Blossom

Song Mo and his wife sat down on the heated brick bed by the window.

Dou Zhao called out for Gan Lu to serve tea. The maids filed in one after another, and only then did Su Xin enter with a flushed face.

"Madam," she said, "I've already instructed Steward Wang as you asked. He immediately sent someone to the Imperial Hospital and said we should receive a reply soon."

Song Mo, puzzled, asked, "Who isn't feeling well?"

"No one," Dou Zhao replied with a smile. "Don't worry about it."

Seeing that Dou Zhao was perfectly fine, Song Mo assumed it might be one of the household maids or old women who was unwell and that Dou Zhao was simply showing kindness. So he dismissed the matter from his mind.

Dou Zhao then asked him, "How did Marquis Changxing concede so easily?"

Song Mo chuckled. "I asked Eunuch Wang to put in a word with the Ministry of Revenue to delay the military pay for the Datong Garrison Command."

Dou Zhao widened her eyes. "Is that alright? What if the Emperor finds out…?"

Song Mo waved it off. "Which garrison command hasn't had its pay delayed at some point? Why should Datong be any different? It's not like we're withholding it—just paying them a little later than the others! Even official documents follow an order of precedence. Even if he complains to the Emperor, he won’t have a leg to stand on! Do you think Marquis Changxing would come to the Capital every month just to wine and dine petty officials from the Ministry of Revenue over such a trivial matter?"

This was a classic case of the King of Hell being easier to deal with than his minions!

Dou Zhao wiped her sweat. "Why would Eunuch Wang help you by speaking up?"

"Can advantages be taken so easily?" Song Mo joked. "You can't always gain without giving a little in return!"

Fine. She shouldn’t have asked.

Still, to have Wang Yuan intervene and make Marquis Changxing back down—Song Mo was truly formidable!

As for the Wang Family, there was no need to even mention them.

When someone passed the word along, they were initially skeptical. But when Marquis Changxing ordered lavish gifts prepared and sent his personal attendants to escort them back to the Capital, the Wang Family broke out in a cold sweat. With a tearful face, they sought confirmation from the Marquis and tactfully declined the Song Family’s marriage proposal, citing "incompatible birth characters."

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but scoff. "'Incompatible birth characters'—what a convenient excuse that never goes out of style!"

Song Mo, however, was more concerned about Song Yichun’s attitude toward Dou Zhao.

He sincerely apologized to her.

Dou Zhao smiled faintly and blinked at him. "Don’t worry, I won’t stoop to the Duke’s level—after suffering such a great injustice, the old man needs an outlet for his frustration!"

Song Mo laughed.

Dou Zhao then asked, "What were you doing earlier? There’s nothing urgent at home—you can go attend to your business. No need to worry about me."

"I was supposed to have drinks with Ma Youming. When I heard something had happened at home, I made an excuse to reschedule," Song Mo said with a pained expression. "How can I go back to him now?" Then he gazed intently at Dou Zhao. "Shou Gu, why don’t you cook something delicious for me today?"

This guy—always ordering her around!

It had been a while since Dou Zhao last cooked, and the idea piqued her interest. She instructed Gan Lu to notify the kitchen old women.

Song Mo hovered nearby, acting clingy. "Let me go with you! I’ve never seen how cooking is done before!"

Dou Zhao didn’t know what to say.

She took Song Mo to the kitchen.

The kitchen old women lined up in the small courtyard outside, trembling as they stoked the fire and handed over ingredients.Song Mo sat on the spring stool by the kitchen chopping board, watching her.

Wherever she went, his gaze followed.

After a while, Dou Zhao couldn't take it anymore. Her hand trembled, nearly spilling an entire spoonful of salt into the dish.

She had to shoo Song Mo away: "Go wait outside. It's smoky and greasy in here—you'll reek of oil and salt."

Song Mo gave an "Oh" and moved to sit by the kitchen door, just three steps from the chopping board.

Dou Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She finally managed to prepare a few signature dishes and had the old women carry them to the resting chamber in the main house.

Just then, a page came to report that someone from the palace had arrived, summoning Song Mo for an audience early the next morning.

Song Yichun had returned the previous day and left at dawn to kowtow in gratitude at the palace, submitting his official report.

When he returned, he was beaming. Dou Zhao had been worried he might have said something about Song Mo to the Emperor. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Should we try to sound out the palace messenger?"

"Probably nothing to worry about," Song Mo said with a smile. "If there were trouble, Eunuch Wang would have warned me in advance."

Eunuch Wang referred to Wang Ge.

Song Mo went to meet the palace envoy, exchanged pleasantries, and rewarded them with two thick red envelopes. The next morning, he and Song Yichun entered the palace one after the other.

Before Song Mo even left the palace, a messenger came running with news: "Congratulations, Madam! The Young Lord has been promoted to Vice Commander of the Golden Guard and will oversee the Five Cities Garrison!"

Dou Zhao was stunned.

Song Mo was only sixteen this year.

"Is this true?" She leaned forward. "Who told you this?"

The messenger's joy was unmistakable as he vividly recounted, "It was a young eunuch from Eunuch Wang's retinue at the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The Emperor has already issued the decree—you'll see it when the Young Lord returns."

This imperial favor had come far too suddenly!

But the page knew nothing more.

Dou Zhao had no choice but to wait patiently for Song Mo's return.

Dou Shishu, however, had witnessed everything.

At the end of his shift, he declined social engagements and returned to Locust Tree Alley.

Fifth Madam personally helped him change his clothes.

He asked her, "How many days until Shou Gu's month-after-wedding visit to her parents?"

Fifth Madam smiled. "Four more days."

After a thoughtful pause, he said, "When the time comes, dress up nicely with our daughters-in-law and go to Jing'an Temple Alley to show our support for Shou Gu."

