As Dou Zhao’s pregnancy progressed, her belly grew large. Song Mo was quite worried, but the midwife introduced by the Crown Princess smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry,” she said, “The madam has wide hips – she’ll have an easy delivery.” Dou Zhao remembered her first childbirth in her previous life had gone smoothly, so she agreed with the midwife and comforted Song Mo: “Go attend to your business. If anything happens, I’ll have Wuyi call for you.”
Lately, Duke Ying’s household had been especially busy with social engagements. After Princess Ningde’s birthday celebration came the birthdays of the Third Princess, Empress Wan, and the Empress Dowager. June 16th was the Emperor’s birthday, and in the latter half of the year were the birthdays of Prince Liao and the Crown Prince. This didn’t even account for the various princes, princesses, and high officials… Dou Zhao felt that if these dates weren’t marked on the calendar, the household stewards would surely forget to remind the inner courtyard, leading to mistakes.
Today, Song Mo was discussing birthday gifts for the Empress Dowager with Gu Yu, Yan Chaoqing, and others when the midwife arrived. Song Mo left the others to continue the discussion and followed the midwife inside. They still hadn’t decided on a suitable gift for the Empress Dowager.
“It’s alright,” Song Mo said softly, looking at Dou Zhao’s belly with a mix of awe and concern. “In my absence, they can freely express their opinions.” He turned to the midwife and asked, “What if my wife can’t deliver the baby?”
The midwife’s eyes widened in surprise. If the baby couldn’t be delivered, it would mean facing death! But how could she say such a thing?
She hesitated before replying, “During the delivery, imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy will be present. I also have some skills with acupuncture. There won’t be any problems.”
Song Mo then inquired about which imperial physicians specialized in gynecology and pediatrics, what supplements newborns should take, and a host of other questions.
The midwife patiently answered his questions with a smile, but inwardly she couldn’t help but wonder. Weren’t these matters that women usually concerned themselves with? How had things become so reversed in Duke Ying’s household?
People outside claimed that the heir of Duke Ying was a cold-blooded killer. If not for the Crown Princess’s orders, the midwife would never have dared to come. Even so, her legs had trembled the entire journey. To her surprise, the heir was not the fierce brute of legend, but a handsome man with a jade-like complexion, bright eyes, and an elegant bearing. In her thirty-some years, having entered many noble houses, she had never seen a man more beautiful than the heir of Duke Ying. Most importantly, the care and concern he showed for his wife was genuine.
The young madam was truly fortunate! The midwife couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. How deadly rumors could be!
Dou Zhao tugged at Song Mo’s sleeve coquettishly and said in a low voice, “What supplements should a newborn take? Before my aunt left for Huguang, she gave me detailed instructions on everything. My Sixth Aunt also sent Wang Mama to attend to me. We don’t understand these things, so we should just listen to our elders. Don’t act rashly and disappoint their good intentions.”
Her implication was clear – don’t meddle unnecessarily.
Song Mo smiled sheepishly, instructed her to rest if she felt tired, and left for the outer courtyard.
Dou Zhao watched him leave, shaking her head with a smile. How interesting that even Song Mo could become flustered with concern. Her heart felt sweet as if she had a piece of candy in her mouth.
She instructed Ganlu to reward the midwife. In late March, after Dou Zhao had inquired about the person’s background, Song Mo had arranged for Suqin to be betrothed to a steward named Xu Liang from the outer courtyard’s affairs office. Ganlu’s marriage, however, was not yet settled.
Ganlu smiled as she handed the midwife a heavy money pouch. The midwife was both surprised and delighted. She had heard that Duke Ying’s heir’s wife had brought a lavish dowry, but she hadn’t expected such generosity.
After offering some auspicious words, the midwife left the inner chamber with Ganlu, smiling.
Assisted by Ruozhu, Dou Zhao got off the kang bed and strolled around the courtyard of the main house. This was based on her experience from her previous life – the more one moved before giving birth, the easier the delivery would be.
Ganlu, having returned from escorting the midwife, directed several young maids to set up a small tea table with fruits and pastries.
Song Mo’s elder sister-in-law arrived with her daughter-in-law, Tan Shi. Remembering that she had once offered to introduce a midwife, Dou Zhao assumed they had come out of concern for her impending delivery. Seeing the pleasant weather, she instructed a maid to place embroidered stools under the grape trellis and invited the elder sister-in-law and Tan Shi to have tea and fruit.
After asking a few questions about the delivery, the elder sister-in-law suddenly changed the subject to Jiang Yi: “…I hear that young man is quite handsome… With your pregnancy, delivery, and recovery, it’ll be at least half a year. You should consider some things carefully.”
It took Dou Zhao a moment to understand what the elder sister-in-law was implying. She couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Thank you for your concern, but I believe the young master will make his arrangements for such matters. As a woman, it’s not my place to worry about these things.”
The elder sister-in-law’s face turned bright red. After stammering for a while, she finally revealed her true purpose.
It turned out that Tan Shi’s father also held a position in the Five Cities Military Command. He had been promoted to Commander of the Northern City Military Command. After Song Mo took office, he visited him several times, and Song Mo had been very cordial. However, when it came time for promotions, Hao Dayong was chosen instead!
