Chen Qushui asked Dou Zhao gently, “What are your plans?”
Dou Zhao replied firmly, “I must protect our family!”
Chen Qushui pondered. Anyone would think the same way. But under the pressure of greater forces, how many could achieve their wishes?
He thought of the men groaning in pain throughout the courtyard and Pang Kunbai who still couldn’t stand or walk. He recalled Dou Zhao’s confrontation with Song Mo in the pouring rain, and the rare warmth Song Mo showed when supporting Dou Zhao. His heart suddenly began to race with a sense of excitement and eagerness.
Chen Qushui recognized this as the desire to be part of the tide of historical change, similar to his longing to realize his ambitions years ago when he realized his official career was hopeless.
He smiled slightly and said softly, “I’ve traveled to many places and seen many sights. This is what life is all about. Madam need not worry about me. Whatever you need, just ask. Though I may lack talent, I will devote myself entirely, even unto death.”
The last phrase was from Zhuge Liang’s “Memorial on Dispatching the Troops.”
Dou Zhao understood Chen Qushui’s meaning.
Indeed, what did she have to fear?
History is written by the victors!
If she failed, the Duke Ding’s Manor would serve as a cautionary tale.
So she could only charge forward.
What of the Prince of Liao? What of the Crown Prince?
What did they matter to her?
When she was in dire straits, it was Su Lan and Su Xin who protected her, Duan Gongyi, and the others who saved her. When she was torn between her past and present lives, it was Song Mo’s persistence and passion that warmed her heart again.
These were the people she should cherish, guard, should protect with all her might!
She had to move forward!
Throughout history, how many heroes have fallen due to indecision?
She had to move forward!
Just as she had done since her rebirth.
Advancing with unwavering determination!
Together with those around her who loved, respected, and cherished her.
Dou Zhao rested her hand on her slightly protruding belly and smiled faintly at Chen Qushui, her eyes twinkling like morning stars.
Bright and dazzling, shining brilliantly.
The Dou Zhao from Zhending was back.
Chen Qushui stood up, stepped back two paces, and bowed slowly to Dou Zhao: “Madam, I await your instructions.”
Dou Zhao smiled.
On the lonely path of life, having one more companion adds a measure of courage.
She gestured for Chen Qushui to sit and said, “Since taking over the household management of the English Duke’s Manor, I’ve noticed something strange. Logically, as a centuries-old noble family, the English Duke’s Manor should have inherited not just titles and property, but also imperial favor, deep connections, and loyal servants supporting the family’s prosperity.”
“For over a hundred years, the English Duke’s Manor has enjoyed continuous imperial favor, hence the well-known English Duke’s Manor Hutong in the capital.”
“I’ve witnessed their deep connections during the New Year – not just the noble families in the capital, but also court officials and garrison commanders from various regions sent gifts to the English Duke’s Manor. Some royal relatives sent quite lavish gifts.”
“But loyal servants? To be honest, I haven’t seen a single one.”
“The young master is surrounded mostly by people from Duke Ding’s Manor.”
“The Duke is surrounded mostly by those promoted after Lady Jiang’s death.”
“I know that after Lady Jiang’s death, the servants in the English Duke’s Manor were purged, and when Yizhi Hall broke ties with the manor, many servants were implicated. But even a lean camel is larger than a horse. How could the English Duke’s Manor end up in its current state, with freshly painted walls and not a single experienced steward to keep things in order?”
“Take Zeng Wu, for example, who recently started serving the Duke. It was a mere coincidence that his father knew how to raise horses, so he followed his father to seek employment at the manor as a menial servant. Yet he’s now following in the footsteps of Huang Qing, the former head steward of the front courtyard, becoming the Duke’s attendant. In our Dou family, this would be unthinkable. We’d investigate at least three generations back and observe for two or three years before assigning someone to our side, starting from the third rank.”
This was also why Wang Yingxue had been so arrogant in her previous life, and why Gaosheng remained loyal to her father in this life, even though she now controlled half of the Western Dou family’s assets.
Chen Qushui, being a scholar from a humble background, had never considered these matters in detail. Hearing Dou Zhao’s explanation, he felt enlightened.
“I remember when I first came to the English Duke’s Manor,” Chen Qushui recalled, “with over two hundred people, it was eerily quiet without any noise. The servants all walked with their heads high, wearing smiles that were both arrogant and humble. Most of them looked at me with a hint of disdain.”
“Yan Chaoqing brought me into the manor then.”
“We met a white-haired steward surnamed Li face to face.”
“Not only did Yan Chaoqing bow to him respectfully, but when Li the steward asked about me, Yan patiently explained with a fabricated story.”
“Afterwards, Yan Chaoqing told me that this Steward Li had served the old Duke and was now in charge of etiquette training for new servants, holding considerable prestige in the manor. He jokingly warned me that there were many such old servants in the English Duke’s Manor and that I should keep my eyes open and not offend these old men.”
“I wondered then if the Duke would find these old servants who had served his father bothersome.”
“Now look at the English Duke’s Manor. Both the young master and the Duke seem somewhat unrestrained, doing whatever they please… Even assigning a maid who once served them personally to the son’s quarters. Even if the maid is innocent, how can such a thing be explained clearly? If word gets out, what kind of place will the English Duke’s Manor become?”
