Blossom

Chen Jia's words sounded absurd, but upon closer consideration,

However, whether his claims were true or false could easily be verified with a little investigation!

After pondering for a moment, Song Mo asked, "What do you want in return?"

Chen Jia was overjoyed.

Song Mo evidently believed his account.

He hurriedly replied with deference, "Young Lord, I only seek to clear up the misunderstanding with Lord Wang and continue earning my keep in the Imperial Bodyguard!"

As long as Song Mo was willing to intervene on his behalf, his deliverance was within reach. Moreover, if his superior's superior's superior—Metropolitan Commander Shi Chuan of the Imperial Bodyguard—learned that he could move Song Mo to act, he would undoubtedly regard Chen Jia in a new light. By then, staying under the radar would be impossible!

Why, then, should he make excessive demands of Song Mo and risk his displeasure?

With this thought, he bowed even lower.

The other party had provided him with such crucial information—this request was hardly unreasonable.

Song Mo gave a faint nod and picked up his tea.

Chen Jia rose to take his leave.

Yet, out of the corner of his eye, he couldn’t help but glance at the screen.

As he stepped out the door, he deliberately slowed his pace, straining his ears to listen.

Sure enough, he caught Song Mo murmuring a few words.

The voice was as warm as a spring breeze, laced with an indescribable tenderness—utterly devoid of the earlier coldness.

Chen Jia was stunned.

He longed to hear what Song Mo was saying, but the steady, martial gait of the page leading the way immediately dissuaded him.

Who could be behind that screen?

Song Yantang’s demeanor toward this person was markedly different.

A beloved?

He shook his head.

Given Song Yantang’s temperament, even the most cherished woman would never be allowed to eavesdrop from behind a screen.

A member of the Jiang Family?

But the Emperor had exiled all male members of the Jiang Family over the age of five to Liaodong, leaving only women and children behind...

Unlikely.

The Jiang Family was now in Haozhou. Even if they had produced a second Madam Mei, it would be impossible for them to reach the Capital so swiftly after his sudden defection to Song Mo.

This person wielded such influence over Song Mo... Chen Jia resolved to investigate the figure behind the screen thoroughly.

If Song Mo was difficult to win over, surely those close to him wouldn’t be as unapproachable?

In the eyes of the Young Lord of the Duke of Yingguo, he was merely a minor figure.

Song Mo could have refused to see him outright. By appearing at the Daxing farmstead, he could have been seized on the spot, interrogated under torture to extract every scrap of information, then beheaded and sent to the Imperial Bodyguard under charges of "conspiracy"—serving as a warning to others and possibly even eliminating a few of his trusted allies in one stroke. That was why he had come alone this time...

Yet not only had Song Mo received him, but he was also willing to negotiate terms!

Could it be because of that person’s presence?

Chen Jia had an inkling.

Perhaps his future wealth and status hinged on this very individual.

Once Chen Jia had left, Song Mo took Dou Zhao’s hand and drew her to sit beside him, asking gently, "Did you feel stifled?"

The space between the screen and the wall was barely two feet—cramped and narrow.

"I’m fine!" Dou Zhao replied. "It’s kept clean—someone cleans it regularly."

Song Mo sighed deeply. "So this is how my uncle died?" His mood was somber, his tone thick with doubt."It should be," Dou Zhao replied, her heart aching with a mix of regret, melancholy, and sorrow. "What are your plans?"

She believed Chen Jia wasn’t lying.

Not only because Song Mo could quickly verify the details Chen Jia had mentioned, but also because in her past life, Ding Wei had been beheaded before the palace coup, his head hung on the city walls of Chang’an. It became a sensational case that shocked the Emperor, who issued an imperial decree ordering the Shaanxi Governor to apprehend the culprit within a set time. However, the chaos that later engulfed the Capital left the matter unresolved. As for Zhong Qiao and Chen Zuxun, whom Chen Jia had mentioned, she hadn’t heard of their fates—likely because they lacked Ding Wei’s notoriety.

Song Mo hesitated. "You believe Chen Jia’s words?"

"He’s a clever man. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to get your attention," Dou Zhao explained. "I don’t think he’d deceive you about this. Like him, I’m also puzzled—how did Wang Yuan and Ding Wei end up working together?"

"This needs thorough investigation!" Song Mo said. "Wang Yuan isn’t someone who obeys just anyone! Besides, it’s been three or four years since my uncle’s incident, yet he’s still relentlessly pursuing those who escorted my uncle back then."

Dou Zhao hesitated. "Could it be another prince?"

Song Mo knew she was hinting at Liao Wang. "Impossible! Forget princes—even Empress Wan might not be able to command him."

As they spoke, their expressions suddenly shifted in unison, and they both murmured, "The Emperor..." Hearing the same question from each other, they locked eyes—only to see shock reflected back.

"How could that be?" Song Mo finally whispered after a long pause. "If it were the Emperor, he could’ve simply issued an imperial decree... Why go to such lengths?" Then a bold hypothesis struck him. "Unless the Emperor never intended to punish my uncle?" But he immediately dismissed it. "Yet it was indeed the Emperor who stripped Duke Ding of his title and exiled my fifth uncle and others to Liaodong!"

"Could there have been some misunderstanding?" Dou Zhao’s mind raced. "After Duke Ding’s passing, the Emperor treated you so well..."

In her past life, the Emperor had never spared Song Mo a second glance.

