Blossom

In just a few moments, a crowd had formed around Ji Yong and He Yu, eager to watch the spectacle.

The He family guards tried to disperse the onlookers: "What are you staring at? Haven’t you seen a fight before?"

A woman in the crowd laughed, "Never seen such handsome young men fighting!" This drew a round of laughter from the spectators.

Though the He family guards felt somewhat embarrassed, their attempts to shoo the crowd lacked the earlier arrogance.

Seeing that the He family guards merely stood by without intervening—likely on He Yu’s orders—and knowing that Ji Yong and He Yu were frequent companions, the Ji family guards hesitated to step in, unsure of the situation. They could only watch as the two men, neither capable of serious harm, tussled ineffectively.

After several rounds, both were exhausted and sat on the ground, panting heavily.

Ji Yong asked He Yu, "Why the hell did you hit me?"

He Yu glared at him. "Didn’t you say Fourth Miss Dou would definitely marry Wei Tingyu? How did the Marquis of Jining end up as the Dou family’s second son-in-law? And I heard it was you who helped process the marriage certificate at Shuntian Prefecture?"

It seemed the news of the Dou sisters' switched marriages had spread.

The mention of this infuriated Ji Yong.

He sneered, "Why ask me? Go ask Wei Tingyu! If he hadn’t agreed to the marriage, could I have forced him?"

He Yu fell silent.

Ji Yong staggered to his feet, looking dazed as he headed toward his carriage.

He Yu caught up and slung an arm over his shoulder. "Forget it. I was just frustrated. Let’s go drink."

Ji Yong nodded, taking the handkerchief Zi Xi handed him to wipe his nose haphazardly. "You didn’t mess up my face, did you? I have to report to the office tomorrow..."

He Yu’s eyes twinkled. "A real man looks even more impressive with a few scars!"

Ji Yong spat, "Then how about I make you look even more impressive?"

He Yu chuckled. "I’m already married. No need to fuss over such trivialities. But you still need to find a wife, don’t you?"

"A wife..." Ji Yong murmured, his mind wandering.

Dou Zhao—would she ever speak to him again?

Just thinking about it made his heart ache unbearably.

How had things come to this?

All he’d wanted was for her to have a better life. Why did she always think he was meddling?

Ji Yong suddenly felt lost.

Noticing his despondency, He Yu nudged him playfully. "Want me to play matchmaker? There’s someone with good looks, character, and talent. Come by my place sometime, and I’ll introduce you. If you like her, I’ll have my father speak to yours..."

Ji Yong snapped out of his thoughts and brushed He Yu’s arm off his shoulder. "Mind your own business! Why bother with mine?"

"Is it really meddling?" He Yu shrugged. "You’re not getting any younger. By the time I’m holding my son, you might still be alone. But honestly, Wei Tingyu is a real piece of work. Even if things didn’t work out with Fourth Miss Dou, did he have to marry Fifth Miss Dou? How’s Fourth Miss Dou supposed to face people now? Say, should we go give Wei Tingyu a piece of our minds...?"

Arm in arm, the two walked off into the distance.The guards from the He and Ji families silently followed the two as they left Jing'an Temple Alley together.

※※※※※

Song Mo sat under the soft glow of the Ram Horn Palace Lantern, rubbing the small piece of paper in his hand with an unusual expression.

Since Tao Qizhong had already visited Seventh Master Dou at Jing'an Temple Alley, it was likely that the Dou family would soon send someone to investigate his background.

Could this be considered a case of outsmarting oneself?

The fearsome reputation he had deliberately cultivated in the past to intimidate his father had now become an obstacle between him and Dou Zhao!

However, there was still a way to resolve this.

Didn’t Dou Zhao also have many rumors surrounding her?

It would all depend on how he explained things to Seventh Master Dou.

With this in mind, Song Mo took two bottles of the Emperor’s bestowed Ganlu wine and went to see Shao Wenji, the Metropolitan Commander of the Golden Guard.

Unexpectedly, Dong Qi, the heir of the Marquess of Huichang, was also there.

Song Mo generously handed the wine to Shao Wenji’s page and said with a smile, “I thought since I’m off duty tonight, I’d have a drink with Commander Shao. But I was afraid he might be reluctant, so I brought my own wine. Now that Lord Dong is also here, Commander Shao, won’t you honor us with a couple of cups?”

Who was Song Mo?

And given that he had always shown great respect to his superior, Shao Wenji would have to be mad to refuse him.

Seeing Song Mo act so openly, Dong Qi naturally couldn’t afford to be timid either.

Both men smiled and agreed, taking their seats on the kang in order of precedence.

Song Mo noticed a brocade box placed on the kang table.

No doubt Dong Qi had come to present gifts to Shao Wenji.

As heirs of noble families, though Dong Qi was warm and Song Mo was cold, both were equally adept at handling people. They strictly observed the hierarchy within the Golden Guard and were highly praised by their colleagues.

Song Mo pretended not to see the box.

Compared to others, he and Dong Qi could afford to be more generous when giving gifts to their superiors—because of their status, their gifts were seen as gestures of friendship, while others’ gifts were merely attempts to curry favor...

Since they were at the detached palace, the pages quickly served a few dishes—peanuts, stir-fried peas, and other cold appetizers—which were far inferior to the snacks served by the servants of the Duke of England's Mansion or the Marquess of Huichang’s household. But in the detached palace, this was already considered quite extravagant.

