Blossom

Song Mo decisively handed over all social engagements at home to Dou Zhao.

The Duke of Dongping was of medium build with fair skin, though years of debauchery had left his gaze somewhat clouded. Suddenly being put in charge of the Five Cities Garrison and given a one-month deadline to solve the case left him utterly clueless where to begin. After leaving the palace, he went straight home and spent hours consulting his advisers, yet no viable solution emerged. Just as his frustration peaked, a page delivered Song Mo's visiting card. He couldn't help but smile bitterly as he passed it to his advisers. "What should I do?" he asked.

After brief contemplation, an adviser replied, "Though Duke Ding was executed and Madam Jiang passed away from illness, the Duke of Yingguo remains powerless against him. Such a man must not be offended at any cost... You must receive him... However, having just taken charge of the Five Cities Garrison, you're still unfamiliar with the case details... Didn't the Emperor bestow Emperor Taizong's sword upon him to investigate the Duke of England's Mansion fire? In truth, he shares investigative responsibility... Perhaps tomorrow at the Five Cities Garrison, after reviewing the case together, we could devise a solution—preferably by inviting the newly appointed Shuntian Prefecture Prefect, Lord Huang, to join us..."

The Duke of Dongping nodded repeatedly and headed to the reception hall with the adviser who had proposed this idea.

Song Mo and Gu Yu paid their respects to the Duke of Dongping as junior family members would.

The Duke cheerfully invited them to sit and inquired with concern about the Duke of England's Mansion fire.

Song Mo had no choice but to recount the incident once more.

No sooner had he finished than the Duke exclaimed indignantly, "Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Garrison have grown far too lax! Had they responded immediately to the report, how could thieves have broken in? No wonder the Emperor is furious—this matter cannot be tolerated. Otherwise, the noble households of the Capital might as well become public thoroughfares, open to anyone's coming and going! Where then would safety lie? This must be investigated thoroughly! Anyone showing lenience or negligence shall be treated no differently than the thieves themselves!" Though his words were severe, they rang hollow.

Having encountered many such bureaucrats and being familiar with the Duke's character and methods, Song Mo easily recognized this as an attempt to evade responsibility.

"Your Lordship speaks wisely," Song Mo said humbly. "Yet in this vast sea of people, nearly four hours have passed since the incident. Even with a citywide lockdown now, tracking down the thieves would prove difficult."

At least you understand that much!

The Duke nodded, only for Song Mo to pivot: "However, the Eastern City Military Command's Commander has performed admirably. He's already begun interrogating all the unsavory elements in the eastern district for identification..."

While the Duke still looked perplexed, his adviser immediately grasped Song Mo's implication and coughed lightly. "What is this Eastern City Commander's name? Who would have thought him so resourceful? With such a major incident occurring in the Capital, these street performers and vagrants certainly need disciplining—who knows, the thieves might be hiding among them!"

The Emperor's anger demanded scapegoats.

These Capital lowlifes would serve perfectly as blackened cauldrons to bear the blame!

"Exactly! Exactly!" the Duke chimed in eagerly. "Not just the eastern district—all five districts require cleaning up!" He summoned his personal attendant: "Go, fetch the Eastern City Commander of the Five Cities Garrison at once!"The attendant acknowledged the order and left.

The Duke of Dongping, half testing and half consulting, smiled at Song Mo and said, "Where does the heir think we should start the search?"

Gu Yu was about to speak when Song Mo shot him a glare. He swallowed his words, and only then did Song Mo reply, "Your Lordship has been entrusted by the Emperor to oversee the Five Cities Garrison. Naturally, the decision is yours to make."

The Duke of Dongping laughed upon hearing this. He thought Song Mo was sensible and had a broad perspective—no wonder he was treated like a nephew.

"Then let’s start with the eastern district!" the Duke of Dongping said with a smile. "The Commander of the Eastern District has already rolled up his sleeves and gotten to work. We shouldn’t duplicate efforts—let him take the lead..."

Just as he spoke, the Eastern District Commander entered.

He was visibly surprised to see Song Mo but quickly cast him a grateful glance.

If not for Song Mo, why would the newly appointed Metropolitan Commander of the Five Cities Garrison have summoned him to his residence?

He owed Song Mo for the recommendation.

With this in mind, the Eastern District Commander bowed respectfully to the Duke of Dongping.

Song Mo, however, rose with Gu Yu to take their leave. "We must go see Lord Huang now," he said.

The Duke of Dongping escorted them to the door of the Reception Hall with a smile.

As an elder, he had already shown them considerable courtesy.

But Gu Yu was far from satisfied. Once in the carriage, he pouted and said, "What can that Duke of Dongping do besides eating, drinking, and currying favor with the Emperor? Why did you hand this matter over to him? The thieves’ whereabouts are still unknown, and he’s already thinking about scapegoats—does that look like someone serious about catching criminals? You might as well have given the task to me!"

