Blossom

Dai Jian and Wang Yuan were close friends, while Mu Chuan was the Empress's man. Between these two, who could it be?

Song Mo pondered for a moment and said, "I'll go ask Wang Ge directly and clear the Kuang Family first."

It was merely a matter of twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver a year—Wang Ge would surely give him that much face.

But Dou Zhao thought differently.

In her past life, after Liao Wang ascended the throne, Dai Jian had briefly served as the Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet. Unlike the peaceful prosperity during the Emperor's reign, the court under Liao Wang was fraught with complexity. Though capable, Dai Jian was eventually forced to retire and later implicated in a military payroll embezzlement case, leading to his family's confiscation and exile. He died on the way.

Both men were intricately connected to Liao Wang.

She cautioned Song Mo, "Eunuchs are notoriously vindictive. Be careful not to offend Eunuch Wang over this matter."

"I know," Song Mo replied with a smile, kissing her cheek. "Hurry and get dressed. We’ll go pay New Year’s respects to the Old Madam and Ningde Princess."

Today was the second day of the lunar year—the day to visit maternal relatives. Since Song Mo’s uncles were not in the Capital, they would visit the Lu Family, his maternal grandfather’s household.

Dou Zhao giggled and donned a festive bright-red lantern-patterned wide-sleeved jacket, adorned with intricate pearl and filigree hairpins. Her pregnancy had only enhanced her already flawless complexion, now glowing with a rosy radiance, making her appear dazzlingly beautiful and full of vitality.

Ningde Princess was delighted at the sight of her and, taking her hand, cheerfully remarked to the room full of relatives who had come to pay their respects, "No wonder even the Empress Dowager praised this child for her beauty!"

The room erupted in laughter.

Ningde Princess’s granddaughter, Third Madam Feng of the Jingguo Duke’s Mansion, chimed in playfully, "Grandmother is always so delighted to see my cousin’s wife—it makes the rest of us seem like mere pebbles in comparison!"

The Lu Family’s Third Young Madam, wary of her aunt’s sharp tongue, quickly intervened, "The Empress Dowager has gifted two crates of Fujian tribute oranges. Come help me peel some for the elders."

Ningde Princess preferred neat and efficient people, and even her attendants were never allowed to dawdle. Tasks like peeling oranges were usually reserved for those she trusted.

Third Madam Zhang, familiar with her grandmother’s temperament, rose to follow Third Young Madam Lu to the tea room, feigning grievance, "Always putting me to work! Don’t forget, I’m a married aunt now—is this how aunts are treated when they return home?"

Second Young Madam Lu retorted, "Today is your brother and sister-in-law’s day. You insisted on tagging along—what can we do?"

This drew another round of laughter.

Seizing the moment, several younger members of the Lu Family stepped forward to offer New Year’s greetings to Ningde Princess and Old Madam Lu, eagerly collecting their red envelopes.

Meanwhile, Third Madam Zhang’s sister-in-law, Madam Feng Shao, whispered to Dou Zhao, "I heard your sister had a miscarriage because the Dowager of the Marquis of Jining’s Mansion imposed strict household rules on her. Is it true?"

This was the first Dou Zhao had heard of Dou Ming’s miscarriage.

She was stunned.

Fortunately, having lived two lifetimes, she had seen much. Her surprise flickered across her face only briefly before she regained her composure.

"I’ve been resting at home to protect the pregnancy," Dou Zhao replied with a smile. "No one has told me much about outside matters, so I don’t know whether it’s true or not."The Eleventh Madam of the Feng family was displeased. She felt Dou Zhao's words were too high-sounding and didn’t treat her as one of their own.

So she turned to the Second Madam Lu sitting beside her and began gossiping about the royal family: "...Princess Yuanfu has already married. I wonder who Princess Jingyi and Princess Jingtai will marry into? Princess Jingyi, after all, was raised by Her Majesty the Empress, but Princess Jingtai is merely the daughter of a Consort Shu who failed to bear a prince. How does she have the audacity to be so picky and refuse to marry?"

Second Madam Lu laughed and said, "The emperor's daughters never worry about marriage. How would I know?"

But Dou Zhao knew.

Although Consort Shu hadn’t borne a prince, she was exceptionally skilled in social maneuvering and diplomacy.

The title "Shu" (Virtuous) had once been Empress Wan’s honorific, yet it was bestowed upon her. Moreover, after Liao Wang ascended the throne, she was the only consort allowed to reside in the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility alongside Empress Wan.

She sat there with a faint smile, listening to the chatter in the room, but her thoughts were preoccupied with Dou Ming.

Logically, even if her relationship with Dou Ming was strained, someone should have informed her about Dou Ming’s miscarriage. Yet neither Jing'an Temple Alley nor Huai Tree Alley had sent word. Could it be true, as Eleventh Madam Feng had suggested, that everyone feared the news would upset her during her pregnancy and thus kept it from her?

When she returned home, she asked Song Mo.

Song Mo had clearly known all along.

He said, "Sixth Madam and Aunt both instructed me not to tell you. Besides, the Marquis of Jining’s Mansion didn’t mention it when they sent New Year’s gifts, so I didn’t bring it up."

In truth, he also didn’t want Dou Zhao to pay too much attention to matters concerning the Marquis of Jining’s Mansion.

Dou Zhao asked him, "So it’s true that Dou Ming miscarried because her mother-in-law forced her to follow strict household rules?"

Song Mo nodded. "That’s what Sixth Madam and Aunt both said."

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but sigh.

In her past life, when she married into the Wei family, her first child had also been lost to a miscarriage.

But in her case, it had been her own fault.

To put it bluntly, Tian Shi was a woman without principles or intelligence. The only person who could manipulate Tian Shi into tormenting Dou Ming like this was Wei Tingzhen—there was no one else.

