Blossom

"What's the matter?"

Gu Yu twisted his body slightly and continued silently tossing fish food into the pond.

Song Mo chuckled. "How old are you? Why are you still acting like a child? What's really going on? You haven't said a word since you arrived. Did you have a falling out with your family?"

Gu Yu sneered, "I'm not married yet, so doesn't that make me a child?"

Song Mo was taken aback, then laughed again. His laughter was full of helplessness and a touch of indulgence. Gu Yu's eyes reddened, and he turned his face away.

Song Mo smiled and turned to leave. "Alright, we'll talk when you're ready."

With a loud "smack," Gu Yu threw all the fish food in his hand into the lake and shouted, "Ever since you got married, you don't care about me anymore!" His tone was like that of a wronged young wife.

Shen Qing and Song Han, among others, turned to look, especially Song Han, whose gaze at Gu Yu flickered with a strange light.

Song Mo didn't know whether to laugh or cry and had no choice but to walk back. "How have I not cared about you? I haven't even seen a trace of you these days—how could I possibly look after your affairs?"

Hearing this, Gu Yu felt even more aggrieved.

A while ago, he had gone to Huai'an to settle the river project expenses. Only then did he remember that Wang Qinghuai had previously asked him to investigate who had ambushed Wei Tingyu. After returning to the Capital, he spent two days on the matter and discovered Ji Yong and He Yu. Not only that, but he also found out that He Yu, who was nominally Dou Shiying's junior, had once clamored at home to marry Dou Zhao. The most baffling part was that Grand Secretary He had actually agreed...

Now that Wei Tingyu had abandoned Dou Zhao to marry Dou Ming, He Yu was egging Ji Yong on to settle scores with Wei Tingyu—clearly, he hadn't forgotten his old feelings.

If he told Tian'en about this, Tian'en would surely distance himself from Dou Shi in the future. With Song Shibo already treating Tian'en that way and Tian'en not daring to approach him either, wouldn't Tian'en end up all alone again? Without anyone to care for him? But if he didn't tell Tian'en, there was He Yu lurking around, coveting his sister-in-law, while Tian'en remained in the dark—and worse, the one keeping him in the dark was himself... The thought made his heart ache.

Gu Yu had been tossing and turning over this for days, unable to sleep.

Finally managing to doze off, he woke up to the news that Dou Shi had been granted the title of "Madam."

He couldn't help but scratch his head.

Seeing this, Song Mo felt both amused and exasperated. "Speak properly. Don't act like a child begging for candy—what's really going on?" His voice softened.

Gu Yu's face flushed red, and after a long pause, he muttered, "My stepmother wants to marry me off to her niece..."

Song Mo felt a pang of guilt.

Gu Yu was only a few months younger than him—already at the age for marriage. It was just that his family situation was complicated, and no one dared to take charge of his affairs, which had delayed things.

Lately, Song Mo had been preoccupied with his own matters and had indeed neglected Gu Yu.

His expression grew serious. "Does the Empress know about this?"

Gu Yu shook his head. "I only heard about it by accident..." But even so, the mere thought of marrying someone related by blood to his stepmother was unbearable to him.Seeing his look of disdain, Song Mo pondered and said, "You are the legitimate eldest son, and your marriage concerns the rise and fall of the Yunyang Earl's household. Your father would never act rashly. It was because you were too reckless in the past that your father was angry at your lack of ambition. That’s why he ignored you. Now that you’re behaving properly, your father naturally won’t treat you as before. But we must still prepare for the unexpected. I’ll keep an eye out for you on this matter. However, you should also have your own code of conduct so I can better advise you."

Gu Yu felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his heart now that Song Mo was willing to help him. Recalling how his father’s attitude toward him had changed since he started doing business with Song Mo and Wang Qinghuai, he nodded in agreement.

Song Mo patted his shoulder again and smiled. "Feng Shao and the others are gambling in the heated room. Why don’t you go join them?"

This time, Gu Yu didn’t avoid Song Mo, but neither did he rush off to the heated room as he usually would. Instead, he hesitated before asking, "Is... is sister-in-law treating you well?"

An irrepressible smile spread across Song Mo’s lips. "Very well!"

His entire demeanor softened like spring branches gently unfurling in the breeze.

Gu Yu suddenly felt a mix of envy and jealousy.

※※※※※

In the Reception Hall, Dou Zhao directed Su Xin and the others to serve more tea to the ladies playing cards.

Only Sixth Sister-in-law Guo Shi and Tenth Sister-in-law Cai Shi from the Dou family had come. Not seeing Dou Ming, Cai Shi exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Where’s Fifth Granddaughter?"

In her view, given that two sisters from the same father but different mothers had such a rivalry—where the younger sister stole the elder sister’s husband, only for the elder sister to marry into an even more illustrious family—and that the younger sister married first yet had no title, while the elder sister married later but was already an official noblewoman, the elder sister ought to be gloating. So she spoke loudly, her voice echoing through the hall.

