Blossom

Su Xin placed the small wooden bucket of warm tea on the long table against the wall and quietly withdrew. The room immediately fell silent, with the distant sound of night watch drums clearly audible.

Song Mo asked Dou Zhao, "What did Princess Ningde and Old Madam Lu say to you?"

Today, one had followed Song Yichun to entertain male guests while the other accompanied Eldest Madam Lu to receive female relatives. Though they knew where each other was, they hadn't had a single chance to speak.

Among the female relatives who came to recognize the new bride, Princess Ningde held the highest status while Old Madam Lu commanded the most respect. If Dou Zhao could gain their approval, it would bring her countless benefits when interacting with noble families and visiting relatives in the future.

"Nothing particularly special," Dou Zhao smiled. "Just some casual family talk." Sensing Song Mo's regard for the Lu Family, she told him about Princess Ningde and Old Madam Lu's invitation to visit their homes. "...They said they'd send me invitations later."

Song Mo felt pleased.

Both Princess Ningde and Old Madam Lu were the kind who appeared amiable but kept people at arm's length in reality. Gaining their recognition wasn't easy, and being invited to their homes was even more remarkable.

"It seems the two elders quite like you!" Song Mo smiled, then grew melancholy thinking of how his late mother had also won their affection.

If only mother were still alive!

He remembered how his mother had once praised Dou Zhao for her intelligence. Had she known he married Dou Zhao, she would have surely liked her as much as Princess Ningde and Old Madam Lu did.

His thoughts drifted to that day under the grapevine.

His mother had asked, "How old is that girl I met in Zhen Ding?"

Yet he had blurted out, "She's already betrothed..."

For many nights afterward, he'd secretly wondered why he'd suddenly said such an inappropriate thing.

But before he could find an answer, his third uncle passed away.

What followed was complete chaos.

His little concerns became insignificant, forgotten at some point.

Now remembering... Could it be that even then, he'd already felt something unusual toward Dou Zhao?

The thought startled him.

He couldn't help but study Dou Zhao.

She wore a moon-white silk undergarment, leaning against a burgundy velvet large bolster. Her jet-black hair was neatly coiled into a bun—a thick, luxuriant mass that would surely make a striking sight if let down.

His mind conjured an image of Dou Zhao lying in bed with her glossy black hair spread out.

Black was her hair, white her face, burgundy her pillow... The extreme beauty held a hint of enchantment that struck straight at his heart, making his emotions surge like crashing waves against the shore, uncontrollable. Suddenly he felt as if standing by a furnace, his face burning hot—and Dou Zhao was that very furnace...He quickly turned his head away and said, "Master Yan discussed with me the day before yesterday about having the people from the Hall of Cultivating Will pay their respects to you the day after our wedding. I wanted to properly introduce them to you, but I was afraid Father would send someone early in the morning to rush us to the ancestral hall, so I rescheduled it for after the returning to her maiden home—I’ve taken five days off and won’t be on duty at the palace until the afternoon of the day after tomorrow, so we’ll have the entire morning free. Before that, we should visit Mother’s grave to pay our respects..." Song Mo’s mind was blank, unaware of what he was even saying.

The relationship between Song Mo and Song Yichun was clearly strained. But if he needed to introduce his subordinates to her behind Song Yichun’s back, it couldn’t just be the people working in the Hall of Cultivating Will—it might even include the hidden forces that allowed Song Mo to stand against his father.

Dou Zhao was both surprised and moved.

This gesture from Song Mo wasn’t just treating her as his wife but also as a like-minded partner.

Yet recalling how Song Mo had glanced at her earlier before quickly turning away, rambling incoherently while blushing from his ears to his cheeks, she couldn’t help but feel both exasperated and amused. The seriousness of introducing his subordinates to her vanished in an instant.

If just a glance at her fully dressed could make him blush so deeply, what would happen in the future?

She thought about how, despite there being seven or eight maids in the Hall of Cultivating Will, they were all just low-ranking servants, while Song Mo’s personal attendants were all pages. This realization eased her mind a little. Seizing the moment while he was still speaking, she casually draped a lined robe over herself and smiled. "There’s plenty of time ahead—no need to rush. If we don’t have enough time now, we can always meet your subordinates later. After all, I’ve dealt with Master Yan more than once or twice. With his help, day-to-day matters shouldn’t pose any difficulties."

But inwardly, she recalled how early that morning, before dawn, Song Yichun had sent an old woman called "Nanny Lu" to hurry her and Song Mo to the ancestral hall.

Fortunately, she had developed the habit of waking early under her grandmother’s influence, so she was already up when Nanny Lu arrived. Otherwise, the entire Duke of England's Mansion would probably be gossiping about her laziness by now.

It seemed Song Yichun wasn’t solely focused on courtly matters as a man should be but was still entangled in domestic affairs...

