Blossom

Gao Shi, Pang Yulou, and a group of maids and old women rushed to Madam Xu Wang, pinching her philtrum and applying cold towels to her face until she finally regained consciousness.

Weakly, she instructed those around her, "No one is to tell the paternal aunt about this!"

Naturally, everyone respectfully responded with "Yes."

Still unwilling to accept it, she asked her two daughters-in-law, "Did Mingjier really say such things?"

Gao Shi and Pang Yulou nodded slightly.

Madam Xu Wang burst into tears, "What sin have I committed to raise such an ungrateful wretch! To think she would deny her own mother—what kind of child does such a thing? How can the Dou family just stand by and let her disgrace her own mother like this? Aren’t they supposed to be a family of propriety and etiquette? I’ve always put Mingjier above my own grandchildren—why? To make up for my guilt toward Yingxue! Otherwise, why should a Dou, of all people, strut around our Wang family, acting so high and mighty?" She then shouted at Gao Shi, "Go ask Mingjier yourself—is she truly determined to disown Yingxue? If she refuses to acknowledge Yingxue, then don’t expect our Wang family to lift a finger for her ever again. I’ll consider Yingxue as having lost her husband and child—she will have no ties left to our Wang family!"

Gao Shi truly didn’t want to face the Wei family’s disdain again, but she couldn’t disobey her mother-in-law’s orders. She had no choice but to steel herself and agree.

Pang Yulou, however, thrived on chaos. She urged Madam Xu Wang, "Mother, sending Sister-in-law to question Mingjier will only bring more humiliation! When Mingjier said those words, it wasn’t just Sister-in-law and I who heard—the Dou family was present too. Fifth Madam was so shocked she asked Mingjier several times, ‘Have you no regard for your mother, who carried you for ten months and gave birth to you?’ Yet Mingjier showed not a hint of remorse or hesitation. What’s the point of sending Sister-in-law to ask again? Do you think we’d lie to you? If you don’t believe us, you can send someone to verify with the Dou family. Why rush to the Marquis of Jining’s Mansion and embarrass yourself?"

Madam Xu Wang froze, then slumped back onto the large bolster in defeat.

But the matter couldn’t be kept from Wang Yingxue, who was deeply concerned about her daughter’s dowry.

Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at Hu Momo, her face deathly pale. "Impossible! My Mingjier would never say such things! This must be Madam Pang slandering her in front of my mother—I must get to the bottom of this!"

Wang Yingxue made to dash out the door.

Hu Momo grabbed her and pleaded, "My dear madam, if Second Madam lied to you, would First Madam join in the deception? Fifth Granddaughter must have had no choice but to resort to this as a temporary measure. Just wait patiently—once things settle down in a few days, Fifth Granddaughter will surely come to see you."

Would she?

Wang Yingxue asked herself.

Her heart ached sharply, but the situation was far more complicated than they imagined.

Before long, whispers began to circulate—rumors that Dou Ming was an illegitimate child, even linking Wang Yousheng’s past promotions, Zhao Guqiu’s death, and Dou Zhao’s dowry together.

But in matters of gossip, those involved are usually the last to know.

Dou Zhao, too, had no idea that trouble would come knocking while she sat peacefully at home.She and Chen Qushui studied the backgrounds of the stewards in the outer courtyard and the grandparents or maternal grandparents of the young girls from the "Fu" generation.

"Truly, ignorance is bliss. The findings are quite startling," Dou Zhao couldn't help but sigh. "On the surface, these people seem unrelated, but tracing their maternal grandparents reveals they are all distantly connected relatives, intertwined like the roots of an ancient tree, supporting the daily operations of the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion. How could the Duke have dared to recklessly dismiss those stewards and pages?"

Chen Qushui was also taken aback.

Looking at the list of names, he felt a chill run down his spine. "Fufeng's grandmother actually served two generations of the Duke's Madams. It wasn't until the late Madam Lu passed away that Madam Jiang allowed her to retire to her son's side for a peaceful old age. As for Fuye's grandmother, she once served Madam Lu alongside Fufeng's grandmother in the upper courtyard. And this Fuxue—though his family had many siblings and it seemed they sent him in out of desperation—his grandfather was once an attendant to the old Duke and even saved his life. He only lived on the farmstead with his son because a lame leg prevented him from doing heavy labor..."

"All of them were trusted retainers from the era of Madam Lu and the old Duke, before Madam Jiang's time," Dou Zhao said gravely. "After Madam Jiang took over the household affairs, did she replace them all with her own people? Or were those who remained in the mansion later purged by Song Yichun?"

Thinking of their fates, both fell into a long silence.

Chen Qushui sighed. "If we want to inquire about the old Duke's affairs, these people would surely know. But for information about Madam Jiang, they might not be of much use."

Dou Zhao, however, disagreed.

She smiled. "Every effect has a cause. We might uncover details about Madam Jiang by investigating the old Duke."

"Oh?" Chen Qushui perked up, knowing Dou Zhao always had insights.

Dou Zhao continued, "Logically, even if the Duke was unfamiliar with domestic affairs, he should have entrusted them to a trustworthy man. So why was it Madam Jiang who managed the Duke of Yingguo's household affairs before?"

