Blossom

Dou Zhao listened, her vision blurring with tears.

"Your brother has found you now, hasn't he?" She quickly wiped the corners of her eyes and smiled. "You're not just a daughter of the Song family, but also the legitimate eldest daughter of the Duke of England's Mansion, the full sister of the heir. You weren't born to Li Tiaoniang—your real mother has already passed away from illness. If she knew your brother had found you, she would be overjoyed!"

Though there was no concrete evidence yet, Song Mo's words and actions in their past life convinced Dou Zhao that Yi Gui was undoubtedly Madam Jiang's biological daughter.

She continued, "The Duke of England's Mansion should have a portrait of Madam Jiang. I'll have your brother find it later, and you can compare it with your reflection in the mirror—you'll understand then."

Like all children who've suffered under their parents, Yi Gui had occasionally fantasized about not being their biological child. But when someone actually told her that her real parents were different people, she was still utterly shocked.

She lowered her head and after a long pause, hesitantly asked, "Then why didn't they come for me sooner? When did my real mother pass away? Did she ask my brother to find me?"

As she spoke, her voice gradually choked with sobs.

Dou Zhao could no longer hold back her tears.

"Of course it's true!" She took Yi Gui's hand. "Your birth mother was my mother-in-law—why would I lie to you? It's just that this matter is very complicated and can't be explained in a short time. When we return to the Duke of England's Mansion, I'll tell you everything in detail. Is that alright?"

Yi Gui nodded obediently.

Dou Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.

What she feared most was girls who acted like doormats, crying at the drop of a hat. Second was girls who were stubborn and inflexible regardless of the situation. Though Yi Gui shed many tears, at least she was reasonable. If she had ended up with either a doormat or a stubborn sister-in-law, it would have been a real headache.

Yi Gui lowered her head and twisted her fingers nervously. "No matter what, she did raise me... I'd like to pay my respects to her... and to Uncle. Could you let Uncle go? I just saw my brother beat him until he was lying on the ground..."

This version of Yi Gui could be called a hopeless pushover.

Treating a thief as her mother.

But if she had truly been strong-willed, she probably would have been beaten to death by Li Tiaoniang long ago.

Some things could only be taken slowly.

Dou Zhao gently patted her hand. "Wait here for a while. I'll go ask your brother how things are going outside. Li Tiaoniang committed suicide by hanging, and the neighbors reported it to the authorities. You can't very well pay your respects to her at the magistrate's office, can you?"

In truth, she was afraid Song Mo would fly into a rage and kill Li Liang too.

And indeed, when Song Mo heard Yi Gui's request, his face darkened.

Dou Zhao quickly said, "She was raised by the Li family since childhood, and Li Tiaoniang would beat her for no reason at all. The only way she could survive was by being obedient." Then she asked Song Mo, "How do you plan to arrange things for Yi Gui?"

Now that Li Tiaoniang was dead, Yi Gui's identity became an issue.

Returning to the Duke of England's Mansion required a proper justification—they couldn't just let her continue following Li Liang, could they?Song Mo said, "Do you think finding Li Tiaoniang means Yi Gui can rightfully return to the Duke of England's Mansion? Don't forget, Li Tiaoniang was nothing but a fickle woman. Even if this case were brought before the Emperor, as long as Father stubbornly denies it, would His Majesty believe Li Tiaoniang? Yi Gui might instead be accused of 'falsely claiming noble kinship,' endangering her life. After all, there are countless people in this world who look alike but share no blood ties! I only regret that Li Tiaoniang died so easily—it was far too lenient for her!"

Dou Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Who killed Li Tiaoniang?"

She suspected it was either Song Yichun or Song Han.

But Song Mo coldly replied, "Whoever it was, they must be connected to what happened back then. Before, I wasn’t entirely sure Yi Gui was my sister, but Li Tiaoniang’s death has pointed me in the right direction."

Dou Zhao nodded and said, "What about Song Han..."

At the mention of this, Song Mo’s expression darkened. "No matter what, he was my brother for fourteen years. When Mother was alive, she coddled him like he was the most precious thing in the world. I can’t hold him accountable for the faults of our elders. For now, let’s keep this from him. When he’s older, we’ll tell him everything, and whatever he chooses will be up to him." Despite his words, his tone carried a hint of desolation, and his warmth toward Song Han had noticeably faded. "As for Yi Gui, Father will never acknowledge her—otherwise, he wouldn’t have abandoned her to Li Tiaoniang all those years ago. Let her stay at the Hall of Cultivating Will as a distant relative of the Jiang Family." Here, he raised an eyebrow, a trace of coldness in his voice. "And that name of hers has to change. 'Yi Gui'—it disgusts me. Let her take a name that follows mine. 'Ink, brush, paper, inkstone'—we’ll use the homophone for 'inkstone' and call her 'Yan.' May she leave her past behind and start anew."

"Jiang Yan!" Dou Zhao murmured softly, praising, "A fine name! 'Cherishing jade within one’s embrace, releasing brilliance through brush and ink.' I’ll talk to her—from now on, she’ll be Jiang Yan."

"Jiang?" Song Mo was momentarily taken aback.

Dou Zhao thought Song Mo seemed a bit confused.

But this side of him also felt very genuine and endearing to her.

"Didn’t you say she’d stay at the Hall of Cultivating Will as a distant relative of the Jiang Family?" Dou Zhao chuckled. "If not Jiang, should she take the Song name?"

