Blossom

Dou Ming sat on the bed, her face pale and eyes vacant, like a soulless puppet.

Zhou Momo held her, weeping uncontrollably.

Dou Zhao stood by the window, watching the scene coldly.

Ever since Duan Gongyi had rescued Dou Ming, she had remained in this state.

If Madam Pang had acted with integrity, how could Dou Ming have mistaken Yu Er for someone sent by Madam Pang? How could she have fallen into Yu Er's clumsy trap?

Yet the ways of the world are strange indeed.

They always revel in schemes and intrigues, only to be ensnared by those very machinations.

Could this be what they call "the best swimmers often drown"?

Lost in thought, Su Xin hurried in and whispered, "Miss, Guardian Duan is here!"

Dou Zhao glanced at Dou Ming and turned to leave the inner chamber.

No one noticed Dou Ming's fingers twitch slightly.

In the hall, Duan Gongyi bowed respectfully to Dou Zhao. "Fourth Miss, I’ve followed your instructions and handed the culprits over to the authorities. Magistrate Lu assured me he would handle the matter impartially and ensure Wang Laoqi and Mo Ergu don’t spread any rumors. You needn’t worry." His tone carried a hint of satisfaction—had it not been for his position as a Dou family guard, Lord Lu, a prestigious Successful Candidate in the Highest Imperial Examinations and a fourth-rank prefect, would never have spoken to him so courteously. This gave him a sense of legitimacy, far more reassuring than any amount of silver.

"Thank you, Guardian Duan," Dou Zhao said gratefully, then asked about Mo Ergu. "Did she confess anything?"

Duan Gongyi sighed. "Nothing useful. Yu Er and Wang Laoqi were close friends in Lingbi County. This time, Yu Er claimed he was short on money after getting into trouble with the Wang Family, so he abducted a young lady midway to exchange for some silver. The page named Shang Er was also killed. If we want to understand Yu Er’s motives or uncover more, we might need to investigate in the Capital."

"I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to make the trip," Dou Zhao mused. "After such a major incident, even if we suppress the gossip outside, we must explain it to the elders at home. Fifth Sister’s current state makes it unsuitable for her to remain in Zhen Ding. I plan to send Su Xin in my stead to see my Father and arrange for Dou Ming to return to the Capital. We should also inform the Wang Family—both to seek possible leads and to make them understand that Fifth Sister fell into this trap precisely because she trusted Yu Er’s words. They ought to act more openly and stop behaving like they’re beneath notice, whispering and scheming in the shadows."

Duan Gongyi, bold by nature and emboldened by his experience with Lord Lu, felt far more at ease about visiting the residence of the Yunnan Provincial Governor.

He answered firmly, "Understood." Reflecting on how Dou Zhao always treated him with respect—never micromanaging his duties as a guard, providing him with ten taels of silver monthly for expenses without auditing, and entrusting him with such a critical family matter—he felt a deep sense of gratitude. His loyalty to her grew more sincere, tinged with the straightforwardness of friendship. He then reminded her, "But Su Xin is just a young girl. Will the Wang Family listen to her?"

Dou Zhao smiled. "Isn’t there still Second Madam?"

Duan Gongyi looked puzzled.

Dou Zhao chuckled. "I’ll keep it a mystery for now. You’ll understand when the time comes."As they were speaking, two burly old women escorted in a maid whose face was ashen with fear.

Duan Gongyi, realizing Dou Zhao was about to handle household affairs, quickly rose to excuse himself.

Ji Hong knelt woodenly on the floor.

Dou Zhao said, "Loyalty to one's master is commendable, but it shouldn’t blind you to right and wrong. Fortunately, the Fifth Young Miss was found today. What if she hadn’t been? What would you have done? The Dou family can no longer keep you. When the matchmaker arrives later, pack your belongings and leave with her."

Ji Hong froze, tears immediately streaming down her face.

"Thank you, Fourth Young Miss! Thank you!" She kowtowed repeatedly to Dou Zhao, her forehead thudding against the floor. "Thank you for sparing my life!"

Had this happened under someone else’s watch, she would likely have been beaten to death by now.

At least she had managed to keep her life!

Dou Zhao waved her hand, signaling the two old women to escort Ji Hong to the matchmaker.

Understanding her meaning, the two women curtsied and shoved Ji Hong out of Qi Xia Courtyard.

Zhou Momo emerged from the inner chamber, her eyes red and swollen.

She knelt before Dou Zhao, ashamed and remorseful. "Fourth Young Miss, I know my words are useless now. I have no face left to continue serving Fifth Young Miss. I only beg you to find her some honest and disciplined attendants—people who will prevent her from acting recklessly… I will be forever grateful to you." With that, she kowtowed three times.

Zhou Momo was different from the maids and old women. She had been Dou Ming’s wet nurse, nurturing her since infancy. Moreover, she wasn’t bound by a deed of sale but by a contract of employment. If she chose to leave during her term, she only needed to compensate a few taels of silver. The reason she had endured so much for Dou Ming was that she truly regarded her as her own child.

Dou Zhao sighed inwardly. "Stay, Momo. Dou Ming seems badly frightened and will likely need time to recover. Since you raised her, having you by her side will help her heal faster."

Zhou Momo was stunned.

Dou Zhao continued, "However, the rest of Dou Ming’s attendants must be replaced. I’ll discuss with Consort Cui how best to handle this."

Only then did Zhou Momo regain her composure.

"Fourth Young Miss, no wonder everyone praises your merciful heart!" She wiped her tears. "Your magnanimity in not holding this against Fifth Young Miss is truly her good fortune!"

