Blossom

“Tianci, are you really not interested in marrying Wang Dahai’s sister?” Gu Yu mumbled around a mouthful of apple. “The Wang family is known for their good looks, so his sister can’t be too bad. Don’t overcomplicate things and end up marrying Jingyi instead! Sure, Jingyi is beautiful, but her temper—it’s like the whole world should revolve around her. Jingfu is nice, but whether it’s looks or temperament, she’s just… ordinary.” He leaned over Song Mo’s desk and winked suggestively. “Want me to help you figure out a way to marry Jingtai from Consort Shu or Fuyuan from Consort Chen? Jingtai is stunning—compared to her, Jingyi is like gold next to jade, and Jingfu might as well be a piece of wood next to a gem! Fuyuan isn’t as pretty as Jingtai or Jingyi, but she’s got a sweet temper. Consort Shu personally taught her to read the Admonitions for Women when she was little. If you marry her, you might end up as lucky as Yongcheng Bo Feng Jian. So why are you set on Jingfu? No wonder Consort Ning would rather offend my aunt than let Jingfu marry you…”

Yongcheng Bo Feng Jian had married Yongping Princess, Emperor Taizong’s elder sister. The princess was virtuous and magnanimous—after their marriage, she not only respected her in-laws and got along with her sisters-in-law but also treated Feng Jian’s concubines with kindness. Feng Jian had over twenty children by his concubines alone, earning praise from Emperor Taizong and becoming a model for the imperial family, a story celebrated for generations.

Song Mo listened, feeling somewhat dazed.

Yes, why had he taken a liking to Jingfu Princess?

Dou Zhao had also advised him to marry either Fuyuan or Jingtai.

But when he learned that Jingfu was two years younger than him, he suddenly decided on her.

Perhaps, deep down, he thought that if Jingfu was younger, they wouldn’t marry so soon. At the very least, he wouldn’t take a wife before Dou Zhao’s own wedding…

Dou Zhao—what was she doing now?

Today was Dou Ming’s third-day return to her maiden home.

※※※※※

Dou Zhao was sitting with her aunt and cousin, listening to Su Lan recount the events at the Marquis of Jining’s mansion.

“…The young master was truly impressive. The moment the Marquis acknowledged Fifth Miss, he immediately demanded the marriage certificate from the Wei family.” Su Lan took a sip of tea before continuing. “The wife of the Jing Duke’s heir still refused, but the heir himself stopped her. The young master, the Jing Duke’s heir, Minister Ji, along with the Marquis of Yan’an and the Jing Duke’s second son, all went to the Marquis’s study to discuss rewriting the marriage certificate, leaving the Jing Duke’s heir’s wife alone in the hall. She flew into a rage, grabbed a feather duster, and started whacking the Marquis indiscriminately. Fifth Miss was stunned. The Marquis didn’t dare make a sound, just took the beating. When Fifth Miss tried to intervene, she got hit too. Later, during the formal introductions, the red marks on Fifth Miss’s hands hadn’t even faded!” Here, Su Lan pursed her lips, suppressing a smile. “I don’t think the Jing Duke’s heir’s wife hit Fifth Miss by accident—it looked deliberate.”

Her tone carried unmistakable glee.

Zhao Zhangru burst into giggles.

Su Lan quickly straightened her posture.

Dou Zhao and her aunt couldn’t help but laugh as well. Her aunt said gently, “Su Lan’s honesty is rare—don’t be too hard on her.”Su Xin had no choice but to respond respectfully.

Su Lan cast a triumphant glance at her sister before adopting a solemn tone. "I originally planned to return last night to report to you, but the rough servant women of the Wei household, under orders from the Madam of the Heir of Duke Jing, kept us under watch. Fearing the Wei family might grow suspicious and implicate you, Miss, I stayed the night at the Wei residence with the other dowry maids and returned this morning with Fifth Miss. Gan Lu was worried that if we all came back, something might happen to your dowry, so she stayed behind at the Marquis of Jining's Mansion with Liu Yun and the others. They’ll return with your dowry later."

Dou Zhao nodded slightly.

Despite the incident of the sisters switching marriages, the Wei and Dou families had observed all the necessary formalities without omission.

At dawn, Dou Wenchang had been sent to fetch Dou Ming for her returning to her maiden home.

Fifth Madam, concerned about Aunt’s discomfort, invited her to stay temporarily at Huai Shu Alley, but Aunt refused: "Our Shou Gu hasn’t done anything wrong. Why should she make way for Mingjier? If she doesn’t feel ashamed, why should I blush?"

Her words left Fifth Madam at a loss, feeling somewhat awkward.

Sixth Madam, not wanting to put Dou Zhao in a difficult position, stepped in to mediate: "In that case, why don’t you, Aunt, go keep Shou Gu company? Having someone to share personal words with will ease her heart."

Madam Zhao then brought her daughter to Dou Zhao’s room.

Meanwhile, Fifth Madam, Sixth Madam, and other female members of the Dou family in the Capital dressed in their finest to receive Dou Ming, the newly minted paternal aunt.

Dou Ming’s eldest uncle, Wang Zhibing, did not come. The women of the Wang family arrived with her younger uncle, Wang Zhibiao.

Aunt praised Su Lan: "Rare to see someone so young yet so articulate and clear-headed." She instructed her attendant matron to reward Su Lan with two taels of silver.

