Chen Jia thought that since Jiang Yan was his sister-in-law, it would be appropriate for her to greet Song Han when he entertained him at home. Fearing that Song Han might harbor resentment and give Jiang Yan a cold shoulder, Chen Jia encouraged Jiang Yan to visit Yizhi Hall on the day of the gathering. However, he never imagined that Song Han would not only hold a grudge but also intentionally humiliate Jiang Yan. So when he went to Duke Ying’s mansion to pick up Jiang Yan, instead of waiting in the small reception hall in the outer courtyard as usual, he asked the servant who led him in, “Has the young master returned?”
When Jiang Yan got married, Duke Ying didn’t make an appearance, and Song Mo often gave Chen Jia the cold shoulder. Chen Jia had also previously been under Song Mo’s tutelage, so the servants in Duke Ying’s mansion couldn’t help but look down on Chen Jia a little. However, Chen Jia was observant and generous, and he was the legitimate son-in-law of Duke Ying’s family, so the servants didn’t dare to neglect him. But in front of Chen Jia, they were less restrained. Hearing him ask about Song Mo, the servant grinned and said, “The young master hasn’t returned yet! Do you have any business with him? Should I inform Wu Yi, who serves in the study, to keep an eye out for you?”
Chen Jia smiled and said, “That would be great, thank you!” As he spoke, he slipped a handful of copper coins to the servant.
“No trouble at all!” The servant’s eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled, and he hurried outside to keep watch.
As soon as Song Mo alighted from his sedan chair, he heard that Chen Jia was waiting for him in the reception hall. He asked curiously, “When did the eldest son-in-law arrive?”
Although Chen Jia had married Jiang Yan, their relationship hadn’t changed much from before.
When the servant heard Song Mo refer to Chen Jia as “eldest son-in-law,” his heart skipped a beat. He quickly said, “The eldest son-in-law has been here for half an hour. He said he came to pick up the young mistress to go home. When he heard you hadn’t returned, he’d been waiting in the reception hall.”
Song Mo nodded and said, “In the future, when the eldest son-in-law comes, please invite him to the study in the outer courtyard for tea.”
The servant repeatedly acknowledged with a “Yes,” carefully leading the way.
Song Mo and Chen Jia went to the study to talk.
Chen Jia didn’t dare to relay Song Han’s words verbatim to Song Mo. He only said, “Song Han entered the Imperial Guards on the Empress’s recommendation. Although he just started, he’s quite prominent. I specially invited him to my home for drinks today. Judging by his demeanor, he seems quite confident. If it were someone else, they might suffer losses, but with the Empress as his golden signboard, even Lord Shi might have to think twice when dealing with his matters.”
This was essentially reporting Song Han’s misconduct.
Song Mo only smiled slightly upon hearing this. After seeing Chen Jia and Jiang Yan off, his face immediately darkened.
The Empress was trying to use his father and Song Han against him.
She must have miscalculated!
Song Mo called Chen He in: “Keep an eye on Song Han for me.”
Chen He had once been his attendant and knew all his relatives and friends. After Chen He got married, Song Mo had him work in the liaison office. Because Chen He was familiar with various households, he handled his duties extremely well.
“Yes!” Chen He respectfully acknowledged and withdrew.
Song Mo returned to the inner chamber of Yizhi Hall.
Dou Zhao was selecting fabrics with several maids, opening chests and trunks.
Hearing the noise, she looked up and saw him. She smiled and said, “You’re finally back! Every time I see you meeting Chen Jia with a stern face, I feel tired of you—it was your idea to have him frequently bring Yan-mei back home for visits, yet you can’t help but give Chen Jia the cold shoulder. Look at Yan-mei, she almost wants to apologize to Chen Jia on your behalf.”
“He wouldn’t dare!” Song Mo snapped coldly, but in his heart, he had to admit that Dou Zhao’s words made sense. His mind suddenly felt a bit chaotic, and not wanting to continue this topic, he casually pulled the fabric from Dou Zhao’s hand: “What is this for? The color seems a bit dark.”
It was a piece of lilac-colored fabric embroidered with vase patterns.
Dou Zhao smiled and said, “Isn’t Yuan’er celebrating his first birthday in a few days? I thought of taking Yuan’er to visit Old Madam An and bringing some good fabric for her autumn clothes.”
A few days ago, she had discussed with Song Mo about not inviting his grandmother to attend Yuan’er’s first birthday celebration, but visiting her the next day instead.
Song Mo smiled and said, “While you’re at it, pick out some good furs. When autumn comes, we can make fur headbands and fur vests.”
Elderly people like these two items.
Dou Zhao smiled and agreed. The couple then discussed which guests to invite for a long time under the lamplight before retiring for the night.
On the twenty-sixth day of the sixth month, the Song family’s house was decorated with lanterns and filled with guests. The Emperor, Empress Dowager, Empress, Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and even the King of Liao in distant Liaodong, as well as several princes who had established their households, all sent congratulatory gifts. Yuan’er’s first birthday celebration was lively and dignified.
Dou Dechang, Dou Zhao’s adopted brother and heir to the Western Dou family, accompanied Dou Shiying to drink the celebratory wine.
Song Mo formally introduced Dou Dechang to his relatives and friends.
Seeing that Song Mo’s friends all politely stood up to toast Dou Dechang, Dou Shiying felt relieved. He glanced around the reception hall and saw Wei Tingyu sitting quietly in a corner drinking. After the banquet dispersed and everyone moved to the corridor to watch a play, he called out to Wei Tingyu, who was walking last: “Did Ming’er come?”
Wei Tingyu looked dejected, as if he hadn’t slept well, and seemed listless.