As Chen Qushui spoke, a thought struck him, and he looked at Dou Zhao.
He saw Dou Zhao looking at him with bright eyes.
Both of their expressions changed slightly.
Chen Qushui hesitated, “You suspect the Duke took the opportunity to remove those who bothered him.”
“It’s not a suspicion, it’s a certainty,” Dou Zhao said. “But I once heard the young master say that when Lady Jiang was alive, she managed both the household and official matters. Lady Jiang passed away suddenly, surely leaving many things unsaid to the Duke. The Duke may not have been fully aware of everything in the manor, so there must be some who slipped through the cracks. I think we should approach this from two angles.
You find a way to investigate the backgrounds of the stewards in the outer courtyard, and I’ll look into the backgrounds of the servants in the inner courtyard. Adding in the maids brought in from the estates, we should be able to unravel this and find one or two useful clues. As for the Prince of Liao, the young master is already on guard and investigating him. Once we have more information, we’ll make further plans. The urgent matter now is to get the English Duke’s Manor firmly under our control, making it as impenetrable as an iron bucket. Only then can we calmly deal with court affairs when the Prince of Liao makes his move?”
Chen Qushui solemnly replied, “Madam, please rest assured. Leave this matter to me.”
Dou Zhao personally saw Chen Qushui out of the study.
Then she called for Ruo Zhu.
Among the four young maids whose names began with “Ruo,” she was the most astute.
Dou Zhao beckoned her closer and instructed in a low voice, “Aren’t you friendly with Qixia, the head maid in the Second Young Master’s quarters? The Duke wants to assign Chuan’er from Xiangxiang Courtyard to serve the Second Young Master. Give Qixia a hint and see how she reacts. Also, find a way to strike up conversations with the maids from Xiangxiang Courtyard.”
Ruo Zhu’s grandmother was surnamed Cui and was a distant cousin of Dou Zhao’s grandmother.
Her ability to follow Dou Zhao to Zhending was related to her grandmother.
Ruo Zhu smiled brightly, curtsied, and withdrew.
On Song Mo’s side, there hadn’t been much progress.
According to the information he had gathered, although the members of the Divine Machine Camp all came from distinguished backgrounds and had their factions, under the leadership of Commander-in-chief Wang Xu, they were all like timid mice, angry but not daring to speak out. In the entire Divine Machine Camp, only Wang Xu’s words counted. Moreover, Ma Youming, Jiang Yi, and Wang Xu all had very good relationships, especially Jiang Yi, who, being proficient in literature, had once served as Wang Xu’s secretary. Wang Xu wanted to promote him, which was why he was allowed to become a minor flag bearer.
So where exactly was the problem?
When Song Mo returned to the inner chamber, he saw Dou Zhao sitting under the lamp, flipping through a thick account book.
He never brought the vexing matters from outside into their home.
After washing up and changing, his mood had already improved.
He asked Dou Zhao, “What are you looking at?”
“I’m checking which maids have come and gone in the household,” Dou Zhao smiled and poured him a cup of tea, then asked, “Do you know if any of the servants in the house served your grandfather?”
Song Mo was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I don’t have any impression of that.”
Dou Zhao chided, “How can you be so unaware of your family affairs?”
Song Mo apologetically explained, “A man comes of age at fifteen. Mother felt that after I turned fifteen, it wouldn’t be as convenient for me to frequently accompany my elder uncle. So she hoped that I would learn more about Duke Ding’s Manor before I turned fifteen, and then start familiarizing myself with our family affairs after that. This way, I could master the connections of both manors simultaneously.” As he spoke, his voice lowered, and his expression became somewhat bitter, “But who could have anticipated that plans can’t keep up with changes…”
So Song Mo was even less familiar with the English Duke’s Manor than she was.
Dou Zhao almost fell over backward.
This also showed Lady Jiang’s expectations for her eldest son.
Dou Zhao said, “The people from Duke Ding’s Manor are still from Duke Ding’s Manor after all. If those Jiang family cousins encounter a great amnesty and can return to Haozhou, what will happen to these people? How many will stay and how many will go back?”
Song Mo had considered this issue as well.
Shi An was an example.
With the Jiang family meeting such a fate, Shi An preferred to stay with the Jiang family’s widows and orphans rather than follow him to the capital to seek a career.
However, because he was in confrontation with Song Yichun and desperately short of manpower, he couldn’t afford to worry about these matters.
Now that he had suppressed Song Yichun to the point where he couldn’t exert any force, and Dou Zhao had brought it up, he felt it was time to recruit some new people.
He smiled and said, “Why don’t you lend me Mr. Chen? I’m sort of people by my side, aren’t I?”
Dou Zhao laughed, “Aren’t my people your people? There’s no need to talk about borrowing! If you have any tasks, just give the orders. I believe they’d be willing to work for you as well.”
Song Mo smiled, “I was also thinking of borrowing Duan Gongyi to help me recruit some people.”
Duan Gongyi had connections with Tan Family Village, so borrowing him to recruit people meant looking for help from the jianghu world.
Dou Zhao said, “Guards and such are easy to find. Even if the Jiang family cousins return, we can borrow them. But loyal servants who can be entrusted with our safety are hard to come by. I think you should also bring in some people from the estates to strengthen Yizhi Hall.”