From Dou Zhao’s perspective, Tian Shi was actually easy to get along with. If you flattered her a little and lowered your stance, she would dote on you and treat you as someone she needed to protect. In her past life, Dou Zhao had won Tian Shi’s favor and then used her to keep Wei Tingzhen in check.

Dou Ming had been married for less than half a year and was already at odds with both her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. There were surely more "good" days awaiting her.

Was this the "benefit" she reaped from scheming her way into this marriage?

Dou Zhao smirked mockingly.

Since Sixth Aunt and Aunt didn’t want her to worry about Dou Ming’s affairs, she pretended not to know. The next day, she changed into a sapphire-blue brocade back coat with intricate patterns and a sapphire-blue pleated skirt embroidered with pink lotus motifs. She adorned herself with filigree hairpines and jewelry, looking radiant as Song Mo accompanied her back to her parental home.

Dou Shiying was overjoyed to see his daughter and didn’t mention Dou Ming at all. Instead, he said, "Your Eleventh Brother has taken his wife back to her family to pay New Year’s respects to the elders. Your Sixth Uncle and Sixth Aunt will bring your Twelfth Brother over for dinner later."

Dou Zhao was naturally delighted. Gaosheng’s wife escorted her to the inner courtyard to pay New Year’s respects to Aunt and her cousin, while Song Mo went with Dou Shiying to the study.

A maid served tea.Gazing at the tea with its bright hue and rich aroma, Song Mo couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The teacup held premium Tieguanyin tea.

Yet Dou Shiying remained completely oblivious, enthusiastically urging Song Mo: "I specially had someone fetch this from Anxi, Fujian. Try it and see how it tastes. If you like it, I'll pack some for you to take home later."

Faced with his father-in-law's expectant expression awaiting praise, what could Song Mo do but respond with flattered gratitude?

Dou Shiying smiled contentedly and began discussing Song Mo's official duties: "The Golden Guard is the Emperor's personal army, accountable only to His Majesty. The Five Cities Garrison is different—they interact more with commoners. Their main responsibilities involve upholding justice and addressing grievances. You must carefully balance the differences between these two roles—neither losing the Emperor's favor nor alienating the people..."

Song Mo listened attentively, appearing even more reverent than before the Emperor himself, though inwardly he thought: I'm not aiming to be emperor—why would I need the people's favor? Just doing an adequate job is enough. Overcorrecting might even cost me the Emperor's trust.

Unaware of Song Mo's inner musings, Dou Shiying was pleased by his respectful demeanor, which reminded him of his other son-in-law, Wei Tingyu.

When his daughter had conflicts with her mother-in-law, as a son-in-law, Wei Tingyu must have found it troublesome. While favoring one's mother might be understandable, Wei Tingyu had placed all blame on Dou Ming—even confiscating her dowry and forcing her to learn etiquette from Tian Shi, disregarding that Dou Ming carried the Wei family's heir. There wasn't a trace of marital affection... The thought made Dou Shiying uncomfortable.

A frown unconsciously crept onto Dou Shiying's brow.

Song Mo was startled, continuing conversation while reviewing his own words and actions.

Had he said something inappropriate?

After much reflection, Song Mo couldn't pinpoint why Dou Shiying had frowned.

Dou Shiying, however, had already dismissed the matter—his usual approach to troublesome thoughts.

He asked Song Mo: "I heard Shou Gu is managing the Household Affairs at the Duke of England's Mansion. Is she managing alright? Should I purchase more maids to assist her?"

"No need!" Song Mo wasn't one for excessive sentimentality either. If he didn't know something now, he could investigate later. Setting aside his earlier unease, he replied, "Shou Gu says household matters follow established routines—she just follows them and finds it quite easy. If we become overwhelmed, we'll certainly ask for your help."

These words warmed Dou Shiying like a cup of hot tea.

After some thought, Dou Shiying retrieved a palm-sized box from a hidden compartment beneath his desk and handed it to Song Mo. "See if you like this?"

Song Mo opened it to find a blackened, grimy object resembling an old tree root.

His expression shifted slightly. "Could this be the legendary meteorite inkstone?"

"Exactly!" Delighted that Song Mo recognized its value, Dou Shiying said proudly, "This is the famed 'Celestial Wanderer' meteorite inkstone. It's yours now. Use it yourself or save it for my future grandson—it's quite a rarity."

Rarity was an understatement—it was priceless.

An ordinary family would treasure such an inkstone as a family heirloom.Song Mo thought that his father-in-law was a scholar, and just like a fine sword to a renowned scholar or rouge to a hero, in his father-in-law's eyes, this inkstone held greater value. He initially wanted to refuse, but the corner of his eye caught Dou Shiying's expression, filled with hidden anticipation, and his heart trembled involuntarily.

Was his father-in-law lonely?

For so many years, he had lived within the boundaries he had drawn for himself—others couldn’t enter, and he was unwilling to step out. Over time, people no longer knew how to approach him, and he no longer knew how to emerge.

Thinking of his father-in-law’s unreserved kindness toward him, Song Mo felt his eyes grow moist.

"Father-in-law!" Song Mo grinned cheekily. "Since you’ve kept so many fine inkstones, surely you’ve also kept some good inksticks, right? What’s the use of an inkstone without ink? Why not give me a few fine inksticks as well? When your grandson takes the imperial exams someday, how can he write well without good ink?"

Dou Shiying burst into laughter, his mood thoroughly delighted.

He beckoned to Song Mo. "Come with me—I do have a couple of fine inksticks stored away, collected by Shou Gu’s ancestors. I’ll give them to you as well!"

Song Mo followed him eagerly to the storeroom.

The family of Sixth Uncle Dou Shiheng had arrived.