Hearing the question, he said, “No—I was afraid she might cause trouble if she came, so I didn’t tell her about Yuan’er’s first birthday celebration today. I’ll tell her when I get back.”
Dou Shiying frowned.
Although he felt that Dou Ming was unreasonable and stubborn, she was still his daughter. He always felt that Wei Tingyu’s poor character was the root cause of Dou Ming’s current situation and that Dou Ming was merely influenced and harmed by him. Such a big event, and Wei Tingyu received an invitation but didn’t tell Dou Ming—that was Wei Tingyu’s fault.
“She and Shou-gu are sisters after all,” he said coolly. “How can there be such a big rift between sisters? On occasions like this, you should have encouraged her to come out and socialize. What will Duke Ying’s relatives and friends say about her behaving like this? If she ruins her reputation, it won’t reflect well on you either!”
Wei Tingyu inwardly disagreed but nodded in agreement in front of Dou Shiying.
In this setting, Dou Shiying couldn’t say much more. The father-in-law and son-in-law went to the corridor to watch the play.
Back at home, Dou Shiying couldn’t help but sigh to Dou Dechang: “Ming’er married the wrong person!”
Even if she married the wrong person, it was her own choice.
Dou Dechang thought to himself but smiled and comforted Dou Shiying: “Children have their fortunes. Fifth Sister has a substantial dowry, you needn’t worry about her.” Then he smiled and said, “Tomorrow, Fourth Sister and Fourth Brother-in-law will bring Yuan’er to visit Old Madam. I plan to join them. Why don’t you leave work early tomorrow and come have dinner there as well?”
He firmly remembered what Ji Shi had told him before he moved to Jing’an Temple Alley: “No matter what, Ming’er is still your adoptive father’s flesh and blood. You must not get involved in Ming’er’s affairs. If there’s any difficulty, just push it to your Fifth Aunt. Ming’er is a married daughter, like water poured out. You’re the adopted son, and your Fifth Aunt can’t blame you no matter what.”
Dou Shiying nodded. After a night of sighs, he went to the Back Temple Alley early the next day.
Dou Zhao was standing by the winter-sweet tree in front of the main house, talking with Dou Dechang. Both had smiles on their faces, looking very happy.
Dou Shiying felt pleased seeing this and quietly walked over, suddenly asking, “What are you talking about? You look so happy.”
The two smiled and greeted Dou Shiying. Dou Zhao said, “We were just talking about Twelfth Brother’s studies for the provincial examination!”
Dou Dechang was preparing to take part in this year’s provincial examination.
In her previous life, he would have gone on to take the imperial examination the following year and pass along with Wu Shan, becoming a Hanlin Academy scholar.
Then during the Dragon Boat Festival, Ji Lingze would elope with him.
Although the Dou family tried their best to help him, Dou Dechang’s reputation was already damaged. Though he wasn’t dismissed from his position, he could only idle away the rest of his life at the Hanlin Academy.
In her previous life, Dou Dechang was from the Eastern Dou family and had no relation to Dou Zhao. In this life, Dou Dechang was her adopted brother, and Ji Shi was like a mother to her. How could she watch Dou Dechang ruin his future like this?
After pondering for several days, Dou Zhao asked Song Mo: “If you had a good friend who fell for a widow from a wealthy family and was willing to give up his career to marry her, what would you do?”
Song Mo was clever. His mind quickly turned to Dou Dechang: “You’re not talking about your eldest brother-in-law, are you? Which family’s widow has he taken a fancy to? Why not take her as a concubine?” He continued, “How did you find out about this? Whatever you do, don’t tell your father. Be careful not to make your eldest brother-in-law resent you for life.”
Dou Zhao stared at him in surprise.
Song Mo affectionately tapped her nose and smiled, “There are only a few people around you. If it were Duan Gongyi and the others, remarrying a widow wouldn’t be a big deal, and you certainly wouldn’t be so conflicted. As for Gu Yu, he would act first and report later… After thinking about it, it could only be your eldest brother-in-law.”
“You’re impossible!” Dou Zhao pouted, “You don’t leave any surprises for others.”
Song Mo laughed heartily and said, “Who has your eldest brother-in-law taken a fancy to? I’ll find a way to quietly let her in-laws know about this, and the marriage will be off!”
But in her previous life, Dou Dechang and Ji Lingze had lived well together.
One year during the Lantern Festival, she encountered Dou Dechang and Ji Lingze watching lanterns on the street. Ji Lingze had even bought two strings of candied haws for Wei’er and Rui’er.
Thinking back now, she still remembered the happy smile on Ji Lingze’s face.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but sigh softly.
Song Mo pulled her into his embrace and said gently, “In my opinion, one’s life is one’s own to live. As long as your eldest brother-in-law is willing, others shouldn’t interfere.”
Dou Zhao asked in surprise, “Why do you think this way?”
Song Mo said seriously, “When I see my father, I often think of my mother. My parents’ marriage was considered a perfect match in the eyes of the world, but look how it turned out in the end. As for you and me, if it weren’t for Wei Tingyu’s betrayal and my father trying to manipulate me, how could we have ended up together?” He held Dou Zhao tightly in his arms, so tight that Dou Zhao felt she could hardly breathe. “I feel very lucky!” He kissed her forehead and temples. “In the future, we shouldn’t solely consider family status and background for our children’s marriages.”
Inexplicably, a surge of tenderness welled up in Dou Zhao’s heart.
This man respected her, admired her, and cherished her.
With such a husband, what more could she ask for?
Dou Zhao hugged Song Mo back with all her strength.
Suddenly, Dou Dechang’s matter didn’t seem so important anymore.
If he loved Ji Lingze, then let him pursue her.
At worst, if the matter came to light, they could find a way to cover it up early, preventing him from ruining his reputation completely.