Chen Qushui's eyes lit up. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Dou Zhao suppressed a smile.

It wasn't that Chen Qushui hadn't considered it—rather, after spending so much time with her and witnessing her strong personality, he had grown accustomed to women managing households and no longer found it unusual.

She said, "I've always wondered why the Duke changed so drastically after Madam Jiang's death. Was it his true nature, merely concealed in her presence? Or was he provoked by some event? If the former, why would he fear Madam Jiang? If the latter, what exactly happened to him?"

Chen Qushui replied, "I think the former is more likely. When Madam Jiang managed the household, the old Duke was still alive. If she had relied on coercion, the old Duke wouldn't have calmly handed over the household affairs to her..."

Dou Zhao chuckled. "You see? This brings us back to the old Duke. Fuye and Fufeng's grandparents must know something about this."

Chen Qushui nodded.

The two then discussed how to approach these individuals.Song Mo returned home and his first question was, "Where is Madam?" Upon learning that Dou Zhao had been busy with household chores all morning and had been speaking with Chen Qushui in the small study since the afternoon without any visitors, he inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

Wei Tingyu was truly hopeless.

Back then, he had chosen Dou Ming, breaking off his engagement with Dou Zhao. Now, he was causing trouble for Dou Ming, using the excuse that she was an illegitimate child.

What exactly was he trying to do?

Did he regret abandoning Dou Zhao only after marriage, realizing that the beauty in his arms was most appealing in paintings? Or was it because he learned that Dou Zhao owned half of Western Dou's assets and became greedy, wanting to revisit the past?

How could he not consider whether he even had the capability to stir up such trouble?

In a sullen mood, Song Mo changed into his usual sapphire-blue Hangzhou silk robe, his jade-like face clouded with gloom.

Gan Lu was startled and quickly said, "Young Lord, I’ll go fetch Madam at once," thinking he was upset about Dou Zhao and Chen Qushui’s private conversation in the study.

"No need," Song Mo frowned. "Madam is speaking with Mr. Chen. Don’t disturb them."

Was it really unnecessary?

Gan Lu respectfully complied but remained hesitant.

Song Mo waved her off, signaling her to leave, and sat alone by the kang table, stroking his chin in thought.

Gan Lu decided she should still inform Madam.

Upon hearing that Song Mo had returned, Chen Qushui naturally felt it inappropriate to linger in the study.

He and Dou Zhao went to see Song Mo together, and Chen took his leave with a smile.

Song Mo politely escorted him to the door.

Dou Zhao had already heard from Gan Lu that Song Mo was in a bad mood. When he returned, she playfully took his arm, tilting her head to study him. "What happened today? You look gloomy, like rain is about to fall."

Song Mo chuckled. "Don’t listen to the maids making a fuss over nothing. I’m just tired and not in the mood to talk." He then gently touched her belly. "Was the baby well-behaved today?"

"The baby was very well-behaved!" After the first three months of pregnancy, Dou Zhao had regained her appetite, slept well, and even gained weight. "Gaoxing’s wife relayed Aunt’s instructions, reminding me to walk three laps around the courtyard every day. Now I know exactly how many trees are behind our backyard."

Song Mo laughed. "Gaoxing’s wife is doing a fine job—she deserves a reward!"

Dou Zhao giggled and asked, "What did you do today?"

"Nothing much," Song Mo replied. "Gu Yu went to the palace to pay respects to the Empress. He, Gao Yuanhua, and I spent the afternoon drinking tea. Later, Dong Qi arrived and invited us to dine at Drunken Immortal Tower. Gao Yuanhua didn’t want to go, saying we’d run into too many acquaintances there, so Dong Qi suggested private dishes at Xiao Li’s place in Qianfo Temple Alley. But Gu Yu refused, saying if we were going to Xiao Li’s, we might as well try the newly opened Wanchun Tower outside Chaoyang Gate. Gao Yuanhua thought that was too far, and we stood there debating for ages without deciding. Then the Emperor summoned Gao Yuanhua for an audience, and Gu Yu and I couldn’t be bothered to entertain Dong Qi, so we all went our separate ways."

Dou Zhao was surprised. "Why didn’t Gu Yu come back with you?"

Song Mo smiled. "He rode in my carriage to the gate but was stopped by his family’s pages. They said his fourth brother was unwell, and the Earl of Yunyang ordered him to hurry home and check on him."Gu Yu had three younger half-brothers below him, the fourth in line being just three years old this year, sickly ever since birth.

Dou Zhao asked, "Should we send someone to check on him?"

"I've already had someone follow up. If anything's wrong, they'll report back."

Dou Zhao then inquired about Gu Yu's marriage arrangements: "Has a match been settled yet?"

Song Mo replied, "Today, Gu Yu entered the palace to sound out the Empress's stance. To his surprise, Her Majesty said she wouldn't mind any background as long as Gu Yu was happy. He was just telling me about this in the carriage. From what he said, it seems the Earl of Yunyang intends to arrange a match with the Eleventh Miss of the Yongen Earl's Family, but Gu Yu isn't too pleased." He shook his head and added, "He had hoped to leverage the Empress's influence, but who knew she would respond like this."