All eyes turned to Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao remained composed, smiling as she placed the Lu'an Melon Seed Tea before Old Madam Lu. Just as she was about to speak, Second Madam Zhang of the Jingguo Duke’s household, Shi Shi, cut in with a laugh, "Madam’s younger sister seemed a bit unwell. Yesterday, Madam personally visited her, and my mother-in-law praised her for her kindness, urging us sisters-in-law to get closer to her. My eldest sister-in-law was originally going to join us, but just as we were leaving, she said her younger sister-in-law from her maternal family was unwell and had to return to the Marquis of Jining's Mansion to check on her." Covering her sleeve, she giggled. "In a few days, our plum blossoms will bloom. My mother-in-law suggested we follow Madam’s example and invite people over for some fun. We’re planning a plum blossom banquet, and we hope all you ladies and sisters won’t refuse—you must come and enjoy yourselves with us!"

The crowd responded with cheerful agreement. Those chatting began discussing which households had hosted what banquets this year and how entertaining they were, while the card players refocused on their game, keeping an eye on their opponents and ignoring everything else. The hall quickly returned to its lively atmosphere, and no one cared anymore about what had happened to Dou Ming.

Second Madam Zhang winked at Dou Zhao and said, "When the time comes, we’ll need Madam to recommend a good chef—the pickles served earlier were quite delicious."

Dou Zhao smiled and nodded, though inwardly, she sighed softly.People always fawn on those in power and trample on the downtrodden. She had merely become the wife of the Duke of Yingguo's heir, and without even lifting a finger against Dou Ming, there were already those eager to curry favor by helping her deal with Dou Ming.

If Dou Ming had known that marrying into the Marquis of Jining's Mansion would lead to such an outcome, would she have regretted it?

The thought flashed through her mind, and she smiled as she greeted Xiao-shi, who had been nervously following her. "Take a seat for a while! Lunch won't be ready for another hour or so."

A flicker of gratitude passed through Xiao-shi's eyes.

She didn’t know a single person here, nor did she understand any of the games they played.

Both of them had married into the Capital’s elite from the countryside. Yet the Duke of Yingguo’s heir’s wife handled everything with ease and grace.

At this thought, her gaze toward Dou Zhao deepened with admiration.

Meanwhile, Dou Ming lay sprawled on the bed, sobbing pitifully.

Wei Tingyu, dressed in his marquis robes and clearly ready to go out, frowned and paced anxiously by the bed. "Stop this! Can’t we talk properly? What do you want? If you keep crying like this, won’t people just laugh at us?"

"Is it you who wants to laugh at me?" Dou Ming lifted her tear-streaked face, looking as delicate as a rain-drenched rose. "Today is the day I’m supposed to return to my parents’ home for the 'Visiting the bride's parents a month after the wedding' tradition. Yet Dou Zhao deliberately chose this day to host a banquet at her home. Fine, let that pass. But you received the invitation and actually discussed with me about going to the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion first to congratulate Dou Zhao before sending me back to my parents… Has such a thing ever happened in this world? Who matters more to you—Dou Zhao or me? Don’t forget, I’m your lawfully wedded wife!"

Wei Tingyu looked awkward and defended himself, "I didn’t mean anything by it. I just thought… Yantang treated me well before, and then we wronged your sister. Yet she was magnanimous and didn’t hold it against us. Today is their happy occasion. If we go to congratulate them and show our support, it’s a way to make amends for the past…"

Before he could finish, Dou Ming’s face flushed red with anger. "What do you mean by 'wronged Dou Zhao'? It was a case of willing parties! You’d better get that straight! If you want to go, go by yourself. Why should I be used to boost Dou Zhao’s reputation?" She burst into tears again. "I married first, yet she was the one who got the title of 'Madam' before me. I never said a word about it, and now you accuse me of being petty and ungrateful… When I return to my parents, who knows how much ridicule I’ll face? Instead of comforting me, you pick on my faults. What’s the point of this marriage? What hope do I have left?"

Wei Tingyu lowered his head and slumped into the nearby Grand Preceptor's Chair.

Dou Ming cried for a long while, but Wei Tingyu neither comforted her nor made a sound. Growing uneasy, she peeked up cautiously and saw him sitting there sulking, his head hanging low.

Timidly, she called out, "Marquis..."

Wei Tingyu lifted his eyelids to glance at her but turned away without responding.

She was just wondering whether to swallow her pride and coax him with some soft words when a maid hurried in and announced, "The eldest paternal aunt is here!"

Dou Ming’s expression darkened. "What is she doing here?" Her voice already carried a trace of disdain.Wei Tingyu was delighted to hear that his sister had arrived, thinking he could finally escape Dou Ming's nagging. He didn't even notice her mood as he hurriedly stood up and asked the maid, "Where is my paternal aunt?"

The maid replied, "She went to see the Madam."

Wei Tingyu rushed straight to his mother's courtyard.

Dou Ming found herself in a dilemma—following him would be awkward, but not following would be worse.

She stamped her foot in frustration and gritted her teeth as she headed to Tian Shi's courtyard.

Wei Tingzhen looked at her brother in surprise. "Why are you still at home? Weren't you supposed to escort Dou Ming back to her family?"

Wei Tingyu flushed and mumbled, "We were just about to leave when we heard you'd arrived, so I came to greet you first."

The excuse that one had come to greet her while the other hadn't was too flimsy to fool anyone.

Wei Tingzhen shot her brother a cold glance. "Did you two quarrel again?"