Blossom

Everyone took their seats according to rank, and Song Mo personally brewed a pot of premium Tieguanyin tea for Dou Shiying.

The rich aroma of the tea soothed Dou Shiying’s anxious mood. Recalling the officers from the Five Cities Garrison he had seen outside the Duke of England's Mansion upon arrival, he couldn’t help but ask, “Have all those thieves been caught?”

“All those who broke into the Duke of England's Mansion have been apprehended,” Song Mo skillfully glossed over the situation, standing to refill Dou Shiying’s cup. “As for the others, the Five Cities Garrison and Shuntian Prefecture are still in pursuit.”

Dou Shiying let out a sigh of relief.

But Ji Yong interjected, “The Duke of England's Mansion is the foremost noble household in our dynasty. The Duke himself holds the prestigious position of Commander-in-chief of the Vanguard in the Five Armies Commandery, and you, brother-in-law, are the Commander of the Vanguard of the Golden Guard. Yet these thieves dared to scale the walls and loot the mansion. If they were clever enough to devise a diversionary tactic, why didn’t they consider the consequences of failure? And what a coincidence that it happened precisely when both the Duke and you were away from home… How very strange.” His words trailed off into a murmur, as if speaking to himself, but they immediately set Dou Shiying’s nerves on edge.

“Yantang, have you offended someone?” Dou Shiying hesitated. “The whereabouts of your father-in-law and yourself shouldn’t be something just anyone could track, right? And then there’s the matter of the silver notes—it’s been spreading like wildfire. How did it suddenly become a hundred thousand taels…?”

The moment Song Mo saw Ji Yong, he knew trouble had arrived.

But he had never been one to fear trouble!

“This was my oversight,” Song Mo apologized sincerely to Dou Shiying. “Shou Gu and I married in haste, and I feared gossipmongers might stir up trouble. When I heard people exaggerating the size of Shou Gu’s dowry, I didn’t stop them, thinking that since people often judge others by appearances, it might spare Shou Gu some trouble. But I never imagined it would attract thieves. I’ve also considered what Lord Ji said. Shou Gu summoned the steward mammies to the main chamber to speak with them—partly to steady their nerves, but also to keep them confined in the reception hall of the upper courtyard. Meanwhile, I’ve dispatched men to investigate their recent movements.” He added, “I’m young and inexperienced. You, Father-in-law, have crossed more bridges than I’ve walked roads. If there’s anything I’ve overlooked, please advise me. I’ll make amends and have it handled immediately. Above all, we must ensure Shou Gu’s safety—if they could leak my and Father’s whereabouts today, who’s to say they won’t leak Shou Gu’s another day?”

When it came to such practical matters, Dou Shiying was even less capable than Gaosheng. If he wanted to offer Song Mo a warning, he’d first have to identify a flaw in Song Mo’s plans!

What suggestions could he possibly have?

Instead, seeing Song Mo’s frankness and humility, he nodded inwardly in approval. “You’ve considered everything thoroughly. With you and the Five Cities Garrison handling things, I’m at ease. There’s nothing I need to remind you of.”

Ji Yong was left speechless for a long moment.

Song Mo pretended not to notice and continued speaking gently to his father-in-law. “This is the first time Shou Gu has summoned the household’s steward mammies for a talk, so it might take a while. Please try this tea in the meantime. It was sent by Wang Dahai, the heir of the Marquis of Yan’an, a few days ago. I sampled it and found it quite good. Shou Gu mentioned you enjoy Tieguanyin, so I was planning to send some your way soon…”It seems Shou Gu and her son-in-law are getting along well, even discussing what kind of tea he likes. The son-in-law is also considerate, thinking of sending him some tea to try.

Dou Shiying pondered and decided not to tell Song Mo that his favorite was Xinyang Maojian—after all, he wasn’t a stubborn man. He could just drink Tieguanyin whenever his son-in-law was around.

Song Mo, however, silently apologized to his father-in-law in his heart.

He and Dou Zhao had only been married for eleven days. Half that time, he had been in the palace, and during the other half with Dou Zhao, his mind had been entirely preoccupied with figuring out what she liked or disliked, how to get along with her more harmoniously. He had no spare attention for other people or matters. He had merely noticed Dou Zhao’s preference for Tieguanyin and ventured a guess—unexpectedly hitting the mark. It seemed he would need to build connections with the Fujian Regional Military Commission, as he’d likely be sending Tieguanyin to Jing'an Temple Alley frequently in the future.

Father-in-law and son-in-law exchanged smiles, each lost in their own thoughts.

Song Mo, not wanting Ji Yong’s ill-omened words to affect Dou Shiying’s mood, began recounting how Dou Zhao had sacrificed pawns to save the king—ordering the pages to retreat to the Hanging Flower Gate to fend off the thieves, how she had lit firewood to raise the alarm, and how she had scalded the would-be robbers with boiling water, leaving their skin blistered and deterring them from storming the gate… At first, he had only meant to divert Dou Shiying’s attention, preventing Ji Yong from spouting nonsense. But as he spoke, he grew increasingly awed by Dou Zhao—her magnanimity, her wit and courage, her rare and extraordinary qualities—and his tone gradually filled with admiration.

Dou Shiying, ever sensitive to matters of the heart, could hardly miss the implication in Song Mo’s words. He chuckled gleefully, unable to contain his delight.

This version of Dou Zhao was one Ji Yong had never seen before.

He listened, somewhat dumbfounded.

A vague thought flickered in his mind—Dou Zhao was like a gemstone, growing more exquisite, radiant, dazzling, and beautiful the more she was polished… Perhaps only such a life could make her shine so brilliantly?