"Gu Yu," Song Mo interrupted him. "Catching thieves is the responsibility of the Five Cities Garrison and Shuntian Prefecture. If we overstep, not only will it invite criticism, but it might also provoke resentment and hinder cooperation. What good would our involvement do then? Better to give them a favor now—it’ll make future dealings smoother." He added, "The Capital’s gates still haven’t been sealed. Do you really think we can catch those thieves now?" His expression darkened. "After we leave Shuntian Prefecture, we’ll visit the Five Armies Commandery. Since those thieves came from Cangzhou, someone there owes us an explanation."

Despite this, Gu Yu remained indignant. "...We should make them understand our strength!"

If my uncle were still alive, I’d probably think the same way.

A flicker of pain crossed Song Mo’s eyes. He knew he had to keep Gu Yu occupied, or the young man wouldn’t settle down.

"Gu Yu," Song Mo hesitated before lowering his voice. "There’s something I need your help with."

Gu Yu immediately perked up. "Tianci-ge, what do you need me to do? Should I go to Cangzhou Prefecture?"

Song Mo chuckled before turning serious. "It’s a private matter, and I don’t trust anyone else..." He motioned for Gu Yu to lean closer. "Didn’t the Marquis of Anlu arrange a marriage for my father? See if you can frame someone connected to him for harboring thieves..."

"I know exactly what to do!" Gu Yu rubbed his hands excitedly. "I’ll make him suffer in silence—unable to voice his grievances."

"That’s the idea," Song Mo said with a smile, sighing in admiration. "Gu Yu has grown up—he knows some things can’t be handled by brute force anymore."

Gu Yu blushed at the praise.※※※※※

Over at the Marquis of Jining's Mansion, Dou Ming hurried back from Willow Leaf Alley in high spirits and went straight to Wei Tingyu's study.

The study was quiet, with only a page wiping down the tables.

Frowning, she asked, "Where is the Marquis?"

The page quickly replied respectfully, "The Marquis heard that the Duke of England's Mansion caught fire, and since both the Duke and his heir were away from the estate, the flames spread all the way to the inner courtyard. The Marquis was extremely worried and rushed over to the Duke of England's Mansion..."

Before he could finish, Dou Ming's face darkened like the bottom of a pot. She turned and left the study without another word.

Zhu'er, Dou Ming's newly promoted first-rank maid, hurriedly suggested, "Madam, the Duke of England's Mansion and the Marquis of Jining's Mansion are, after all, related by marriage. At a time like this, everyone would go to offer their sympathies. Why don’t you also visit your paternal aunt? You could even return with the Marquis!"

This Zhu'er had originally served under Dou Ming's maternal grandmother. The name "Zhu'er" reminded her of "Pearl," and she particularly liked it. Finding Zhu'er clever and quick-witted, Dou Ming had specifically requested her transfer.

At these words, Dou Ming's expression darkened further. "I won’t go! If he wants to go, he can go by himself. Don’t expect me to fawn over Dou Zhao!" Her voice trembled with suppressed tears.

Zhu'er sighed inwardly but dared not say more, quietly assisting Dou Ming with her toilette.

Dou Ming waited and waited, and by the time dinner was nearly ready, Wei Tingyu finally returned.

Her heart sour with resentment, she couldn’t help but speak sharply, "Why are you only coming back now?"

Wei Tingyu was taken aback. "You know about the fire at Fourth Miss’s place?"

"Fourth Miss, Fourth Miss"—now that they were married, etiquette dictated that he should address Dou Zhao as "sister-in-law." Even if he felt awkward due to past events, he could at least call her "Madam." Yet here he was, still referring to her as "Fourth Miss," as if he were still unmarried!

Dou Ming's heart grew even more bitter.

"Can’t you change how you address her?" she snapped, eyes widening. "People might think my sister is still unmarried!" As she spoke, the memory of Wei Tingyu glancing back toward Dou Zhao’s residence that day suddenly flashed in her mind. A storm of emotions surged within her, and she couldn’t hold back. "Do you still think of her as unmarried in your heart? Is that why you rushed over the moment you heard Yantang wasn’t home? Well? Did you get to talk to her? Did she cry to you about how scared she was—"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Even Wei Tingyu, usually mild-tempered, lost his patience at such baseless accusations. "Do you even hear yourself? I didn’t see your sister at all—I only went as a relative to offer my concern. How could you think like this? You weren’t like this before. What’s happened to you?"

He was deeply disappointed, yet his mind involuntarily drifted to the image of Dou Zhao—radiant and spirited.

Earlier at the Duke of England's Mansion, Wei Tingyu had caught a glimpse of Dou Zhao seeing off guests. Her tall figure, bright smile, and poised demeanor had made him pause, an inexplicable heaviness settling in his chest. Though he had waited nearly an hour, and the adviser Liao had assured him that Song Yantang would return soon, he found himself unable to stay any longer.Returning home in a daze, instead of gentle words or cheerful laughter, he was met with Dou Ming's incomprehensible accusations, making Dou Zhao's cheerful demeanor all the more precious.

Thinking of this, he found it utterly meaningless and turned to leave.

Dou Ming panicked.

She rushed forward and blocked Wei Tingyu's path: "You can't leave! If you walk out now, I—I... I'll never speak to you again!"