Blossom

Ji Yong gazed at the bustling crowd outside the Shuntian Prefecture Government Office, his anger flaring up once more.

Was it really going to end like this?

What was Song Mo thinking?

Would he just let these people get away with it?

After some thought, he headed to the Duke of England's Mansion.

When Song Mo heard that Ji Yong had come, he dismissed him with a simple, "Tell him I'm not home."

Ji Yong thought to himself, Perfect, you’re not home. He then requested to see Dou Zhao and told the page, "Tell her I’m here regarding the fire at the Duke of England's Mansion."

Proud people disdained lying.

Dou Zhao received Ji Yong in the Reception Hall.

Ji Yong recounted his visit to the Shuntian Prefecture to Dou Zhao and said, "If those thieves realize the government office is just looking for a scapegoat, they’ll become even more brazen in the future. They might even target the Duke of England's Mansion again, especially since rumors about your dowry of a hundred thousand silver notes have spread—and grown more exaggerated by the day. Not only do you need to catch those thieves, but you also need to divert attention. You can’t let others keep fixating on your dowry. There will always be those desperate enough to risk their lives. After all, thieves strike when least expected—how can you stay on guard forever?"

Dou Zhao was grateful for Ji Yong’s concern and cautiously shared Song Mo’s plan: "The heir shares your view. He intends to use private connections to capture the thieves. Even if we can’t get them all, we’ll make sure to catch most of them, so the underworld knows the Duke of England's Mansion isn’t to be trifled with."

Hearing this, Ji Yong felt somewhat reassured, thinking Song Mo hadn’t completely lost his senses.

He urged Dou Zhao, "If there’s any news, send me word. With my uncle’s visiting card, I can at least have some influence in Shuntian Prefecture."

The Shuntian Prefecture Prefect was a civil official. The Ji family had been officials for generations, and Ji Yong himself was a Successful Candidate in the Highest Imperial Examinations. It was only natural that the Prefect, Huang Qi, would give Ji Yong some face. His words were sincere.

Dou Zhao, however, suspected that Shuntian Prefecture only wanted to sweep the matter under the rug. She resolved not to involve Ji Yong but didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm. So she thanked him profusely.

Ji Yong frowned. "We’re cousins and practically grew up together. Speak plainly—this excessive politeness is too distant. You were straightforward before marriage. Why have you turned into such a conventional woman after? Has Song Yantang been controlling you? You might as well have stayed in Zhen Ding. No one would dare dictate to you there."

Song Mo hadn’t expected Ji Yong to seek out Dou Zhao after being turned away. He had always granted Dou Zhao the same rights and respect as himself, so the pages naturally didn’t stop Ji Yong. But recalling the Ji family’s past designs on Dou Zhao and Ji Yong’s audacity, Song Mo grew restless.

After much deliberation, he decided to "return home" at an opportune moment.

What he never expected was to overhear such words at the Reception Hall’s entrance.

Song Mo’s face darkened, and it took him a while to compose himself. He circled the hall once more, ensuring his expression had returned to normal before entering with a smile.

"Magistrate Ji," he said, clasping his hands in greeting. "Thank you for coming all this way regarding the fire at the Duke of England's Mansion. Much obliged!" He then took a seat beside Dou Zhao.Ji Yong raised an eyebrow and said, "Shou Gu is my cousin. She was robbed by bandits and suffered a fright. Since her in-laws couldn't protect her, it's only right for someone from her maiden family to come and inquire." Then he turned to Dou Zhao. "Let's settle it this way. You should rest well. I'll come see you again in a few days."

"Cousin Ji, take care on your way back!" Whenever Ji Yong and Song Mo met, though Ji Yong usually initiated the provocation and Song Mo mostly remained silent, their encounters inevitably sparked tension. Dou Zhao disliked such scenes. She personally escorted Ji Yong to the Hanging Flower Gate before returning to find Song Mo sitting there deep in thought. She couldn't help but smile wryly and explained, "Cousin Ji went to Shuntian Prefecture regarding the fire at the Duke of England's Mansion. But Prefect Huang had no intention of arresting the actual thieves—he planned to collude with the Five Cities Garrison to pin the blame on scapegoats..."

Song Mo patted Dou Zhao's hand with a smile. "I know Lord Ji is stern-faced but warm-hearted, proud and aloof. Since I was indeed at fault in this matter, his pointed remarks are understandable. Don't worry about us quarreling—I'm not taking his words to heart. I was actually thinking about what you mentioned earlier regarding Risheng Silver House's attempts to win over Guo Yan..." He then told Dou Zhao about Empress Wan entrusting him to visit Liao Wang in Liaodong. "...At first I thought it a trivial matter, and a chance to visit Fifth Uncle while I was at it. But now it seems this requires careful consideration!"

What did Dou Zhao fear most?

That Song Mo would be used as Liao Wang's pawn as in her past life, ending up reviled through the ages with an untimely death.

Hearing this, her hair stood on end. Compared to this, the friction between Ji Yong and Song Mo seemed like harmless child's play.

"Must you go?" Dou Zhao asked Song Mo. "As the Emperor's personal guard, shouldn't you be restricted from leaving the capital at will?" But Empress Wan's methods were endless—this much Dou Zhao knew better than anyone, having lived two lives. Moreover, in her previous life she'd been at the lowest rung of noble circles, where people spoke freely without regard for her presence, so she knew more then than now. "If Her Majesty the Empress insists you go and you can't refuse, could you at least request an imperial edict from His Majesty?" At least there'd be an explanation to give the Crown Prince.

Song Mo nodded with a smile. "I'll also inform the Crown Prince—after all, he and Liao Wang are brothers. Since I'm visiting Liao Wang, it's only natural to ask if the Crown Prince has any messages or items to deliver."

