Blossom

Song Mo pulled out the letter and skimmed through it. Seeing that it was filled with reproaches, with only a brief inquiry about the current situation at the end, he suddenly recalled how Dou Zhao had seized the tallies amidst the chaos. A thought struck him, and he wrote a reply to Song Yichun, admitting that he had been too narrow-minded, focusing solely on the Hall of Cultivating Will while forgetting it was part of The Duke of England's Mansion. After reflecting on his father’s admonitions, he resolved to shoulder the responsibilities of the Duke’s heir in his father’s absence. He detailed how he had tasked Tao Qizhong to complete the repairs of the burned buildings within fifteen days, temporarily allocated fifty thousand taels as a reward for capturing the thieves who had broken into the mansion, and secured the Emperor’s support—even obtaining three positions in the Imperial Guards. He instructed Song Yichun’s messenger, “Deliver this at top speed, day and night, straight to the Duke.”

This was truly adding fuel to the fire!

Even a seasoned adviser like Yan Chaoqing couldn’t help but wipe sweat from his brow, let alone the others. Only Gu Yu, who loved stirring the pot, grinned and asked Song Mo, “Brother Tianci, aren’t most of those people after the three Imperial Guard positions? If those slots were gone, they wouldn’t be so eager. Are we really letting those thieves off the hook?”

“Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Garrison must report to the Emperor in two months,” Song Mo replied coolly. “If we keep offering hefty rewards, wouldn’t that put Lord Huang and the Duke of Dongping in a tough spot?”

“Ah, right!” Gu Yu scratched his head. “If Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Garrison claim all the thieves have been caught, yet we keep offering rewards, it’d be like accusing the Duke of Dongping and Lord Huang of falsifying merits. The Emperor would have their heads.” His eyes widened. “Brother Tianci, what about the reward money? We can’t just hand it over to Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Garrison, letting Huang Qi and Zhou Shaochuan take the credit, can we?”

“If they dare claim the reward, I’ll dare keep offering it,” Song Mo declared arrogantly. “I’ve given them an out. If they refuse to take it and try to push their luck, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” He added, “This way, both the underworld and officials will understand the situation. We’ll stage a show—have someone deliver a thief’s corpse, pay the reward, and let others continue the hunt. Anyone who dares target The Duke of England's Mansion should prepare for a lifetime of pursuit.” He ordered Xia Lian, “Spread this message.”

Xia Lian bowed in acknowledgment.

Meanwhile, Huang Qi and the Duke of Dongping breathed sighs of relief upon hearing the news.

“Yantang may be reckless, but he still has some sense!” the Duke of Dongping remarked to Huang Qi. “Let The Duke of England's Mansion handle the rewards. Didn’t the Emperor also grant the Duke’s heir three squad leader positions?”

His implication was clear: since the Emperor endorsed Song Mo’s actions, there was no need to oppose them.

Huang Qi smiled bitterly. What else could he do at this point?

“Then let’s deploy more patrols around The Duke of England's Mansion,” Huang Qi said. “If disputes arise over the rewards, we can at least lend a hand.”Song Mo was indifferent to the matter and instructed Liao Bifeng, "Provide the constables guarding the Duke of England's Mansion with a midday meal each day."

Liao Bifeng respectfully acknowledged the order.

Cheers erupted from the officers of Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Garrison.

Reports of thieves came in frequently.

Song Mo delegated the task to Yan Chaoqing and Xia Lian, while he spent his days practicing calligraphy at home.

Dou Zhao asked him, "Is it alright for you not to go to the palace?"

Song Mo smiled. "Aren’t I assisting Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Garrison in tracking down the thieves?"

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but laugh.

Song Mo took her hand. "Have you finished your tasks?"

Dou Zhao had officially taken charge of the household affairs at the Duke of England's Mansion.

"It’s just trivial matters like firewood, rice, oil, and salt," Dou Zhao said with a smile. "Quite simple, really."

