Blossom

Huai Tree Alley had been in chaos for several days now.

Fifth Madam, accompanied by her eldest daughter-in-law Guo Shi, repeatedly questioned Dou Ming's attendants about why Wei Tingyu had invited her to visit the Great Xiangguo Temple together. Meanwhile, Sixth Madam and her daughter-in-law Han Shi tended to Second Madam, who had fainted from anger. Cai Shi managed the household affairs—directing maids to serve tea and snacks to Sixth Master and Seventh Master, who sat silently in the study; instructing her personal matron to check on Dou Zhao, who had locked herself in her room and refused to answer any knocks; and sending pages to the gate to see if Fifth Master had returned from his office. Despite being swamped, Cai Shi looked radiant and full of energy.

Soon, commotion arose at the main gate.

Cai Shi's personal matron hurriedly reported, "Tenth Madam, the master has returned!"

Cai Shi nodded, straightened her clothes, and quickly went to greet him.

Dou Shishu looked stern and imposing as he asked Cai Shi, "How is Shou Gu?"

While Dou Shiheng and Dou Shiying could take leave to handle the matter at home, he couldn’t neglect his official duties.

Cai Shi's expression darkened as she replied softly, "She won’t open the door for anyone..."

Dou Shishu frowned. "This won’t do. You must persuade her to eat something. Otherwise, her health will suffer." He then asked, "What did the Wei Family’s matchmaker say?"

Cai Shi thought to herself that Dou Zhao was ignoring everyone—what could she do? But outwardly, she remained humble and respectful. "They said the second day of the third month is an auspicious date. Though Seventh Uncle is deeply upset, he didn’t object."

As they entered the main courtyard, they saw Guo Shi supporting an exhausted Fifth Madam emerging from the east wing.

Spotting Dou Shishu, Fifth Madam paused in surprise. She and Guo Shi stepped forward to greet him. "Why have you returned from the office so early, Master?"

Dou Shishu sighed wryly. "How could I sit there listening to idle chatter? I found an excuse to leave." He glanced at the east wing, where Dou Ming was confined. "What did Mingjier say?"

Fifth Madam remained silent.

Understanding, Guo Shi and Cai Shi curtsied and withdrew.

Only then did Fifth Madam lower her voice. "She said Wei Tingyu came to apologize earlier, and she happened to meet him and spoke a few words in his defense. Since the Dou family kept delaying the wedding date, Wei Tingyu grew desperate and arranged to meet her at the Great Xiangguo Temple, hoping she could help gather information. I’ve checked—she’s telling the truth. There’s likely nothing between them..."

Dou Shishu snorted disdainfully. "I’d say it’s just that nothing has happened yet."

Fifth Madam dared not respond.

Her husband despised such behavior and strictly disciplined himself—he not only avoided keeping concubines but even slept in the study attended by pages when she was pregnant.

After venting his frustration, Dou Shishu felt somewhat better. "Let’s go see Shou Gu," he said to Fifth Madam.

Fifth Madam assented, and they headed toward Dou Zhao’s room in the west wing.

The window lattice of the west wing trembled almost imperceptibly.

Su Lan swiftly turned and dashed back inside. "Miss, Fifth Master and Fifth Madam are coming!"

Dou Zhao hurriedly swallowed the pastry in her mouth, took a sip of water, and asked, "Besides Fifth Master and Fifth Madam, who else is with them?""Just the two of them," Su Lan replied, as Su Xin swiftly cleared the pastries from the kang table into a nearby tall cabinet. She then turned to help Dou Zhao pat down her clothes and placed a large bolster behind her.

Dou Zhao had just "weakly" lain down when a knocking sound came from outside: "Shou Gu, it's your Fifth Aunt! Your Fifth Uncle and I have come to see you."

Su Xin dipped her finger in some warm tea and dabbed it at the corners of Dou Zhao's eyes before loudly responding, "Coming." She signaled Su Lan to open the door.

Understanding the hint, Su Lan went to welcome Fifth Madam inside.

Dou Shishu, not wanting to enter his niece's inner chamber, remained standing outside the door.

Dou Zhao, appearing utterly feeble, was being helped off the kang by Su Xin.

Fifth Madam hurried forward in quick steps to support Dou Zhao, urging, "Lie down, lie down quickly. There's no one else here."

"Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt, I've worried you," Dou Zhao said in a faint, breathless voice. "I'm fine, I'll recover in a few days."

Fifth Madam looked at her somewhat pale face and couldn't help but shake her head inwardly.

This child's fate is truly unfortunate.

Her marriage matters have been fraught with twists and turns, and even now, there's no resolution.

"You say you're fine, but you've become so thin you're practically skin and bones," Fifth Madam said with heartfelt concern, trying to help her sit back on the kang.

With Dou Shishu still standing outside, Dou Zhao naturally couldn't sit down. She forced herself to gather her strength and bowed to Dou Shishu, but before she could speak, tears began to fall like rain: "Fifth Uncle, I don’t want to marry into the Wei Family. I beg you to stand up for me!"

Fifth Madam couldn't help but sigh.

Dou Shishu remained silent for a long moment before speaking: "You're not young anymore. First, there was the matter of the He family's proposal, and now your engagement with the Wei Family has been broken off. I fear your prospects for marriage may become difficult. Your Fifth Aunt has already questioned Mingjier. The Marquis of Jining merely wanted Mingjier to put in a good word for him in front of your father, and fearing your father might be annoyed with him, he arranged to speak with Mingjier outside. It wasn’t as others have rumored—that they were strolling around the Great Xiangguo Temple together. I know how upsetting this must be for you, given the compromising circumstances. But I assure you, nothing like this will happen again. Mingjier will be properly disciplined by your Fifth Aunt. You need only prepare to marry peacefully—"

Dou Zhao had expected this.

