Blossom

For the first time attending a study meeting with Song Mo, Dou Zhao had resolved to listen without speaking. Suddenly called upon by Song Mo, she wasn’t one to be stubborn. Since circumstances had changed, she saw no reason to hold back. After a moment of contemplation, she openly shared her thoughts.

"Whether Chen Jia is seeking advancement or acting under someone’s orders, the Young Lord is clearly tempted by his offer. In that case, why don’t we hear him out before deciding? If what he says is true, even if he’s acting under orders, we might not necessarily fall into his trap. If his words are pure fabrication, even if he’s seeking advancement, we might not necessarily help him.

"The key now is how we determine whether he’s telling the truth or not."

Song Mo, Yan Chaoqing, and the others nodded slightly.

Liao Bifeng couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

No wonder the Young Lord held Madam in such high regard. Not only was she quick-witted, but she was also adept at strategizing.

A sudden thought crossed his mind.

If anything were to happen to the Young Lord someday, under Madam’s leadership, they wouldn’t collapse like a toppled tree, instantly becoming prey to others.

At this moment, he finally felt a sense of belonging to the Hall of Cultivating Will.

And he was filled with hope for its future.

If Madam could soon bear a child, the Hall of Cultivating Will would have no internal strife, and they would have nothing left to fear.

Thinking this, he stood up and respectfully added a symbolic splash of water to Dou Zhao’s already full teacup.

Zhu Yicheng, however, didn’t share Liao Bifeng’s contemplations. Hearing Dou Zhao’s words, he was filled with confusion and wanted to question her, but restrained by the hierarchy, he couldn’t speak up. Anxiety flickered across his brow.

Song Mo, mistaking Zhu Yicheng’s expression for having his own opinion on the matter, smiled and asked, "Guard Zhu, what do you think of this?"

Zhu Yicheng wasn’t one for strategy. In past study meetings, he had only listened and never spoken. Now, with everyone’s eyes on him, his face flushed red, and his lips trembled before he finally managed, "I think Master Yan and Mr. Liao make good points, and Madam’s words are also reasonable. I just wanted to ask—if Chen Jia is acting under orders, and we investigate the Duke’s affairs, wouldn’t the people behind him seize this as leverage and report it to the Emperor? I can’t shake the feeling that someone who plans ahead to secure his own escape route is no simple figure. Moreover, he’s skilled in both martial and literary arts. Dealing with such a person requires caution."

Was he suggesting her proposal was too risky?

Dou Zhao thought so too.

In her past life, Song Mo had been unpredictable, and Chen Jia had become his trusted aide—proof that he was no ordinary man. Yet Song Mo’s behavior now made her feel that Chen Jia’s words had piqued his interest greatly. Otherwise, Song Mo could have simply sent a missive to the Imperial Bodyguard, demanding an explanation and sealing Chen Jia’s fate, without needing to summon Yan Chaoqing and the others for discussion.

She had always believed that guidance was better than blockage.Moreover, the death of Duke Ding was not only connected to the wrongful case of the Jiang Family but also related to the passing of Madam Jiang. The conflict between Song Yichun and Song Mo... Liao Wang had already begun to reveal his fangs. If Song Mo could settle the affairs of the Duke of England's Mansion before Liao Wang fully bared his teeth, there would be no further opportunity for others to exploit the deaths of Song Mo's loved ones. With Song Mo's calm rationality, they could safely navigate the palace coup four years later.

At this stage, if they made a misjudgment, there was still time to correct it.

But once Liao Wang showed his true colors and chaos erupted in the court, right and wrong would become indistinguishable. Even silence could invite false accusations, let alone trying to clear one's name.

"Young Lord is currently highly favored by the Emperor and has not yet come of age. Since the passing of your mother-in-law, Father-in-law has entrusted all household matters to his personal stewards and advisers. It’s only natural for the Young Lord to occasionally make missteps—this is the perfect opportunity to heed the Emperor’s guidance," Dou Zhao hinted. "Everything depends on how the world speaks of it, how they perceive it, and what they choose to believe!"

Song Mo smiled faintly.

Yan Chaoqing, however, grew excited and exclaimed to Song Mo, "Young Lord, Madam has an excellent idea—we should immediately let the Emperor hear about the discord between you and the Duke. The Emperor has always valued filial piety, and you are one of his most favored young nobles. If someone lodges an imperial complaint, you can use this to evoke the Emperor’s sympathy and have him 'discipline' you. For us, this would kill two birds with one stone—not only would it neutralize their attacks, but it could also strengthen your bond with the Emperor... We might even use the Emperor’s authority to sideline the Duke..."

Liao Bifeng couldn’t help but clap his hands. "I believe we should follow Madam’s plan!"

Zhu Yicheng muttered, "Is this really feasible?"

Song Mo chuckled. "It seems Madam has presented me with quite a challenge!" His gaze at Dou Zhao held unmistakable admiration and delight. "Very well, then. I’ll handle matters with the Emperor. As for Chen Jia, there’s a ninety percent chance he’ll reach out to us—leave that to Master Yan."

Everyone rose and bowed in respectful agreement.

※※※※※

Not far from the Duke of England's Mansion, in an alley of Shuntian Prefecture, stood the Gaosheng Inn.

Hua Tang, the Metropolitan Commander of Weizhou Guard, paced anxiously in the main chamber of the inn, his face grim.

His personal attendant stood silently in the corner, not daring to make a sound.

Soon, there came a few cautious knocks on the door.