But the thought passed as quickly as it came, deliberately or inadvertently dismissed by Ji Yong.

“I had no idea Fourth Sister suffered so much!” Ji Yong sighed. “Thankfully, Heaven has eyes, ensuring she turned misfortune into blessing and calamity into fortune.” He turned to Song Mo. “What are the Five Cities Garrison and Shuntian Prefecture planning to do? It’s been two or three hours since the incident, hasn’t it? Even the most witless thieves would know to lay low after their scheme was exposed. The Capital is vast—if they’re determined to hide, they won’t be easy to find. With so many incidents happening daily, the Five Cities Garrison and Shuntian Prefecture can’t possibly keep investigating everyone passing through the Capital indefinitely. What if those bandits grow desperate and raid the Duke of England's Mansion again?”

His words immediately reignited Dou Shiying’s anxiety."Lord Ji may not yet be aware," Song Mo said with an indifferent expression, "the former Metropolitan Commander of the Five Cities Garrison and the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture have both been imprisoned in the Imperial prison. The Duke of Dongping, who is also the Commander-in-chief of the Left Army, has taken over as the Metropolitan Commander of the Five Cities Garrison..." He briefly explained the personnel changes to Ji Yong. "I've already sent someone to deliver a message to the Duke of Dongping's residence. We'll sit down with the Duke of Dongping and Lord Huang to discuss matters. However, I believe this is an opportunity to thoroughly clean up the underworld elements in the Capital, lest those bandits grow too bold and attempt robbery again."

Dou Shiying was stunned, taking a moment before he managed to say, "Both the Shuntian Prefecture Prefect and the Metropolitan Commander of the Five Cities Garrison have been replaced?" His face was full of shock.

"Yes," Song Mo replied. "The Duke of Dongping went to the palace to express his gratitude to the Emperor. He hasn't left yet, but he should come here once he does."

Ji Yong, however, disliked Song Mo's seemingly modest yet actually arrogant demeanor.

He said, "The Emperor believes those bandits have insulted the nobility. Without severe punishment, it wouldn't serve as a deterrent to other troublemakers."

Dou Shiying nodded repeatedly, even adding with relief, "Yantang, this is also good fortune for you. You should seize this opportunity to capture a few of those bandits and punish them harshly. That way, no one would dare target the Duke of England's Mansion in the future."

Song Mo smiled and agreed, "Indeed."

Ji Yong could only sigh inwardly.

A group of maids and old women surrounded Dou Zhao as she entered.

"Shou Gu!" Dou Shiying stepped forward to examine his daughter. Seeing her unharmed, he nodded with a smile.

Dou Zhao felt a pang of emotion.

"What brings you here?" she asked, supporting her father. Then she noticed Ji Yong. "Cousin Ji!" she greeted him warmly. "I didn't expect you to visit me! How have you been lately?" She spoke to Ji Yong with natural ease.

Ji Yong glanced at Song Mo.

Song Mo stood calmly to the side, his smile composed, as if completely unbothered by the situation.

Ji Yong gave a slight smirk and said to Dou Zhao, "Rumors are spreading everywhere that notorious bandits coveted your dowry. They even say that when they failed to steal the silver, they set fire to the Duke of England's Mansion. Seventh Uncle was extremely worried. I happened to hear about it and came to see you, so we entered together."

The absurd rumors left Dou Zhao both amused and exasperated.

But Song Mo remarked, "These rumors work in our favor. We can spread the word that the silver was indeed stolen by the bandits, deterring others from targeting you."

"An excellent plan," Dou Shiying praised, though he hesitated. "But if we claim the silver was stolen, it would have to be included in the official report to Shuntian Prefecture... Wouldn't that be problematic?"

Song Mo smiled. "I'll explain to the Duke of Dongping and Lord Huang that it's a temporary measure to corner those bandits."

A hundred thousand taels of silver was no small sum.

If the desperate outlaws in the underworld learned that the bandits had stolen such an amount, even if they wanted to let them go, the other criminals wouldn't.

A group of bandits being hunted down would have no energy left to target the Duke of England's Mansion.

Dou Zhao smiled at Song Mo and sat down with her father."...The Duke of England's Mansion is heavily guarded. This incident only happened because we'd grown complacent after long peace, allowing petty thieves to take advantage," she casually explained the manor affairs to her father. "Only the stables and a few side rooms in the outer courtyard were burned—nothing serious! They just need some repairs."

"Yantang has already told me everything," Dou Shiying smiled warmly at his daughter. Perhaps after hearing Song Mo's account, he felt his daughter seemed somewhat different from usual—more beautiful, more composed than during their time at Jing'an Temple Lane...

Dou Shiying couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

When he personally took charge, his daughter's marriage was settled immediately—unlike his sister-in-law, who still hadn't managed to marry off Zhang Ru to this day.

This thought gave Dou Shiying a small sense of pride.

After their conversation in the study, having learned all he wanted to know, Dou Shiying rose to leave: "When I came, your aunt and cousin insisted on accompanying me. Not knowing what your situation was, I didn't dare bring them along. And your Sixth Aunt has sent someone to inquire—I should return to reassure them all."

Dou Zhao felt regretful: "This is your first visit, and you're leaving without even a meal..."

"There will be plenty of time, plenty of time," Dou Shiying was thoroughly satisfied with this visit. "When you return to your maiden home, I'll share some proper drinks with Yantang then."

Song Mo and Dou Zhao escorted Dou Shiying and Ji Yong out of the Duke of England's Mansion.