Blossom

The woman sent by the Marquis of Jining's Mansion was in her forties, dressed in an ornate back coat the color of oriole feathers, with a gilded hairpin in her hair and a jade bracelet on her wrist. She was plump and fair-skinned.

Dou Zhao recognized her.

Her husband's surname was Jin, and everyone called her Granny Jin. She was Wei Tingzhen's wet nurse and also her most trusted confidante.

In her previous life, she had only acted according to Wei Tingzhen's wishes, and this lifetime would be no exception.

This must be Wei Tingzhen's idea!

Dou Zhao sneered and spoke even more bluntly: "Marriage is a matter of parental orders and matchmaker's words. Instead of sending a matchmaker to discuss with my father, the Marquis of Jining's Mansion dispatches a servant to inform our family elders. Do they look down on the Dou family? Or do they think the women of our Dou family are ignorant and easy to bully?" She loudly instructed Nanny Liu, who had accompanied Granny Jin to pay respects to her, "Go tell the Wei family—if they have no shame, our Dou family still needs to marry off daughters and cannot afford such disgrace! If they want this marriage, fine. If not, return the jade pendant my mother gave to the Marquise back then. From then on, men and women may marry freely, with no further ties. There is absolutely no reason to marry within the hundred days of mourning!" She didn't even glance at Granny Jin, as if the woman weren't in the room.

Granny Jin's heart tightened.

First Madam had been worried that with Dou Shishu joining the cabinet, the Dou family's status would rise, and Fourth Miss Dou might become difficult to manage after marriage. That was why she proposed marrying during the mourning period. Who would have thought Fourth Miss Dou would be so fierce?

First, she had sent a maid to ask Second Madam if someone from the Wei family had come. Since they had met, Granny Jin couldn't avoid paying respects to Miss Dou the Fourth. But she had barely stepped inside, without even a chance to speak, when Miss Dou the Fourth began berating her, leaving her unprepared and trapped.

Seeing how this Miss Dou the Fourth carried herself, no wonder First Madam was concerned.

If she really married into the family, even First Madam might not be able to control her!

She hurriedly said, "Fourth Miss misunderstands! Our Madam and First Madam have no intention of looking down on the Dou family. It's just that with the Marquis's passing, the household is in disarray. Having heard of Fourth Miss's virtuous reputation, they wished to bring you into the family sooner, so you could be formally recognized as Marquise and take charge of household affairs earlier. Our Young Lord has no other brothers—the family's wealth will all be his, and all expenses will naturally go to the Young Lord and you, Fourth Miss..."

But before she could finish, Dou Zhao cut her off disdainfully, "And who is this? Someone who presumes to speak for the household?"

Granny Jin had never been treated so dismissively before. Her face flushed red as she explained, "This old servant's surname is Jin. I am First Madam of Jingguo Duke's Mansion's wet nurse..."

Precisely because she knew, Dou Zhao refused to let her off easily. If it were someone else, she wouldn't have bothered!

Beat the dog, and the owner feels it.

Dou Zhao snorted inwardly and said coldly, "How strange. Since when does First Madam of Jingguo Duke's Mansion manage affairs for the Marquis of Jining's Mansion? Is this the Marquis of Jining's Mansion's custom, or Jingguo Duke's Mansion's? I've never heard of such a thing."

Such a heavy accusation was hard for Granny Jin to bear. She defended, "Our First Madam is only concerned for her brother in her maiden family..."

Nanny Liu finally understood.

So Fourth Miss was deliberately putting the Wei family in their place!Since Granny Jin was sent by the Wei Family to deliver a message to the Dou family, regardless of whether she was from the Marquis of Jining's Mansion or the Duke of Jing's Mansion, she must have been a highly respected figure within the Wei Family. Miss Dou the Fourth was bound to marry into the Marquis of Jining's Mansion sooner or later. Initially, Nanny Liu had thought Dou Zhao had brought Granny Jin here to win her over, but it turned out Miss Dou the Fourth didn’t even spare the Wei Family a second thought.

This was just as well—lest the Wei Family think the Dou family had no backbone!

To arrange a marriage during the mourning period—what were they thinking?

Now that the Fifth Master had joined the Grand Secretariat, though he was assigned to the Ministry of Justice, his long tenure in the Ministry of Personnel had left him with extensive connections. Whether the Young Lord of the Marquis of Jining's Mansion wanted to inherit the title or secure a favorable position, he would still need the Fifth Master’s support. Even if Miss Dou the Fourth was a bit formidable, would they dare to slight her?

Still, Nanny Liu found it hard to reconcile the composed and graceful Dou Zhao she usually saw with the furious and glaring Dou Zhao before her now. She stood dazed for a long moment before snapping back to reality, choosing to remain silent and feign ignorance as Dou Zhao thoroughly humiliated Granny Jin. Only then did she discreetly signal a maid to find an excuse to call them away.

Naturally, those who served by Nanny Liu’s side were sharp-witted.

The maid withdrew without drawing attention, made a round outside, then hurried back through the main courtyard to ask Dou Zhao’s maid to relay a message: "Second Madam has further questions for the granny from the Wei Family and has sent me to summon her."

Granny Jin, thoroughly disgraced, withdrew and pulled the young maid aside to ask, "What does Second Madam wish to speak to me about?"

The maid merely giggled while glancing at Nanny Liu.

Nanny Liu smiled subtly and said, "Granny Jin, why not rest at my place first? You can pay your respects to Second Madam after lunch—there’s no hurry."

Granny Jin suddenly understood and repeatedly expressed her gratitude, discreetly slipping two large Red Envelopes to Nanny Liu.

Nanny Liu accepted them without hesitation.

