Blossom

As May arrived in the capital, Madam Cai smiled warmly as she saw off the Dowager Marchioness of Changxing into her carriage. Only then did she use her handkerchief to dab the sweat from her forehead before turning to instruct her daughter-in-law, Madam Ding: "Let's return home as well."

Her smile faded, revealing traces of exhaustion.

Madam Ding hurried forward to support her mother-in-law, speaking considerately: "The weather is so hot. The Dowager Marchioness only asked you in passing which monk at Wanming Temple chants scriptures well for the late Marquis's memorial service—why did you accompany her all the way here? Our family has no ties with the Marquis Changxing's household. Why go to such lengths to show them courtesy?" As she spoke, she took the round fan from a maid and vigorously fanned Madam Cai. "Mother, you're not young anymore. Baoshan has reminded me many times to take good care of you. If there's anything, just tell me directly."

Baoshan was Cai Bi's eldest son.

Madam Ding glanced at the maids and old women clustered around them.

The servants, understanding the cue, quickly dispersed.

Only then did Madam Cai speak: "One must always prepare for a rainy day. Just because we have no ties now, can you guarantee we never will? By accompanying the Dowager Marchioness to Wanming Temple today, haven't we established a connection? Don't be so short-sighted!" She lowered her voice. "Marquis Changxing has acted outrageously in office, with countless censures against him, yet he remains unshaken. Do you think just anyone could manage that? Aligning with the Shi family brings only benefits, no drawbacks. Our ancestors planted trees so we could enjoy the shade—I'm doing this for your sake." She continued, "Do you remember Lin Guanlan, the former Chancellor of the Imperial Academy who was once close to our family? After his passing three years ago, his grandson got into trouble in Jiangnan. Yet with just one letter from the Lin family to Governor Tao Zeyu, not only was the young master cleared, but he returned to the capital with a thousand taels in silver notes as travel expenses from Tao. Do you know why? Because back when Tao had just been selected as a Bachelor of the Imperial Academy and his elderly mother accompanied him to the capital, her heavily accented Fujian speech made others look down on her. It was Madam Lin who spoke up for her a few times." She admonished Madam Ding, "Remember this: kindness to others is kindness to yourself. Even if you can't help someone, never offend them. I brought you today hoping you'd forge a favorable connection with the Marquis Changxing's household."

"I'll remember your words, Mother!" Madam Ding nodded repeatedly, personally moving the footstool by the carriage shaft to assist Madam Cai in boarding.

Just as Madam Cai placed one foot on the stool, someone from a nearby carriage suddenly drew back the curtain. A bejeweled woman leaned out and called cheerfully, "Madam Cai? It is you, isn't it?"

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law turned.

While Madam Ding looked utterly puzzled, unable to recall where she might have met the woman, Madam Cai paused briefly before smiling in recognition. "Seventh Madam of the Dou family, isn't it? I knew it—how could I forget someone so strikingly beautiful?" With that, she withdrew her foot and stood firmly by the carriage.

How utterly calculating, Wang Yingxue thought to herself.

Had it been Fifth Madam calling out, she'd have scurried over eagerly by now.

With practiced grace, Wang Yingxue alighted from her carriage and approached to exchange pleasantries with the Cai ladies. After several polite exchanges, sensing the congenial atmosphere, she warmly linked arms with Madam Cai.Madam Cai and Ding Shi were both somewhat surprised when Wang Yingxue said with a smile, "Madam Cai, a chance meeting is better than a planned invitation. I had intended to visit your residence in the coming days, but unexpectedly ran into you here. I won’t stand on ceremony—there’s something I’d like to ask of you..." She gestured for Madam Cai to speak privately.

Ding Shi had seen such situations many times before. Unfazed, she smiled and retreated to the side with her maids and the old women.

Wang Yingxue invited Madam Cai into her carriage.

After a moment’s thought, Madam Cai followed her inside with a smile.

Ding Shi waited outside for about an hour, during which she occasionally heard faint sobbing from the carriage.

Madam Cai’s personal attendant grew concerned and asked Ding Shi, "Could something be wrong?"

Ding Shi replied with a laugh, "Even if there is, the Dou family still has Fifth Madam. It’s hardly our place to intervene!" She then speculated, "Perhaps she’s suffered some grievance and wants Fifth Madam to speak on her behalf but feels awkward approaching her directly, so she’s asking Mother to relay the message."

The attendant considered this and found Ding Shi’s reasoning sound, relaxing her expression as she stood waiting leisurely.

Another quarter of an hour passed before Madam Cai stepped out of Wang Yingxue’s carriage. When Wang Yingxue moved to escort her, Madam Cai stopped her, saying, "Seventh Madam, you should return first. I’ll think carefully about this matter and give you an answer later."

Wang Yingxue hurriedly replied, "Thank you, Madam Cai!" Her eyes were red and swollen, her expression sorrowful.

Ding Shi wondered to herself, "What could Seventh Madam have wanted from Mother?" as she stepped forward to assist Madam Cai.

Madam Cai’s face was tense, her demeanor grave.

As soon as she boarded her own carriage, she ordered the driver, "Hurry back!"

Ding Shi was startled and asked urgently, "Mother, what’s happened?"

Madam Cai seemed not to hear her, her expression distant as she twisted her handkerchief into a knot, then smoothed it out, only to twist it again.

Recognizing that her mother-in-law was facing a serious dilemma, Ding Shi held her breath and sat quietly beside her.

