Blossom

Second Madam was playing Leaf Cards with Guo Shi and Cai Shi, the wives of Fifth Madam's two sons, as well as Han Shi, Dou Zhengchang's wife, accompanied by Sixth Madam Ji.

When Dou Zhao entered, Sixth Madam immediately stood up and beckoned to her with a smile. "Come here and help your grandaunt read the cards."

Second Madam's eyesight had deteriorated, so she needed someone to stand behind her and quietly announce the cards, occasionally playing a few crucial rounds for her.

Dou Zhao knew that Ji Shi’s vision had also weakened in recent years, making this task quite strenuous for her.

She smiled and took a seat beside Second Madam.

The old lady chatted idly with Dou Zhao while Guo Shi and the others listened nearby.

"Did you see your father?"

"Yes."

"Why didn’t you stay longer at home?"

"Some juniors from the Imperial Academy came to visit Father and invited him to listen to the abbot’s sermon at Jing’an Temple, so I returned first."

Second Madam nodded.

Dou Zhao quickly pointed at the cards on the table. "Grandaunt, Kong Yi Yi." Then she drew a "Kong" and an "Yi" for Second Madam and placed them on the table.

Cai Shi playfully chimed in, "Fourth Sister is so sharp-eyed and quick-handed. We can’t even get a chance to please our dear grandmother."

Second Madam chuckled.

Everyone’s attention finally returned to the game.

By dinnertime, Dou Zhao had helped Second Madam win over a dozen taels of silver.

Cai Shi linked arms with Dou Zhao. "Who knew Fourth Sister was such an expert? You helped Grandmother win all our silver."

"You little rascal!" In just a few days, Second Madam had grown fond of this lively granddaughter-in-law, speaking to her with affectionate ease.

Ji Shi and Han Shi both laughed.

Guo Shi, however, couldn’t hide a shadow in her eyes.

Fifth Madam entered.

"Mother, where would you like dinner served?"

Since Second Madam had moved into Huai Shu Alley, no matter how busy she was, Fifth Madam had insisted on paying respects to elders morning and evening and serving meals to Second Madam, fulfilling her duties as a daughter-in-law. This pleased Second Madam greatly, who in turn treated Fifth Madam with exceptional leniency, even exempting her from serving meals. But Fifth Madam persisted, eventually settling on only serving dinner. Because of this, Second Madam repeatedly reminded Dou Shishu to treat Fifth Madam well.

Today, however, Fifth Madam looked troubled.

Dou Zhao guessed she was distressed over the rumors about the Wei Family wanting to break off the engagement.

Though not the Lineage Wife of the Dou family, in the Capital, Dou Shishu held the highest official rank. While his wife enjoyed status by association, she also bore responsibilities—this matter had now fallen on her shoulders.

Seizing an opportunity, Dou Zhao instructed Su Xin, "Go tell Young Master Ji I have something to discuss with him. Ask him to come when he has time." She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Back in Zhen Ding, despite having many elders above her, she and her grandmother had lived in Western Dou, where everyone reported matters to her. Her word was law, and she could decide things as she pleased.

But in the Capital, though there were fewer elders, she now lived in Huai Shu Alley. Matters were reported either to Dou Shishu, Fifth Madam, or at the very least, Sixth Madam—never to her. Even meeting Mr. Chen had become inconvenient, let alone Ji Yong.

Truly, Zhen Ding had been better!

Perhaps that was why it took Ji Yong five or six days to come see her.At this time, Fifth Madam had already heard the news that Wei Tingzhen had taken a liking to the Miss of Ting'an Marquis's Mansion and was so furious that she shut herself in with Sixth Madam to discuss countermeasures.

Ji Yong casually sat down on the Grand Preceptor's Chair by the kang and asked Dou Zhao, "What do you want from me? Don't tell me you're planning to call off the engagement with Wei Tingyu?" His tone carried a hint of mockery.

It seemed Ji Yong still harbored resentment over her insistence on marrying Wei Tingyu.

Dou Zhao asked him, "What did you ask Dou Ming to do for you?"

Ji Yong was momentarily taken aback. "So you know!" he said, then curiously added, "How did you find out? Did you catch Dou Ming red-handed?" He sighed. "I knew Dou Ming couldn't be relied on, but I didn't expect her to slip up so quickly. What did she tell you..."

Dou Zhao silently stared into his eyes without speaking.

Under her gaze, Ji Yong grew increasingly uncomfortable and finally blurted out, "Alright, alright, why are you looking at me like that? If you want to know what I asked Dou Ming to do, I'll tell you. I noticed Wei Tingyu lacks resolve, so I had Dou Ming coax him into accompanying her to visit the Great Xiangguo Temple..."

In the end, it was still about creating the appearance of Dou Ming and Wei Tingyu engaging in improper relations.

Dou Zhao closed her eyes for a moment to steady her emotions before asking, "And then?"

"What?" Ji Yong was briefly puzzled but quickly understood and laughed. "Just wanted to see if Wei Tingyu would take the bait..."

Dou Zhao interrupted him, her eyes locked on his. "I thought you would respect my decisions."

Ji Yong's laughter abruptly ceased, his careless grin fading into a more solemn expression.

"Or perhaps you don't trust my judgment?" Dou Zhao continued. "So no matter what decision I make, if you think it's wrong, you'll find a way to 'correct' it until I act according to your wishes?"