Granny Jin left with a bellyful of grievances from Dou Zhao, but that was another matter. Meanwhile, Lu Ming, whom Song Mo had stationed in the Dou household, heard about Dou Zhao’s betrothal to the Young Lord of the Marquis of Jining's Mansion and promptly wrote a letter to be secretly delivered to the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion.

Song Mo took the letter to Yan Chaoqing.

"What do you think?" He handed the letter over.

Yan Chaoqing skimmed through it quickly and let out a long sigh of relief. "Since she is to marry into the Wei Family, she will naturally prioritize the interests of the Marquis of Jining's Mansion."

The implication was that Dou Zhao, bound by her marital ties, would not oppose the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion.

"That’s what I thought as well," Song Mo nodded. "This actually simplifies matters." Suddenly, an image of Dou Zhao’s snow-white complexion and striking arched brows flashed through his mind, and he couldn’t help but ask, "Does anyone know the Young Lord of the Marquis of Jining?"

Yan Chaoqing’s eyes gleamed with approval.

Since Miss Dou the Fourth was to marry into the Marquis of Jining's Mansion, if the Young Lord could befriend the Marquis’ heir, it would serve as a deterrent to her—she surely wouldn’t want her future husband to learn about everything that had happened at the farmstead."The Marquis of Jining passed away a few days ago." All earth-shattering events begin with seemingly insignificant matters. He kept himself constantly updated on the news in the capital, so when Song Mo asked, he could respond immediately. "Our families had some connections generations ago, but we haven’t interacted in recent generations, so we didn’t receive any funeral notice. The Marquis had only a son and a daughter. The son is the heir, Wei Tingyu. After the 49-day mourning period for the old Marquis, the Wei Family will likely apply for the succession. With the help of the Dou family’s fifth master, there shouldn’t be any issues. The daughter married Zhang Zongyao, so we could get to know Wei Tingyu through the Zhang family."

Zhang Yuanming, courtesy name Zongyao.

Song Mo suddenly felt reluctant to meet Wei Tingyu.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Let’s discuss this matter later."

Yan Chaoqing also felt this couldn’t be rushed—the Marquis of Jining’s Mansion was barely holding on as a declining family, while the Duke of Yingguo’s Mansion was a prestigious household favored by the Emperor. The two families were worlds apart, with no prior connections. If Song Mo suddenly became close to Wei Tingyu, it would surely raise suspicions.

They needed to create a natural opportunity.

The two then turned to court affairs: "Lord Lu’s memorial was withheld by the Emperor without comment. It’s quite concerning."

The Lu Family had no ties to the Jiang Family but was related by marriage to the Song Family. Lu Zongyuan’s third son, Lu Zhili, had married the Ningde Princess, and his granddaughter had wed Zhang Xuming, the third son of the Duke of Jing. Having Lu Fuli submit the memorial was meant as a test. Now that the Emperor had withheld it without response, they couldn’t easily have others submit further memorials.

Song Mo grew restless and suggested, "Why not take a two-pronged approach? Have someone impeach my uncle as well and see how the Emperor reacts?"

"Madam would likely disagree," Yan Chaoqing said with a somber expression. "She wouldn’t tolerate any blemish on the Duke Ding’s flawless reputation."

Song Mo frowned.

Just then, Yan Chaoqing’s personal page stumbled in, his face streaked with tears. Seeing Song Mo, he even forgot to bow and cried out, "The Duke Ding... they say he succumbed to his injuries from excessive torture and has passed away..."

"What did you say?" Song Mo’s face turned deathly pale as he seized the page’s shoulders. The page felt as though his bones were being crushed by iron pincers, the pain unbearable, but he dared not make a sound. He hurriedly explained, "Word just came from Fujian—the Duke was tortured by the Imperial Bodyguards, then forced to travel day and night without medical treatment. His injuries were too severe... he didn’t survive..."

"The Imperial Bodyguards were only tasked with escorting the Duke back to the capital," Yan Chaoqing, who had followed, exclaimed in shock. "The Duke hadn’t even been convicted—what right did they have to torture him? Where were Xu Qing and Shi An? Weren’t they supposed to be protecting the Duke in secret? What were they doing?"

"By the time Xu Qing and the others arrived, the Duke had already been tortured," the page replied. "This time, the Imperial Bodyguards deployed their elite forces. By the time they made contact with the Third Master, the Duke had already... passed the next day... The Third and Fourth Masters were also tortured. The Third Master said it was because outlaws attempted a prison break, giving the Imperial Bodyguards an excuse to deal harshly with the Duke. He warned us not to cry injustice—whether the Emperor’s will brings thunder or rain, it is all his grace. He also said, 'As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn.'"Song Mo felt as if a fire were burning in his chest, causing his blood to boil throughout his body. His ears were filled with the gurgling sound of bubbling water, and even the conversation between Yan Chaoqing and the page became indistinct.

Slowly, he released the page’s shoulder and took a deep breath. His voice was calm and rational, composed and steady. "Does my mother know?"

The page stared at Song Mo, unable to hide the shock in his eyes. Only when Yan Chaoqing’s stern gaze fell upon him did he snap back to attention, stammering hastily, "We—we didn’t dare tell Madam."

Song Mo extended his hand—his palm fair and smooth, yet with faint calluses on his fingertips. "Give it to me."

The page was momentarily bewildered before realizing what Song Mo meant. He hurriedly retrieved the brocade pouch from his chest.

"I’ll go speak to my mother." Clutching the pouch tightly in his hand, Song Mo walked out of Yan Chaoqing’s chamber with unhurried, measured steps.

Suddenly, Yan Chaoqing felt a pain so intense it seemed to tear his heart apart.