Because he had to return to his duties in the palace, Song Mo got up at the early hour of Yin the next day. After a quick breakfast, he hurriedly rode back to the capital city.
Song Luo stayed behind to manage affairs in the outer courtyard, while Duan Gongyi and Chen Xiaofeng were responsible for guarding the villa.
Behind the villa was a small vegetable patch. Dou Zhao accompanied Grandmother to water the plants and catch insects. If not for young Master Yuan’s mischievous presence nearby, it felt like they had returned to the time before Dou Zhao was married.
When Song Mo came to visit her, he couldn’t help but pinch her nose playfully, saying with a smile, “When we’re old, let’s move to the villa to live. You can grow flowers and I’ll water them. We’ll go back to visit our grandchildren during festivals. If they please us, we’ll give them more red envelopes. If they make us angry, we’ll go back and throw a tantrum…”
Dou Zhao laughed so hard she bent over.
After Song Mo left, Ji Lingze came to visit her.
Knowing that Ji Lingze had grown up in a noble household and was unfamiliar with farm work, Grandmother specifically received her in the small flower hall.
Ji Lingze smiled and chatted with Grandmother for a long time, then played with young Master Yuan for a while.
Seeing her like this made Dou Zhao feel it was tiring. As noon approached, she used the excuse of asking for help preparing cold noodles to speak with Ji Lingze in the tea room: “Has something happened at home?”
Seeing that lunch was noodles made from newly harvested buckwheat, served with bright green cucumbers, tender bean sprouts, and golden peanuts, Ji Lingze sighed enviously before speaking softly, “Yesterday, the second madam from the Wang family in Liuye Hutong came to visit. She brought some gold and silver, saying it was a wedding gift for me and your twelfth brother since they didn’t know about our marriage at the time. She also said that now that the twelfth brother is married, it’s not proper for the seventh madam to continue living with the Wang family. She suggested I send someone to bring the seventh madam back, saying that’s what a virtuous wife would do. I thought this wasn’t something I could decide as a daughter-in-law, and I was afraid the elders might misunderstand, so I came to tell you about it, Fourth Young Mistress.”
Dou Zhao gave a cold laugh.
The Wang family had a good plan.
If Dou Dechang had married a daughter from another family, the new daughter-in-law might have taken on this task to gain a reputation for virtue, which could have led to trouble.
Fortunately, Dou Dechang had married Ji Lingze. They knew each other well, otherwise, just explaining the ins and outs of the situation would have been difficult to broach.
She said frankly, “I finally managed to send the seventh madam away. Sister-in-law, please don’t bring her back.”
Hearing this, Ji Lingze smiled with narrowed eyes and said, “With your words, I can rest easy.” She changed the subject to ask about Dou Zhao’s health: “I see your steps are very light, not like someone pregnant. Do you have any secrets?”
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but tease Ji Lingze: “Why is sister-in-law in such a hurry? When I hear good news about you, I’ll pass on some experiences then.”
This made Ji Lingze’s face turn red.
After lunch and seeing Ji Lingze off, Dou Zhao rested in her inner chamber.
The midday sun shone glaringly in the courtyard, making one feel lazy and lethargic.
In her drowsiness, she heard a commotion.
Dou Zhao frowned and instructed her attendant Ruotong: “Go see who’s making that noise.”
Ruotong ran out and quickly returned.
“Madam, it’s the Second Young Master,” she said urgently. “He said he was going to Baique Temple with friends when their carriage suddenly overturned. The Second Young Master’s leg was trapped and hurt badly when he moved. Knowing you were here at the villa to escape the heat, he had his guards hire a sedan chair to bring him here. He also asked us to call for a doctor.”
Dou Zhao frowned and asked, “How many people came with him in total? Where are they now?”
Ruotong replied, “There are fifteen people in total, including three of the Second Young Master’s friends and twelve of his guards. Song Luo has arranged for them to stay in the east wing of the outer courtyard. Since the Second Young Master’s leg is injured, two servants are helping him stay in the small study of the outer courtyard. They’ve also sent someone to fetch a doctor.” Just as she finished speaking, a young maid ran in to report: “The Second Young Master’s servant said he was ordered to convey the Second Young Master’s greetings to Madam and Old Madam.”
As this was just a matter of courtesy, Dou Zhao had someone give Song Han’s servant a few pieces of silver to send him away. She instructed Ruotong: “Go and convey my orders to Master Duan to increase patrols. Make sure none of the Second Young Master’s people sneak past the second gate.”
Ruotong curtsied in acknowledgment and withdrew to relay the message.
Song Luo quickly invited a doctor to come.
The doctor said that Song Han might have sprained his ankle, but there was also a possibility of a bone injury. It would be best to take two doses of medicine, avoid moving, and rest for a few days. If the leg still hurt, it could be a bone injury; if only the ankle was swollen, it might just be a sprain.
Hearing this, Song Han turned pale with fright and urgently called to Song Luo: “Quick, go to the Imperial Medical Academy and invite an imperial physician.” He also sent his servant to ask Dou Zhao for a lounge chair: “If I’ve injured my leg bone, I could become a cripple. None of you are allowed to move me. I need to lie on a lounge chair to rest.”
Dou Zhao couldn’t be bothered with him and had someone take a door panel from the kitchen and send it to the front courtyard, saying: “There are no spare lounge chairs in the storeroom. Since he needs to rest in bed, use this door panel to temporarily carry him to the guest room.”