While this revealed Song Yichun’s narrow-mindedness, it also served as a warning to Dou Zhao.

From now on, she would have to be more vigilant!

"Ningde Princess and Old Madam Lu met me for the first time today. If they took a liking to me, it must be because of you," Dou Zhao said with a smile. "Were you always a favorite of Ningde Princess and Old Madam Lu since childhood?" As she spoke, it suddenly dawned on her—with the Jiang Family in decline, the Lu Family had become the only moral force capable of restraining Song Yichun!

Her eyes brightened with excitement, and she suppressed her enthusiasm as she said, "My lord, do you know what Ningde Princess and Old Madam Lu particularly like? When we visit the Lu Family, we should bring gifts that suit their tastes! Today, Ningde Princess gave me a pair of precious bracelets as a meeting gift, and Old Madam Lu presented me with a gem-encrusted necklace—both were incredibly lavish. We mustn’t slight these two elders in return!"Song Mo's upbringing and status had taught him that only the struggles within the imperial court could truly affect life and death. As for his father's petty maneuvers, he paid them no mind. Occasionally, they became a nuisance, but he couldn't be bothered to engage, never considering serious confrontation—let alone using Ningde Princess and Elder Lady Sun to suppress his father. If he ever wished to suppress his father, he would simply ask Lu Fuli to intervene.

He had assumed Dou Zhao was merely trying to build good relations with the Song family's relatives as a new bride.

Song Mo couldn't help but feel relieved.

Surely, Dou Zhao hadn’t noticed his unusual reaction!

"If you want to know, you can ask Master Yan to look into it," he quickly composed himself and said nonchalantly with a smile. "I haven’t paid attention to what the two elder ladies prefer. Especially Ningde Princess—having grown up in the inner palace, her tastes are hard to discern."

Dou Zhao then asked Song Mo, "I heard that when the Emperor eats, no matter whether he likes a dish or not, he only takes three bites to prevent poisoning. Is that true?"

She gazed at him with bright, curious eyes.

Song Mo chuckled, feeling an inexplicable warmth in his heart. "Who told you that? That’s utter nonsense! The Emperor and the titled imperial consorts all have their own private kitchens. They usually eat from those. The dishes from the imperial kitchens are just for show."

"I read it in some unofficial history," Dou Zhao said, lounging comfortably on the large bolster as she often did when chatting with Su Xin and the others. "So it’s not entirely made up? The book said the Emperor often doesn’t eat enough at formal meals and secretly snacks from his private kitchen."

Resting her head sideways on the pillow, her cheek slightly flushed from the pressure, Dou Zhao looked less composed than usual but far more playful—a side of her Song Mo had never seen before, and he found it utterly charming.

Propping himself up on one arm, he gazed at her and teased, "That’s your claim, not mine."

"You’re no fun," Dou Zhao joked back. "Don’t you ever slip up?"

The atmosphere in the room grew warm and cozy.

Song Mo’s heart softened along with it.

"Hmm…" He pretended to ponder. "I don’t know if I talk in my sleep…"

Dou Zhao burst into laughter.

Suddenly, a loud crash startled her.

Song Mo sprang to his feet with agile reflexes.

Both held their breath, listening intently.

Outside, the wind howled, rattling the windows.

They exchanged a knowing smile.

"It’s just the wind," Song Mo said, throwing on an outer robe. "I’ll go check."

"Be careful," Dou Zhao cautioned. "With such strong winds, the weather might turn tomorrow. Have them check the trees—make sure none fall and damage the roofs."

The Duke of England's Mansion was filled with towering trees.

"Got it," Song Mo replied with a smile before stepping out. He called Su Xin, who was on duty, to keep Dou Zhao company, then summoned Chen He and disappeared somewhere.

Curled up in bed, Dou Zhao listened to the intensifying storm outside. She felt as though she were safely aboard a sturdy ship—no matter how fierce the winds and rain, someone would wake her before it sank, so she needn’t fear going down with it.

Drowsily, she drifted off to sleep.

Half-asleep, she faintly heard someone whisper by her side, "...Don’t wake her. Let her rest well."The next morning, the wind howled and rain poured outside as expected.

Song Mo was already awake, sitting on the kang reading something. When he noticed she was awake, he smiled and said, "Good thing you reminded me yesterday. A century-old phoenix tree in the Reception Hall snapped." He clicked his tongue. "The trunk was completely hollow inside."

Dou Zhao chuckled, "These ancient trees are the most worrisome. They look sturdy and robust, but their cores are hollow—you never know when they might topple." She sighed and added, "It's a shame we have to return to my maiden home today. I wonder if the roads will be passable?"

"I've already sent someone to scout the route," Song Mo replied with a smile. "Hurry and freshen up. After we pay our respects to Father, we'll head to Jing'an Temple Alley."