Blossom

On the way back to the Hall of Cultivating Will, Song Mo asked Dou Zhao, "Did everything go smoothly?"

"Yes!" Dou Zhao thought of the Eldest Madam and her daughter-in-law's disheveled figures as they left and couldn't help but smile slightly. "It was just meeting with the stewards from each household. Since I wasn’t planning to seize control of the rear courtyard, everyone remained quite polite."

After all, the Duke of England's Mansion belonged to the Duke of England. The authority to manage the household could be revoked at any moment. What Dou Zhao needed to do now was to make Song Yichun understand that no matter who he wanted to entrust with the power to manage the household, without the approval of the Hall of Cultivating Will, no one could secure that position.

She asked Song Mo, "Any news about the Hua family?"

Since the couple was speaking privately, the maids and pages naturally kept their distance, following far behind.

Still, Song Mo lowered his voice. "The official document appointing the Hua family’s eldest son as the Qianhu of Qiu Ling has already been sent to Weizhou." A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "However, the old lady from that family has decided to personally go to the Capital to lodge an imperial complaint—let the Hua family enjoy their happiness for now. The fall from the peak to the valley will be quite spectacular."

An elderly woman with no one to rely on daring to accuse a high-ranking official of the third rank in the Capital—anyone would suspect she was being manipulated... Dou Zhao couldn’t help but say, "Be careful not to get yourself involved." If exploited by those with ulterior motives, it might appear as though Song Mo was targeting the Marquis Changxing and the Marquis of Anlu. Song Mo was still young and his foundation unstable; it wasn’t wise to make too many enemies at this stage.

Song Mo showed no fear. "Even if someone suspects the old lady was instigated, it doesn’t matter. Once the matter escalates, pulling up one problem will drag out others. Do you think the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War have many clean hands? They’ll just focus on resolving the immediate issue swiftly. Even if they do discover I was behind it, it’s fine. It’ll let them know why I did it. Perhaps the Hua family will voluntarily withdraw the marriage proposal, saving me the trouble of hinting at it later."

Her impression from her past life was too vivid—Dou Zhao had always believed Song Mo was an exceptionally capable man. Hearing this, she nodded in agreement.

From afar, Song Han broke away from the crowd of pages surrounding him and ran over.

"Brother, brother! You’re finally back!" He clung to Song Mo’s arm, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, his expression uneasy as he looked at Song Mo. "There was a fire at home, and thieves took advantage to break in. Yet Tao Qizhong knew nothing about it." He complained, "When I went to see sister-in-law, your guards were all protecting her..." He quickly glanced at Dou Zhao, relieved to see her standing quietly beside Song Mo with a smile. He didn’t notice the fleeting embarrassment on Song Mo’s face.

Song Mo had been so preoccupied with Dou Zhao’s well-being that he’d forgotten about his younger brother, who had lost his mother’s love and endured their father’s harsh treatment...

"This won’t happen again," Song Mo said, draping an arm over Song Han’s shoulders with a meaningful smile. "When Father returns, I’ll speak to him about assigning some guards to you..."

Before he could finish, Song Han exclaimed excitedly, "Really? Then I’ll have my own guards, just like you!" He tugged at Song Mo’s hand playfully. "Brother, I want guards even stronger than yours!"

Song Mo chuckled. "I’ll keep an eye out for you."Song Han giggled, his smile radiant like the morning sun, carrying a hint of warmth.

Was this really Song Han?

The same Song Han whose limbs had been severed by Song Mo, who had died wailing in agony?

Dou Zhao felt a pang of discomfort in her heart.

A page came trotting after a figure, approaching them.

Dou Zhao looked closely—it was Gu Yu.

Both Song Mo and Song Han noticed him. Song Mo smiled at Gu Yu, while Song Han muttered something under his breath. Song Mo didn’t catch it, but Dou Zhao heard it clearly. He had grumbled, "Why is he here?" with undisguised disgust in his tone.

Dou Zhao pretended not to hear.

"Brother Tianci, how did the fire start at home?" Gu Yu asked, sweating profusely, his expression flustered. "Was anyone hurt?" As he spoke, he glanced at Dou Zhao and Song Han, and seeing them standing there unharmed, he let out a long sigh of relief. His expression gradually calmed as he continued, "What’s this about thieves? I went drinking with Wang Dahai last night and only got home at dawn. I vaguely heard about the fire at your place and rushed over. You’re back so early—did you get leave from Shao Wenji? Does the Emperor know? Does the Empress know? Do you want me to go to the palace for you? Those Five Cities Garrison folks are always shirking responsibility, and Shuntian Prefecture would rather avoid trouble than deal with it. Expecting them to chase down thieves is like waiting for iron trees to bloom..."

He rambled on and on.

Yet Dou Zhao only felt warmth in her heart.

Song Mo likely felt the same way, as his gaze at Gu Yu grew even gentler.

"The Emperor bestowed upon me Emperor Taizong’s sword and ordered me to investigate the fire at the Duke of England's Mansion..." He briefly recounted what had happened.

Gu Yu immediately declared, "Brother Tianci, I’ll help you. I know most of the underworld figures in the Capital. If I don’t turn the place upside down, I won’t go by the name Gu! How dare they set their sights on you, Brother Tianci..." As he spoke, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, lending his delicate, almost feminine features a chilling edge. "If they don’t hand over the culprits, none of those so-called 'lords' or 'bosses' will walk away unscathed!"