The carriage raced back to Paper Horse Lane, where the Cai family resided.

Yet Madam Cai remained seated inside, unmoving.

When the old women outside grew impatient and lifted the curtain to speak, Ding Shi silenced them with a glance.

As the sun dipped westward, a cool breeze swept through the lane, but the carriage remained stiflingly hot. Ding Shi felt her back drenched in sweat. She picked up a round fan to cool Madam Cai—and herself—when suddenly Madam Cai snapped out of her daze and whispered, "Tell me, if we had a chance to earn ten thousand taels of silver, should we take it or not?"

Ding Shi paled in shock. "Surely the risks would be great as well?"

Madam Cai nodded, hesitating to say more.

Ignoring the heat, Ding Shi moved closer and murmured, "Is it related to the Dou family?"

Madam Cai whispered a few words into her ear.

Ding Shi turned ashen, her fan clattering to the floor. The noise prompted the old women outside to hastily lift the curtain and ask, "What’s wrong?" only to be sharply dismissed by Ding Shi.

"Mother, what do you intend to do?" Ding Shi’s voice trembled. "I fear this might create a rift with the Huai Tree Lane household afterward!""I was thinking the same," said Madam Cai. "Although we could try to gloss over it, with such a major incident, at the very least, I wouldn’t escape the blame for negligence. The people in Huai Shu Lane might not say anything outright, but they’d surely suspect something in their hearts. Besides, your sister is still in their household... After weighing all the options, this matter is truly difficult to handle!"

Her mother-in-law said it was "difficult to handle," not "impossible to handle."

Ding-shi immediately saw through Madam Cai’s intentions.

She wanted that ten thousand taels in silver notes but also didn’t wish to offend the Huai Shu Lane side.

After a moment’s thought, Ding-shi suggested, "What if we just pretend this never happened?"

"Nonsense!" Madam Cai scolded. "Since she’s already spoken up and even promised me a favor from the Wang Family, she’s clearly made up her mind. If we refuse, she’ll surely find another way—she won’t let this go. Whether she succeeds or not, it’ll cause a huge uproar. If we knew beforehand but didn’t inform the Huai Shu Lane side, what do you think the Dou family would think of us?"

"Then what do you propose?" Ding-shi faintly grasped her mother-in-law’s plan.

Madam Cai lowered her voice. "I think we should still inform the Dou family. As for the ten thousand taels in silver notes, we’ll take them. Then, we’ll present the notes to Fifth Madam and explain that we had no choice but to accept them to avoid trouble... Fifth Madam is a straightforward person. If Seventh Madam has already offered ten thousand taels, surely Fifth Madam won’t refuse to contribute something as well? This way, we play the good role while also legitimately earning some silver. As for Seventh Madam, once Fifth Madam knows, she certainly won’t expose us to confront Seventh Madam directly. Fifth Madam won’t let Seventh Madam act recklessly either. We’ll just follow Fifth Madam’s lead."

Ding-shi quickly flattered, "The older ginger is spicier! I panicked when I heard about this, but you’ve already come up with a solution so quickly..."

"Enough, enough," Madam Cai said, though she couldn’t help but smile at her daughter-in-law’s words. "Let’s head to Huai Shu Lane now."

But Ding-shi hesitated. "Mother, this is a serious matter. Shouldn’t we consult Father first? Besides, Ren Ge’er’s birthday is in a few days. Instead of going now, perhaps we should wait a few more days—if Seventh Madam of the Dou family is capable of such actions, she’s surely no simple character." Her implication was that she feared Wang Yingxue might have people watching their movements.

"You make a good point," Madam Cai said approvingly, patting her daughter-in-law’s hand. "But it’s best not to let your father know about this. If anything changes, we can claim he was unaware, giving us a way out." Then, with Ding-shi’s assistance, she stepped down from the carriage.

For several days, the people Wang Yingxue had sent to watch the Cai family reported no unusual activity. Only after Madam Cai had her daughter-in-law Ding-shi retrieve the ten thousand taels in silver notes did Wang Yingxue feel half of her anxiety ease. She then began arranging trusted old women, maids, and servants in the kitchen.

Dou Shiying had been kept at the palace for two consecutive days and was completely unaware of the happenings at home.

On the day of Dou Shishu’s eldest grandson, Dou Qiren’s birthday, Madam Cai dressed in her finest and went to Huai Shu Lane.

After eating longevity noodles and presenting Ren Ge’er with gifts, Madam Cai pulled Fifth Madam aside to speak privately in her inner chamber.Fifth Madam stared at the ten thousand taels of unmarked silver notes on the table, payable on sight, both shocked and anxious. It took her a long moment to regain her composure. Furious, veins bulged on her forehead as she struggled to suppress the curses on the tip of her tongue, not wanting to give Madam Cai any reason to mock her. Instead, she forced herself to express tearful gratitude: "...If not for you, our Dou family would have become the laughingstock of the entire Capital! Even I, as the aunt, would hardly escape blame. You’ve truly saved our entire family!"

Where was the dignity befitting the Madam of a Grand Secretary now?

Fifth Madam wished she could spit right in Wang Yingxue’s face.

Since Madam Cai had done a good deed, she naturally intended to see it through—only then would others feel genuine gratitude from the heart.

She quickly took Fifth Madam’s hand and comforted her, saying, "Every family has its ups and downs. Fortunately, no one else knows about this matter yet. Between our families, there’s no need for formalities—just let me know how I can help."