Blossom

So the old Duke had calculated that his son would remain his son, and his grandson would remain his grandson. No matter how well Duke Ding treated Song Mo, in the end, Song Mo would still wholeheartedly uphold the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

In her past life, Song Mo had personally severed the lineage of the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion!

If the old Duke knew this in the afterlife, would he regret his decision back then?

Seeing the coldness flash across Dou Zhao's face, Song Shize, recalling that Dou Zhao was also a daughter-in-law, felt a chill and instinctively defended the old Duke: "The old Duke had his reasons for doing this..." He hesitated before continuing, "When the Duke was young, he once kept a mistress..."

A mistress?

Dou Zhao was so shocked she nearly jumped up.

From Song Mo's descriptions, she had thought that while Song Yichun and Madam Jiang might not have been deeply in love, they at least treated each other with respect. How could there suddenly be a mistress involved?

Moreover, after Song Yichun and Song Mo fell out, Song Mo had dug up all of Song Yichun's past misdeeds. If Song Yichun had ever kept a mistress, Song Mo couldn't possibly have been unaware of it. The most likely reason for Madam Jiang's death was some emotional entanglement with Song Yichun, yet Song Mo had never considered this angle when analyzing her death. This suggested that Song Mo had never heard of this affair.

For the matter to be so well-hidden, it must be far from simple.

Her expression turned grave.

Song Shize hurriedly added, "That was all in the past. After the old Duke personally killed that woman, the Duke never repeated his mistake. The Jiang Family has a fiery temperament, and the old Duke was wary of Madam Jiang, fearing that once she gained power, she would become overbearing and seek revenge against the Duke, ruining the future of the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion. There was no other meaning to it..."

Dou Zhao could no longer listen to his explanations and sharply interrupted, "Tell me in detail what exactly happened! Why has no one in the family ever mentioned this? Who else knows about this?"

Song Shize hesitated before replying, "Apart from the old Duke, Old Madam Lu, the Duke, Madam Jiang, myself, and two deceased old stewards, even the Jiang Family at the time wasn't fully aware of it.

"To explain this, we must start from the marriage between the Duke and Madam Jiang.

"Initially, the old Duke favored Madam Jiang mainly because the women of the Jiang Family were known for their fertility. Additionally, Madam Jiang, despite her young age, had already assisted Madam Mei in managing the household affairs of Duke Dingguo's Mansion with remarkable efficiency and grace, earning her a reputation as one of the most virtuous ladies in the noble circles of the Capital. However, the Duke wasn't very pleased. He had always wanted to marry a woman from a scholarly family, believing that Madam Jiang, coming from a military household, couldn't have been well-read. It was only after Old Madam Lu arranged for the Duke to meet Madam Jiang that he gladly agreed to the marriage.

"After their marriage, the Duke and Madam Jiang initially got along well. But Madam Jiang often spoke of how her elder brother did this or that, which increasingly irritated the Duke. Once, during an argument, the Duke even threw a cup of hot tea at Madam Jiang, leaving her pale with anger. She ignored him for nearly half a year. If not for Old Madam Lu's mediation, their conflict might have escalated further.""It was during this time that the Duke went to WanMing Temple to relax. There, he encountered a young woman whose father had passed away early, leaving her to live with her widowed mother and brother. Somehow, the Duke became involved with this woman and even set up a small residence behind WanMing Temple, where they would occasionally meet in secret.

"This matter was quietly reported to the old Duke by one of the pages serving the Duke.

"Now, the Jiang Family had always had a tradition of taking in many concubines. The old Duke wasn’t particularly concerned about the Jiang Family’s reaction. However, he felt that a young woman who engaged in such behavior before marriage might lack proper morals, so he sent the now-deceased Chen Guanshi to investigate.

"Chen Guanshi discovered that the young woman had once been betrothed, but the engagement was broken off after rumors spread of an improper relationship with her cousin.

"How could the Duke allow such a woman into the household?

"He ordered Chen Guanshi to settle the matter.

"But to everyone’s surprise, Chen Guanshi returned with news that the woman was pregnant—three months along—and the child was the Duke’s.

"The old Duke was stunned.

"The Duke of England’s Mansion had few heirs, and the old Duke couldn’t help but feel reluctant to let go of this one.

"At the same time, news came that Madam Jiang had been diagnosed with a pregnancy pulse.

"Torn between conflicting emotions, the old Duke worried: if the woman outside bore a bastard son first, and Madam Jiang later gave birth to a legitimate heir, the close age gap between the two children could bring trouble to the mansion. He also feared that if the outsider bore a bastard daughter while Madam Jiang had a legitimate son, it would only cause resentment in Madam Jiang. But his greatest fear was that the outsider would bear a bastard son while the household produced a legitimate daughter, leaving a lasting problem for the Duke of England’s Mansion.

"When Old Madam Lu learned of this, she had the most decisive solution.

"She said that regardless of whether the outsider bore a son or a daughter, it would be a bastard and must not be kept.

"There would be plenty of grandsons in the future. Even if Madam Jiang bore no sons, they could always properly take in a respectable woman to bear heirs for the Duke of England’s Mansion.

"Following this advice, the old Duke sent Li Zongguan, accompanied by one of Old Madam Lu’s maids, to force the young woman to take an abortifacient.

"But the woman was cunning. After Li Zongguan left, she went into hiding.

"Enraged, the old Duke became even more convinced of her deceitful nature. He summoned his old servant back from Baoding and ordered him to work with Li Zongguan to track her down.

