Blossom

Dou Zhao couldn't help but sneer.

She never expected Wang Yingxue to still have such audacity at this point!

It seemed she had underestimated her before.

She asked Chen Qushui, "If Seventh Madam wants Dou Ming to marry into the Marquis of Jining's Mansion in my place, what would she do?"

"Surely not?" Chen Qushui was utterly shocked, his mouth hanging open for a long moment.

"In this world, there's nothing that can't be done—only things we can't imagine," Dou Zhao said with a cold expression. "Just investigate as I've said. You should find something."

Though Chen Qushui found it unbelievable, out of trust in Dou Zhao, he didn't press further and left Huai Tree Alley with the account books in hand.

Dou Zhao stared blankly at the lush old locust tree outside the window, taking a long time to snap out of her thoughts.

※※※※※

Perhaps because they now had a clear direction, within just two days, Chen Qushui quickly sent word.

Father had no idea that Huai Tree Alley had helped her break off the engagement with the Wei Family. However, since the wedding date had been postponed and changed repeatedly, her dowry had long been prepared, and no one was assigned to oversee her marriage arrangements. Meanwhile, Wang Yingxue had not only assigned her own maids and old women to work in the kitchen and main courtyard but had also been frequently helping Dou Ming purchase clothes and jewelry, claiming it was because Dou Ming was about to come of age and shouldn't lose face. The sheer quantity and exquisite craftsmanship of these items made even Father feel it was too extravagant, and he reprimanded Wang Yingxue a few times. Instead of toning it down as she would have in the past, Wang Yingxue had a huge argument with Father, accusing him of being harsh on Dou Ming. Father had always been generous with money, and with his recent frequent summons to the palace for lectures, he needed to focus on his preparations. Unable to endure her tantrums, he simply shut his door and ignored her. Though Gaosheng was loyal and capable, he was, after all, just the household steward and couldn't intervene. Wang Yingxue spent money like water, with silversmiths and the most renowned silk merchants from the Capital constantly coming and going. Dou Ming's coming-of-age ceremony was still a year away, yet people in the Capital were already speculating about the extravagance of Fifth Miss Dou's celebration.

Meanwhile, Fifth Aunt had gone to Yuqiao Alley the day after Ren Ge'er's birthday—not to visit Ji Yong's aunt or mother, but to pay respects to his great-grandfather.

After leaving Yuqiao Alley, she immediately went to Zhima Alley and had a long, secret discussion with Madam Cai. She stayed for dinner before returning home.

Dou Zhao fell deep into thought.

It seemed Huai Tree Alley had already decided to have Dou Ming marry into the Marquis of Jining's Mansion in her place—not only could this explain her broken engagement with the Wei Family, but it would also strike a blow against them, with Wang Yingxue taking the fall. Such a perfect opportunity was something Fifth Aunt wouldn't let slip by!

Taking her place in marriage wasn't the hard part—the difficulty lay in what came after.

Dou Ming might not understand the consequences, but Wang Yingxue surely did.

In her past life, she had been the legitimate Seventh Madam of the Dou family, with Father as a powerful Grand Academician in the Grand Secretariat. In this life, she could barely take care of herself. What leverage did she have to make Dou Ming take her place?

Suddenly, Su Lan's words echoed in Dou Zhao's ears."I escorted the Marquis to the Hanging Flower Gate and was hesitating whether to check if lunch was ready in the kitchen when I saw the Marquis turn back with an old woman. I quickly hid behind a tree and waited until they had passed before sending a little maid to follow them. The maid reported that the Marquis had entered Fifth Miss’s courtyard with that old woman."

Or... was there something else she didn’t know?

Dou Zhao clenched her fists tightly.

The same feeling of helpless isolation she had experienced in her past life, when she learned that Wang Yingxue wanted Dou Ming to replace her in marrying Wei Tingyu, washed over her again.

Since you want to take my place in marriage, then go ahead and marry!

Let’s see how you, Dou Ming, swallow the bitterness I once endured! How you, Wang Yingxue, clean up this mess! And what right does Huai Shu Alley have to marry me off to the Ji family!

Having made up her mind, Dou Zhao took a deep breath and instructed Su Xin, "Go ask Mr. Chen whether the whereabouts of that sum of money from last time have been traced. If it truly can’t be found, request the Dou family’s chief steward to assist in the investigation."

This was the prearranged signal between Dou Zhao and Chen Qushui.

If she needed to contact Chen Qushui, he would use this as an excuse to visit.

Su Xin acknowledged and left.

That afternoon, Chen Qushui arrived.

Dou Zhao whispered, "Can you reach Master Yan?"

Chen Qushui looked surprised.

Dou Zhao said, "I want Master Yan to help arrange for my family to leave North Nanli. I wonder which area he is most familiar with."

Chen Qushui’s expression turned serious. "Miss, you mean to..."

Since she intended to discuss this with him, Dou Zhao didn’t hide her plans. She lowered her voice, "You know how formidable Song Yantang is. I originally thought that since he owes us a favor, it would be best to save it for a critical moment to protect ourselves. But now, it seems we can’t hold onto it any longer—Wang Yingxue’s plan may be full of holes, but if Huai Shu Alley and the Ji family join forces to mediate for her, they might actually pull it off. If that happens, well and good. But what if she fails? Don’t forget, my aunt will surely come to the capital to see me off when I marry.

"We can’t leave such a major matter entirely to others.

"So we must have a backup plan.

