Blossom

Song Mo, styled Yantang, was the legitimate eldest son of Song Yichun, the Duke of Yingguo. His mother, Jiang Shi, was the younger sister of Jiang Meisun, the Duke Ding. His background was extraordinarily illustrious. At the age of five, he was granted the title of heir apparent. At fourteen, due to a bedroom servant becoming pregnant during his mother's mourning period, he was impeached by imperial censors. The Duke of Yingguo expelled him from the family, after which his whereabouts became unknown.

In the twentieth year of Chengping, Emperor Muzong fell ill. The fifth prince, Liao Wang, who had been enfeoffed in Liaodong, returned to the Capital to visit the ailing emperor at the behest of his birth mother, Empress Wan. He then launched a palace coup, shooting dead the Crown Prince born of the late Empress Shen, confined the Emperor, and usurped the throne, ascending as the new sovereign.

Song Mo, long forgotten by all except in idle after-dinner chatter, re-emerged before the public as the new emperor's trusted confidant.

Single-handedly, he stormed into the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion with a sword, severed the limbs of his younger brother Song Han in front of their father, and forced the father to watch as Song Han bled to death in agony before finally beheading him. The brutality and savagery of his actions shocked the Capital. Even years later, his name alone could silence crying children in the city.

Imperial censors flooded the court with memorials, demanding the Emperor apprehend the criminal to uphold justice.

After a token punishment, the Emperor confined Song Mo to the West Garden within the palace.

Six months later, Song Mo joined the Imperial Bodyguard, becoming a minor officer in the Northern Pacification Office, ranked seventh grade.

A year later, he rose to the position of Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard, ranked third grade.

People in the Capital whispered that Song Mo had earned the Emperor's special favor by shooting the Crown Prince during the palace coup.

As if to confirm this, throughout the Emperor's twelve-year reign, no matter how Song Mo embezzled, framed loyal officials, suppressed remonstrators, curried favor, bullied the weak, acted arrogantly, or indulged in debauchery, he never lost imperial favor. Many censors who impeached him were reprimanded, dismissed, or even beaten to death by the Emperor's order.

Faced with such a man and such circumstances, Dou Zhao felt disheartened. Yet if she allowed Wei Tingyu to continue down this path, it would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—endangering not just their family but potentially implicating their entire clan.

She murmured, "With the Zhou family fallen, there's still the Cao family. Why should you and Fourth Master Wang step forward? Don't invite disaster! In my opinion, it's better to be cautious..."

Before she could finish, Wei Tingyu snorted disdainfully, "I don't have your calculating nature. I only know that a gentleman must act when he must. I'm determined to intervene in this matter!"

His tone implied she was heartless, indifferent to the plight of the Zhou mother and daughter for her own safety.

Wei Tingyu's attitude deeply wounded Dou Zhao.

She retorted coldly, "Song Mo has neither married nor has heirs. His mansion by Chashihai is filled with beauties, rivaling the Emperor's inner palace—mostly gifts from officials seeking his favor. I've heard of women who hanged themselves there and were carried out the back door, those who shaved their heads in protest only to be sent to nunneries, others given as wives or concubines to colleagues or subordinates who fancied them, and some who fled to escape his tyranny. But never have I heard of him going to great lengths to recapture any woman. Shouldn't you verify the facts before acting?"

Wei Tingyu sat thunderstruck, staring blankly, motionless for a long while.

Ignoring him, Dou Zhao turned over and lay down by herself.The candle wick crackled a few times, and she heard Wei Tingyu whisper behind her, "I—I already promised Dahe, didn’t I? It wouldn’t be right to go back on my word. Besides, Dahe also invited the Earl of Yong’en and the others—it’s not just me. We all agreed to enter the palace together tomorrow to lodge a complaint against Song Mo before the Emperor. If I were the only one not to go..."

Dou Zhao replied indifferently, "But I’m ill, aren’t I?"

