Blossom

Wei Tingyu woke up with a pounding headache from last night's drinking. Before he could even open his eyes, a gentle voice asked him, "My lord, are you awake?" A faint scent of osmanthus filled the air as a soft body gently supported him, and a warm porcelain bowl was brought to his lips. "My lord, please drink some sobering-up soup. It will make you feel better."

Too lazy to open his eyes, he drowsily gulped down the soup from the bowl and flopped back down, intending to sleep a little longer. He wondered who this maid was—her voice was unfamiliar, yet pleasant. Her body was soft, fragrant, and her movements gentle, far better than the pages who usually attended to him... The thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly remembered he had gotten married the day before. With a start, he sat bolt upright, eyes flying open to see Dou Ming sitting by the bed, tidying up the soup bowl before she could rise.

"Fifth Miss?!" Wei Tingyu's eyes widened like copper bells. "You—what are you doing here?" He frantically looked around, terrified that he might have done something wrong the night before. Only when his gaze fell upon the bright red wedding curtains and candles did he dare confirm he was indeed in his own bridal chamber. Relieved, he let out a long sigh, only to hear Dou Ming ask softly with a smile, "My lord, what's the matter? Did you have a nightmare?" Covering her sleeve over her mouth as she laughed, her large almond-shaped eyes shimmered with tender affection, leaving Wei Tingyu momentarily dazed.

Dou Ming, the substitute bride, had been torn between hope and fear. Earlier, seeing Wei Tingyu recoil from her as if she were a venomous snake had wrenched her heart. But she reminded herself of the resolve she had made when she decided to take her sister's place—no matter what hardships she faced, she would never regret, complain, or seek sympathy from her so-called family. After all, her "family" consisted only of an elder sister whose husband she had stolen, likely never to speak to her again, and a host of cousins and in-laws who despised her. For her mother's sake, to ensure her comfort in the Dou family, and for her own dignity, she had to persevere and make this marriage work with Wei Tingyu.

So she forced a carefree smile, suppressing the ache in her heart as she chatted and laughed with Wei Tingyu.

And just like before, Wei Tingyu was once again staring at her, spellbound.

The smile at the corners of her lips deepened.

Her mother had been right—flatter a man, and nine out of ten would lose their heads.

She lowered her demeanor even further, coyly asking, "My lord, are you feeling unwell? Would you like me to prepare another bowl of sobering-up soup for you?"

Wei Tingyu jolted back to awareness.

His eyes turned wary as he demanded, "You—why are you here? Where is your sister?"

At this, Dou Ming blinked, and soon tears began to fall like rain. "Yesterday... it was I who took my sister's place in the wedding ceremony and entered the bridal chamber with you, my lord." As she spoke, two rosy clouds bloomed on her cheeks, delicate and radiant like peach blossoms in spring.

But Wei Tingyu was in no mood to appreciate it. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he cried out in shock, "How could this happen? Where is your sister? What went wrong?"

In the main chamber of the marquis's residence, Ma Jun's wife had been keeping watch in the resting chamber outside the inner room all night. Now, hearing the commotion, she knew the truth had come to light—the Marquis of Jining would soon demand answers.After a night's sleep, the young bride, being a delicate beauty, was naturally more favored than this half-withered woman. How could she foolishly barge in recklessly?

With a glance at the maids who had come with the dowry, a young maid naturally entered and withdrew with those serving in the inner chamber.

Ma Jun's wife pressed her ear against the inner chamber door to eavesdrop.

From inside came Dou Ming's soft sobs.

"What could be the matter? Doesn’t the Marquis understand my sister’s thoughts? When I arranged to meet the Marquis at the Great Xiangguo Temple, it was because the household was crowded and gossipy, and I feared someone might whisper in my sister’s ear out of spite, making her jealous. Who knew she’d still find out? She refused to marry you, threatening to die unless Fifth Aunt helped her break off the engagement.

"If she wanted to break it off, so be it. But your sister wouldn’t agree, insisting the Dou family had delayed your marriage and must compensate your family. Think about it—our Beilou Dou family has been an official lineage for generations, with many descendants. Fifth Uncle is a Grand Secretary in the imperial court. If we agreed to compensate your family, what would stop other family members from following suit in the future? Where would that leave Fifth Uncle’s dignity?"

This was truly my sister’s fault!

"This, this..." Wei Tingyu wiped sweat from his forehead, clearly feeling guilty.

Dou Ming paused slightly as she wiped her tears, her sidelong glance flickering toward him.

She suppressed a smirk but then cried even louder. "How could my Fifth Aunt agree? And my sister absolutely refused to marry. When it was time for the bridal sedan to arrive, somehow my sister suddenly fell unconscious, but your family’s sedan was already at the door. The household was in chaos... They blamed me, saying it was all my fault. In anger, I put on my sister’s wedding dress..." Here, she wiped her face roughly, straightened her posture, and said stubbornly, "Though we’ve already bowed to heaven and earth, you were too drunk last night to do anything. We’re still completely innocent. If you still long for my sister, while it’s still early and we haven’t yet paid respects to the ancestors, send me back. If my sister is willing to come with you, we can pretend this never happened—I’ll cut my hair and become a nun. If she refuses, you have the marriage certificate, and you invited the Marquis of Yan’an as your matchmaker. Ask him to help you demand either her hand or compensation from the Dou family. It’s up to you—this humble wife will obey the Marquis’s decision!" With that, she pressed her lips tightly together, presenting herself as entirely at his mercy, yet tears fell silently like rain.

