Dou Zhao settled Song Shize in Chen Qushui’s small courtyard and instructed him, “If anyone asks, say you’re a friend of Mr. Chen, here to visit him.”
Song Shize hesitated, “What if someone recognizes me?”
“That’s not a problem,” Dou Zhao smiled. “You’re a longtime servant of the household and former steward of Duke Ying’s estate. You’ve traveled extensively and have considerable experience. Just assess the situation and respond accordingly. I trust in your ability to handle it.”
Song Shize grumbled inwardly. It seemed his hasty return to Duke Ying’s estate also served as bait! But having already chosen between the Duke and the heir apparent, he couldn’t waver now. He could only wholeheartedly follow Yizhitang’s lead. If this could resolve the young master’s inner conflict, he’d accept being bait.
Having made up his mind, Song Shize’s resentment dissipated. He respectfully bowed to Dou Zhao before retreating with Chen Qushui.
Dou Zhao immediately left to find Song Mo.
The Imperial Guard’s office was located in the Five Military Commands, but they had a duty room in the inner palace. Song Mo was on duty today, stationed in the duty room. She waited for him in a small teahouse next to the Five Military Commands.
Perhaps due to its proximity to the Six Ministries, this teahouse had an unassuming facade but revealed hidden depths once inside. Without Liao Bifeng’s guidance, they would never have found such a place.
After instructing the tea master to serve Dou Zhao tea and snacks, Liao Bifeng led Wuyi and the others to withdraw to the outer corridor.
Sitting in the quiet private room, Dou Zhao realized she had acted somewhat impulsively. Before Song Mo and Song Yichun’s falling out, Song Mo had never doubted his father, so his understanding of Song Yichun remained superficial. However, after their estrangement, Song Mo had done plenty of digging into Song Yichun’s past, and Song Yichun had also investigated Song Mo. If Song Yichun had any further entanglements after that Miss Tiao, it would have surely left traces. It seemed Song Yichun truly hadn’t transgressed again, as Song Shize had said.
Dou Zhao chuckled to herself. Why was she so fixated on events from over a decade ago, before Song Mo was even born? Yet she couldn’t deny her curiosity about Miss Tiao, wondering what kind of woman could entice Song Yichun to commit such an immoral act.
She instructed Ruozhu to refill her tea.
Song Mo hurried over. “What happened?” He knew about Song Shize’s secret entry into the estate, and Dou Zhao’s sudden summons worried him. He had even disregarded his joint duty with Dong Qi, asking him to keep watch while he rushed out of the palace. “You could have just sent a message. Why did you come yourself? In your condition, you shouldn’t be jostled about in carriages.”
Dou Zhao smiled, patting her belly. “Don’t worry, I came by sedan chair.” Noticing the fine sweat on his brow from his hurried arrival, she instructed Ruotong to bring water for Song Mo to freshen up. “I met with Song Shize. He shared some old stories that left me quite moved, so I came to find you.”
She sat beside Song Mo and recounted her conversation with Song Shize in detail.
Song Mo’s eyes widened as he listened. After Dou Zhao finished, he remained stunned for a moment before asking, “Is what you’re saying true?”
Anyone would be upset to learn of such past actions by their father.
Dou Zhao sighed softly and nodded. “So many years have passed, and that young lady has passed away. It no longer concerns us directly. But considering your grandmother was pregnant with you at the time, her feelings must have been quite complicated. I thought you should know about the difficulties she faced…”
Perhaps subconsciously, Dou Zhao believed that the more distant Song Mo’s feelings toward Song Yichun became, the safer he would be in future confrontations with his father. This might be why she chose to share this information with him.
Song Mo’s mood indeed became somber. He asked, “So Father removed all the people Grandfather left for me?”
He skipped over the matter of the mistress and focused on the stewards.
“Yes,” Dou Zhao replied, not wanting to rub salt in the wound. “From what Song Shize implied, this is why no one was able to warn you when the Duke intended to harm you.”
Song Mo remained silent for a moment before saying, “I’ll investigate this matter thoroughly.” He had regained his usual calm composure.
Dou Zhao felt both relieved and sympathetic. Changing the subject, she smiled and said, “Who owns this teahouse? It’s quite cleverly designed. Not only is it arranged like a small courtyard, but it also serves both tea and meals. Since I rarely get out, why don’t we have dinner here today?”
Upon entering, she noticed wooden plaques with menu items hanging on the screen wall, indicating that the teahouse also served food.
Song Mo occasionally used this place to entertain friends or meet with subordinates. He knew the tea was decent, but the food was unremarkable. Seeing Dou Zhao’s enthusiasm, however, he went along with it and asked Liao Bifeng to fetch a menu from the tea master. He ordered several of the better dishes available.
While waiting for the food, Dou Zhao told Song Mo about her visit to Fayuan Temple with Dou Qijun and the others in Zhending.
Song Mo listened with great interest.
Dou Zhao’s thoughts turned to Wu Shan.
It had been a long time since she’d heard any news of him. She wondered how he was faring.