After Hao Dayong took charge of the Five Cities Military Command, he became increasingly disrespectful towards Song Mo. Not only did he repay kindness with enmity, but he also set his sights on the Marquis of Jining, constantly creating difficulties for him. Recently, he had even publicly investigated the Marquis of Jining’s affairs, exposing his silk shop partnership with someone surnamed Wang on East Street, making it common knowledge.
The elder sister-in-law said, “Although court officials are not allowed to engage in commerce, who among the civil and military officials doesn’t do some business? They’d all starve to death on those meager salaries! One should be lenient when possible. Hao Dayong’s actions have caused much discontent throughout the Five Cities Military Command. My in-law fears that the young master might be implicated, so he specifically asked me to inform you, madam, to warn the young master not to be deceived by that Hao fellow!”
Dou Zhao smiled without speaking, glancing at Tan Shi.
Others might not know, but Tan Shi understood clearly. Her father was envious of Hao Dayong and Jiang Yi gaining Song Mo’s favor and wanted to discredit them in Song Mo’s eyes!
Tan Shi’s face turned bright red.
Dou Zhao leisurely took a sip of tea and spoke slowly, “If that’s the case, I’ll have someone escort the elder sister-in-law to the front study – the young master is currently speaking with Master Gu there.” She called out loudly for Ruotong, clearly indicating her unwillingness to get involved.
The elder sister-in-law was startled and exclaimed, “Madam, the Marquis of Jining is your brother-in-law!”
Dou Zhao smiled coldly, her tone both admonishing and warning, “Though the Marquis of Jining is my brother-in-law, the young master is my husband!”
The elder sister-in-law’s expression changed abruptly, and she hastily took her leave with Tan Shi.
Ganlu, knowing that Dou Zhao always defended Song Mo in front of others, waited until the elder sister-in-law and her daughter-in-law had left before asking softly, “Are you not going to ask the young master about this matter?”
Dou Zhao replied, “The young master has his reasons for his actions. If I were to question him every time someone came to me with baseless claims, how could we live our lives?”
Ganlu looked embarrassed.
Dou Zhao quickly put this matter out of her mind because Chen Qushui had returned.
Not only had he returned, but he had also brought a man in his sixties with him.
The old man’s surname was Song, his given name Yan, and his courtesy name Shize.
He was the grandfather of the girl formerly named Meiyinew called Feiye.
Although Song Shize was over sixty, he stood straight and tall. His graying hair was neatly combed, and his coarse linen robe was spotlessly clean. His eyes gleamed with vitality, giving him a robust appearance.
He knelt before Dou Zhao, his eyes brimming with tears: “This old servant’s family has borne the surname Song for generations, bestowed upon us by the imperial family. In my generation, we received even greater favor from the Duke’s household. I served in the old Duke’s study, and when I came of age, I was allowed to become a head shopkeeper.
After the death of Madam Sun, when Madam Jiang took charge of the household and the old Duke fell gravely ill, I voluntarily suggested moving to the estate in Tianjin to live with my son and daughter-in-law. When the old Duke passed away, I helped with the funeral arrangements… This old servant never imagined the Duke’s household would become what it is today! Not only have all the familiar faces disappeared, but even the reasons are impossible to discover.
I had hoped to seek guidance from the young master, but his guards are so numerous that ordinary people can’t approach him. Moreover, I left the household before the young master was born, so even if I introduced myself, he might not recognize me. In my desperation, when I heard that the madam had ordered the Daxing estate’s steward to send some maids to serve in the Yizhi Hall, I finally saw hope. I sent my only granddaughter there… Madam, we have been waiting for this day for three years!”
He kowtowed repeatedly to Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao raised an eyebrow. For someone to be able to assist with the Duke’s funeral arrangements indicated that he must have been a trusted and respected steward.
His departure from Duke Ying’s household to retire at the Tianjin estate was likely due to the changing of the guard, making way for Madam Jiang’s people. After Madam Jiang favored people from the Jiang family, the descendants of the old servants lost the opportunity to continue serving in the household and were scattered among various estates, becoming ordinary farmers.
She gestured for Chen Qushui to help the man up and had someone bring a small stool for Song Shize to sit on. Then she spoke slowly, “Logically, the current head of Duke Ying’s household is the Duke himself, yet you say you wanted to seek guidance from the young master. This shows that you understand why your familiar acquaintances have disappeared. As for saying you couldn’t find out the reasons, that’s nonsense. Since you’ve come to see me, you must already have a plan in mind.
Let’s speak candidly and save time on pretenses. I have neither the time nor interest for your veiled probing. You should know that apart from your granddaughter, I have a young maid whose grandmother once served two Duchess Yings and another whose grandmother worked in the old Duchess’s chambers. Though I don’t know their names, you, as an old servant of the household, should be well aware of this. Since I was able to find you, I can certainly find them too. It would just take a bit more time!”
Song Shize’s expression froze, then turned embarrassed.
The young madam’s ability to find him showed not only that he had intentionally left clues but also demonstrated her shrewdness and capability. How could he hope to both save face for the Duke and make a good impression on the young madam in their first meeting? He had been pondering this day ever since learning that Duke Ying’s household was selecting maids from among the hereditary servants at the estates, but he never expected this outcome… With matters now at a critical juncture, he had no time to carefully consider his words. Even if he misspoke, things couldn’t get much worse.
He gritted his teeth and once again knelt before Dou Zhao.