What kind of talk was this?
The Fifth Madam was shocked to hear it, and then heard Wei Tingyu say with a hint of joy: “Of course! How could our Wei family covet a daughter-in-law’s dowry? We just don’t like you relying on your rich dowry to disregard our advice, always running back to your maiden home for every little thing. If you stop seeing your mother and wholeheartedly become a Wei family daughter-in-law, why would we need to entrust your dowry to the Dou family to manage?” He continued, “You’ve been married into our family for nearly half a year now.
Ask yourself, how did my mother treat you when you first arrived? And how does she treat you now? My mother is gentle by nature and loving towards others. Why does she suddenly seem like a different person? Why don’t you think about the reasons behind this? You only know how to blame my mother. Look at yourself, what kind of person have you become? There’s not a trace left of who you were when I first met you!”
Dou Ming remained silent.
The Fifth Madam watched anxiously.
How could Dou Ming be so foolish?
Which couple doesn’t go from honeymoon bliss to gradually developing cracks or even growing tired of each other?
In the end, it’s all due to the accumulation of these seemingly trivial frictions over time.
Yet she believed Wei Tingyu’s words, thinking that if she just went along with him, their relationship would return to how good it was when they first married.
But human desires are hard to satisfy.
Today he coaxes you into not recognizing your mother for the sake of marital harmony, tomorrow he might persuade you to allow him to take a concubine in the name of being a virtuous wife, and the day after he might convince you to sell your dowry for the family’s prosperity…
These were things a mother should have warned her daughter about before marriage.
But looking at Dou Ming’s behavior, it was clear that Wang Yingxue hadn’t said anything.
Wang Yingxue was truly incompetent in important matters!
She hadn’t said what needed to be said but said what shouldn’t have been said, resulting in Dou Ming becoming like this—even able to walk proudly on the streets after snatching her sister’s fiancé.
How shameless!
The Fifth Madam couldn’t help but curse Wang Yingxue in her heart.
But in front of the Wei family, she couldn’t analyze the seriousness of the situation for Dou Ming. She could only wait to speak with Dou Ming afterward.
The Fifth Madam’s tone suddenly became anxious: “Miss Ming, your health isn’t good. Be careful not to get dizzy from standing too long. Let Nanny Zhou support you to rest for a while! Your aunt and I are here, don’t worry about this!”
Dou Ming shook her head gently.
To marry Wei Tingyu, she not only offended her father and Dou Zhao but also made people from both the Dou and Wang families look down on her.
She no longer had a place in either the Dou or Wang family.
If she left the Wei family and returned to either the Dou or Wang family, wouldn’t it make those people laugh their heads off?
In fact, from the day she married Wei Tingyu in Dou Zhao’s place, she had no way back.
She could only live well, not fall into ruin.
The Wei family had become her only refuge. How could she fall out with them? Where would she go then?
Dou Ming felt bitter in her heart and said dejectedly: “Thank you for your concern, Fifth Aunt. But as the saying goes, ‘At home, obey your father; when married, obey your husband.’ Now that I’m a Wei family daughter-in-law, I naturally should respect my husband as I would heaven.” She curtsied to the Fifth Madam and said softly, “As for my mother, please forgive my unfilial behavior. I hope Fifth Aunt can look after her more.”
“Miss Ming!” Lady Ji’s face changed dramatically. She stood up abruptly and said sternly, “Do you know what you’re saying?”
“Sixth Aunt,” Dou Ming said calmly, “I now find it difficult to be both filial and loyal. I have to choose one, so please don’t blame me for being heartless.”
Lady Ji looked at Dou Ming solemnly, her lips trembling slightly.
After a while, she sat down dejectedly and let out a long sigh.
Wei Tingzhen watched with a flushed face, unable to hide her smugness.
What did it matter how formidable the Dou family was? As long as Dou Ming still wanted to be a Wei family daughter-in-law, the Dou family would have to bow their heads!
But she had always been a bit cunning and knew that now was not the time to further anger the Dou and Wang families. Otherwise, if the Dou and Wang families decided to go all out, in the end, it would be Dou Ming and Wei Tingyu who would suffer—Dou Ming was just the Fifth Madam’s niece, but Wei Tingyu was her brother. The Dou family might not care about hurting Dou Ming, but she couldn’t bear to see Wei Tingyu hurt.
She lifted the warm curtain and called out loudly to the maids: “Quick, tell the kitchen to prepare some of their best dishes. Today, the Madam’s relatives from her maiden home will stay for lunch!”
How could the women from the Dou and Wang families still have the face to stay with the Wei family for lunch? They had already pressured the Wei family to the point of suffocation and were about to turn the tables, but who knew Dou Ming would come out and shoot herself in the foot? Not only did she reverse the situation, but she also lost the initiative. It would be difficult for Dou Ming to hold sway over the Wei family in the future. Fortunately, the Dou and Wang families hadn’t given the Wei family any face this time. If the Wei family wanted to bully Dou Ming again, they would have to consider the power of the Dou and Wang families. It could be considered a draw for now.
The Fifth Madam said with an ashen face: “We’re not like the Young Duchess who can idle away at her maiden home—I have a pile of matters waiting for me to attend to back home. We’ll skip lunch today and come to bother Miss Ming another day.” After saying this, she didn’t even look at Dou Ming before turning to leave with Lady Ji.
Madam Gao gave Dou Ming a deep look before following the Fifth Madam and Lady Ji out of the reception room.
Wei Tingzhen giggled as she saw the guests out.
The Fifth Madam felt a surge of anger stuck in her chest.
After getting into the carriage, she couldn’t help but mutter, “We’re really like dogs catching mice, meddling in affairs that don’t concern us.”
Cai Shi was also full of anger.