Overjoyed, Su Lan thanked her profusely before withdrawing with her sister, leaving Dou Zhao to share personal words with Aunt and her cousin.

Though Aunt believed there was no point in salvaging the marriage with the Wei family at this stage, hearing that Wei Tingyu had so quickly accepted Dou Ming still left her feeling uneasy.

She sighed deeply and asked, "Shou Gu, what are your plans now?"

Dou Zhao knew that if she said something like "I’ll never marry again," Aunt would think she was reacting out of shock and feel even worse.

"First, I’ll return to Zhen Ding," she said with a smile. "Then I’ll keep my eyes open and find a good match!"

Seeing her optimism, Aunt felt half of her worries ease away.

※※※※※

Gu Yu noticed Song Mo seemed lost in thought and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Tianci-ge, snap out of it!" he teased. "Are you daydreaming about your bride?"

Song Mo flicked Gu Yu’s forehead lightly. "Nonsense!" he retorted, though his ears turned slightly red. He grabbed an apple and shoved it into Gu Yu’s hands. "Eat your apple and stop talking nonsense!"

Gu Yu felt he had hit the mark.

Grinning like a little fox, he sprawled back onto the heated brick bed by the window. "Tianci-ge, when you get married, let me fetch the bride for you! I’ll make sure no one forces you to drink too much..."

But Song Mo’s thoughts were still on Dou Zhao.Yesterday, the Dou and Wei families rewrote the marriage certificate. The Wei family immediately invited their two witnesses, the Marquis of Yan'an and Zhang Jiming, to endorse the certificate anew. Today, after the newlyweds paid respects to relatives and drank the returning-to-her-maiden-home wine, the Dou family was expected to invite Yang Sen and Cai Bi to endorse the certificate before submitting it to Shuntian Prefecture for archival.

This way, the news of the Dou sisters switching marriages would soon spread.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching on the fifteenth of August, the Emperor would certainly not spend it at the summer retreat. Once the Emperor returned to the palace, the marriage of Jingfu would be brought into the open. By then, his scheme would truly backfire!

No matter what, he had to settle this before the Mid-Autumn Festival!

Ignoring Gu Yu's nagging, Song Mo called out loudly for Chen He, "Return to the mansion and see if Master Yan has any messages for me."

※※※※※

Ji Yong personally went to invite Yang Sen to the mansion.

Yang Sen couldn't help but sigh, "Poor Fourth Miss Dou. On the verge of marriage, only to contract such a strange illness."

Ji Yong smiled, "It's just a rash on her face. Not incurable, just troublesome. The Marquis of Jining's Mansion was overly cautious. Since Fifth Miss was still unmarried, the Dou family agreed to the match."

His implication was that the Wei family had rejected Dou Zhao, forcing the Dou family to marry Dou Ming to the Marquis of Jining's Mansion.

Yang Sen remained indifferent, but Cai Bi, who knew the inside story and was eager to please Dou Shishu, seized the opportunity. He chuckled, "Blame it on Fourth Miss Dou's overly generous dowry."

Suggesting the Wei family refused to annul the engagement because they coveted the Dou family's dowry.

Ji Yong's eyelids twitched, and he regarded Cai Bi with newfound respect.

Yang Sen, however, shook his head disapprovingly, sighing repeatedly about the "decline of morals" before allowing Ji Yong to escort him to his sedan chair.

※※※※※

Tao Qizhong's news arrived sooner than Song Yichun expected.

After dinner, Tao Qizhong requested an urgent audience with Song Yichun, his expression grave.

"Young Lord is likely to marry a princess!" he said solemnly. "The news came from the Marquis of Yan'an's Mansion. By now, all prominent noble families in the Capital must know."

Song Yichun nearly knocked over his teacup.

"What did you say?" His face paled. "Is the information reliable?" Even as he spoke, recalling his son's elusive behavior, he began to believe it before Tao Qizhong could answer.

"The news is reliable," Tao Qizhong confirmed. "The Marquis of Yan'an's Young Lord told me himself—likely as a courtesy to our mansion. He also said both the Empress and Ning Fei have taken a liking to Young Lord. Ning Fei has already spoken to the Emperor, who is inclined to agree, but the Empress wants Young Lord to marry Princess Jingyi, so the matter is delayed. However, Young Lord marrying a princess is set in stone."

Song Yichun slumped into the Grand Preceptor's Chair.

"How could this happen?" he muttered. "In recent years, only down-and-out noble sons marry princesses. Yet Song Mo is the heir to the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion... Why would Ning Fei favor him...?"

"It must be Young Lord's doing," Tao Qizhong said bitterly. "If Young Lord marries a princess, no one can challenge his position as heir... You should have encouraged Second Young Master to engage more with Young Lord... Young Lord has burned his bridges..."

The repercussions would be devastating!"No, no!" Song Yichun paced anxiously. "We can't let him marry the princess..." He instructed Tao Qizhong, "Didn't the Duke of Dongping mention last time that he has a daughter the same age as Song Mo? Let's choose her! Go to the Duke of Dongping's residence first thing tomorrow to propose..."

"My Lord," Tao Qizhong reminded Song Yichun in a low voice again, "The news about the Young Lord marrying the princess must have reached all the noble families in the Capital by now."

Who would dare to arrange a marriage with the Song family at this point!

Song Yichun froze. "Is there really no other way? Are we just going to stand by and watch Song Mo marry the princess?"

Tao Qizhong remained silent.