"Just as the old servant received his orders, the Duke rushed to plead with the old Duke. He admitted that he was the one who had hidden the woman and insisted that if punishment was to be meted out, it should fall on him. He claimed he had only acted out of momentary folly and was keeping the woman solely because she carried his bloodline—not because he intended to take her into the household. He swore to the old Duke that once the child was born, he would sever all ties with the woman. Regardless of the child’s gender, it would be given to a good family to raise, ensuring no future connection to the Song Family.

"A man might deny his woman, but he could never deny his own child.

"How could the old Duke agree to this?

"So the Duke went to beg Madam Jiang.

"Madam Jiang, being reasonable, said that if the Duke truly fancied the woman, there was no harm in bringing her into the household—but the child could not be kept, as the age gap between the two children was too narrow. If the woman agreed to terminate the pregnancy, Madam Jiang would immediately arrange for her to enter the Song Family.

"The old Duke’s expression darkened at this.

"But Old Madam Lu thought it was an excellent solution."At this point, Song Shize couldn't help but let out a long sigh, his expression turning somewhat gloomy.

"The Duke was so overjoyed that he spun around in delight, repeatedly thanking Madam Jiang while holding her hand, then wrapped his arm around Old Madam Lu's shoulders affectionately calling her 'Mother,' before happily heading out.

"Soon after, the old Duke learned that the young woman had been hiding in WanMing Temple all along.

"Moreover, she was willing to terminate the pregnancy, asking only to be admitted into the Song household.

"The old Duke immediately kicked the Duke, glaring at him with reddened eyes and saying, 'You still want to take in a woman like this? Do you find life too peaceful and want to stir up trouble?'

"The Duke, foolishly clutching the spot where he'd been kicked, asked in confusion, 'Didn't you say that as long as she was willing to terminate the child, she could enter our household? Now that she's agreed, why are you going back on your word?'

"Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, the Duke turned and ran outside, shouting as he went, 'I knew it! You tricked me into revealing Tiao Niang's hiding place just to deal with us! You never intended to let her in...'

"The old Duke was furious. He ordered his pages to restrain the Duke and placed him under my supervision before personally going to WanMing Temple with Steward Li.

"Not long after, the old Duke returned.

"Exhausted, he announced that the matter had been settled.

"The Duke, who had been pacing like a caged beast, suddenly shoved past the old Duke and ran out.

"Worried, I followed after receiving silent permission from the old Duke.

"The bedding on the kang was soaked in blood. The young woman lay there lifeless, her face drained of color, still wearing an expression of terror.

"The Duke cradled her body and wailed.

"I stepped forward to check for breath. Finding none, I quietly withdrew.

"Soon after, one of the young woman's maids arrived with her elder brother.

"He numbly pushed open the door and entered.

"Moments later, heart-wrenching sobs could be heard.

"Then the young woman's brother and the Duke came to blows.

"Seeing the Duke take the beating without resistance, I pulled him away and accompanied him to a small tavern near WanMing Temple. After watching him drink himself into a stupor, I brought him back to the estate.

"The old Duke then sent me to handle the aftermath.

"The young woman's brother proved to be a principled man, throwing out all the silver the old Duke had offered as compensation. His widowed mother, however, was quite the character—the moment her son turned away, she gathered up all the discarded silver and even bargained with me for an additional two thousand silver notes.

"Afterwards, I returned to Baoding, while Steward Li was assigned to serve the Duke.

"From Steward Li, I heard that the Duke never again engaged in such reckless behavior.

"Because it was the old Duke who had disapproved of the young woman's character and refused her entry, Madam Jiang grew even more self-righteous thereafter. The Duke, seemingly guilt-ridden over the incident, became extremely deferential to her—especially after the birth of the Young Lord. When the Duke later faced trouble due to the Earl of Guang'en's misdeeds, Madam Jiang, then pregnant with their second son, pleaded for him despite her condition. From then on, the Duke became utterly devoted to her wishes.

"The old Duke could only shake his head at the sight.""I tried persuading him several times, but it was no use. In the end, I had no choice but to entrust the Duke of England's Mansion to Madam Jiang and leave a few people for the Young Lord."

Dou Zhao was utterly stunned.

Who would have thought Song Yichun had done such things in his youth?

But what did this have to do with the rift between Song Yichun and Song Mo?

Surely Song Yichun wouldn't kill his wife of over a decade and his legitimate heir just because of some old grudge?

Was he really that sentimental?

This made no sense at all!

Even if that were the case, would the Song Mo from her past life really commit patricide and fratricide, severing the Duke of Yingguo's lineage, just because Song Yichun had harmed Madam Jiang?

Dou Zhao thought of those maids in Cassia Fragrance Courtyard.

Could it be that Song Yichun was inherently a lecherous scoundrel? Had he suppressed his desires for too long because of Madam Jiang, leading to psychological changes?

But that didn't add up either!

As the old Duke had rightly judged, the Jiang Family had always maintained the practice of keeping numerous concubines. Madam Jiang shouldn't have been particularly bothered by such matters. If Song Yichun wanted to take a beauty as his concubine, Madam Jiang wouldn't have stopped him. Why would Song Yichun need to put on such pretenses?

Or was Madam Jiang different—having witnessed too many conflicts between wives and concubines, she particularly despised men taking concubines?

Dou Zhao felt a headache coming on.

Not knowing about this matter had been better. Now that she knew, she found herself sinking deeper into the past, only to become more confused.