Among those Song Mo knew, no one understood Liang Jifen better than Dou Shizhu, who was both Liang’s colleague and competitor. Moreover, from a strategic perspective, no one had a deeper or more comprehensive view than Dou Shizhu. So when Song Mo met with Dou Shizhu, he didn’t conceal his intentions. He told Dou Shizhu everything that had happened to Duke Ding.
Dou Shizhu was surprised that Song Mo had never given up on clearing Duke Ding’s name.
A great man stands firm in the world, knowing what to do and what not to do!
His gaze at Song Mo now held an additional measure of appreciation.
But to oppose Liang Jifen for Song Mo’s grudge…
Don’t underestimate the young!
Dou Shizhu looked at the spirited Song Mo, holding his teacup in silence for a long while before finally deciding to speak: “As far as I know, Liang Jifen is a cautious person. At that time, he had just taken over the cabinet. He had Zeng Yifen’s lingering influence before him, Ye Shipei’s strong presence behind him, and Yao Shizhong and Dai Jian watching from the sides. His immediate priority was to establish a firm footing. If he wanted to do that, understanding the emperor’s intentions was paramount. Even if he harbored a narrow-minded grudge against Duke Ding, how could he dare to go against the emperor’s wishes and face the world’s condemnation?”
Song Mo’s eyes lit up. “You mean someone else was behind this?”
Dou Shizhu nodded solemnly. “Since the emperor regretted Duke Ding’s death and has shown you such favor because of it, logically, he should have treated the Jiang family well after Duke Ding’s accidental death. But in the end, Duke Ding’s passing didn’t bring about the emperor’s reconciliation. The emperor was extremely angry at the time, showing no intention of forgiving the Jiang family. That’s why your uncles were thrown into prison as soon as they arrived in the capital.”
“Your strategy of misdirection worked well – disparaging Duke Ding made the emperor feel that he wasn’t well-liked. This allowed the emperor to be more lenient when dealing with the Jiang family. Males over five were exiled, those under five and the women were demoted to commoners, but they were allowed to keep the ancestral Jiang home for shelter. Later, Wang Yuan was sent to deal with those who had been involved in harming Duke Ding. By this time, the emperor must have realized his mistake and wanted to make amends to Duke Ding.”
“Who incited the emperor’s anger? And what made him suddenly realize his error?”
“Based on your deduction, the emperor wanted Duke Ding to assist the crown prince after his death. Even so, the emperor wouldn’t entrust the crown prince to just one official. For matters after his passing, the emperor must have had other arrangements. Why did things go wrong only with Duke Ding?”
“Then there’s Ding Wei. He was a man without roots, his honor entirely dependent on the emperor. To become the emperor’s favorite, I don’t know about his other abilities, but he must have been exceptional at reading facial expressions and moods. How could he dare to easily plot against the emperor’s entrusted minister?”
Hearing this, Song Mo suddenly felt a moment of clarity.
He said, “I had Boyan tell you about the King of Liao’s matter.”
At this point, there was no use hiding anything. If this caused Dou Shizhu to misjudge, they might all face an irredeemable situation.
Dou Shizhu was surprised, then showed an expression of sudden realization.
He had previously suspected how Dou Qijun, given his status, could have discovered the King of Liao’s intentions.
But he was cautious in his actions. He thought that regardless of where Dou Qijun got this information since such rumors were circulating, it couldn’t be baseless. It was better to believe it existed.
He immediately ordered the Dou family not to cause trouble.
Then he carefully probed into the background of the King of Liao along this line of inquiry.
It was truly eye-opening!
The King of Liao had been meticulously cultivating influence in the capital. Not only did he have advisors and managers regularly residing in his mansion in the capital to socialize with certain meritorious officials and powerful figures, but he also ran a highly profitable business.
Only then did he fully believe Dou Qijun’s words.
What surprised him was that this information had come from Song Mo.
This made sense.
Song Mo controlled both the Imperial Guard and the Five Cities Command. Unless the King of Liao led an army to rebel and attack, there was no way to bypass Song Mo.
When someone impeached Song Mo at the Lantern Festival palace banquet, he immediately realized someone was moving against Song Mo.
Since Song Mo was a member of the nobility, he wasn’t in the same circle as the Dou family. But Song Mo was personally capable and had very close relations with the royal family. They would be the first to know of any movements in the royal household. Now that he held the position of a cabinet elder, others might see him as gloriously unlimited, but the risks were also extremely high. Knowing the emperor’s mood at any time would greatly help the safety of both him and the Dou family.
He had to support Song Mo.
So he sent Dou Qijun to warn Song Mo.
Dou Shizhu couldn’t help but chuckle a couple of times.
Now it seemed that Song Mo was even more astute and capable than he had imagined.
With such an ally, the future of the Dou family would surely become more brilliant.
Dou Shizhu chuckled.
There was no need to beat around the bush anymore.
He lowered his voice solemnly and asked, “Have you ever refused the Empress’s goodwill?”
The matter was of great importance, so Song Mo’s voice also lowered a few notches as he replied, “I didn’t refuse the Empress, but the King of Liao.”
This was exactly as Dou Shizhu had guessed.
He said, “Is it possible that Duke Ding, like you, had also refused the King of Liao?”
Song Mo pressed his lips together and remained silent for a long while.
Fujian was a den of smuggling.
Before Duke Ding went to Fujian, not a single wealthy family there had clean hands.
After Duke Ding arrived, he began to take a cut.
This both restrained the local gentry and supplemented the expenses of the military garrisons.
Naturally, it also blocked the path of some people.
Moreover, the rebellion was an extremely costly affair.