Wei Tingyu saw this delicate, begonia-like girl, clearly terrified yet forcing herself to appear resolute as a hero facing certain doom. His heart melted into a puddle, leaving no room to scrutinize Dou Ming’s words. Instinctively, he felt that sending her back would leave her with no way out. If the matter escalated, the Dou family would lose face, but the Wei family would also be gossiped about—suing the Dou family was out of the question... Yet his betrothed was Dou Zhao!

The image of her radiant face, bright as a May day, flashed through his mind, and he hesitated again.

She had laid everything out so plainly, yet Wei Tingyu still wavered indecisively.Dou Ming watched with gritted teeth, then suddenly sprang to her feet and declared resolutely, "I won’t make things difficult for the Marquis either!" With that, she lowered her head and charged toward a nearby bright red pillar.

"Fifth Miss!" Wei Tingyu was horrified. He leaped from the bed and rushed forward in a single bound, wrapping his arms around Dou Ming’s waist. "Let’s talk this through, let’s talk! You mustn’t take your own life!"

"If I don’t die, won’t I just live on to be mocked?" Dou Ming struggled, still trying to dash toward the pillar.

"Don’t do this. Please don’t!" Wei Tingyu was frantic.

With a loud crash, Ma Jun’s wife burst through the door.

"Miss, son-in-law, what’s going on here?" Who would have thought the Fifth Miss had such tactics? With her, the task was already half accomplished! She couldn’t help but silently praise Dou Ming, though she feigned shock on her face. "Whatever it is, let’s talk it out calmly! This is only the second day of your marriage. Soon, people will come to invite you to the kitchen god ceremony and to meet the relatives. If this gets out," she said to Dou Ming, "the Dowager will surely think you’re willful and unruly, disrespecting your husband right after entering the household." Then, turning to Wei Tingyu, she added, "Discipline children in public, but teach your wife in private. Even if our Miss has done something wrong, you shouldn’t make it known to everyone like this. After all, she’s to manage the household affairs in the future. If you don’t respect her, how will the old servants in the household ever defer to her? In the end, it’s a case of mutual destruction—hurting the enemy a thousand while losing eight hundred yourself! Please calm your anger, Marquis. Speak gently with our Miss. She was raised with strict discipline and has read stacks of books—there’s no principle she doesn’t understand. She’s not an ungrateful person and will surely remember your kindness." As she spoke, she moved to restrain Dou Ming.

Wei Tingyu, already frightened by Dou Ming’s actions, relaxed slightly at the sight of someone intervening and let out a long sigh.

Seizing the opportunity, Dou Ming threw herself into Ma Jun’s wife’s arms and burst into loud sobs. "The Marquis wants to send me back—I might as well die here! Had I known it would come to this, I never should have married in my sister’s place! It’s all my fault for being too soft-hearted, worrying about the Marquis’s humiliation, yet forgetting that his heart belongs only to my sister…"

Hearing that Dou Ming had married him for his sake, Wei Tingyu was immediately overwhelmed with guilt. "No, no!" he stammered, though he couldn’t articulate exactly what he meant.

Dou Ming only wailed louder.

Ma Jun’s wife inwardly praised, "What a masterful performance!" but outwardly, she scowled furiously. Holding Dou Ming’s shoulders and wiping her tears, she barked at Wei Tingyu, "This is entirely the Marquis’s fault! Before the wedding, didn’t you know our Fifth Miss? What’s this? Now that you’ve bowed to heaven and earth, lifted the veil, shared the nuptial wine, and entered the bridal chamber, you’re going to deny it? What were you doing earlier? Since when is there such an easy way out in this world?" With that, she helped Dou Ming sit down on a nearby Grand Preceptor’s Chair, then strode over and grabbed Wei Tingyu’s arm. "Come, let’s go to Shuntian Prefecture and ask the impartial magistrate to judge who’s in the right here!"

She began pushing and pulling, insisting on dragging Wei Tingyu to Shuntian Prefecture.

Dou Ming covered her face, her weeping now even more heart-wrenching.Wei Tingyu felt utterly overwhelmed, realizing that the substitution of brides was no simple matter—it must have been agreed upon by the Dou family elders. He felt as though he had been tricked, yet every word from Ma Jun's wife made perfect sense. Sweating profusely in his agitation, he found this woman's actions far too audacious. He couldn't muster a single rebuttal, too flustered to speak. If not for her connection to the Dou family, and the impropriety of laying hands on her, he would have long since kicked Ma Jun's wife out the door. How could he tolerate such insolence otherwise?

His face turned ashen.

Dou Ming, who had been watching Wei Tingyu closely, noticed immediately.

Forgetting her tears, she hurried forward to stop Ma Jun's wife. "Blame my ill fortune, not the Marquis! Let go at once!"

Fifth Madam was inclined to accept this marriage. Once this hurdle was overcome, the Marquis of Jining would still be the Dou family's fifth son-in-law. As merely a servant from the Dowager's household, how dare she show such disrespect to him!

Ma Jun's wife immediately released her grip and wailed loudly while clutching Dou Ming, "My poor Fifth Young Miss! Why must you be so foolish? If the Wei family loses face, what does it matter to you? Rushing out like this—who would appreciate your kindness? They’d only see you as a nuisance..."

This woman certainly knew how to spin words!

Dou Ming almost wished she could reward her with a few premium Red Envelopes.

She and Ma Jun's wife clung to each other, weeping bitterly.

Wei Tingyu stood dumbfounded.

Neither left nor right felt like the right move.

The room descended into chaos.

Meanwhile, a capable maidservant under Tian Shi's command, sent earlier to observe the newlyweds, heard the commotion and rushed back to report to Tian Shi.