Blossom

In Ningde Princess's Resting Chamber, potted flowering trees were arranged, still lush and verdant despite the deep autumn, presenting a vibrant green scene.

As Dou Zhao entered, she felt an immediate lift in spirits. She stepped forward respectfully and performed a grand bow to Ningde Princess, who was seated on the daybed.

Ningde Princess was taken aback and said, "Rise quickly, rise quickly! There’s no need for such formalities."

Madam Lu, the wife of Lu Shi who had accompanied her, hurried forward to assist her.

But Dou Zhao refused to rise, saying, "If not for your guidance, I wouldn’t even have known what attire would be appropriate for today’s palace visit, let alone receive rewards from Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and Her Majesty the Empress, or be granted the title of 'Madam' in advance by the Emperor." She insisted on performing the grand bow.

Doing good deeds doesn’t always require reciprocation, but sincere gratitude from others can bring immense joy.

Ningde Princess chuckled and gestured to the empty seat beside her. "Sit and talk."

Dou Zhao naturally wouldn’t presume to take such a privileged position.

She thanked her with a smile and sat on the embroidered stool placed below Ningde Princess.

Ningde Princess nodded subtly in approval. After the maids served tea and snacks, she inquired about Dou Zhao’s visit to the palace: "Where did Her Majesty the Empress Dowager receive you? Who escorted you in? Is Her Majesty in good health?"

Dou Zhao answered carefully and added, "...Her Majesty the Empress Dowager heard from you that I play Leaf Cards and even instructed the Young Lord to bring me into the palace when he has time, so I can accompany Her Majesty in playing." She widened her eyes in curiosity. "How did you know I play Leaf Cards?"

Her inquisitive expression amused Ningde Princess.

Ningde Princess laughed. "When you reach my age, you’ll understand—words slip out, crumbs fall when eating, and people find you tiresome wherever you go. The only pastime left is staying home and playing Leaf Cards to pass the time. Madam Dou, the elder of the Dou family, is around our age and likely feels the same. You grew up with her in Zhen Ding and often attended to her filially, so you must be quite skilled at Leaf Cards!"

Dou Zhao felt a pang of guilt.

Due to memories of her past life and her present aversion, though she lived in Zhen Ding, she rarely accompanied the elder Madam Dou for leisure. Her ability to play Leaf Cards stemmed from her filial devotion to Tian Shi in her past life.

Regardless, Ningde Princess had intentionally mentioned her to the Empress Dowager, granting her a rare opportunity. She thanked Ningde Princess once more.

Ningde Princess smiled. "We’re family—no need for formalities. When your Second Aunt entered the palace, I also gave her advice. But she didn’t have your fortune. It seems such things depend on the person."

Madam Lu’s face flushed slightly.

Dou Zhao quickly said, "Man proposes, but Heaven disposes. Yet, Your Highness’s kindness is something we will always remember with deep gratitude."

Madam Lu nodded repeatedly in agreement.Dou Zhao suddenly sighed with emotion, "Everyone knows that blood is thicker than water. Yet when it comes to certain matters, people would rather give favors to outsiders than their own kin. They even justify it by saying, 'Giving favors to outsiders earns gratitude and praise, while giving them to relatives is taken for granted. Not only will they not thank you, but if anything goes wrong, they’ll blame you for incompetence and expect you to clean up the mess.' What they fail to realize is that in life-and-death situations, it’s still those relatives who will help you wholeheartedly without counting the cost."

Ningde Princess's expression shifted slightly as she listened. She lowered her head to sip her tea and said leisurely, "But in life-and-death moments, those who kick you when you’re down and push you to the brink are also often your own kin..."

"Exactly!" Dou Zhao agreed with a bright smile. "Look at me, coming to see you and saying such things—it just goes to show that relatives, like friends, must be judged by their character, not just by blood ties. Nor should we blindly accommodate them." Then she smoothly changed the subject, smiling, "The Young Lord mentioned that there are specific protocols for the imperial mandate to appoint the wife of a Young Lord. Special decrees from the Emperor are rare in our dynasty, so this is a mark of His Majesty’s favor and should be celebrated properly. Since the weather has been pleasant lately, we’d like to host a chrysanthemum-viewing banquet tomorrow and invite relatives and friends to join us for some lively fun." She glanced at Second Madam with a smile, "We’d be honored if Your Highness and Second Aunt could grace us with your presence."

Second Madam Lu had already been informed and showed no surprise, but Ningde Princess was taken aback. She turned to her attendant and asked, "What day is tomorrow?"

The attendant promptly replied with a smile, "Tomorrow is the fourth day of the month."

After a moment’s thought, Ningde Princess said, "I happen to be free tomorrow... We’ll go early in the morning." The last instruction was directed at Second Madam Lu.

Second Madam Lu respectfully assented.

Dou Zhao was also delighted.

After some more conversation, she rose to take her leave.

Second Madam Lu escorted Dou Zhao to the door.

Ningde Princess, meanwhile, was assisted back to her inner chambers by a female official dressed as a palace maid.

"Yantang’s wife is quite intriguing!" she remarked to the official with a smile. "Every word she says carries deeper meaning."

The official, clearly understanding Ningde Princess’s implication, replied deferentially, "Will Your Highness still attend the Duke of England's Mansion tomorrow?"