The attendant exhaled in relief and hurried to open it.

A man in his thirties, dressed in a blue scholar’s robe, entered.

At the sight of him, Hua Tang eagerly stepped forward. "Well? What did the Wang Family say?"

The scholar lowered his voice. "I didn’t get to see the Marquis of Yan’an, but his heir sent a personal attendant to relay a message—he wishes to visit you at the inn later." He produced a name card from his sleeve. "This is from the Marquis’s heir." Then, hesitating slightly, he added in an even quieter tone, "The gifts we sent... the Wang Family refused them."

Hua Tang’s brow furrowed deeply.The lawsuit involving his eldest son was quite baffling. Over this matter, he had already sought help from no fewer than seven or eight people, including Marquis Changxing and Marquis Anlu, spending over ten thousand taels of silver. Yet, the opposing party countered every move without the slightest hesitation, making him realize this lawsuit was far from simple. He vaguely heard that the old woman had been instigated by someone. Unfortunately, he had little influence in the Capital, and Marquis Anlu was already overwhelmed by the involvement of his loyal servant in the Duke of England's Mansion fire incident. With matters in disarray, he wrote to the Duke of Yingguo but had yet to receive a reply. How could he trouble Marquis Anlu with his own lawsuit at such a time?

After much deliberation, he thought of the Yan'an Marquisate, with whom his family had nearly formed a marriage alliance, and the Yan'an Marquisate's Young Lord, who had friends all over the Capital. He hastily sent his adviser with generous gifts to their door, hoping the Wang family could help uncover who was targeting him.

"What does the Wang family mean by this?" he couldn't help but mutter. "The Marquis of Yan'an avoids meeting us, the Wang family returns our gifts, yet the Young Lord of Yan'an Marquisate wants to visit me at the inn..."

Hua Tang's adviser, the scholarly man in blue robes, pondered and said, "Do you think the Young Lord of Yan'an is avoiding someone?"

Hua Tang's heart jolted, his expression turning grave. "That is indeed possible..." He quickly instructed his personal attendant, "Keep your eyes sharp—don't let anyone notice our movements!"

The attendant bowed nervously in acknowledgment.

A page hurried in and whispered, "The Young Lord of Yan'an has arrived."

So soon?

Hua Tang exchanged a glance with his adviser before urgently instructing the page, "Quickly invite the Young Lord in."

The page scurried off.

After a moment's thought, Hua Tang went to the entrance to greet him.

Wang Qinghuai walked in wearing an ordinary blue cotton robe from Songjiang, accompanied by only one attendant.

Hua Tang was stunned.

Wang Qinghuai had indeed come to avoid suspicion.

Who could make the Young Lord of Yan'an Marquisate so cautious?

At the same time, this confirmed that his son's lawsuit held hidden complexities...

Hua Tang promptly invited Wang Qinghuai into the inner chamber.

Wang Qinghuai made no pretense of politeness. After seating himself as the guest of honor and Hua Tang as the host, and once the pages had served tea and snacks before withdrawing, he wasted no time on pleasantries and cut straight to the point:

"...My mother couldn't bear to see my younger sister marry far away, which is why our families didn’t form a marriage alliance. As for your family’s lawsuit, few in the Capital know the inside story. Only our family, by chance, has glimpsed some clues. Seeing you, Uncle, running around without success, I’ve been thinking of finding an opportunity to inform you. Unexpectedly, you sent someone to our door. Given the ties between our families, we absolutely cannot accept these gifts—please take them back. As for your son’s lawsuit, I’ll share a few points for your consideration."

Hua Tang couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

No wonder everyone praised the Young Lord of Yan'an for his tact.

He was using this opportunity to settle all accounts with the Hua family!

But when under someone else’s roof, one must bow.

Suppressing his resentment, he kept his voice free of any bitterness.

"Nephew, you speak too modestly! This only shows our families were fated to meet but not to unite." Hua Tang cupped his hands toward Wang Qinghuai. "Your assistance, Young Lord, will not be forgotten. If the opportunity arises, I will repay you generously!" His tone was utterly sincere.

Wang Qinghuai remained indifferent.

If he didn’t step in to mediate, Hua Tang would likely keep flailing about.Now, by explaining the reason to Hua Tang, he could both help Rong Mo and repay the Hua family's favor—killing two birds with one stone. Why not do it?

"You're too kind, Uncle," Wang Qinghuai modestly declined a few times before lowering his voice to ask, "I heard Uncle is planning to arrange a marriage with the Duke of England's Mansion?"

Hua Tang immediately smiled with some pride: "You've heard about it too, Nephew?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly sensed the abruptness of Wang Qinghuai's question. His smile stiffened, and he asked suspiciously, "Is there something wrong with this matter?"

"Not just something wrong!" Wang Qinghuai looked utterly dismayed. "Young Master Hua's legal troubles stem precisely from this!"

Hua Tang's expression changed drastically.

Wang Qinghuai whispered, "Song Yantang, the heir of the Duke of England, wants his wife to manage the Household Affairs of the Duke of England's Mansion and has no intention of letting the Duke remarry for now... Yet Uncle barged in at this very moment..." He shook his head. "Otherwise, with so many noble ladies in the Capital, why hasn't anyone married into the Duke of England's Mansion?"

Hua Tang was dumbfounded, finding it hard to believe.

Wang Qinghuai felt he had delivered his message. If Hua Tang remained oblivious to the danger, there was nothing more he could do. So he stood up to take his leave, giving Hua Tang space to think.