Fifth Madam was surprised.

Dou Shishu never involved himself in household affairs.

"What happened?" she asked uneasily.

"After morning court today, the Emperor kept the Duke of Yingguo and our fourth son-in-law for a talk in the Palace of Heavenly Purity," Dou Shishu explained. "Several times, His Majesty praised our son-in-law for being steady yet adaptable. Then he suddenly asked when the young couple would make their month-after visit. Immediately after, he promoted our son-in-law to Vice Commander of the Golden Guard with oversight of the Five Cities Garrison, saying to him, 'This way, you'll have more face when visiting your in-laws.'"

Fifth Madam was astonished. "The Emperor really said that?"

This wasn't how one treated a subject—it was more like how one treated a nephew!“He really said that.” Dou Shishu’s expression was grave. “The Duke of Yingguo was present at the time and humbly tried to decline, but the Emperor reprimanded him. He said, ‘When children grow up, they should be tempered more, otherwise how can they be entrusted with great responsibilities in the future?’ He also said, ‘Precisely because Yantang is still young, I want him to serve under my watchful eye. If he makes mistakes, they can be corrected promptly. If he were sent to Xuantong or Liangguang, it would be beyond my reach. Those officials are adept at deceiving superiors and concealing the truth from inferiors. We wouldn’t know anything, and if Yantang developed an arrogant and domineering temperament, that would truly harm him.’”

Fifth Madam gasped and hesitated before saying, “What does the Emperor mean by this? Is he warning the Duke of Yingguo? Yet he promoted Fourth Son-in-law’s rank…”

Dou Shishu, unaware of Vice General Wang’s situation, told Fifth Madam about the Song family’s intention to form a marriage alliance with the Hua family: “…Most likely, it’s about the Duke of Yingguo remarrying.”

Fifth Madam was stunned. “Could it be that the Emperor is preventing the Duke of Yingguo from remarrying? That’s too unreasonable!”

“You’re usually so sharp—how could you be so confused about this matter!” Dou Shishu said. “How could the Emperor interfere with whether the Duke remarries or not? The Emperor is hinting to the Duke that he favors Fourth Son-in-law as the heir to the Duke of England’s Mansion and wants the Duke to act with more consideration!”

Fifth Madam pondered for a long while before understanding the intricacies. She couldn’t help but click her tongue. “Fourth Son-in-law is truly formidable! He can manipulate the Emperor like this!”

“Nonsense!” Dou Shishu scolded urgently. “How can such words be spoken aloud?”

The implication was that everyone should keep such thoughts to themselves.

Fifth Madam immediately became fully alert. “I think there’s no need to wait four days. I’ll go to Jing’an Temple Alley tomorrow. Even if there’s nothing to help with, it’s good to visit.”

Dou Shishu pondered for a moment before adding, “There’s one more thing—discuss it with Fourth Paternal Aunt. The Wang family has taken Wang Shi back to her maiden home for an extended stay. But Jing’an Temple Alley can’t always have a steward’s wife managing the household. Why not select a girl from your maternal family with a clean background to be Seventh Brother’s concubine? Firstly, she can help manage the household affairs at Jing’an Temple Alley. Secondly, she can take care of Seventh Brother’s daily needs. If the girl is fortunate, she might even bear a child or two for the seventh branch, continuing their lineage.”

Fifth Madam understood immediately and said, “Don’t worry, Master. I will make sure Fourth Paternal Aunt hears your words no matter what.”

As for whether Dou Zhao agreed or not, that was her business. But now, regarding Wang Shi, they had to take a clear stance.

Dou Shishu nodded in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, when Dou Zhao heard that Song Mo had returned, she couldn’t help but rush to the gate of the Hall of Cultivating Will to greet him.

“Is it true you’ve been promoted to Assistant Prefect of the Golden Guard?” she asked eagerly.

The Assistant Prefect of the Golden Guard was the second-highest rank in the Golden Guard, just below the Metropolitan Commander. Moreover, because it specifically managed the Golden Guard’s military provisions, merit commendations, and verification of hereditary positions, no one dared to take it lightly.

Song Mo smiled and nodded.

Dou Zhao clasped her hands together and murmured, “Amitabha.”

In other words, Song Mo’s strategy had succeeded.

The Emperor had heard about the discord between Song Yichun and Song Mo.

In this world, perhaps only Shou Gu was this clever.

To perceive the subtle and foresee the obvious.

With just the slightest hint, she could discern what was happening.Song Mo nodded again with a smile, his mood exceptionally cheerful as he joked, "Shouldn't Madam reward me? After all, I've been promoted and advanced in rank!"

This relaxed, even slightly mischievous side of the Young Lord was something the servants of the Hall of Cultivating Will had never witnessed before.

Everyone was stunned.

Yan Chaoqing quickly cleared his throat and ushered them inside with a smile, "...This isn't the best place for conversation. Moreover, now that the Young Lord has been promoted, the household should offer their congratulations. Please, Young Lord, take a seat in the hall so we may properly celebrate your achievement."

Thinking of his father's constipated expression earlier in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Song Mo couldn't help but exhale deeply, feeling as though the sky above had cleared considerably.

From now on, his father's underhanded tactics could no longer harm him in the slightest!

"Very well!" he said with a laugh, heading toward the hall and instructing Dou Zhao, "Reward everyone with two silver ingots shaped as yuanbao!"

The Duke of England's Mansion minted various silver ingots—yuanbao were eight qian each, plum blossoms five qian, interlocking squares four qian, followed by silver beans and gold beans at two qian each. Two silver yuanbao amounted to one tael of silver.

Everyone's spirits lifted at this.

Dou Zhao also beamed with joy, responding cheerfully, "As you wish."