Blossom

Even if the Dou family's daughter was at fault,

Fifth Madam shot a glance at Cai Shi.

Understanding the hint, Cai Shi sneered, "What a peculiar thing for the eldest granddaughter of the Marquis of Jining's Mansion to say! Even a vicious tiger wouldn’t harm its own cub! Our Fifth Granddaughter clearly knew she was with child, yet she deliberately caused a miscarriage! That was her firstborn! The Wei Family’s eldest grandson! Even if she cared nothing for her husband’s lineage, she should have at least considered her own health! You’re a woman too—surely you know that a miscarriage is as taxing as childbirth, and a single misstep could cost her life. Our Fifth Granddaughter has been married for less than four or five months—how could she already be so reckless with her life? I doubt it was our Fifth Granddaughter’s foolishness that failed to preserve the Wei family’s heir. More likely, your family’s rules are too harsh, tormenting the daughter-in-law to the point of sacrificing your own grandson!"

Just what they feared had come to pass!

Tian Shi turned deathly pale, at a loss for words.

Wei Tingzhen, however, glared at Cai Shi with raised brows. "Speak with proof—don’t spout nonsense and fling baseless accusations. My brother is well into his twenties—at his age, most men already have sons running around. My mother and brother have been longing for a child like stars yearning for the moon. Dou Ming isn’t some illegitimate child—why on earth would my mother and brother reject their own flesh and blood?"

But Cai Shi seized on her words and cried out, "Some people may lack tact, but none as much as you! What do you mean by ‘illegitimate child’? Don’t forget—this marriage was one your family willingly accepted. When our Fifth Granddaughter married into your family, it wasn’t as if her mother-in-law was dead or absent. Could a mother-in-law truly be unaware of whether her daughter-in-law was pregnant? Now that the child is lost, you pin the blame on our granddaughter. Why not admit that her mother-in-law treated her as less than human, failing to notice her pregnancy as a newlywed? Let me tell you—there’s no such logic under heaven! If you don’t clarify this today, I’ll take you to Shuntian Prefecture to settle it. If Shuntian Prefecture can’t resolve it, we’ll go to the Court of Judicial Review. I refuse to believe there’s no place in this world where justice can be sought!"

Her words were a direct insult to Tian Shi.

Tian Shi, who had never suffered such humiliation in her life, flushed crimson, wishing she could vanish into the ground.

Fifth Madam pretended not to hear, leisurely sipping her tea.

Wei Tingzhen was not one to suffer losses quietly.

Taking this to Shuntian Prefecture would expose the matter, leaving everyone’s reputations in tatters.

She refused to believe the Dou family could afford such disgrace!

"Fine, let’s go to Shuntian Prefecture then," she retorted, convinced the Dou family was bluffing, her tone brimming with arrogance. "We’ll have the Shuntian Prefecture Prefect judge this fairly. It was agreed your family’s fourth granddaughter would marry into our family, yet at the last moment, it was switched to the fifth granddaughter. Even the dowry specified in the marriage certificate was altered..." If they could reclaim the dowry rightfully owed to the Wei family, all the better. At the very least, even if they couldn’t recover it, she’d make sure that little wretch Dou Ming knew her place and behaved properly in the Wei household from then on!Cai Shi let out a scornful laugh and said, "If you want to come and sponge off us, just say so outright. There’s no need to act like a whore and then set up a chastity arch. Bringing up our paternal aunt’s dowry—what about it? Look across the entire Capital, how many households can compare? As for your Wei Family’s betrothal gifts—a set of Red Gold jewelry, probably some ancient heirloom melted down, too stingy to even remove the impurities, blackened and tarnished—how dare you present such things, as if we wouldn’t notice. And the so-called West Lake Longjing tea? Nothing but twigs. We wouldn’t even give such things to servants, let alone relatives and friends. We had to prepare separate tea gifts for all the aunts and uncles. And those wedding cakes—so thin they might as well be pancakes. In all my years, I’ve never seen anything like it… Our Dou family didn’t say a word, yet here you are, whining and complaining. Want to go to Shuntian Prefecture? Fine! I’ll order the Pages to ready the carriage right now and accompany you there. Our Dou family may not have much, but we have no shortage of Successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations. Coincidentally, the prefect of Shuntian, Lord Huang, is also a Successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations and has some ties to our family. Seeking his judgment wouldn’t be any disgrace." With that, she loudly called for the carriage, her demeanor making it clear she was ready to confront Wei Tingzhen head-on.

Wei Tingzhen immediately felt a pang of panic.

Especially when she remembered that Dou Shishu was a current Grand Secretary, and the three masters of the Dou family in the Capital were all Successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations.

Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

A mother knows her daughter best.

Tian Shi took one look and knew her daughter was putting on a bold front but was inwardly weak. Anxious, she turned to Fifth Madam, only to see her lowering her eyes and blowing at the floating tea leaves in her cup. Seizing the moment, Tian Shi cried out, "Stop arguing!" Then, with a dramatic "Aiyo!", she clutched her chest and collapsed backward.

"Mother! Mother!" Wei Tingzhen trembled like a sieve, supporting Tian Shi while shouting, "Why aren’t you helping to fetch a physician?"

Only then did Fifth Madam exchange a glance with Cai Shi and instruct the maids to summon a physician. With deliberate indifference, she added, "In the dead of winter, with only this brazier for warmth, it’s too cold here. Let’s move her to the heated room next door to rest."

Wei Tingzhen had no choice but to nod.

Fifth Madam called for attendants to carry Tian Shi to the adjacent heated room.