"Of course, why wouldn’t I?" Ningde Princess chuckled. "What she said holds some truth. When the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion faced difficulties, Yantang ran around tirelessly to help—even a biological son couldn’t have done more!" Her smile gradually faded, and her voice softened. "Han'er and Qin'er are both older than Yantang, yet they fall far short of him. The Lu Family is already showing signs of decline. If Yantang could lend a hand, perhaps Han'er and Qin'er’s descendants might produce one or two capable enough to uphold the family name..."

The official was startled and quickly interjected, "Your Highness speaks too gravely. I find Young Masters Han and Qin to be filial and sensible..."

Ningde Princess waved her hand dismissively, cutting off the official with evident displeasure. "You’ve served me since childhood, and our bond is unlike others. Such words may come from others, but not from you."

The official flushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.Ningde Princess watched and sighed softly, murmuring, "It all depends on what kind of person this Dou Shi is. If she knows how to repay kindness, I wouldn’t mind lending her some influence... It’s up to her choice now..." After speaking, she seemed to be waiting for something as she leisurely sipped her tea.

For a moment, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The palace attendant held her breath, not daring to make a sound.

After a while, a page hurried in.

"Your Highness," he reported, "the wife of the heir has gone to the residence of the Second Master."

Upon hearing this, Ningde Princess exhaled deeply, instructed the attendant to reward the page with a tael of silver, and revealed a pleased smile.

※※※※※

Dou Zhao returned to The Duke of England's Mansion as dusk fell, just in time to meet Song Mo and Yan Chaoqing coming out of the study.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Song Mo asked Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao shook her head and said, "After leaving Old Madam Lu’s place, I went to the residences of Marquis Yan’an and Duke Jingguo to invite the Wang and Zhang families to the banquet—since we’re treating them as relatives, we might as well make the effort."

Song Mo nodded. "I haven’t eaten either. Let’s dine together."

Yan Chaoqing quickly excused himself.

Dou Zhao felt somewhat embarrassed.

But Song Mo acted as if nothing had happened and headed to the hall.

Dou Zhao had no choice but to follow.

Neither of them noticed Yan Chaoqing, who had already reached the doorway, turn back to gaze at them. Only when the hall’s curtain obscured their figures did he finally leave.

Dou Zhao asked Song Mo, "Why haven’t you eaten yet?"

"I’ve been discussing Father’s marriage plans with Master Yan," Song Mo replied frankly. "We came up with a few ideas, all feasible, but I feel they only address the symptoms, not the root cause. I wanted to think further."

After changing her clothes, Dou Zhao returned to find Song Mo had already instructed Su Xin to serve dinner.

"Should I mention it to Fifth Uncle?" Dou Zhao sat down with Song Mo at the square table in the hall. "Official promotions are handled by the Ministry of Personnel. Fifth Uncle has been in the Ministry for years and is now a Grand Academician in the Grand Secretariat. No matter what, they’d give him face."

"Not necessary for now," Song Mo said. "I want to see how much effort Marquis Changxing, Shi Ruilan, will put in for Hua Tang."

Dou Zhao thought of Marquis Changxing’s reputation and couldn’t help but worry. "I’ve heard that to ask Marquis Changxing for a favor, you must knock with silver. But once he accepts the money, there’s nothing he can’t accomplish. Even if the matter fails, the silver is returned untouched... Everyone says he’s very trustworthy!" At this point, Dou Zhao herself found it absurd and smiled bitterly. "Swapping identities to secure an inheritance for his son—that won’t come cheap. The real fear is that Marquis Changxing might not be willing to return the silver..." All he’d need to do is turn a blind eye to fulfill his end.

Song Mo sneered. "If he doesn’t return it, he’d better have the life to spend it!"

Dou Zhao was startled and instinctively wiped her forehead, though there was no sweat.

Why did everything involving Song Mo always turn into... something that made people break into a cold sweat?

She quietly reminded him, "Marquis Changxing is the Datong Commander-in-Chief."

Song Mo said indifferently, "There are plenty who’d want that position."

Dou Zhao fell silent.

After dinner, the two went to pay their respects to Song Yichun.In the afternoon, Song Mo had already sent word to Song Yichun, informing him that he would host a chrysanthemum-viewing banquet at home the next day to celebrate Dou Zhao's conferment as "Madam." Yet now, Song Yichun deliberately avoided mentioning the matter and instead brought up Song Mo's marriage with the Hua family: "...With no one managing the household affairs at home, I thought to invite your Eldest Aunt to assist. You needn’t worry about this matter."

In truth, he was wary of Dou Zhao seizing the opportunity to take control of the household management and refusing to let go.

Song Mo responded indifferently with a simple "Alright."

Song Yichun glanced at Dou Zhao, who stood there with downcast eyes, appearing exceptionally docile.

She didn’t seem like someone with a fiery temper at all.

Could there have been some misunderstanding?

The thought flickered through Song Yichun’s mind, and he felt it necessary to summon Tao Qizhong again for clarification.

Meanwhile, Tao Qizhong, who was enjoying a drink with his attendants, sneezed several times in a row and muttered under his breath, "Who’s cursing me?"

Chen Qushui, who had entered the Capital just before sunset, also sneezed repeatedly.

A page asked him, "Are you alright? Should we find a physician?"

"No need," Chen Qushui replied, rubbing his nose before instructing the page, "Go to the Duke of England's Mansion and inform the Young Lord’s adviser, Yan Chaoqing, that I’ll be waiting for him at the stationery shop on Drum Tower Street."

It was closer to the Duke of England's Mansion.

He wondered what urgent matter Yan Chaoqing had for him.