"If Wang Yingxue’s plan succeeds, and Dou Ming replaces me in marrying into the Wei family, I’ll have grounds to refuse marriage when the Dou and Ji families negotiate—since Wang Yingxue had Dou Ming take my place, what right would Huai Shu Alley have to meddle in my marital affairs? As for Father, I have my own way to persuade him to let me stay home, and then we can return to Zhen Ding.

"But if Wang Yingxue’s scheme is exposed, the Dou family might have no choice but to marry me off to the Wei family in desperation. In that case, we’ll have to fight with our backs against the wall. Guardian Duan and the others will ensure my safety, and then we’ll negotiate terms with the Dou family, forcing them to agree that I’ll never marry again."

At this point, Dou Zhao couldn’t help but sigh.

If things reached that stage, she would have openly broken with the Dou family. Repairing relations with them would likely require immense effort and come at a great cost. After all, half of Western Dou’s assets had been transferred to her name as dowry. Eastern Dou had every right to manage that portion on her behalf until she married.

The freedom she enjoyed now was merely an illusion—like flowers reflected in water or the moon in a mirror—not something she could truly rely on.Chen Qushui naturally understood the reasoning behind this.

He couldn't help but ask, "So what are your plans?"

Dou Zhao replied, "I intend to have the carriage driver from Huai Shu Alley testify. The reason the Dou family had Dou Ming marry into the Marquis of Jining's Mansion in my place was because they had already reached an agreement with the Ji family. After Dou Ming's wedding, the Dou family would formally arrange a marriage alliance with the Ji family. As proof, they would produce the marriage matching card that the Ji family had sent to the Dou family for Ji Jianming."

No wonder the young lady had said she wanted Yan Chaoqing to help settle someone.

If that carriage driver came forward to testify for Dou Zhao, forget about staying in the Dou family—whether he could even keep his life would be uncertain.

Chen Qushui was moved. "How did you persuade the carriage driver, miss? And how did you obtain Ji Jianming's marriage matching card?" He also felt that the actions of those in Huai Shu Alley were somewhat reckless. "…You and the Wei family haven’t even dissolved the betrothal yet, and they dared to accept Ji Jianming’s marriage matching card?"

Dou Zhao grinned. "As for Ji Jianming's birth details, I’m afraid I’ll still need to trouble you, Mr. Chen. However, I once saw the handwriting of the Ji family’s elder on one of Ji Jianming’s books. The old man writes in the Academy Style—though the strokes are delicate and elegant, they aren’t difficult to imitate."

Chen Qushui was shocked and exclaimed, "Then that carriage driver—"

"Naturally, he’ll say whatever I tell him to say!" Dou Zhao said dismissively. "As long as he’s speaking the truth, does it really matter whether he overheard Fifth Aunt and Madam Cai’s conversation by accident or not?"

Chen Qushui wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The next day after leaving Yu Shu Alley, he went to visit Yan Chaoqing.

Upon hearing that Dou Zhao had asked him to help settle a family, Yan Chaoqing didn’t ask any questions. He simply said, "Are they from the Northern Zhili region? Can they be settled in Tianjin? If it’s too far, differences in dialect and customs might make them stand out. Tianjin is close to the Capital, so if anything happens, we can handle it promptly."

Chen Qushui, being an adviser himself, naturally understood the implication. He quickly clarified, "Our young lady has no ulterior motives. This family simply helped her once, so she wishes to ensure their safety."

Yan Chaoqing smiled faintly. "I understand. I’ll arrange for them properly."

Chen Qushui repeatedly expressed his gratitude, agreed on a method of contact, and took his leave.

Yan Chaoqing’s personal attendant then asked, "Sir, should we inform the Young Lord about this matter?"

"No need," Yan Chaoqing replied. "The Young Lord is accompanying the Emperor to the summer retreat. Such a trivial matter isn’t worth disturbing him. Besides… I still owe someone a favor."

The attendant nodded with a smile.

Yan Chaoqing closed his eyes in contemplation, considering who could help arrange household registration for that family.

※※※※※

Dou Zhao waited quietly for the show to unfold.

A few days later, Guo Shi secretly told her, "Mother has selected a few more dates from the ones previously chosen by Seventh Uncle with the Imperial Observatory. She invited Madam Cai over and told the Wei family to either pick one of these dates for the wedding or immediately break off the engagement. Otherwise, she would go and ask Madam, the Marquis of Yan'an, what she meant by this—knowing full well that the Wei and Dou families had a betrothal, yet acting as if her daughter couldn’t find a husband and forcing her into the Wei family. If that’s the case, why didn’t she act sooner?"

"This time, the Wei family definitely won’t dare to cause any more trouble. As for Mingjier’s matter, don’t take it to heart. Once she’s married, she should just live peacefully with the Marquis of Jining."

She dismissed all of Dou Zhao’s previous actions as mere theatrics.This is probably how many people feel, isn't it?

Dou Zhao smiled without speaking.

Madam, the Marquis of Yan'an, was also a very strong-willed person. If she heard these words, she would likely be furious.

The Wei Family and the Wang Family could be said to be friends through adversity. Even during the Wei Family's most difficult times, the Wang Family never treated them poorly. If Madam Cai were to ask such a question, it would likely sever the relationship between the Wei and Wang Families.

Whether it was Zhen Tingyu, Tian Shi, or even Wei Tingzhen, none of them would want to see such an outcome.

Dou Zhao asked Su Xin, "Is that coachman willing to testify?"

Su Xin smiled and replied, "On one side, there's the gambling debt he owes, and on the other, a chance to start anew. He's a smart man and naturally knows which to choose."

Dou Zhao nodded.