Dou Zhao was startled, but then an idea occurred to her.

She shot Song Mo a meaningful glance.

Song Mo gave an almost imperceptible nod and said to Gu Yu with a smile, "Don’t act recklessly. It’s best to let the Five Cities Garrison and Shuntian Prefecture take the lead on this." He added, "Have you had breakfast yet? Come, let your sister-in-law fix you something to eat. Rest for a bit, then come with me to see the Duke of Dongping later... Look at you—pale-faced and sluggish... How much did you drink last night?"

"Not that much," Gu Yu muttered under his breath. "Ran into Feng Zhi and the others halfway through, played a few rounds of tiles, so it got a bit late..."

Song Mo frowned in annoyance. "Starting tomorrow, you’re getting up early to practice horse stance with the household instructors..."

Gu Yu fell silent, sulkily following Song Mo into the Hall of Cultivating Will.

Dou Zhao deliberately lagged behind and glanced at Song Han.

He was glaring at Gu Yu, eyes blazing with resentment.

Dou Zhao smiled and asked Song Han, "Have you had breakfast yet, Second Master?""No!" Song Han replied stiffly, then seemed to realize his abruptness and quickly forced a somewhat strained smile, softening his tone considerably. "I'm not hungry. I came as soon as I heard my brother had returned."

His voice was loud enough that Song Mo and Gu Yu, walking ahead, turned to look back.

Song Mo said, "Then you can eat something with Gu Yu later."

Song Han nodded with a smile.

But Dou Zhao noticed his hands clenched tightly into fists.

She calmly arranged breakfast for Gu Yu and Song Han before returning to the inner chamber to change clothes.

Seizing the opportunity, Song Mo followed her inside—only to immediately catch sight of Dou Zhao's snow-white, rounded shoulders and the elegant curve of her collarbone...

He remembered the plum-red marks he'd left there that night... His throat went dry, and he dared not look further, fixing his gaze firmly downward as he stood there with forced composure. "What did you want to tell me?" he asked evenly.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, Dou Zhao didn't notice Song Mo's unusual behavior. Moving behind the screen, she rustled through her clothes while explaining how Risheng Silver House's manager Zhang Zhiqi had persuaded her father to invest.

Someone once said a woman half-hidden behind a screen was most alluring.

Standing outside, listening to the whisper of fabric, Song Mo's mind flooded with memories of that night's intimate scenes... Unnoticed, a bead of sweat formed at the tip of his nose and silently dripped onto his lapel. Startled by his own reaction, he reined in his wandering thoughts and focused on Dou Zhao's words—though his mind still felt tangled. After a long pause, he finally said, "Do you want me to take this chance to reclaim everything your father left with Zhang Zhiqi?"

Since when had he become so dense?

Dou Zhao stepped out from behind the screen with a mix of exasperation and amusement, her rose-colored ornate back coat making her lovelier than the flowers themselves.

"I want you to investigate Zhang Zhiqi's background—a mere merchant daring to set his sights on the Assistant Supervisor of the Household of the Heir Apparent and the Director of the Court of State Ceremonial. Don't you find that strange?"

If Song Mo could uncover Liao Wang's involvement in this, so much the better.

Realizing he'd been inside too long—lest others think Dou Zhao had detained him, which might harm her reputation as a new bride—Song Mo agreed with a smile and returned to the main hall.

Gu Yu and Song Han sat at the table, eating breakfast on either side.

As Song Mo pondered Dou Zhao's words, they struck him as increasingly astute—Risheng Silver House was likely more complex than it seemed, with ambitions beyond mere commerce. His father-in-law, being naturally disinterested in such matters, would only suffer from association with such ambitious individuals. Reclaiming his assets from Zhang Zhiqi might indeed be wise.

Given this concerned his father-in-law, entrusting the task to others wouldn't do.

After breakfast, Song Mo urged Song Han to return to his studies but summoned Gu Yu to the study.

Song Han stared at the study's closed doors for a long moment before finally leaving the hall, fists clenched.

Dou Zhao instructed Su Xin, "Have someone find a way to speak with Second Master's servants."

Su Xin departed to carry out the order.

Wang Qinghuai and his wife came to visit.

Song Mo received Wang Qinghuai while Dou Zhao hosted Young Madam Wang—one in the reception hall, the other in the resting chamber of the main courtyard—where they recounted the events surrounding the fire at the Duke of England's Mansion.Wang Qinghuai was filled with righteous indignation and insisted on accompanying Song Mo to see the Duke of Dongping, urging him to swiftly apprehend the thieves. Meanwhile, Young Madam Wang tearfully grasped Dou Zhao's hands, repeatedly saying, "How could such a thing happen? These thieves are utterly lawless! Thank goodness you're unharmed. Misfortune may prove a blessing in disguise—good fortune must surely follow!"

Before the Wang couple could leave, Lu Zhan and his wife arrived on behalf of Old Madam Lu and Ningde Princess to offer their condolences.

Song Mo and Dou Zhao had no choice but to recount the incident once more. Before they could even finish speaking, Zhang Xuming and his wife arrived together... By noon, Song Mo and Dou Zhao's throats were parched from speaking, and the Duke of Dongping had finally emerged from the palace.