While this could partly be attributed to Song Mo’s efforts to gain the Emperor’s favor, if the Emperor still harbored resentment toward Duke Ding, no amount of effort from Song Mo would have earned his regard!

She asked, "Should we invite Master Yan and the others to discuss this?"

Dou Zhao’s words reminded Song Mo of many things.

His thoughts were in turmoil. He nodded distractedly and instructed Chen He to summon Yan Chaoqing.

Dou Zhao carefully relayed Chen Jia’s words to Yan Chaoqing.

Yan Chaoqing was astonished.

He, too, believed Chen Jia wasn’t lying.

But everyone had their own perspective.

After a long silence, he suddenly gasped, his face paling as he glanced at Dou Zhao before solemnly saying, "Young Lord, if the Emperor believed Duke Ding was insubordinate and overshadowing the throne, what do you think he would do?"

Song Mo froze briefly but quickly grasped the implication.

His expression grew dazed.

Yet after that moment of disorientation, he tightly grasped Dou Zhao’s hand.

Unlike its usual warmth and dryness, his hand was now icy cold, his palm slick with sweat.Dou Zhao couldn't help but gently stroke the back of his hand with her thumb, trying to soothe his emotions.

Instead of calming down, Song Mo became even more agitated. He called out "Shou Gu" with burning eyes fixed on her: "Do you know that if it weren't for you, my maternal uncle's family might have been exterminated?!"

Dou Zhao was startled.

How did Song Mo know...

Before she could finish the thought, Song Mo's relieved voice reached her ears: "If we had followed the original plan discussed by Mother and Master Yan—mobilizing the Jiang and Song families' relatives and old connections to submit petitions pleading for my uncle's innocence—the Emperor, seeing the Jiang family's powerful influence, would have grown even more wary and taken drastic measures to uproot the Jiang family completely to eliminate future troubles. But because Mother heeded your advice and showed vulnerability, the Emperor felt some pity. That's why some descendants of the Jiang family were spared!" As he spoke, unable to contain his emotions, he disregarded Yan Chaoqing's presence and embraced Dou Zhao: "Shou Gu, you're truly our family's lucky star!" Then, realizing this wasn't quite accurate, he corrected himself, "No, you're my lucky star!"

Dou Zhao's face flushed crimson. She quickly whispered, "Let me go!"

Song Mo paid no heed and instead held her even tighter, as if she were a piece of driftwood or a precious treasure he couldn't bear others to even glance at.

Dou Zhao was utterly embarrassed and smiled apologetically at Yan Chaoqing.

But she found Yan Chaoqing looking at them with deep satisfaction, his eyes filled with warmth.

※※※※※

After a while of unrestrained emotion, Song Mo finally calmed down and turned to serious matters with Yan Chaoqing: "...Regarding Chen Jia's words, I'll trouble you to verify them. As for Wang Yuan, I'll go see him myself."

Yan Chaoqing respectfully assented.

Unable to suppress his hopefulness, Song Mo asked, "Do you think it's possible that while the Emperor intended to punish my uncle, he didn't actually want his life?"

Yan Chaoqing was surprised by this. After pondering for a long moment, he had to admit Song Mo's speculation wasn't baseless.

"Then we must find out why the Emperor is dissatisfied with Duke Ding," he said uncertainly. "Though I'm not sure if now is the right time to investigate this?"

"Let's first verify what Chen Jia said before deciding our next steps," Song Mo concluded. With their plans settled, Yan Chaoqing took his leave.

Song Mo and Dou Zhao spent the night at the farmstead and returned to the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion the next day.

Unexpectedly, Young Madam Wang, Third Madam Zhang, and Cai Shi had all sent visiting cards the previous afternoon.

Gan Lu, who had stayed behind, said with a smile, "Everyone was asking after you, Madam, wondering if you were unwell."

They probably wanted to know why she hadn't attended Dou Ming's banquet.

Dou Zhao smiled faintly.

A young maid entered and announced, "The tenth aunt from Huai Tree Lane has arrived."

She came quite quickly!

"Please receive her in the Reception Hall," Dou Zhao said before changing her clothes.

When Cai Shi saw Dou Zhao, she nearly threw herself onto her: "Why didn't you go to the Marquis of Jining's Mansion, Fourth Paternal Aunt? We were so worried." She hinted meaningfully about the situation, "Without you, it wasn't lively at all. Not only did Sixth Aunt and Eleventh Aunt not go, but Mother and I also returned to Huai Tree Lane early..."

As she spoke, Young Madam Wang and Third Madam Zhang arrived together.

Young Madam Wang quickly explained to Dou Zhao, "We happened to meet at the gate."Dou Zhao smiled and said, "Third Madam and the Young Lord are cousins, so they're practically family. Let's all sit down and have some tea together!"

Perhaps because there were outsiders present, Cai Shi restrained herself considerably.

Third Madam Zhang was clearly more skilled than Cai Shi, merely inquiring about Dou Zhao's health with concern. As for Young Madam Wang, she sat quietly to the side, sipping her tea.

Dou Zhao smiled faintly and decided to get straight to the point: "I'm in good health. Dou Ming and I have never gotten along since childhood. When I first hosted a banquet, I sent her an invitation. She neither came nor sent anyone to inform me—I suppose she didn't want to see me. Now that she's hosting her first banquet, she surely wants everything to be perfect. I won't go and spoil her mood."