She had seen foolish people before, but none as foolish as Dou Ming. With time, place, and people all in her favor, she begged for mercy herself, benefiting Wei Tingzhen who didn’t even regard her highly.
She wanted to ask about the whole illegitimate child affair, but seeing the grim expressions on her mother-in-law and sixth aunt’s faces, she could only suppress her curiosity. She poured tea for the Fifth Madam and Lady Ji, trying to comfort the two elders: “The Fifth Young Madam is still young and bound to make mistakes. Mother and Sixth Aunt, please don’t take it to heart. When the Fifth Young Madam grows older, things will improve.”
“She is indeed young,” Lady Ji, sitting opposite the Fifth Madam, said coldly. “But the younger they are, the more their true nature shows. Even dogs don’t abandon their poor homes. She’s someone who has read ‘The Classic of Filial Piety’ and ‘Lessons for Women,’ yet she can say things like ‘If I don’t see my mother, can this matter be dropped?’ This shows how cold-hearted and unfeeling she truly is!” She continued, “Look at Miss Shou, at such a young age she already knows right from wrong.
That Tuo Niang, merely following Zhao Shi’s orders to care for her for two years, and not only adds to her dowry but also elevates her husband, ensuring she’s well-provided for. But look at our Fifth Young Madam, how many of her maids and servants can stay long? Let alone those who would be willing to risk their lives for her out of gratitude! It’s clear that it’s not me being biased; it’s really that she’s a person hard to like!”
Still saying she’s not biased!
Doesn’t Miss Ming still have Nanny Zhou by her side?
Cai shi found this amusing, thinking that Lady Ji was indeed extraordinarily partial to Dou Zhao.
Hearing this, the Fifth Madam was stunned. The more she thought about it, the more she felt Lady Ji’s words made sense. She even began to feel wary of Dou Ming.
She felt that Dou Ming’s heart was truly hard. If she could treat her birth mother who bore and raised her like this, she would have even less feeling for others. No matter how well she treated her, it would be difficult to warm that cold heart of hers.
She returned to Huaishu Hutong in silence.
Dou Shizhu had gone to the yamen but, fearing that the Dou family women might be humiliated at the Wei family, he had sent a servant to wait at home for news.
The Fifth Madam felt dejected just thinking about the day’s events and couldn’t muster any enthusiasm. She had the servant take a message to Dou Shizhu saying “The matter has been successfully resolved,” while she lay down dispiritedly.
After helping her mother-in-law to rest, Cai Shi immediately sent her trusted maid back to her maiden home.
The maid whispered to Madam Cai: “Our Tenth Young Madam says that something big has happened in the Dou family, and asks you to visit her when you have time.”
The Dou family was a current Cabinet Elder, and they were related by marriage. If something big happened to the Dou family, it might implicate the Cai family.
Madam Cai couldn’t sit still. She immediately had some pastries prepared, and as soon as the maid left, she went to the Dou family.
Knowing that her in-law had come just to see her grandson and that the Fifth Madam was in a bad mood due to Dou Ming’s affair, they exchanged a few pleasantries before the Fifth Madam had her maid take Madam Cai to Cai Shi’s residence.
Cai Shi closed the door and talked with Madam Cai for the entire afternoon.
On the Wang family’s side, Madam Gao sighed to Gao Mingzhu: “As parents, sometimes we need to reflect on ourselves. Otherwise, even our children will be affected. What’s the point of living then?”
Gao Mingzhu was graceful and beautiful, with bright eyes and white teeth, truly living up to her name “Bright Pearl.”
She was personally attending to Madam Gao’s grooming. Hearing this, her hand holding the comb paused, and she hesitated before saying, “Although Aunt is improper, it’s still not good for a daughter to reject her mother like this…”
Gao Mingzhu wanted to say that they shouldn’t interfere in Dou Ming’s affairs anymore. Dou Ming was a Dou after all, and the Dou family would handle her matters. Why should the Wang family get caught in the middle?
But she knew that the entire Wang family treated this cousin differently, and had even almost married Dou Ming to Wang Nan. Others could say such things, but she couldn’t.
Madam Gao understood her niece and daughter-in-law well, naturally grasping her implied meaning. Moreover, they were thinking along the same lines. She turned and smiled at her, saying, “If such things happen again in the future, you just avoid them. I’ll explain to your grandmother.”
Gao Mingzhu breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Gao worried about how to report back to her mother-in-law.
Pang Yulou, however, had no such reservations.
She made an exaggerated gesture of pulling someone and said loudly: “…couldn’t stop her, Miss Ming just said those words. Not just me, even the Dou family’s Fifth Madam Huo’s face changed dramatically. Think about it, the Young Madam is her birth mother, how could she say such heartless words? Is it true that once a woman has a man, she forgets her mother?”
“Nonsense!” Madam Wang Liu slapped the edge of her couch, fearing that Pang Yulou might say more vulgar rural sayings that would make people blush. “If you’re going to tell what happened, just tell it. Why are you spouting such nonsense?”
Pang Yulou laughed coldly in her heart.
Do you treat that daughter of yours who was driven back by her husband’s family like a treasure? Eating my food, drinking my drinks, and still bossing me around. I’ll disgust you to death!
She immediately put on a timid appearance and mumbled: “The Dou family is too stingy. It was just asking them to give two-hundred-year-old ginseng roots to nourish Miss Ming’s health, and they acted like we were asking for their lives…”
“Shut your mouth!” Madam Wang Liu was so angry her face turned black. She finally turned away from Pang Yulou and asked Madam Gao sternly, “You tell me, what exactly happened?”
Madam Pang had already said everything that needed to be said. What else could she say? She just couldn’t believe that Dou Ming would disown even her mother.
Madam Gao grumbled inwardly but respectfully recounted the events to Madam Wang Liu.
Madam Wang Liu fainted on the spot.