Song Mo sighed. "Jiang is fine. The Song name isn’t anything special. Taking Mother’s surname would please her spirit, and she wouldn’t have to endure his disdain anymore."

"His" referred to Song Yichun.

Thinking of how her own father had treated her coldly in her past life, and how she had still yearned for his approval, Dou Zhao shared her thoughts with Song Mo: "When I heard Yi Gui say she wanted to pay respects to Li Tiaoniang, I thought... perhaps we should tell her the whole truth about what happened back then. Otherwise, she might develop misplaced filial devotion toward the Duke. If she merely becomes blindly obedient, that’s one thing, but what if the Duke feels nothing for her and instead uses her to harm herself or you?"

Song Mo thought of his delicate younger sister and rubbed his forehead. "Then let’s tell her gradually after we return to the mansion.""Let's tell her now," Dou Zhao said. "If we're putting on a show, we should do it properly. We'll temporarily settle Jiang Yan in the secluded courtyard. After I've had some decent clothes and jewelry made for her, and found her a few reliable maids and old women, you can send someone to formally bring her back to the Duke of England's Mansion. That way, no one will have anything to gossip about, and she can take this time to think things through. Meanwhile, we can investigate what happened back then and find out who harmed Li Tiaoniang."

Song Mo nodded, and the two went their separate ways. By evening, they returned to the Duke of England's Mansion without drawing attention.

Song Han came forward to greet them, grinning as he tugged at Song Mo's sleeve. "Brother, why are you only back now? Gu Yu waited for you all morning. When he heard you'd accompanied Sister-in-law back to Jing'an Temple Alley, he rushed over there too." He craned his neck to look behind them and asked curiously, "Where's Gu Yu? Why didn't he come back with you and Sister-in-law?"

Song Mo smiled at Song Han. "Your sister-in-law and I didn't go to Jing'an Temple Alley. We went to the temple to pray..."

Dou Zhao noticed that Song Mo's gaze toward Song Han had turned cold, no longer carrying the doting warmth it once had.

But Song Han seemed oblivious.

He interrupted Song Mo excitedly, laughing, "I know! You and Sister-in-law must have gone to pray for a smooth birth and a healthy son!"

Song Mo simply smiled and helped Dou Zhao toward the Hall of Cultivating Will.

Song Han pouted, trailing behind them with a slightly aggrieved expression.

Song Mo said cheerfully, "Your sister-in-law is tired. You should go rest too. Come back after dinner and your studies if you want to visit."

Song Han replied brightly with a loud "Okay!" and was escorted back to the main chamber by a crowd of maids and old women.

Song Mo then whispered to Dou Zhao, "Have you noticed that Song Han looks like Father and not at all like Mother?"

With a changed perspective, the same observations yield different conclusions.

In time, Song Mo would surely notice even more differences in Song Han.

Dou Zhao smiled. "I thought Song Han looked very much like the Duke when I first married into the family, but not so much like you."

"Really?" Song Mo seemed lost in thought. After helping Dou Zhao freshen up in their chambers, he spent a long time in the study before returning with a portrait of Madam Jiang. "Look—does Song Han resemble Mother in any way?"

Their facial features were indeed dissimilar, though their mannerisms bore some resemblance—perhaps because Song Han had been raised by Madam Jiang. But with Song Mo scrutinizing Song Han so critically now, Dou Zhao naturally avoided mentioning this to spare his feelings.

"No, not very much," she said carefully after examining the portrait. "In fact, Sister Yan's features seem almost identical to Mother's."

Song Mo stared at the portrait silently for a long moment before handing it to Dou Zhao. "Send this to Sister Yan tomorrow."

He had settled Yi Gui—no, now to be called Jiang Yan—in the residence where Fourth Madam Jiang had stayed during her visits to the capital, leaving Xia Lian there while Dou Zhao assigned Jin Gui to assist.

As Dou Zhao took the portrait, Liu Zhang hurried in. "Young Lord, Lu Ming and Du Wei have arrived and are waiting for you in the study."

Song Mo turned to Dou Zhao. "I'll be back soon," he said before leaving with Liu Zhang.

Dou Zhao asked Chen He what the matter was.Chen He smiled and said, "When I served tea, I only heard the Young Lord mention the He Family and the Wei Family, but I didn’t catch the rest clearly."

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but tease him, "You’ve become quite the smooth talker since getting married!"

Chen He blushed and chuckled.

Dou Zhao waved him away, then thought about how the Jiang Family had suffered such a major upheaval and were now mere commoners. She had Gan Lu open the trunks, dismissed the maids and old women, and personally selected a few bolts of cloth that were not overly luxurious but had fashionable patterns, along with several gilded, pearl-embedded pieces of jewelry. Considering that Jiang Yan was entering the household as a daughter of the Jiang Family—a family with a century-old legacy—she also retrieved a few heirloom ornaments from her dowry and placed them in the dressing case. Early the next morning, she called Su Lan in and gave her detailed instructions before sending her off with the portrait to deliver everything to Jiang Yan.

When Su Lan returned, she told Dou Zhao that Jiang Yan had wept bitterly upon seeing the portrait, then held her hand and asked many questions about the household: "...As Madam instructed, I told Miss Yan everything, down to the smallest detail."

"You’ve worked hard." Dou Zhao rewarded her with a meal and quietly instructed her to buy two older maids and old women for Jiang Yan. "Once she enters the household and sees them around, I’ll send them away and replace them with our own maids and old women."