Song Mo graciously poured wine for Shao Wenji and Dong Qi.

This was one of the things Shao Wenji admired most about Song Mo.

“You’ve come at the perfect time,” he said with a smile to Song Mo. “Jinyun and I were just discussing the duties for the next few days. The Emperor has decided to return to the palace on the twelfth. For these next few days, you and Jinyun will be responsible for guarding His Majesty.”

Jinyun was Dong Qi’s courtesy name.

Dong Qi bowed respectfully to Shao Wenji. “As you command, my lord.” His eyes, however, betrayed his delight.

Clearly, this was the very purpose of his gift to Shao Wenji.

Song Mo, on the other hand, found the situation both amusing and frustrating.

When the Emperor returned to the palace, the twelve Imperial Guard units would line the route for security. Due to the large numbers and their different garrisons, the Metropolitan Commanders of the twelve units would first convene to assign duties for the journey and dispatch personnel to inspect the areas along the Emperor’s route.

Patrolling duties were certainly less prestigious than serving close to the Emperor, but for Song Mo, who wanted to slip back to the Capital unnoticed, having Shao Wenji assign him to patrol would have been ideal.

But now, thanks to Dong Qi, Shao Wenji had misunderstood his intentions.

It seemed this path was now closed to him. Especially since Shao Wenji had paired him with Dong Qi, who would undoubtedly keep a close eye on him.Song Mo could only smile faintly and thank Shao Wenji, asking who else would be on duty with him in front of the Emperor these days.

※※※※※

Meanwhile, Song Yichun was pacing restlessly in his room like a caged beast.

"I told you this wouldn’t work! Look at the Dou family—they immediately sent someone to investigate Song Mo’s background. The problem is, too many people know about this, and we can’t hide it. This marriage is probably doomed!" he said anxiously. "If the Dou family refuses this match, are there any other candidates?"

Compared to offending the Emperor and having Song Mo marry a princess—which would grant him control over the Duke of England's Mansion and reduce Song Yichun to a mere figurehead—this seemed trivial.

He needed to finalize Song Mo’s marriage quickly. Once the Emperor returned to the Capital, it would be too late.

Tao Qizhong, who had been sipping tea in the Grand Preceptor's Chair nearby, chuckled. "The fact that the Dou family sent someone to inquire about the Young Lord the moment I left proves they’re eager to marry off their daughter. Please calm down, Duke. I anticipated this. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to Jing'an Temple Alley."

Song Yichun couldn’t be bothered to ask what his plan was and simply urged, "Hurry up and settle this!"

Tao Qizhong agreed with a smile and left the study. Early the next morning, as if visiting a friend, he brought twelve gift boxes and headed to Jing'an Temple Alley.

When Dou Shiying heard of Tao Qizhong’s visit, he sneered, "He dares to show his face here? Tell him to get lost!"

Dou Shiying was usually mild-mannered, so such sharp words startled the page, who paled and hurried to the gate.

Tao Qizhong was surprised by Dou Shiying’s vehement reaction. But time was pressing, and he couldn’t find another matchmaker who met Song Yichun’s requirements as well as Dou Zhao did. He slipped five taels of silver to the page and pleaded, "Please, young man, report again. Say that rumors are dangerous, and for my nephew’s life, I wouldn’t dare deceive Master Dou."

Dou Shiying was lenient with his subordinates. The page hesitated but, swayed by the silver, went back to relay the message.

"Rumors are dangerous..." Dou Shiying repeated the phrase, pondering its deeper meaning. With a stern expression, he ordered the page, "Let him in."

The page quickly escorted Tao Qizhong to the study.

Tao Qizhong entered with a look of shame, immediately apologizing profusely. "It’s my fault for not explaining clearly. Our Young Lord is exceptionally talented in both civil and martial arts, unmatched among the Capital’s noble families. At nine, during the Emperor’s Autumn Hunt in Huailai, he ranked second in horsemanship and fifth in archery—first among all noble youths. The Emperor even rewarded him with a farmstead in Daxing. Since then, countless high-ranking officials in the Capital have eyed our Young Lord, often using him as an example to scold their own underachieving children. But the Duke holds him to high standards, burdening him with rigorous studies, so he rarely socializes. That’s why the rumors have spiraled out of control.""After I returned and mentioned your esteemed daughter to the Duke, he sent people to inquire about her. I was worried the Duke might reprimand me for acting rashly, but to my surprise, the Duke of Yingguo was very pleased. He even said, 'One who hasn't endured heaven's trials isn't a true hero; one who isn't envied by others is merely mediocre.' This clearly shows your daughter must be exceptionally outstanding. He specifically instructed me to sound out your opinion—whether we could arrange a meeting in the next couple of days to settle this marriage proposal.

"If things were truly as the rumors in the Capital claim, would our Duke ever tolerate the Young Lord treating human life as worthless?

"Whether it's truth or falsehood, rumor or slander, Lord Dou can verify everything by meeting our Duke in person.

"Since when do victims speak up to defend their oppressors?"

Tao Qizhong's words left Dou Shiying in a dilemma.

Advisers often possess the persuasive skills of Zhang Yi. If his words were untrue and Dou Shiying agreed to this marriage, he would ruin Dou Zhao's life. But if his words were true and Dou Shiying missed this opportunity, where else could he find such an excellent match for Dou Zhao?