"Fifth Uncle, I will not marry into the Wei Family," she declared resolutely, her tone firm and unyielding. "I cannot bear this humiliation! If the Wei Family insists on marrying me, they can carry my memorial tablet through their gates."

Dou Shishu and Fifth Madam fell silent.

※※※※※

Far away in the eastern part of the Capital, at the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion, Song Mo sat by the window at his desk, draped in a lynx-fur cloak, carefully examining a letter in his hand.

The lingering glow of early spring sunlight cast upon him, making his jade-like face appear both luminous and cool, exuding an air of noble refinement. Du Wei, standing before him, couldn't help but let his gaze flicker toward him.

"So, the Marquis of Jining's wedding is set for the fourth day of the third month?" Song Mo's clear, melodious voice echoed through the study, causing Du Wei to straighten his posture and reply respectfully, "Yes. The Wei Family has already begun renovating the bridal chamber."

Dou Zhao arrived in the Capital last autumn, yet the Wei Family is only now starting to renovate the bridal chamber? What were they doing all this time?

Song Mo pressed his lips together and waved Du Wei away.

Du Wei hastily bowed and withdrew.

Song Mo picked up the letter again, lost in thought.

Dou Zhao's marriage situation is... peculiar.No sooner had he suppressed the news of Wei Tingyu spending the night at the male brothel than the incident at the Great Xiangguo Temple became common knowledge. After warning Zhang Yuanming a few times, Wei Tingyu quickly came to his senses and personally went to Jing'an Temple Alley to apologize. Just as the Dou family's attitude began to soften, rumors spread throughout the Capital that the Wei family had taken a liking to the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Yan'an. Moreover, every detail—what Wei Tingzhen had said, how many times she had visited the Wang family, what gifts she had brought, what the Marchioness of Yan'an wore when she received Wei Tingzhen, and even the tea served—was recounted with vivid precision.

But that wasn’t the most shocking part.

The most shocking part was when he sent Du Wei to investigate and discovered that all the rumors were true!

The relationship between the Dou and Wei families plummeted to freezing point once again.

Dou Zhao and Wei Tingyu’s marriage engagement stalled.

Then, out of nowhere, Dou Ming suddenly became entangled with Wei Tingyu… Forced to bow to the Dou family, the Wei family sent matchmakers again to discuss the wedding date. To cover up the scandal between Dou Ming and Wei Tingzhen, the Dou family quickly agreed to the date.

At this point, how could the strong-willed Dou Zhao possibly agree to marry into the Wei family?

It was as if an invisible hand was secretly manipulating Dou Zhao’s marriage, driving the Dou and Wei families further apart until they were on the verge of calling off the engagement.

Who was behind this?

Why were they doing this?

Had Dou Zhao noticed anything?

And what about Ji Yong? What role did he play in all this?

Just thinking about it made Song Mo feel as though he were being roasted over a fire, unable to find a moment’s peace.

How was Dou Zhao holding up now?

Given the circumstances, if the Dou family truly cared about Dou Zhao, they should have canceled the engagement instead of agreeing to some absurd wedding date!

Song Mo could almost picture Dou Zhao hiding in a quiet corner, silently weeping.

His heart ached as if a piece had been carved out.

“Chen He! Chen He!” Song Mo stood up and called loudly for his childhood friend.

Chen He hurried into the study.

“Go to the Dou family’s stationery shop on Drum Tower Street and tell them I wish to see the Fourth Miss.”

Chen He was stunned but quickly composed himself and left to carry out the order.

Song Mo paced back and forth in the study, unable to tell whether he felt agitated, excited, or sorrowful…

If the Dou family wouldn’t stand up for Dou Zhao, then he would.

If Dou Zhao agreed, he would help her break off this engagement.

Unlike Ji Yong, who jumped around making unreliable moves, he would handle this properly.

The rumors about the Wei family wanting to cancel the engagement needed to continue spreading—this would overshadow the scandal between Dou Ming and Wei Tingyu. As long as the Dou family’s reputation remained intact, they would stay silent about the annulment, reducing one layer of resistance.

Then, he would negotiate with Wei Tingzhen. Whether she wanted a good position for Wei Tingyu, a favorable marriage alliance, or both—there had to be something that would sway her.

If the Wei family sought to end the engagement and Dou Zhao refused to marry, the arrangement would naturally fall apart.

Song Mo considered discussing this with Gu Yu, asking him to secure a decent position for Wei Tingyu in the Fengtai Military Camp or the Golden Guard—elite imperial forces. As for marriage prospects, thanks to his father’s connections, he knew almost all the eligible young ladies in the Capital.

While princesses or noblewomen might be out of reach, arranging a match with a well-dowried, virtuous daughter of a marquis or earl wouldn’t be difficult…

The more Song Mo thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

Meanwhile, Ji Yong’s gaze remained vacant.Since when had he started treating Dou Zhao so differently!

He clearly knew Dou Zhao was to marry Wei Tingyu, yet he schemed to have Wei Tingyu end up in Zhao Zishu's bed, hoping this would make Dou Zhao despise Wei Tingyu from then on. He clearly knew Dou Zhao had unresolved issues with Dou Ming, yet he allowed Dou Ming and Wei Tingyu to engage in secret dealings, hoping this would make Dou Zhao unable to bear being with Wei Tingyu...

Dou Zhao said he didn't respect her decisions.

That was because he believed Dou Zhao's decisions were wrong.

But he clearly knew Dou Zhao was intelligent and capable—why did he doubt her choices?

Ji Yong stood there, sweat beading increasingly on his forehead.

Old Master Ji, however, chuckled a few times, stroking his beard leisurely as he walked out of Ji Yong's inner chamber.