Song Mo smiled faintly.

Given Dou Zhao’s intelligence, such tasks might indeed be effortless for her.

He said, "It’s chrysanthemum season again. If you have time this afternoon, I’ll accompany you to the flower market in Fengtai. Perhaps we’ll find some chrysanthemums you like. We can buy them, and next year your garden will have a few more varieties."

Rare chrysanthemum varieties weren’t so easily found. But Song Mo was enthusiastic. Not wanting to dampen his spirits, Dou Zhao thought of it as an outing to relax with him and agreed with a smile. The two set off lightly dressed for the flower market in Fengtai.

The flower farmers, accustomed to dealing with wealthy families, didn’t recognize Song Mo and Dou Zhao. But seeing one wearing calfskin court boots and the other adorned with southern pearl earrings the size of lotus seeds, they sensed their extraordinary bearing and knew they were no ordinary visitors. They responded cautiously, bringing out their finest chrysanthemums.

To Dou Zhao, however, they seemed quite ordinary—nothing compared to the plants she had left in Zhen Ding. She browsed casually and bought a few pots just for fun.

Knowing these didn’t meet her expectations, Song Mo called a flower farmer aside and asked, "Can flowers be transplanted and survive at this time of year?"

"That depends on the type of flower," replied the farmer, a man in his forties with an honest and simple appearance. "If it’s Yu Zan flowers or snapdragons, it’s no problem—they’re sown in autumn and bloom in spring. But morning glories or marigolds won’t do; they’re sown in spring and bloom in summer..."

"Oh!" Song Mo hadn’t realized there was so much to know about planting flowers. Finding the man straightforward and reliable, he entrusted him with finding some rare and exotic plants. "My wife enjoys tending to flowers. You can deliver them to the Duke of England's Mansion when you find them."

The farmer was both astonished and delighted, trembling as he repeatedly agreed.

Song Mo and Dou Zhao returned to the Duke of England's Mansion.

A messenger from Song Yichun was waiting for Song Mo.

Hearing of his return, the messenger immediately sought an audience at the Hall of Cultivating Will.Song Mo pulled out the letter and skimmed through it. Seeing it was filled with reproachful words, with only a brief inquiry about the current situation at the end, he suddenly recalled how Dou Zhao had seized the tallies amidst the chaos. A thought struck him, and he wrote back to Song Yichun, admitting that he had been too narrow-minded, focusing solely on the Hall of Cultivating Will while forgetting it was part of The Duke of England's Mansion. Now, having reflected on his father’s teachings, he had resolved to shoulder the responsibilities befitting the heir of the Duke’s household. In his father’s absence, he would act on behalf of the Duke of Yingguo. He detailed how he had tasked Tao Qizhong to complete the repairs of the burned-down buildings within fifteen days, temporarily allocated fifty thousand taels of silver as a reward for capturing the thieves who had broken into the mansion, and secured the Emperor’s support, obtaining three positions for close imperial guards. He relayed all this to Song Yichun and instructed the messenger, “Deliver this at top speed, day and night, straight to His Lordship.”

The messenger dared not delay and set off immediately with the letter.

Still seething with resentment, Song Mo said to Dou Zhao, “He won’t rest until he’s driven me to my grave!”

Dou Zhao gently stroked his arm and said softly, “But does he even have the capability? You’ve already died once—must you die again to prove your ‘filial piety’? And what about Mother? She poured so much effort into raising you. Will you disregard that?”

Song Mo chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m neither blindly loyal nor foolishly filial. As you said, I’ve already died once. He won’t get away with holding a knife to my neck while I stay silent.” Then, pulling Dou Zhao closer, he added, “Let’s go to Fengtai tomorrow to buy flowers again. Even if we don’t find anything rare, it’ll be nice to get some fresh air.”

Dou Zhao smiled faintly.

Was he just trying to avoid staying home and dwelling on these trivial troubles?