"Yes! Yes!" Wei Tingyu said cheerfully. "I have to stay home to take care of you!"

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. She was about to admonish Wei Tingyu further, lest he change his mind again after being persuaded by the Earl of Yong’en and the others, when Cuileng hurried in. "My Lord, Madam. The Marquis of Yan’an has arrived!"

"Ah!" Wei Tingyu glanced uneasily at Dou Zhao’s expression.

The Marquis of Yan’an, Wang Qinghuai, was Wang Qinghai’s elder brother.

"It wouldn’t be good to avoid him," Dou Zhao mused. "For him to visit you in the dead of night means it must be urgent. Just insist that you must stay to care for me. Don’t agree to anything else."

"Alright!" Wei Tingyu, now reassured, perked up and headed to the outer courtyard.

Dou Zhao quickly instructed Cuileng, "Go and see what the Marquis of Yan’an wants with the Marquis."

Cuileng acknowledged and withdrew.

By the time the fourth watch drum sounded, Wei Tingyu returned to the inner chamber in high spirits.

"Madam!" he exclaimed, eyebrows raised. "Guess why the Marquis of Yan’an came to see me?"

Dou Zhao had already received word, but she played along with a smile. "Why?"

"The Marquis of Yan’an forbade Dahe from interfering in the Zhou family’s affairs and placed him under house arrest. Fearing that the rest of us would still proceed with our plan to enter the palace tomorrow, he brought gifts and personally visited each household to express his gratitude! Ours was the first he called on. The Marquis even said the same thing as you, Madam!"

Dou Zhao smiled. "That’s good. Now you can rest easy, my Lord."

"No wonder they say, 'A virtuous wife is a treasure at home.'" Wei Tingyu flattered Dou Zhao. "Thank goodness for you, Madam, or I’d have made a fool of myself." Then he grumbled theatrically, trying to squeeze her toward the inner side of the bed, and loudly declared, "I want to sleep in the bed, not on the wooden couch."

This was his way of apologizing.

Dou Zhao chuckled and yielded the outer side of the bed.

Soon, Wei Tingyu’s soft snores filled the room.

Dou Zhao had been struggling with sleep lately, and the noise kept her awake. After a moment’s thought, she nudged Wei Tingyu.

"What is it?" he mumbled, barely opening his eyes before closing them again.

"My Lord, I have something to discuss with you."

"Oh?" Wei Tingyu responded drowsily, taking his time to sit up and lean against the headboard. Yawning, he asked, "What is it?"

Dou Zhao instructed Cuileng to fetch Wei Tingyu’s sable cloak and drape it over his shoulders before speaking slowly. "I’ve been thinking—we should finalize Wei Ge’er’s marriage."

Wei Tingyu was taken aback.

Wei Ge’er was their eldest son, now fourteen. Not only was he handsome and exceptionally bright, but he also carried himself with maturity beyond his years. His aunt, Wei Tingzhen, had taken a great liking to him and had been hinting for the past two years about marrying her eldest daughter, Caiping, to him.

As the heir to the Marquis of Jining’s Mansion and the eldest granddaughter of the Duke of Jing’s household, it was a match of equal social standing, further sweetened by their familial ties. Wei Tingyu couldn’t imagine a better arrangement. Yet whenever his sister, his mother, or even he himself brought it up, Dou Zhao would deftly steer the conversation elsewhere with a smile, leaving the matter unresolved.Now that Dou Zhao brought up the matter of their eldest son's marriage, Wei Tingyu's drowsiness vanished completely. He teased, "When my sister came to you about it, you barely gave her the time of day. Now that you're taking the initiative, be careful she plays hard to get and gives you the cold shoulder."

Dou Zhao smiled and waited for Wei Tingyu's excitement to subside before saying, "I'd like to arrange a marriage between Wei Ge'er and the eldest granddaughter of Xuanning Marquis Guo Haiqing."

Wei Tingyu's smile froze on his face, his lips moving wordlessly as if at a loss for words.