"I wouldn’t call it good fortune," Dou Zhao replied coolly. "I only hope this incident serves as a lesson—that she learns to think and act with integrity in the future. If Father forbade her return to the capital, she should have exhausted all proper means to plead with him or her maternal grandmother, not sneak away with someone else. If she hadn’t harbored such thoughts, how could Yu Er have deceived her?"

Zhou Momo nodded repeatedly. "You’re absolutely right, Fourth Young Miss. I’ll gently guide Fifth Young Miss in this matter."

As they spoke, the physician arrived.Since the physician was already in his fifties and had been visiting the Dou family since childhood, Dou Zhao did not avoid him. After the physician examined Dou Ming’s pulse, Dou Zhao invited him to sit in the reception hall and inquired in detail about the illness. She then handed the prescription to Gan Lu to fetch the medicine and personally escorted the physician to the second gate. Afterward, she went to her grandmother’s quarters but dared not mention Dou Ming’s abduction. Instead, she explained that Dou Ming had been clamoring to go to the capital, and the servants at Qi Xia Courtyard had secretly arranged for a carriage and horses to help her. If not for Zhou Momo informing her, Dou Ming might have sneaked back to the capital unnoticed, which was why she had to discipline the servants at Qi Xia Courtyard.

Dou Ming, who often looked down on her grandmother, usually only paid perfunctory visits to greet her, less frequently than she did to Second Madam. Moreover, Dou Zhao had specifically instructed everyone to keep the matter secret, so her grandmother remained unaware of what had happened the previous night. She merely sighed over Dou Shiying’s misdeeds: “...A perfectly good child, ruined by his upbringing.” She then admonished Dou Zhao, “As her elder sister, even if she’s at fault, you must guide her properly and not let her run wild.”

Her grandmother, wise to the ways of the world, had long noticed Dou Zhao’s distant attitude toward Dou Ming. Though she felt it wasn’t ideal, Dou Zhao had grown up under her care and had always been close to her. Unconsciously, she favored Dou Zhao and often turned a blind eye to certain matters.

Dou Zhao understood this well and responded with a perfunctory smile—not because she didn’t want to intervene, but because Dou Ming’s parents were still alive, making it inappropriate for her to interfere. This time, however, she resolved to send Dou Ming back to the capital. Perhaps fulfilling Dou Ming’s wish would make her more compliant.

After leaving her grandmother’s quarters, she began reorganizing the staff at Qi Xia Courtyard.

With Western Dou summoning physicians and dismissing or selling servants, Eastern Dou soon noticed something amiss.

Second Madam summoned Dou Zhao for a talk.

Blushing deeply, Dou Zhao recounted Dou Ming’s incident to Second Madam and added, “...Such words are truly unspeakable. I didn’t know how to tell you, so I kept putting it off day by day.”

Second Madam was so furious she nearly fainted. It took Second Madam and Nanny Liu pressing her acupoints for a long time before she regained her breath.

“Wretched, wretched!” Second Madam cursed. “I knew it—none of that Wang Family is any good!” She then asked Dou Zhao, “Have you found out why that Yu Er tried to abduct Dou Ming?”

She no longer referred to her as Mingjier.

Dou Zhao shared everything she had uncovered, including her plan to have Su Xin visit the Wang Family.

Second Madam nodded repeatedly and patted Dou Zhao’s hand. “Good child, you’ve truly been put through so much! In the end, it’s all your father’s fault...”

A child should not speak of a parent’s faults.

Second Madam coughed pointedly beside them.

Realizing her slip, Second Madam quickly changed the subject and comforted Dou Zhao at length, asking if she faced any difficulties and assuring her she could always come for help.

Having received this tacit approval, Dou Zhao thanked her profusely.Second Madam then said, "However, Su Xin is of lowly status and just a young girl. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to speak with the Wang family. I think it's better this way—I'll write a letter to your Fifth Uncle, and have Nanny Liu accompany Su Xin to the Capital to see your Fifth Aunt. Let's leave this matter for your Fifth Aunt to handle. After all, you're the elder sister and still unmarried. Don't get yourself involved in this."

Dou Zhao had been waiting for Second Madam to say exactly this.

Second Madam's greatest strength was her ability to assess situations and adapt accordingly.

Back then, in order to leave a good impression on Zeng Yifen for her son's sake, she had stood firm against her brother-in-law for a full day and night, insisting on legitimizing Wang Yingxue. But when Wang Xingyi became a potential rival to her son for the position of Grand Academician in the Grand Secretariat, she had no qualms about humiliating Wang Yingxue. Now, with Fifth Uncle having entered the Grand Secretariat and Wang Xingyi being transferred from Shaanxi Governor to Yunnan Governor, it was the perfect time for her to settle old scores for the "humiliations" she had endured before the Wang family. If she didn't seize this opportunity to trample Madam Xu Wang into the ground over such a major blunder by the Wang family's servants, she wouldn't be the Second Madam of the Dou family!

Just as she had never forgotten about Wu Tai Tai—the moment Dou Shishu entered the Grand Secretariat, she told everyone that the only reason Wu Shan had managed to become the Top Scholar was because Teacher Du from the Dou Family School had given him extra tutoring. And the reason Teacher Du had done so was because Wu Songnian had once treated Dou Shishu to a meal when he was in dire straits.

Thus, Dou Shishu became known as a man who repaid even the smallest kindness tenfold, while the Wu family—who had gradually distanced themselves from the Dou family after their son achieved the Top Scholar title—were branded as ungrateful.

To make matters worse, Wu Tai Tai couldn't even defend herself, much less visit the Dou family as frequently as before with her son and daughter in tow.