But the thought passed quickly, and she was soon captivated by Song Mo’s rare, hearty laughter, pushing Wu Shan to the back of her mind.
Wu Shan stood before a pomegranate tree, watching as a dignified and noble-looking man gently helped a familiar figure into a carriage. He remained dazed for a long while.
Dou Qijun shook his head slightly.
Wu Shan snapped back to reality.
He smiled awkwardly at Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang, saying, “Let’s go inside quickly! Otherwise, we might run into more acquaintances and spend all day exchanging greetings.”
Wu Shan had heard that Dou Qijun had passed the imperial examinations and had specially invited him for a meal. After much deliberation, they had unknowingly chosen the same teahouse as Dou Zhao, leading to this unexpected encounter with someone he thought he’d never see again.
The Dou family uncles hadn’t expected to see Dou Zhao here either.
They exchanged smiles and let the matter drop.
Dou Dechang brought up Wu Shan’s marriage: “You and your cousin have been engaged for three years now. When will we be invited to drink your wedding wine?”
Wu Shan blushed and replied, “It’s set for this September.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Dou Zhengchang. “We’ll all come to your home to celebrate then!”
Wu Shan smiled and agreed.
In recent years, he had been somewhat lax in his studies and failed the provincial examinations last year. This time, he had applied himself diligently and followed his mother’s wishes to marry his cousin. Surely his mother would no longer object to his association with the Dou family?
He smiled as he invited the Dou family uncles into the private room, but for some reason, his heart was filled with an inexplicable sadness.
As for Dou Zhao, she found herself unable to sleep after returning to Yizhitang. She called for Ruozhu and said, “Find out why the maids in Xiuxiang Courtyard are at each other’s throats.”
Previously, she had assumed it was due to jealousy and had been too disgusted to listen. Now, she wanted to know the reason.
Ruozhu respectfully agreed, and only then did Dou Zhao feel at ease enough to rest.
Two days later, Ruozhu returned with her findings.
“My lady, I’ve heard that the Duke is easily swayed. Whoever serves him well is favored, but within days, he might punish those close to him for the slightest misstep,” she reported, her expression somewhat strange. “The maids in Xiuxiang Courtyard go to great lengths to please the Duke and gain prominence, resorting to false accusations and sabotage. The Duke only seems to hear praise and not criticism. Over time, they’ve become like mortal enemies, constantly trying to outdo and undermine each other. It’s said that Baizhi initially rose to her position by stepping on Chuan’er, but when Chuan’er was transferred to the Second Young Master’s courtyard, she set a trap for Baizhi before leaving. Baizhi nearly got sent to work on a farm by the Duke. That’s why Baizhi was so determined to teach Chuan’er a lesson…”
Dou Zhao’s interest was piqued. “Baizhi and Chuan’er were both close attendants to the Duke. Were they ever taken into his bed?”
Ruozhu’s face turned bright red as she lowered her voice, “No! Everyone in Xiuxiang Courtyard knows that the Duke never dallies with maids. Baizhi and Chuan’er were favored at most for their beauty and sweet talk. As for taking concubines, since Madam Jiang’s passing, he’s only taken in one named Du Ruo.” She continued in an even softer voice, “From what Luoyan implied, this Du Ruo seems rather unusual. Besides serving the Duke, she spends all day alone in her room doing needlework, never raising her head or mingling with others. She doesn’t try to curry favor with the Duke and ignores the cold remarks from other maids…”
Dou Zhao sent a message to Du Wei to investigate Du Ruo’s background.
It turned out that Du Ruo was the daughter of a convicted official who had been demoted to slave status.
She then asked Du Wei to look into Song Yichun’s former concubines.
They were either daughters from respectable families who had entered service or daughters of the estate’s higher-ranking stewards. None came from humble origins. Song Yichun had treated them all well, being gentle and attentive while they were in the household and providing generous dowries when they left, ensuring they departed without resentment.
How interesting, Dou Zhao thought, sipping her tea as she gazed at the lush vines outside the window.
According to Song Shize, Miss Tiao’s surname was Li. Her ancestors had once produced a Hanlin academician. Though her family had fallen on hard times by her father’s generation, they still had an annual income of 300 taels of silver. This was enough to support her brother’s studies and save for her dowry.
It seemed that Song Yichun placed great importance on a person’s background and wasn’t the type to lose his head over beauty alone. He had certain basic requirements for the women who served him.
This had both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that these women usually had received better education and upbringing. The disadvantage was that such women were more likely to be elevated to the status of concubines.
Yet, over all these years, Song Yichun had taken no concubines.
Did he feel these girls weren’t worthy of being his concubines? Or did Madam Jiang object?
After pondering for a moment, Dou Zhao decided to ask Song Mo directly.
“What are you thinking about?” Song Mo had been busy lately and hadn’t paid much attention to Dou Zhao’s activities. He chuckled and gently pinched her nose. “After Mother gave birth to Tian’en, her health deteriorated. She did suggest taking a concubine for Father. Father looked around but was either unsatisfied with the candidates’ backgrounds or they were unwilling to be concubines. So the matter was left unresolved.”