Jiang Yan was bent over the table, tracing characters, when she saw Song Mo enter. Startled, she stood up shyly and smiled.

Song Mo felt a surge of anger. His sister, a precious child born after their mother endured ten months of hardship, appeared timid and unrefined, while the one who belittled her was their father. His expression darkened as he asked, “Where is your sister-in-law?”

Jiang Yan’s heart raced like a drum. Fearing that Song Mo would blame Dou Zhao for not accompanying her, she hurriedly defended him, saying, “Sister-in-law was here with me. It was Mr. Chen, her accountant, who said he needed her urgently, so she left.” To prove her point, she quickly grabbed a piece of Xuan’s paper and added, “This is what she just wrote for me.”

Could I possibly blame Shou Gu for this?

Song Mo’s face grew even darker. He glanced at the characters Jiang Yan had written and reminded her, “If you need anything, just tell your sister-in-law,” before turning and heading back to his study.

Jiang Yan let out a long sigh, feeling her tension ease.

Meanwhile, Song Mo was seething with anger and instructed Wu Yi, “When the lady finishes speaking with Mr. Chen, let me know.”

Wu Yi nodded and left.

Song Mo rubbed his forehead and reclined in a drunken man’s chair.

In a nearby study, Dou Zhao was listening to Chen Qu Shui discuss matters concerning Song Han.

“So, aside from that Li Dasheng, there’s nothing unusual about the people around Song Han?” she asked, her brow furrowed in seriousness. “If I remember correctly, Li Dasheng is the personal guard that Duke Ying assigned to Song Han, right?”

“Exactly,” Chen Qu Shui replied. “He left the capital on the day of Li Tiao’s incident. According to Chief Steward Huang, he had requested to resign three months ago. However, he had served the Second Master since childhood, and the Second Master was reluctant to let him go. After several attempts to keep him, he finally accepted Li Dasheng’s decision to leave when it became clear he was determined.”

Dou Zhao followed this lead and discovered that Li Dasheng had not returned to his hometown but had gone missing after leaving the capital. “I suspect he was silenced,” she concluded.

Having grown up in Duke Ying’s residence, Song Han’s associates were either rewarded by Song Yichun or arranged by the chief steward, making it relatively easy to investigate him. Dou Zhao believed that Li Dasheng was likely in grave danger.

“If Li Dasheng is dead, regardless of whether Li Tiao was responsible, he was a gift from Duke Ying to Song Han,” she said. “Song Han could easily claim ignorance and shift all the blame onto Duke Ying.”

Dou Zhao and Chen Qu Shui were on the same wavelength. He suggested, “Should we inform the Young Master about this? I noticed he didn’t seem particularly anxious after hearing about Li Dasheng’s disappearance; he might still be thinking of his brotherly bond with the Second Master.”

This was one of the reasons he had come to consult Dou Zhao. In his view, if they could use this incident to completely strip Song Han of his right to inherit Duke Ying’s estate, it would be ideal.

Dou Zhao smiled and replied, “No need! The Young Master knows how to handle things. You all just need to observe.” She added, “If there’s any news from Du Wei, have him inform us.”

Song Mo never concealed anything from Dou Zhao. Whether it was Chen Qu Shui or Duan Gongyi, they would always report the truth if asked.

Chen Qu Shui smiled and agreed, then took his leave.

Dou Zhao sat alone for a moment before calling for Ruo Zhu. “Has there been any news from the Second Master lately?”

After the incident with Chuan Er, Song Yichun reprimanded the maids in Xiangxiang Courtyard and casually assigned two of them to work in Song Han’s residence. Ruo Zhu quickly became friends with those two maids.

“Everything is the same as usual,” Ruo Zhu replied softly. “Every day, he gets up at Yin, practices horse stance for an hour, has breakfast at Chen, pays respects to the Duke at the third quarter of Chen, and attends lessons at the right time…”

She detailed everything, from what he ate and drank to whom he met and what he said, even mentioning how he had loitered outside Bi Shui Xuan for over an hour yesterday before returning to the upper courtyard with his head down.

Everything seemed normal, just like any other day.

Dou Zhao rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. If Li Dasheng was under her orders, there would be no way he left no trace behind. Even if she wanted to call him in for a word of caution, she would need someone to run errands, right?

What was the real issue here? What had she overlooked?

The more she thought about it, the more intrigued she became by Song Han. Previously, she had dismissed him, fearing to alert him, but now she realized she needed to visit the upper courtyard more often. After all, Song Han was still young and not yet betrothed; in a few years, even if he became her brother-in-law, she would have to avoid any suspicion.

With this thought, she stood up, ready to instruct Ruo Tong that she was going to the upper courtyard.

Just then, the bamboo curtain swayed, and Song Mo walked in.

“It’s so hot; why didn’t you call a maid to fan you?” he complained upon seeing Dou Zhao alone in the room. “Or at least have someone bring in some ice!”

He was worried that Dou Zhao would suffer in the summer heat, especially since this year had seen a doubling of ice supplies compared to last.

Dou Zhao smiled and replied, “I just sat here for a bit after seeing Mr. Chen. There’s no need to bring in ice for that! Don’t worry; if I feel hot, I’ll call a maid to help fan me.” She then asked, “What brings you here? Didn’t you say you had something to discuss with Lu Ming?”