The next day, after lunch, she accompanied Song Mo to Fengtai.

Meanwhile, someone had tipped off The Duke of England's Mansion about the thieves’ whereabouts. The Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Garrison worked together and swiftly apprehended the culprit. Under interrogation, the man confessed to being one of the thieves who had broken into the mansion—and shockingly, the informant turned out to be his own elder brother!

The officials from Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Garrison were stunned.

Even more unexpected was the thief’s reasoning: upon learning of the Duke’s hefty reward, he realized that even if he escaped this time, he would spend the rest of his life evading both the underworld and government forces, forced into hiding under an assumed name.

Rather than live in constant fear, he decided to let his brother claim the reward—at least his sibling could then support their parents in his stead.

He urged his brother to behead him and turn in his head as proof.

Unable to bear it, his brother instead reported the case under his own name, then hid in a small alley in the northern part of the Capital, waiting for the authorities to arrest him.

When Yan Chaoliao heard of this, his eyes gleamed. He ordered Xia Lian, “Publicly deliver the thousand-tael reward—we care only about the result, not the process.”

Xia Lian obeyed and left.

Chaos erupted across both the lawful and unlawful factions of the Capital.

Meanwhile, the mastermind behind it all strolled leisurely through Fengtai’s flower market with his wife.

A man approached them and asked, “Excuse me, are you Lord Song Mo, heir of the Duke of Yingguo?”The form of address was somewhat unconventional, yet it revealed a deep understanding of Song Mo's background.

The visitor clearly knew Song Mo well.

But Song Mo did not recognize him.

Without any change in expression, Song Mo shielded Dou Zhao behind him and swiftly glanced at the man. He replied indifferently, "I am Song Yantang."

Dou Zhao studied the newcomer with curiosity.

He appeared to be just over twenty, with an ordinary appearance and plain clothing, but his eyes gleamed sharply, exuding a shrewdness and competence that belied his age and looks.

For a moment, she felt puzzled.

This person looked so familiar!

She felt as though she had seen him somewhere before.

And it seemed important too—it had left a deep impression on her mind.

Dou Zhao frowned.

Why couldn’t she remember?

Zhu Yicheng, who had been instructed not to approach them, slowly and discreetly moved closer.

The visitor bowed respectfully to Song Mo and said, "I am Chen Jia, styled Zan Zhi. I serve as a minor officer in the Imperial Bodyguard. Years ago, I was ordered to escort Duke Ding back to the capital from Fujian..."

Song Mo’s expression changed drastically.

Chen Zan Zhi, however, acted as if he hadn’t noticed. "I have always admired Duke Ding for his noble character and upright conduct. I’ve long wanted to uncover who ordered the Imperial Bodyguard to apprehend him, but unfortunately, my rank is too low, and I’ve made little progress." At this point, he showed a trace of sorrow. "Now that several years have passed, I fear the Young Lord may have forgotten the grievances of the past. I knew meeting you in this manner would likely earn your disdain, but after much deliberation, I came anyway. I only ask that you help me investigate Duke Ding’s death and clear his name..."

Alarm bells rang in Song Mo’s mind.

Duke Ding had passed away three or four years ago, and he had never dared to investigate his uncle’s death!

Both favor and punishment were the grace of the sovereign.

If the investigation ultimately revealed the Emperor’s involvement, could they possibly confront the Emperor?

Instead, it might alert the enemy, making the Emperor suspect him of harboring resentment. Not only could he lose imperial favor and face imprisonment, but he might also implicate the already beleaguered Jiang Family and his fifth uncle, exiled to Liaodong, who could withstand no further blows.

All he could do was wait.

Wait until everyone forgot the matter, wait until a new emperor ascended the throne, wait until he had enough power to force the new emperor to make a choice... But not now, when he was merely a novice in the officialdom, to stir up this sensitive miscarriage of justice. Especially when, after his uncle’s death, rampant pirate raids went unchecked with no one to stop them.