Dou Shizhu said softly, “Only this way does the matter make sense. Ding Wei glimpsed the emperor’s intentions and decided to act accordingly; Liang Jifen went with the flow, planning before acting; as for the Empress…”
With appropriate exaggeration, it was enough to ensure Duke Ding died without a burial place!
Song Mo’s eyes grew moist.
It was truly not worth it for his eldest uncle to die at the hands of these people!
He closed his eyes.
He didn’t want Dou Shizhu to see the tears in his eyes.
Dou Shizhu heaved a long sigh.
Entering officialdom, the higher one climbs, the more treacherous it becomes. Even the most vigilant can’t avoid being schemed against at times.
That’s why allies are so crucial!
He said, “Although Duke Ying’s household has always held a transcendent position, your current position is critical. You need to quickly decide whether to go east or west.” He further advised, “Hesitation at a critical moment will only bring harm!”
“I know,” Song Mo nodded, thinking of Jiang Bosun far away in Liaodong.
If Fifth Uncle knew that Eldest Uncle’s death might be related to the Empress and the King of Liao, would he still hope for the King of Liao to clear the Jiang family’s name?
He took a sip of tea.
Dou Shizhu said nothing.
Song Mo hadn’t even come of age yet. To ask him to make a judgment and choice at this life-or-death moment might be asking too much.
As this thought flashed through his mind, he sighed inwardly.
His own two sons were older than Song Mo, yet they were still struggling with the essays assigned by their teachers. Compared to Song Mo, they fell far short.
In the future, his children’s imperial examinations and official careers would be taken care of by the Dou family, but when they encountered difficulties, they might still need to rely on Song Mo’s assistance.
Thinking of this, he looked at Song Mo with even more approval.
“Think carefully about this matter,” Dou Shizhu’s voice unconsciously became gentler than before. “If it’s truly difficult, pretending to be terrified and resigning due to illness is not a bad option. After all, you’re not the only one afraid of the Empress.” The last sentence was spoken with a somewhat teasing tone.
Was this being too familiar with him?
Song Mo still felt a bit uncomfortable and smiled awkwardly as he stood up to take his leave.
Dou Shizhu personally saw him off at the main gate before returning to his study.
The fifth madam, who had been paying attention to the movements in the study, entered with hot tea.
“My lord,” she asked with some concern, “has something happened with Duke Ying’s household?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Dou Shizhu maintained his silence on the important matter even in front of his wife. “He was impeached and came to seek my advice.”
The fifth madam breathed a sigh of relief.
Dou Shizhu suddenly brought up Madam Guo: “I remember she often took Jingniang to visit Duke Ying’s mansion. Has she been going these days?”
Her husband never spoke without reason.
The fifth madam replied solemnly, “It’s been busy with the New Year celebrations these past days. Madam Guo hasn’t been to Duke Ying’s mansion for two months.”
Dou Shizhu then said, “Tell her to visit Shou more often when she’s free. Relatives become closer the more they interact.”
This was clearly instructing Madam Guo to cultivate a good relationship with Dou Zhao.
The fifth madam was stunned, but still trusting her husband, she didn’t ask anything and simply smiled and agreed, “Alright.”
When Song Mo returned home, Dou Zhao and little Yuan had already washed up. Dou Zhao was playfully helping the baby, dressed only in a padded jacket, roll over on the kang bed.
The innocent smile and naive demeanor of his son dispelled the chill in Song Mo’s heart.
He kissed his son’s little face, changed out of his frost-laden clothes, washed away the dust of travel, and sat down next to Dou Zhao, imitating her in helping little Yuan rollover.
Chen Qushui had already reported everything to Dou Zhao. Knowing he had gone to Huaishu Hutong, she smiled and asked, “Did your trip go smoothly?”
“Very smoothly!” Dou Shizhu truly lived up to his position as a cabinet elder. His perspective on matters was several levels above Song Mo’s advisors. Song Mo told Dou Zhao everything that had transpired.
“Was it the Empress?” Dou Zhao murmured, her heart feeling a bit chaotic.
A person’s reputation is their face when they go out into the world.
Because of what Shi Chuan had done, it was already impossible for Song Mo to align with the King of Liao. And now, having offended the Empress… maintaining neutrality was no longer possible.
Did this mean they had to throw their support behind the Crown Prince?
But in her previous life, the King of Liao had been the ultimate victor!
Dou Zhao wrung her hands, thinking that the Crown Prince had been noble since childhood, with countless people wanting to gain his favor. Even if Song Mo were to align with him now, it would be difficult to become one of the Crown Prince’s confidants.
This way, it would be even more dangerous!
What should they do?
Both husband and wife wanted to maintain neutrality, and their mood was somewhat gloomy. Song Mo held Dou Zhao, unable to close his eyes for a long time.
Now that they had the result, tracing back to find the cause became easier.
Song Mo instructed Du Wei to search for clues based on Dou Shizhu’s deductions.
Chen Jia came to take Jiang Yan home.
Jiang Yan, with a blushing face, returned to Yuqiao Hutong carrying the packages Dou Zhao had prepared for her.
Seeing Chen Jia’s stern expression, she worriedly asked, “Did my brother give you a hard time?”
Jiang Yan could sense that Song Mo didn’t like Chen Jia.
“No,” Chen Jia smiled and patted Jiang Yan’s head, saying gently, “There’s some business at the office, and I’m thinking about how to handle it.”
This was something she couldn’t help with.
Jiang Yan made an “oh” sound and tenderly helped Chen Jia wash up.
Chen Jia’s smile spread from his eyes to the corners of his mouth.