She finally realized that if Du Wei was the “informant,” then Lu Ming was the one who did “private work” for him. Any matters involving these two were best left unasked, as none of them were pleasant to hear.

However, Song Mo didn’t want her to know about this and vaguely replied, “I wanted to ask what A Yan said to Li Liang when they met.”

Early yesterday morning, after Jiang Yan sent Li Liang off, she went to pay respects to Li Tiao.

Song Mo decided to adopt a “what you don’t see won’t trouble you” approach and went to the palace early.

Dou Zhao, however, was skeptical. If he wanted to know what Jiang Yan and Li Liang discussed, he should have sent Du Wei, not involving Lu Ming.

Not wanting to expose him, she smiled and said, “It was just a few words of advice for Li Liang to take care of himself.” She conveniently omitted the part where Jiang Yan secretly gave Li Liang twenty taels of silver.

Song Mo snorted coldly, complaining, “Can’t you think of a way to make A Yan stop acting like a timid little wife, shrinking away from everyone? How will she manage to socialize in the future?”

“What’s the rush?” Dou Zhao laughed. “She’s a widow now; it’s not very appropriate for her to be out and about. Once she gets used to life in the Duke Ying’s residence, we can teach her gradually.”

“Every time I see her like that, I can’t help but feel angry,” Song Mo said, sitting beside Dou Zhao. “She doesn’t resemble our mother at all!”

Li Tiao had raised Jiang Yan to be timid to control her.

Dou Zhao feared that saying this would only upset Song Mo further, so she smiled and said, “Don’t keep staring at her. The more you watch, the more nervous she’ll become, and the less composed she’ll be in her words and actions, which will only make you angrier…”

As they spoke, a young servant peeked in, looking anxious.

The rules in Yi Zhi Tang were quite strict; Dou Zhao and Song Mo were conversing without prior notice, and the servant dared not eavesdrop.

Dou Zhao sensed that something urgent had come up that required Song Mo’s decision. She stopped the conversation and called the servant in.

The servant rushed in, visibly relieved, and knelt before Song Mo and Dou Zhao, holding up a letter. “Young Master, Madam, a letter has arrived from Uncle Wu in Liaodong.”

Both Dou Zhao and Song Mo were taken aback.

Song Mo opened the letter and quickly scanned it, then sighed in relief and smiled at Dou Zhao. “Uncle Wu says he has gathered some fine hides in Liaodong over the past few years and will send them back with a merchant convoy in a few days. He wants me to send someone to bring the goods home.”

Dou Zhao noticed the letter bore the seal of the Ministry of War and couldn’t help but smile. “It seems Uncle Wu is doing quite well in Liaodong.”

Song Mo replied, “My Uncle Wu has no other hobbies; he just loves making friends. Anyone who talks to him for a bit will like him. It’s a pity you haven’t met him; otherwise, you two would surely get along.” She then asked, “Are you going back to your room or staying here for a while longer? I’ll inform the steward.”

Dou Zhao smiled and said, “I’ll take a stroll to the Second Master’s room and see what those little maids are up to.”

Song Mo hesitated. “If you have something to do, just ask Gan Lu or the others to handle it. The upper courtyard is a fifteen-minute walk from here; it’s too far.”

He had grown suspicious of Song Han, instinctively reluctant to step into his territory.

After some persuasion, Dou Zhao finally agreed to take Jin Gui and Yin Gui with her, and Song Mo reluctantly consented to personally escort her to the main house.

In the afternoon, Song Han was to study music, leaving Qi Xia to watch over the room with a few little maids.

When Dou Zhao arrived, Qi Xia was both surprised and delighted, quickly preparing tea and snacks for her.

Dou Zhao had visited a few times, but each time had been hurried, accompanied by a crowd, and she had never entered Song Han’s inner chamber. Now, taking a closer look, she found that Song Han’s inner room was elegantly decorated, quite similar to the warm pavilion in Song Mo’s outer study.

Qi Xia smiled and explained, “The Second Master likes to learn from the Young Master in every way, even in these small matters.”

Dou Zhao nodded with a smile, but suddenly a cat darted out, startling her.

Qi Xia turned pale with fright.

If anything happened to the Madam, everyone in the courtyard would be in trouble.

She quickly scolded a little maid, “Didn’t you see the Madam here? Why didn’t you stop her? What if you scared her?”

The little maid turned pale and fell to her knees before Dou Zhao, trembling like a leaf.

The cat, however, gracefully leaped onto the bed, lazily lying under the table. Its black fur shimmered like satin, and its bright blue eyes sparkled with a mysterious light, reminiscent of the sea reflecting the clear sky.

Dou Zhao then realized that this cat was a valuable Persian breed. Unfortunately, she didn’t like such cats, finding their appearance strange, and instinctively took a step back.

Qi Xia hurriedly said, “Madam, this is the Second Master’s pet. It usually stays in the warm pavilion… I didn’t expect you to come today, so I didn’t secure the door. I hope it didn’t scare you!”

Dou Zhao thought that even Song Han wouldn’t have the audacity to use a cat to frighten her, especially since she was nearing her due date. She glanced at the cat and said, “I’m fine,” before exiting Song Han’s inner chamber with Qi Xia and the others. Just as they settled in the hall, Song Han rushed in, drenched in sweat.