how could I interfere?”
“Just as long as you know!” Dou Zhao interrupted him before he could finish. “You can leave now; I’ll call on you if I need anything.”
Zeng Wu left, feeling anxious.
Su Lan pouted and said, “Madam, why are you discussing this with him? Since the Duke has already made arrangements for the second-class maid, we shouldn’t compete with him. If we fall into the Second Master’s eyes, it would be our fault. It would be better to invite the Second Master over and promote someone he favors to second or third class, allowing our people to take on the rough work. Usually, those masters are least wary of the rough maidservants and matrons.”
Of course, this would also create some tension between the Duke and the Second Master, causing a bit of unpleasantness. However, it was not easy to say this to the Madam, as the Duke was her father-in-law, and making it clear would only put her in a difficult position.
Dou Zhao exclaimed, “Wow! It’s been just three days since we last met, and you’ve become quite perceptive! Ever since Su Lan and Chen He got engaged, it seems like you’ve become enlightened, even understanding these matters!”
Su Lan’s face turned bright red. Fortunately, she was usually generous, and though she felt shy, she still responded gracefully, “Yes, he asked me why I looked unhappy, and that’s how he came to say those things.”
Song Yichun intended to assign his second-class maid Chuan’er to Song Han, and Dou Zhao had already learned of this. She simply wanted to give Zeng Wu a little reminder, hoping he would remember this lesson for the future.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile at Su Lan’s words, but thinking of Su Lan’s upcoming wedding made her feel a bit sad, as if her daughter was growing up and preparing to marry.
Song Mo wanted her to feel more at home in Yizhi Hall, hoping to choose one of her favorite maidservants to marry Chen He. Chen He was loyal, and she liked him very much. But the one getting married was Su Lan, and it had to be Su Lan who was willing for it to work. She feared that Su Lan, out of gratitude for her kindness, might hastily agree to the marriage, which had made her hesitant all along. Unexpectedly, after Su Lan learned of this, she ran to the outer courtyard, specifically requesting to see Chen He, and spoke to him at length, saying things like, “If you are loyal to the Young Master and Madam, I will marry you; otherwise, even if we become husband and wife, it won’t last long.”
Dou Zhao felt her head spinning, blaming herself for pampering Su Lan too much. After seeing Song Mo, she had been feeling down and discussed changing the match. Who would have thought that Su Lan’s words would gain Chen He and his mother’s approval? They learned why the Bei sisters had come to Dou Zhao and felt that Su Xin and Su Lan were both loyal people, so they immediately agreed to the marriage.
Now it seemed that Chen He treated Su Lan quite well, knowing how to guide her in dealing with people. Only in this way could Su Lan grow. This was a gap that both Dou Zhao and Su Xin had overlooked. The former treated Su Lan like a daughter, while the latter felt guilty towards Su Lan due to the family’s misfortunes.
If marrying Chen He could make up for Su Lan’s shortcomings, then it would be the perfect match!
Dou Zhao clasped her hands together, silently praying to the Bodhisattva for the Bei sisters to have a harmonious marriage and grow old together.
After praying, she thought of Gan Lu and Su Juan.
She began to feel a headache. With the significant changes in this life compared to the last, what would happen to those two?
Dou Zhao wrote down the names of all the eligible young men in Yizhi Hall and pondered.
When Song Mo entered, he saw his wife resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought under the lamp. Her fair face was as warm as jade, her dark eyes bright and lustrous, and her long brows added a touch of elegance, exuding a serene beauty that spoke of time’s tranquility.
He signaled the maidservants in the room to remain silent and stood there admiring her for a while before quietly walking over.
The paper spread out on the kang table was filled with various names.
Song Mo chuckled softly, “Are you practicing calligraphy?”
Dou Zhao was startled, placing a hand over her heart and exhaling deeply, unable to help but pout, “Why didn’t you announce yourself when you came in?”
Song Mo hadn’t expected this either, quickly wrapping his arms around her to apologize, “It’s all my fault; I won’t do it again next time.”
Dou Zhao frowned and asked, “Did you drink a lot today?”
Song Mo sniffed himself and replied, “Does it still smell strongly of alcohol? I just washed up before coming in. I’ll go rinse my mouth again.”
Dou Zhao could also drink a couple of cups, and besides the alcohol, there was a hint of herbal fragrance on him that wasn’t unpleasant.
She wrapped her arms around Song Mo’s waist and smiled, “No need; it’s just a bit stronger than usual. How was today’s Spring Banquet? I heard the dishes at noon were quite average, but the wine was good, and they invited a troupe to perform, so at least there were no complaints!”
Song Mo leaned in and whispered playfully in her ear, “You already knew—everyone’s eyes were on the famous courtesans; who would notice what they actually ate?”
Dou Zhao laughed. This was her way of being cautious!
In any case, she was delighted to see Song Yichun stumble.
Song Mo sincerely thanked her, “You’ve worked hard! This was a brilliant idea.”
Dou Zhao replied with a smile, “Then what does it mean that you praised me in front of Zeng Wu today?”
Song Mo remained silent, his eyes sparkling like morning stars, quietly gazing at her.
Dou Zhao’s heart raced, feeling as if she had fallen into a pool of starlight, floating and sinking.
Song Mo chuckled softly, affectionately kissing her lips, “Shou Gu, you little fool!”
Dou Zhao came back to her senses, her face burning, and she glared at him fiercely.
Yet she didn’t realize that her eyes, filled with affection, cast a more alluring glance in his direction.
Suddenly, the lights in the room went out.
In the darkness, there were rustling sounds, followed by Dou Zhao’s low gasp…