Blossom

"Madam, we beg you to give us a way out." Song Shize kowtowed three times to Dou Zhao, no longer shying away from the past. "When Madam Jiang was in charge, she preferred to use people from Duke Dingguo's Mansion. When the Duke took over, we became thorns in his side. Now the Young Lord is following Madam Jiang's old ways. Despite our loyalty, we have no way to serve. We implore you to recognize our devotion and allow our descendants to return under your command."

His reaction was within Dou Zhao's expectations.

If they hadn't harbored such intentions, why would they have left such obvious clues for Chen Qushui to find when she announced her plan to employ the Song family's longtime servants?

Still, certain matters needed clarification first.

She smiled. "Steward Song, you're a perceptive man. Do you know why the Young Lord is following Madam Jiang's old path?"

Song Shize hesitated before replying quietly, "When the rift between the Young Lord and the Duke arose, we elders who remained in the mansion stood by and watched without lifting a finger to help. The Young Lord resents us for it and refuses to employ our people again..." Suddenly, he raised his voice. "Madam, has the Young Lord noticed that Hu from the Guard Office, Steward Li from the Affairs Office, Steward Chen and Steward Wang from the accountant's office—all disappeared before Madam Jiang's funeral?"

Dou Zhao was taken aback.

She truly hadn't noticed.

At that time, her sole focus had been on helping Song Mo escape Song Yichun's grasp and return openly to the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion. How could she have paid attention to the comings and goings of the mansion's stewards? Even if she had wanted to, she lacked both the capacity and the manpower under those circumstances.

After a moment's thought, she asked, "Were these men left for Madam Jiang or the Young Lord by the late Duke?"

Song Shize's respect for Dou Zhao deepened.

Though the Young Lord's wife came from an official's family, she was remarkably familiar with the customs of noble households. Her marriage to the Young Lord had been hastily arranged, and she had only begun managing the Duke of Yingguo's Household Affairs at the start of the year. Yet she pinpointed the crux of the matter effortlessly—proof of her extraordinary insight.

His gaze grew solemn as he studied her. "They were left for the Young Lord by the late Duke."

This answer sent a shock through Dou Zhao.

The late Duke had passed many years ago, when Song Mo was still a babbling child. Though Madam Jiang had been entrusted with the mansion's Household Affairs and daily operations, the late Duke had still set aside men specifically for Song Mo's use—clear evidence that he had reservations about Madam Jiang.

In a flash of insight, a realization struck Dou Zhao.

She couldn't help exclaiming, "Madam Jiang didn't know about these men. They were handed over to the Duke on the late Duke's deathbed... Isn't that so?"

Song Shize could no longer conceal his admiration. He gazed at her intently and nodded slowly.

Dou Zhao drew a sharp breath.

This explained why no one from the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion had come to Song Mo's aid during his crisis.

To cultivate loyal servants was no easy feat, yet Song Yichun had disposed of Hu, Steward Li, and the others as casually as one might discard vegetables.

The thought filled her with regret and heartache.Was this the reason why Song Mo had to flee the capital alone and in such a wretched state in his previous life?

Just how much hatred did Song Yichun harbor for Song Mo to commit such an act!

Dou Zhao's expression gradually turned solemn as she asked, "What exactly happened back then that forced the old Duke to entrust the management of the Duke of England's Mansion to Madam Jiang?"

Song Shize's face darkened with complex emotions. After a long pause, he glanced at Chen Qushui, signaling that the matter was of great importance and requesting Dou Zhao to have him withdraw.

"Mr. Chen oversees all my affairs," Dou Zhao replied calmly. "There is nothing he cannot know. Speak freely."

Chen Qushui listened, slightly bowing his head in gratitude toward Dou Zhao.

Song Shize was taken aback.

He had assumed Chen Qushui was under the Young Lord Song Yantang's command, merely assigned to assist Dou Zhao. He hadn't realized Chen Qushui was actually Madam Dou's subordinate!

Recalling Chen Qushui's demonstrated competence and methods during their journey...

What kind of woman was Madam Dou to have such a capable person under her command?

His demeanor grew even more respectful and earnest than before.

Song Shize began recounting the past:

"...After Old Madam Lu suffered her first miscarriage, she struggled to carry subsequent pregnancies to term. By the time she conceived the Duke, she was nearly forty and had to remain bedridden for seven months before finally giving birth to him safely. Both the old Duke and Old Madam Lu were overjoyed, treasuring him like a precious jewel. When it came time for his education, the Duke showed remarkable scholarly talent, bringing immense comfort to the old Duke. Perhaps because of this, the Duke developed a somewhat carefree nature, paying little attention to social niceties.

"The current Lord of Guang'en and the Duke grew up together and were very close friends.

"The Guang'en household was different from the Duke of England's Mansion. Ever since Consort Huaishu's husband, Dong Lin, was stripped of his titles, each generation of the Dong family had fought viciously over the heirship, causing the Guang'en household to gradually decline.

"After the Duke Ding was appointed as the Fujian Military Commander, the Guang'en Lord conceived an idea to collaborate with wealthy Fujian families in maritime trade. The Duke had no interest in such matters, so when the Guang'en Lord approached him, the Duke simply wrote a letter to Duke Ding, asking him to look after the Guang'en Lord's affairs.

