Blossom

Song Mo frowned upon hearing this and said, "The Duke of England's Mansion still belongs to Father for now. Recruiting people from the farmsteads to fill the Hall of Cultivating Will involves too many complications."

Even loyal servants are loyal to the Duke of England, not to any individual.

When Song Yichun was the Duke of England, they naturally remained loyal to him. But when Song Mo becomes the Duke of England, they will then be loyal to him. What Song Mo needs now are people who are absolutely loyal to him alone.

Dou Zhao understood Song Mo's concerns and smiled. "Everything has two sides. You only considered that the Duke is the master of the Duke of England's Mansion, and they would be loyal to him. But you didn’t think about the fact that you are the legitimate heir to the Duke of England's title. As long as you don’t do anything to harm the interests or reputation of the Duke of England's Mansion, those who are loyal to the mansion won’t act against you just because of the Duke’s personal grudges. If they can remain neutral, you can still use them. Moreover, letting these people see what the Duke has actually done might even work in your favor! It’s far better than using people from Duke of Dingguo's Mansion, which would make the retainers of the Duke of England's Mansion feel neglected by their future master."

Song Mo was struck by her words.

He recalled the doubts the old retainers of the Duke of England's Mansion had harbored toward his mother when she was alive.

Perhaps this was also one of the reasons why it had been so easy to frame him.

In the eyes of many in the Duke of England's Mansion, his mother and he were seen as being too close to Duke of Dingguo's Mansion.

That was why he had remained silent when his father purged those old retainers.

Something flickered through Song Mo’s mind, elusive and intangible.

He held his teacup, lost in thought.

Dou Zhao took out her needlework and began stitching.

Only when he set down his teacup did she speak again. "Yantang, if you agree, why not leave this matter to me?"

By stepping forward, she could convey the goodwill of the future Madam of the Duke of England's Mansion toward these long-serving retainers. It could also be interpreted as Song Mo subtly regretting his past actions, helping to soothe the fears of those unsettled by the earlier purges. It was a move that allowed flexibility—both offensive and defensive.

Song Mo immediately grasped Dou Zhao’s intention, but before he could object, she continued, "In a marriage, some women prefer to shelter under their husband’s protection, while others wish to stand by their husband’s side and face life’s challenges together. Most women prefer the former, but when their husband encounters difficulties, some choose the latter. I believe that as long as both partners are content, it doesn’t matter which path they take. Rigidly adhering to conventions only creates distance between husband and wife."

She blinked at Song Mo, her expression playful.

Song Mo burst out laughing. "Why not just say you want to help me? Back then, I was the one who lost to you!"

Dou Zhao grinned. "I was just worried about hurting your pride."

"Pride?" Song Mo pretended to look around. "What’s that? I’ve never seen it. All I know is that if I hadn’t shamelessly pursued you, you’d never have married me!"

Now it was Dou Zhao’s turn to laugh uncontrollably.

"Well, what do you want then?" she teased, slanting a glance at him.

Song Mo felt his blood heat up under her gaze but feigned deep thought. "There are too many things I want to do—it’s hard to choose just one. How about we note this down, and next time I think of something, you’ll owe me?""How can this kind of thing be put on credit?" Dou Zhao teased him playfully. "Opportunities like this don't come twice. Hurry up and think!"

Song Mo grinned cheekily and whispered a few words in her ear.

Dou Zhao flushed red and spat out, "Go dream on your own!" before turning to climb off the kang, loudly asking the maids if dinner was ready.

Song Mo laughed heartily, and the two went together to the Resting Chamber.

The next day, however, he assigned a page named Liu Zhang from Du Ming's subordinates to serve Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao temporarily assigned him to assist Chen Qushui.

With this addition, Chen Qushui worked like a tiger with wings, quickly uncovering every detail about the outer courtyard's stewards.

He came to see Dou Zhao with a grave expression, smiling bitterly. "Madam was right. Apart from the Manor Heads and chief stewards of the farmsteads outside the Capital, all the original stewards of The Duke of England's Mansion have been replaced—either by former apprentices of the previous stewards or their relatives. That Manager Li... they say he passed away from illness."

Dou Zhao's expression was equally somber as she sighed. "It's the same on my side. Most of the replaced steward mammies were either outstanding among those who previously served in the outer courtyard or newly brought into the mansion. None of the old-timers remain."

Chen Qushui asked, "Where should we start now?"

Both understood these people were likely no longer alive.

Dou Zhao handed him a list. "I copied these names from the household register of maids and wives who previously served in the inner quarters. See if you can find any clues among the maids who married out of the mansion—people naturally form friendships, and those who left wouldn't have severed all ties completely."

Chen Qushui acknowledged and left.

Dou Zhao stood restlessly under the veranda, watching maids and old women prune branches and turn soil, tidying the garden's trees and flowers.

As March arrived, the weather grew warmer, the breeze carrying a drowsy warmth that made one sleepy.