How could Dou Zhao not understand her mother-in-law and husband's thoughts?

But she had her own considerations.

Her father-in-law had died suddenly from a sudden illness when Wei Tingyu was not yet twenty, inexperienced in managing household affairs. Her mother-in-law, gentle and meek, was of no help with external matters. It was only through Wei Tingzhen's guidance that they managed to weather the initial chaos. Because of this, both Wei Tingyu and her mother-in-law had grown accustomed to consulting Wei Tingzhen on everything, relying on her to make decisions. Over time, Wei Tingzhen's influence in the Wei family grew so strong that whenever she spoke, neither Wei Tingyu nor her mother-in-law would disagree. In the Wei household, Wei Tingzhen's word carried more weight than theirs.

Dou Zhao had lost her birth mother early and, as a young girl, always felt like an outsider. What she yearned for most was a home of her own. How could she tolerate Wei Tingzhen constantly meddling in her affairs?

When she first married into the family, she knew nothing and suffered greatly, shedding many tears in secret. It wasn't until she gave birth to two sons and a daughter, took charge of the household affairs, and later managed the family's external matters that the Wei family's fortunes began to flourish year by year. Only then did Wei Tingzhen slightly rein in her interference.

If they were to become in-laws, Wei Tingzhen would be both her son's mother-in-law and his paternal aunt. Given her domineering nature, would her son have to live under her thumb for the rest of his life? And if any discord arose between the couple, who would mediate fairly?

She would never agree to this marriage.

But she also knew that without a plausible reason, her mother-in-law and Wei Tingyu would not support her choice of another bride for their son.

She had been pondering this matter for a while.

Coincidentally, during the Double Ninth Festival while admiring chrysanthemums at the Jingguo Duke's residence, the duke's eldest daughter joked with her: "...My sister-in-law clearly dotes on her younger brother, insisting on marrying Caipin into your family over my brother's objections. If it were up to my father, Caipin would have been married into the Jingjiang Marquis's household!"

Only then did Dou Zhao learn of the Jingguo Duke's intentions.

At that moment, inspiration struck, and she thought of a way to persuade her husband and mother-in-law. However, she hadn't had the opportunity to discuss it in detail with her husband.

Now, in the quiet of the night, was the perfect time to talk.

Seeing her husband stunned into silence, she smiled faintly and relayed the Jingguo Duke's daughter's words to Wei Tingyu, adding, "The duke's daughter wouldn't have mentioned this to me without reason. It seems there's disagreement between our aunt and her husband regarding Caipin's marriage. Over the years, our aunt has helped us greatly. Although she's the wife of the Jingguo Duke's heir, the duke himself currently heads the household. If our arrangement for Wei Ge'er and Caipin were to cause the duke to resent our aunt, we would be to blame!"

Filial piety comes first.

If a daughter-in-law incurs her father-in-law's displeasure, what kind of life could she expect? She might even face divorce.Wei Tingyu's face darkened as he reproached her, "If you had agreed to this marriage earlier, things wouldn't have come to this! What are we supposed to do now?"

She offered him a suggestion, "Why don't you discuss this with the marquis and your mother? See what they think would be best?"

"Right!" Wei Tingyu's eyes lit up. "Why didn't I think of that?" Without caring that it was still dark outside, he called for Cuileng to help him dress. "I'll go see Mother right away."

Since his mother was older and slept lightly, she was likely already awake at this hour.

Dou Zhao didn't stop him, instead summoning a young maid to carry a lantern for Wei Tingyu and escort him to his mother's quarters.

If her estimation was correct, his mother would immediately come to her with Wei Tingyu to seek a solution after hearing the news.

She took a short nap and was awakened by Cuileng.

Her mother-in-law and Wei Tingyu had already arrived.

Before she could speak, her mother-in-law urgently asked, "Is what you said true?" Then, puzzled, she added, "Why has Tingzhen never mentioned this to me before?"