"At the time, it was common knowledge that wealthy Fujian families engaged in maritime trade—an open secret. One more or one less participant made little difference. Duke Ding received the letter and merely advised the Guang'en Lord to proceed cautiously and avoid drawing undue attention that might complicate matters.

"The Guang'en Lord even sent a letter of gratitude to the Duke for this favor.

"But as the saying goes, greed knows no bounds.

"Two or three years later, someone reported that wealthy Fujian families were trading with Japanese pirates and even providing them shelter when they came ashore.

"Duke Ding, who had by then been promoted to Fujian Governor, was in the midst of reforming the province's administration. How could he tolerate such activities? Naturally, he prioritized investigating this as a major case.

"To everyone's shock, the investigation eventually implicated the Guang'en Lord.

"Remembering the close relationship between the Guang'en Lord and the Duke, Duke Ding grew deeply uneasy. He immediately dispatched a trusted adviser to meet with the old Duke, conveying that he could delay the matter for no more than a month. After that, regardless of the findings, he would have to report it to the imperial court for the Emperor's judgment.""The old Duke was furious and personally led a team to raid the inner chamber of the Duke's study. Not only did they uncover letters from the Earl of Guang'en to the Duke, but they also found a substantial sum of silver notes tucked within the letters.

"The old Duke was so enraged that he immediately slapped the Duke across the face.

"Yet the Duke knelt before the old Duke, swearing and vowing that he had absolutely no involvement in the Fujian business dealings and was unaware of the silver notes sent by the Earl of Guang'en.

"Madam Jiang also pleaded for the Duke, insisting that he wasn’t that kind of person. She argued that anyone who came into such a large sum of silver notes would surely find a place to hide them—how could they be so carelessly tucked into letters? Clearly, this was all the Earl of Guang'en’s doing.

"The old Duke repeatedly cursed the Duke as a disgrace and sought advisers and the chief steward to clean up the mess.

"Madam Jiang helped the Duke back to his quarters.

"But halfway there, the Duke suddenly broke free from Madam Jiang’s grip and rushed to the outer courtyard, taking several guards with him to confront the Earl of Guang'en.

"Naturally, the Earl of Guang'en denied everything.

"Not only that, but the Duke’s questioning inadvertently tipped off the Earl, allowing him to cover his tracks. By the time the Duke of Ding formally reported the matter to the court, only a few wealthy families in Fujian were implicated. The Capital remained entirely untouched.

"From then on, the Earl of Guang'en and the Duke had no further dealings.

"The old Duke began personally instructing the Duke in managing household affairs.

"But the Duke, at the time, was solely focused on studying the classics and had little interest in such mundane matters. Progress was slow. In contrast, Madam Jiang stepped in with ideas, quickly distinguishing herself and earning the old Duke’s admiration.

"Such behavior wasn’t unusual—who isn’t a bit reckless in their youth? With age, things would improve.

"However, the old Duke, already advanced in years and weakened by illness, fell gravely ill after catching a cold.

"With time running short and the Duke still behaving irresponsibly, the old Duke had no choice but to entrust the family estate to Madam Jiang."

His voice gradually trailed off.

"Seeing the Duke of Dingguo’s Mansion at the height of its power, the old Duke feared Madam Jiang would prioritize her natal family. With the Duke being so easily influenced, he worried the Duke of Yingguo’s Mansion would become subordinate to the Duke of Dingguo’s. So he left a contingency plan, hoping the Young Lord would grow up to uphold the family’s standing and rival the Duke of Dingguo’s Mansion."

At this point, Song Shize’s voice choked with emotion.

"Those men—they were carefully selected and tested by the old Duke, the finest in the household at the time. Such excellent guardians… and now they’re gone…"

In other words, the old Duke had never held much hope for Song Yichun and had long planned to bypass him, entrusting the family legacy to Song Mo instead?

Dou Zhao remarked, "The Duke must have done more than just this, right?"

After all, he was his own son—the old Duke wouldn’t have given up so easily.

Song Shize’s sobs caught in his throat.

Dou Zhao sipped her tea quietly, waiting patiently for him to continue.

Song Shize sighed deeply, sounding resigned, and murmured, "The Duke was spoiled, and Madam Jiang was a woman of considerable cunning. The Duke was no match for her. The old Duke had no other choice…"

This indirectly confirmed Dou Zhao’s suspicions.She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Wasn't the old Duke worried that the Young Lord might be influenced by Madam Jiang and become closer to the Jiang Family?"

"How could he not have considered that?" Song Shize replied with a bitter smile. "But the current Duke lacks the capability to shoulder the responsibilities of The Duke of England's Mansion. We couldn't let him teach the Young Lord to be ignorant of agricultural affairs either. As long as the Young Lord is raised to become a man capable of upholding the family legacy, The Duke of England's Mansion wouldn't have to defer to Duke Dingguo's Mansion in everything. Rather than leaving any grounds for Duke Dingguo to take offense, it's better to let the Young Lord receive his education from Duke Dingguo. After all, the Young Lord was carried by Madam Jiang for ten months and born through her hardships. A woman might side with her maiden family due to her husband's incompetence, but she's even more likely to risk severing ties with her own family for her son's future. This truth has remained unshaken since ancient times!"