The laboring old women, having spent over half a year with Dou Zhao, found her kind and gentle-natured. They greeted her cheerfully and worked briskly. In contrast, Fufeng and several other young maids newly brought from the farmsteads—having just finished learning rules under Su Xin—were visibly nervous, stealing glances at Dou Zhao while fetching water and tending flowers.

Dou Zhao noticed one particularly quick-witted young maid. While others simply followed the old women's orders, this one would grab a broom to sweep up clipped branches when hearing "bring the scissors."

Pointing her out to Gan Lu beside her, Dou Zhao asked, "What's her name?"

Gan Lu had noticed too and smiled. "Fuye. Sent from the Tianjin farmstead. Her great-grandfather once served in The Duke of England's Mansion, and her grandfather was an outside chief steward. But with few descendants in the family, she's the only daughter in her generation. Her father's just a tenant farmer there, hoping she'd marry well, so he asked the Manor Head of Daxing farmstead to arrange her entry into the mansion."

Dou Zhao asked, "What was her original name?"

Gan Lu thought for a moment. "Something like 'Meiyi,' I think."

"Meiyi?" Dou Zhao mused. "'Not that you are beautiful, but you give beauty to the beloved.'"

Gan Lu looked puzzled.

Dou Zhao continued, "Was she her mother's only child, or did her siblings meet with misfortune?"Gan Lu blushed and said, "This... I really don't know."

Dou Zhao smiled. "Then go and find out."

Gan Lu left the veranda.

Dou Zhao entered the inner chamber.

Soon after, Gan Lu came in to report, "Madam, I've found out. It turns out she had an uncle, a blood brother, and a cousin. The uncle drowned in a pond after getting drunk, the brother passed away from illness at fifteen, and the cousin, who had asthma since birth, died at three."

Dou Zhao nodded and dismissed Gan Lu.

The next day, she had the maids whose names began with "Fu" along with Jin Gui and Yin Gui make decorative knots.

Fuye and another girl named Fufeng did the best, especially Fufeng. Not only could she make ordinary Plum Blossom Knots, but even the more complex Bat Knots and Butterfly Knots, all exquisitely crafted. This impressed Yin Gui, who was thirteen and had always prided herself on her needlework.

Dou Zhao smiled and asked Fufeng, "I see your hands are very skillful. Besides making knots, what other needlework can you do?"

Fufeng, flushed with excitement, replied, "I can also make button knots—many kinds, like Double Flying Butterfly and Begonia Flower. None of them are too difficult for me."

"Oh!" Dou Zhao looked at her with a smile. "Who taught you?"

"My grandmother," Fufeng said proudly. "She once worked in the mansion and knew everything, even how to deliver babies. In our family, my grandmother had the final say. It was her idea for me to enter the mansion, saying it was my good fortune to serve you, Madam. She told me to listen to you and work hard, and a good life would follow."

Dou Zhao nodded with a smile, her gaze sweeping over the young maids. She said slowly, "Your grandmother is right. If you work diligently, the household will not treat you poorly."

Jin Gui and Yin Gui giggled sheepishly, while Fuye, Fufeng, and another maid named Fuxue curtsied to Dou Zhao and respectfully replied, "We will not fail Madam's teachings." Seeing this, Jin Gui and Yin Gui hastily stood up and echoed the same words in a fluster.

Dou Zhao smiled and said, "Good." After sitting for a while, she left the Resting Chamber for the study.

She had Gan Lu summon Chen Qushui and handed him a slip of paper with the names Fufeng, Fuye, and Fuxue written on it. "Help me investigate the backgrounds of these three families thoroughly."

Chen Qushui folded the paper into a small square and tucked it into his sleeve, his expression eager. "Madam, I've discovered that Manager Li has a younger brother who was born with a leg disability and couldn't walk. He begged the old Duke for mercy, was released from service, and learned tailoring. He opened a tailor shop in Wanping County. Before Madam Jiang passed away, the Duke of England's Mansion often gave him small jobs. But after her death, the shop never received any more work from the mansion."

Dou Zhao was very surprised.

She had thought that after becoming the Duchess of Yingguo, Madam Jiang would use people from the Jiang Family... but it seemed she also employed people from the Song Family.

Dou Zhao asked softly, "Have you spoken to that Tailor Li?""They spoke," said Chen Qushui. "Manager Li had only one son, who once worked in the Affairs Office of the outer courtyard of The Duke of England's Mansion. His daughter-in-law was a second-rank maid in Madam's chambers. They had two grandsons—the elder worked in the Duke of England's study, while the younger was an apprentice at a pastry shop in the Capital. On the day the incident occurred at The Duke of England's Mansion, apart from the grandson apprenticing at the pastry shop, the son, daughter-in-law, and elder grandson all fell ill and died. When I went to investigate, Tailor Li turned inexplicably pale with fright. I pressed him, and only then did I discover that after his grandfather and parents met their demise one after another, Manager Li's younger grandson, fearing they had committed some crime, fled in terror to Tailor Li that very night. Tailor Li arranged for him to board a southbound merchant ship with others..."