A young maid entered cheerfully and announced, "Fifth Madam, someone from Jing'an Temple Alley has come to deliver news—they say Fourth Paternal Aunt has been diagnosed with a pregnancy pulse."

"Aiyo, what wonderful news!" Fifth Madam couldn’t help but beam with joy. "Who brought the message? Bring her in at once."

She needed to get to the bottom of this.

The young maid hurried off, brimming with excitement.

Wei Tingzhen’s face turned ashen.

Fifth Madam pretended not to notice and said with a smile, "Dear Madam, don’t worry. The physician will be here shortly. I have matters to attend to upfront, but I’ll return soon." Then she instructed Cai Shi, "Stay here and take good care of Madam Tian for our dear Madam." Without waiting for Wei Tingzhen’s response, she strode out of the heated room.

Cai Shi’s eyes gleamed with calculation.

The Wei Family had just lost a grandson, while Dou Zhao was now pregnant… Such stark contrast couldn’t possibly go unnoticed by the Wei Family.She instructed her personal maidservant, "I can't leave right now. Go and listen to what the people from Jing'an Temple Alley have to say." Then when the maidservant came back to report, it would be the perfect opportunity to let the Wei mother and daughter hear it, just to disgust them both.

The maidservant smiled in agreement and returned after about half an incense stick's worth of time, saying with a laugh, "The messenger was Gaosheng's wife. She said that although there are no elders in the inner courtyard of The Duke of England's Mansion, the Young Lord is very meticulous. He waited until the pregnancy was stable before sending word to Jing'an Temple Alley. When Seventh Master heard the news, he was overjoyed. He rummaged through his belongings and found a large pile of inkstones, brushes, and ink, saying they were for his grandson. He sorted them carefully—some for early education, some for advanced studies, and some for examinations. By the looks of it, he’s determined to raise a Presented Scholar."

Cai Shi laughed particularly loudly and said, "Then I must prepare properly and think about what to give as a congratulatory gift."

After pretending to ponder for a while, she added, "I think I’ll go search through my dowry storage. I remember there’s a landscape painting by Qiu Ying from the previous dynasty in my dowry. Since Seventh Uncle is giving writing materials as gifts, it would be vulgar of us to offer gold and jewelry!"

Muttering to herself, she left the heated room with her personal maidservant.

Wei Tingzhen was so furious her teeth were grinding audibly.

Dou Zhao had only just become pregnant, and the entire Dou family was already at her beck and call. If she gave birth to a son, wouldn’t they empty the Dou family’s coffers for him?

That fool Dou Ming, with her narrow-mindedness—all she had to do was follow the rules, but to spite her mother, she lost the child in her womb. If that child had been born, at least half of those writing materials would have belonged to it. And if it had grown up clever and well-behaved, perhaps the other half of the Dou family’s wealth would have gone to it as well.

As the saying goes, fathers dote on their youngest sons, and grandfathers dote on their eldest grandsons. Even if Dou Ming had another son later, Dou Zhao’s child would have had the advantage, and the best things would likely have gone to Dou Zhao’s family first.

It was as if she could see mountains of gold and silver slipping through her fingers.

"Utterly stupid!" Wei Tingzhen grew angrier the more she thought about it, feeling her own family had suffered a great loss. She couldn’t help but curse Dou Ming under her breath, "The mother is no good, and the daughter is just as disgraceful."

Meanwhile, the unconscious Tian Shi suddenly opened her eyes and whispered, "Tingzhen!"

Wei Tingzhen brightened, forgetting her anger at Dou Ming, and hurriedly asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I’m fine," Tian Shi replied softly, noticing only two young maids standing behind the screen. "When the doctor arrives, I’ll continue pretending to be ill. Have them carry me home—then the Dou family won’t be able to trouble us, and this matter can be put to rest."

Wei Tingzhen stubbornly insisted, "Mother, the Dou family wouldn’t dare take us to court..."

Tian Shi waved her hand weakly, looking exhausted. "I’m not afraid of a lawsuit with the Dou family. I’m afraid your mother-in-law will accuse you of stirring up trouble again. Let’s just drop this matter!"

"Mother!" Wei Tingzhen couldn’t bear the thought of Dou Ming causing the Wei family to trade pearls for fish eyes—she wanted to tear her apart. "How can we just let this go...?"

"Listen to me," Tian Shi interrupted. "This matter was my fault to begin with. It’s best if we can move past it. But that girl Dou Ming is too cunning—she must be disciplined. I won’t let her off so easily again."Wei Tingzhen pondered briefly and quickly came up with an idea: "That works too! She’s so arrogant simply because she relies on her substantial dowry. If you take control of her dowry and meticulously save all the income from her properties in her name, while having the Dou family bear witness, it will force her to behave as a proper daughter-in-law of the Wei Family. At the same time, you won’t be accused of seizing your daughter-in-law’s dowry."

After all, once Dou Ming passes away, the dowry will belong to the Wei Family. Keeping it aside for now wouldn’t hurt.

Tian Shi thought for a moment and said, "You make a good point. After we return, let’s invite the in-laws to discuss this matter. If the Dou family fears I might withhold her dowry, then let the in-laws manage it on her behalf. I trust the in-laws aren’t deceitful or greedy—they’ll return Dou Ming’s dowry to us when the time comes."

That’s hard to say!

Wei Tingzhen disagreed inwardly but didn’t want to worry her mother. "Let’s wait until after the New Year," she said.

By then, the uproar over Dou Ming’s miscarriage would have died down—just the right time to deal with her.

Tian Shi nodded in agreement.