That wasn't it.

Ji Yong instinctively wanted to refute, but the words stuck in his throat—no matter how he phrased it, his defense felt weak.

"Cousin Ji," Dou Zhao said earnestly, gazing at him, "I hope you can have a little more faith in me and stop interfering in my marriage. If I need your help, I'll ask for it." She gave him a small, deliberate smile.

Ji Yong couldn't return the smile.

For the first time in his life, he felt as though a heavy stone were pressing on his heart, making it hard to breathe.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside.

This was the inner courtyard of the Dou family—how could there be such noise?

Dou Zhao frowned.

Su Xin rushed in, too flustered to mind Ji Yong's presence, and urgently reported, "It's terrible! Fifth Miss was caught by Chief Steward Gao trying to go to the Great Xiangguo Temple with the Marquis of Jining. They're blocked at the main gate now."

Though she had anticipated this possibility, hearing it confirmed still made Dou Zhao's expression darken.

Had Dou Ming deliberately caused such a scene?

If she succeeded in going to the temple with Wei Tingyu, not only would her reputation be ruined, but the Dou family's name would also suffer. Second Madam would never let her off. But if she failed to go with Wei Tingyu, she wouldn't be able to justify herself to Ji Yong. This was the perfect middle ground—it would silence Ji Yong while preventing the situation from escalating beyond repair, sparing herself from becoming the target of public condemnation.She glanced at Ji Yong.

Ji Yong's expression was extremely grim.

He had thought Dou Ming was shallow and ignorant, someone who would obediently comply at the slightest intimidation. Yet at the critical moment, she had outmaneuvered him—and done so precisely according to his own instructions, leaving him no room to fault her.

Dou Zhao instructed Su Xin, "Let's go take a look!"

Leaving Ji Yong alone in the reception hall.

In the early spring afternoon, the sunlight streaming through the glass windows into the reception hall felt warm and comforting. Yet the wind still carried a biting chill.

Ji Yong stared blankly at the dust motes dancing in the air before leaving the Dou family in a daze.

A few days later, he received news that the Wei family had once again sent matchmakers to the Dou family to discuss the wedding date.

Lying in bed with no desire to get up, Ji Yong cursed fiercely.

Old Master Ji walked in cheerfully, doting as he said, "I heard you weren’t feeling well? You seem quite spirited to me. Who upset our Jianming? Should your great-grandfather teach them a lesson?" His tone was as if coaxing a child.

Ji Yong found it irritating.

He glanced at his great-grandfather and replied lazily, "Why aren’t you out having fun with our cousins today?"

The implication was that Old Master Ji should go amuse himself elsewhere.

Old Master Ji chuckled and sat beside Ji Yong. "I heard the Dou and Wei families have started discussing the wedding date. Seems your plan didn’t work out, eh?"

Ji Yong was startled, bolting upright in bed and staring wide-eyed at his great-grandfather.

Old Master Ji laughed even more heartily. "You wanted to ruin the Marquis of Jining’s reputation so the Dou family would resent him and call off the engagement with the Wei family. Instead, you dragged the Duke of Yingguo’s heir into it—not only failing to tarnish the Marquis’s name but also making an enemy of Song Mo. Then you goaded Dou Ming into tricking the Marquis into visiting the Great Xiangguo Temple together, but before she could even step out, the scheme was exposed. Not only did the Dou family not break off the engagement, but they even sat down with the Wei family to set a wedding date as if all grievances were forgotten... Jianming, what’s your next move?" His tone was teasing, almost gloating.

Ji Yong’s face turned ashen.

Old Master Ji continued, "Listen, Jianming. When you were little, you draped a cloth over yourself and jumped off the roof, claiming you wanted to fly like a bird. Later, you burned down half the ancestral house trying to concoct an immortality elixir. Then you declared you’d become a villainous minister so you could rise to the highest ranks before thirty and 'fulfill your duty to the Ji family.' Ridiculous as those things were, at least there was some logic to them. But now? Fourth Miss Dou has made it perfectly clear she wants to marry into the Wei family, yet you’re dead set on tearing them apart. Tell me, what’s your reason this time?"

As if facing a teacher’s question, Ji Yong immediately shifted into battle-ready mode.

"Since you already know everything, then tell me—is someone like Wei Tingyu worthy of Fourth Sister? If she marries him, it’d be like a fresh flower stuck on a pile of dung. It’s like pairing wolf-hair brushes with blue-and-white porcelain handles—pretty to look at, but utterly useless in practice.""Even if that's the case, so what?" Old Master Ji's smile gradually faded. His usually lively eyes, always brimming with curiosity, now took on a solemn edge that revealed his sharpness. "I remember once when I took you, Min Ge'er, and Ne Ge'er to Dragon Tiger Mountain to visit the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Unity Sect. On the way, we saw a woman with a three- or four-year-old girl who had lost both legs begging from us. Both Min Ge'er and Ne Ge'er showed compassion and gave the woman their New Year's money. Only you—you turned your head, jumped onto the carriage, took the best seat, and said, 'There are countless beggars in this world. Just because she's a woman, just because the girl she's with has lost her legs, should I be obliged to help them? There are plenty of mismatched couples in this world—just because she's pitiful, just because she's your cousin, should you be obliged to draw your sword and come to her aid?'"

Beads of sweat the size of peas broke out on Ji Yong's forehead!