Even better.

Dou Zhao relaxed slightly.

Song Mo hesitated. "Have you ever met Liao Wang?"

In my past life, yes.

Dou Zhao thought to herself but said aloud, "No, never."

Song Mo looked puzzled. "Then why are you so wary of him? Have you heard something? Or did elders in your family mention anything?"

"Not at all," Dou Zhao replied quickly, her mind racing. "Didn't you say the Emperor's health is failing, sometimes even failing to recognize people? I just thought—if His Majesty's days are numbered, and with the Duke of England's Mansion being foremost among the nobility, as long as we remain impartial, even if we don't win favor with the new emperor, at least we won't be implicated in palace intrigues... No matter who becomes emperor, they wouldn't target the Duke of England's Mansion if we remain loyal ministers, would they?"In the previous life, even a ruler as formidable as Liao Wang, upon ascending the throne, ultimately only made an example of a few noble families who had spoken disrespectfully to him—a case of killing the chicken to scare the monkey.

Song Mo nodded thoughtfully. "I think we should pay our respects to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess in a few days," he said. "Originally, I planned to go after you returned from your post-wedding visit to your parents, but now it seems that might be too late."

It would be best to visit the Crown Prince and his consort before Song Mo departed for Liaodong.

Dou Zhao inquired about the preferences of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

The couple sat on the heated brick bed in the inner chamber, discussing the gifts they would bring when visiting the royal couple.

※※※※※

Meanwhile, Dou Ming was both anxious and furious, tears streaming down her face like broken strings of pearls.

"How heartless he is!" she complained to Zhu'er. "If I don't deliver the appointment letter, he won't come to take it. Does he really not care about this position as Eastern District Vice Commander of the Five Cities Garrison? Does he even know how much effort I put into securing this post for him... He doesn’t appreciate it at all!"

Zhu'er could only console her: "Husband and wife are one. Why must Madam stand on ceremony with the Marquis? The Marquis is a man, and yesterday you criticized him in front of the Dowager. His pride was wounded, which is why he’s giving you the cold shoulder. The old lady often says that gentleness overcomes strength. Why not personally deliver the appointment letter and give the Marquis a way to save face?"

The "old lady" Zhu'er referred to was Wang Yingxue’s mother, Madam Xu Wang.

Dou Ming hesitated. "Wouldn’t that mean I’m admitting defeat? How could I face him afterward?"

But if she didn’t deliver the appointment letter and Wei Tingyu stubbornly refused to take up the post, what then?

Should she let him idle around at home with nothing but his title of Marquis? How would that be any different from the layabouts of the Capital? What was the point of being a Marquis without power? How could she face others outside?

Dou Ming agonized over the decision. By mid-afternoon, as the hour for leaving the yamen approached, Wei Tingyu still hadn’t come to her. Her unease grew. Then a maid announced that the fourth young master of the Yan'an Marquis’s family, Wang Qinghai, had arrived, and the Marquis planned to dine out with him. Panicked, Dou Ming finally went to Wei Tingyu’s study, though she knew in her heart that she had lost this battle—it would be difficult to regain the upper hand later.

Wei Tingyu, however, wasn’t being deliberately difficult as Dou Ming assumed. He simply didn’t want to accept the position if Dou Ming was using it to manipulate him, so he had invited Wang Qinghai out for drinks instead.

Thus, when Dou Ming personally delivered the appointment letter, he was genuinely pleased.

At least she recognized her mistake and had come to apologize.

Wang Qinghai, seeing this, loudly congratulated him and teased, "No wonder you invited me for drinks—you had good news! But you’re really something, only telling me now." Noticing the late hour, he urged Wei Tingyu to report to the Five Cities Garrison promptly, adding, "Do you want me to come with you? My father-in-law was just appointed Metropolitan Commander of the Five Cities Garrison, and I’ve met the Eastern District Commander, Hao Dayong, a few times—we’re practically acquaintances."

Wei Tingyu was overjoyed and surprised. "Your father-in-law is now at the Five Cities Garrison?"

He had been worried that reporting late might displease the Metropolitan Commander."So you still don't know?" Wang Qinghai said in surprise, then proceeded to tell Wei Tingyu about the recent events.

A thought flashed through Wei Tingyu's mind.

If Dou Ming hadn't been so meddlesome, he might have been able to secure the position of Eastern District Vice Commander through Wang Qinghai...

Without even saying a word of thanks to Dou Ming, he immediately dragged Wang Qinghai to the Five Cities Garrison office.

Dou Ming watched Wei Tingyu's eager retreating figure, feeling a sense of loss.

However, when Wei Tingyu arrived at the Five Cities Garrison office, he did not find the Duke of Dongping, who also served as the Metropolitan Commander of the Five Cities Garrison. A clerk informed him, "His Lordship has gone to the Duke of England's Mansion. If you have any business, please come back tomorrow!"

Wei Tingyu hurriedly presented his appointment letter.

The clerk took one look and smiled. "Ah, so it's the Marquis of Jining! We hadn't received any notice—His Lordship must not have known you'd be coming to our Five Cities Garrison. Let me send someone to inform him right away. Would Your Lordship care to wait here with some tea?"

Just as Wei Tingyu was about to agree, Wang Qinghai tugged at his sleeve and said with a smile, "We appreciate your trouble, sir. However, it's nearly time to close for the day, and His Lordship likely won't return to the office. We'll come back first thing tomorrow morning! Please do inform him on our behalf." As he spoke, he discreetly slipped two red envelopes to the clerk.

The clerk chuckled in agreement and personally escorted Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai out of the office.