Song Han trembled with anger, but seeing his three companions present, he reluctantly agreed and was carried into the guest room by his guards.
Song Luo then settled Song Han’s three friends in the adjacent guest room and sent a servant into the city to request an imperial physician to examine Song Han.
When a young maid from the front courtyard brought the prepared medicine, Song Han angrily knocked it to the ground and shouted hoarsely: “Which idiot chamber are you from? Didn’t you see it was a Mongol doctor earlier? Do you dare give me the medicine he prescribed? Are you tired of living?!”
The young maid, who usually only guarded empty rooms and cleaned, had never encountered such aggression. She immediately burst into tears.
Song Han’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
His friends intervened to comfort the young maid and escort her out, saying: “The Second Young Master has injured his leg and is in a bad mood. Don’t take it to heart.”
The young maid nodded and withdrew, still sobbing.
The front courtyard was in constant turmoil throughout the afternoon, with requests for tea, snacks, and novels for entertainment. It only quieted down at dusk.
Grandmother asked Dou Zhao: “Should we send a young maid to check on his injury?”
“No need!” Dou Zhao said calmly while playing cat’s cradle with young Master Yuan. “Yan Tang has a day off the day after tomorrow. He’ll come over tomorrow night. Let him handle it then.”
Grandmother knew about the discord between the Song brothers, though she didn’t know the details. She always trusted Dou Zhao and Song Mo, so she didn’t ask further and instead guided young Master Yuan in playing the cat’s cradle.
The older generation’s wisdom prevailed. In the end, young Master Yuan beat Dou Zhao.
He was overjoyed, jumping up and down on the kang bed, begging Dou Zhao for another round.
Dou Zhao smiled and played with the child until the hour of Hai when young Master Yuan started yawning.
She and the wet nurse helped young Master Yuan bathe, and he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
Dou Zhao smiled, stroking her son’s smooth black hair before returning to her room.
The countryside night was particularly quiet.
At Xiangshan Villa, one could only hear the rustling of wind through the treetops and the intermittent chirping of insects.
Three dark figures leaped from the roof of the guest room onto the roof of the main house.
Two kept watch while one silently pried open the roof tiles and inserted a thin bamboo tube, blowing air into the room below.
Soon, a faint sweet fragrance wafted out from the main house.
The three men lay flat on the roof.
After about the time it took to burn an incense stick, the three men slipped into the room through the opened roof one after another.
It was as if a drop of water had fallen into a lake.
The main house was completely silent.
Suddenly, a dark figure shot up and ran towards the outside of the villa.
The villa suddenly lit up, exposing the thin build and masked face of the figure in the light.
“Where do you think you’re going, friend?” Duan Gongyi stepped out from the shadows, holding a large knife. His booming voice resounded in the night sky. “This is the Duke of Ying’s villa, not some common alley where you can come and go as you please!” Before he finished speaking, a flash of cold light appeared beside the dark figure as someone swung a large knife down towards his head, forcing the figure off the roof.
The figure’s martial skills were exceptional. Not only did he dodge the sudden attack, but he also drew a flexible sword from his waist and engaged in a fierce fight with his attacker.
Duan Gongyi exclaimed in surprise and shouted, “This isn’t a duel! Don’t tell me you want to fight one-on-one!”
A burst of laughter came from within the villa as more people surrounded the dark figure.
With the advantage of numbers, the figure was soon overpowered.
Duan Gongyi, who had been observing from the side, quickly warned, “Be careful, he might commit suicide!”
But as soon as he spoke, the figure suddenly went limp and fell to the ground.
“Damn it!” Duan Gongyi cursed as he ran over and yanked off the black cloth covering the figure’s face.
It was one of Song Han’s twelve guards.
“You black-hearted, rotten-livered bastard! Let’s see what he has to say now!” Duan Gongyi said indignantly. “Gag the three who broke into the room. We need to keep them alive for the Young Master to question.”
A guard responded “Yes,” and entered the main house with a water-soaked cloth over his face.
Duan Gongyi asked, “Where’s the Second Young Master?”
Another guard replied, “Don’t worry, our men are watching him without blinking. I guarantee not even a mosquito could fly in. However, if the Second Young Master also commits suicide, there’s nothing I can do about that.”
It takes courage to commit suicide.
The guard’s tone carried a hint of mockery.
Duan Gongyi couldn’t help but mutter, “If only he would commit suicide, it would save us so much trouble!”
He took his knife and went to the courtyard where Song Han was staying. Standing at the main gate, he called out, “Second Young Master, your guards broke into the main courtyard in the middle of the night. When we surrounded them, one committed suicide. Don’t you think you owe us an explanation?”
The guest room remained silent.
Duan Gongyi then said with a laugh, “Second Young Master, how about this: thieves broke in during the night, and you were killed by them while trying to protect the madam!” As he spoke, he took two steps back and shouted, “I’m going to set fire to the guest room!”
Immediately, a light was lit inside, and the door opened with a creak. Song Han walked out, his face ashen, and shouted, “I was taken hostage when the carriage overturned! I tried several times to send you a message but couldn’t. I’m a victim too! Quickly report to my brother that someone is trying to poison him!”
Duan Gongyi couldn’t help but grin and said, “Second Young Master, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come with me to see the madam first! As for your guards, either they drop their weapons and come out with their hands up, or you throw out their corpses! I don’t dare to rashly enter a place where you’ve stayed!”