Blossom

Overjoyed at first to receive the imperial decree, Song Yichun was thunderstruck upon hearing its contents and stood frozen for a long moment.

In his mind, with Wang Ge having sounded out the Emperor's intentions and the Emperor showing interest, even if Song Han couldn't marry Princess Jingyi, the Empress's own daughter, he should at least have been matched with the most beautiful Jingfu Princess. Yet now, instead of a princess, he was being betrothed to some country girl of unknown origins... A surge of anger clogged his chest, and if not for hearing Song Mo quietly greeting the eunuch who had come to announce the decree, he might not have recovered his breath.

How had things come to this?

Who had meddled behind the scenes?

Song Yichun stared at the stunned and bewildered Song Han, then couldn’t help but shift his gaze to Song Mo, who was chatting and laughing with the eunuch.

So the moment the eunuch left, he sprang up, pointing at Song Mo’s nose and accusing, "Was it you? Otherwise, why would the Empress suddenly issue an Imperial Decree betrothing Tianen? You must have seen how Tianen had won the Emperor’s favor and feared he would overshadow you in the future, so you schemed behind the scenes..."

Before he could finish, Song Mo let out a cold laugh. "Father truly overestimates us! Am I one of the Three Dukes or one of the Three Solitaries? How could I possibly influence the Emperor’s decisions?" With a disdainful glance, he added, "Don’t blame me for not warning you—you’d best watch your words. If they reach the Emperor’s ears and he thinks you’re dissatisfied with his arrangements, don’t go blaming me again when His Majesty is displeased. I can’t possibly live up to such praise from you!"

"You—!" Song Yichun’s face flushed crimson.

Song Mo strode away without another word.

Behind him, Song Han called out plaintively, "Brother!" then added in a low voice, "Father was just upset for a moment and didn’t mean to blame you. This betrothal came so suddenly... Since you serve in the palace, could you find out for me what really happened?"

His tone was sincere and earnest, but Song Mo acted as though he hadn’t heard, his steps never faltering as he left the main hall.

"That little bastard! All my efforts raising him were wasted!" Song Yichun trembled with rage, cursing at Song Mo’s retreating figure. "If I’d known he’d turn out like this, I should’ve strangled him at birth and spared myself this torment now!" After berating his eldest son, he turned on the younger. "And you—utterly spineless! He stopped seeing you as a brother long ago, yet you keep calling him 'brother' like a fool. Have you no shame? He’s your brother, not your father! Can’t you live without him?"

Song Han’s face alternated between red and white, his head hanging like a frost-bitten eggplant.

Seeing this only deepened Song Yichun’s irritation. He kicked Zeng Wu and snapped, "Go fetch Mr. Tao already! What’s wrong with you all? Must I order every little thing?"

Zeng Wu scrambled out of the hall to summon Tao Qizhong.

Song Yichun instructed him to investigate the background of the Miao family in Wanping while he himself headed to Third Princess’s residence.

It was early August, the season when autumn osmanthus bloomed fragrantly.

Shi Chonglan was accompanying Third Princess as she plucked osmanthus flowers in the rear garden.

Hearing that Song Yichun had arrived, he chuckled. "He must be bringing us good news."

Third Princess giggled. "What have you been up to now?"As the saying goes, it's better to demolish a temple than to ruin a marriage. Shi Chonglan considered himself to have done a great deed. Without hiding it from Third Princess, he smilingly told her about Song Yichun's intention to have Song Han marry a princess, adding, "By my calculations, the imperial decree should arrive within these few days."

Third Princess couldn't help but frown and chide, "Why didn't you mention this to me beforehand? Mother Empress intends to marry Jingyi into the Xingguo Duke's household. It's just that the sons born to Madam Xingguo—the Young Lord, Second Master, and Third Master—are already betrothed, while the Seventh Master is three years younger than Jingyi. That's why Mother Empress has delayed discussing Jingyi's marriage. Why did you have to meddle in this?"

Shi Chonglan was stunned. "Mother Empress wants the Third Master of Xingguo Duke's household to marry Jingyi?"

Something about this sounded odd to him.

But before he could ponder further, Third Princess urged him to see Song Yichun: "Go early and return soon. Later, we'll go see those Green Calyx blossoms together."

Shi Chonglan loved plum blossoms, so Third Princess had gone to great lengths to plant various plum trees in their garden.

He nodded with a smile and headed to the study.

Yet, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shi Chonglan returned with a grave expression.

Third Princess asked in surprise, "What happened? Did the marriage arrangement not go smoothly?" She added, "Perhaps you should stay out of this. Be careful not to displease Mother Empress!"

"Not just unsmooth!" Shi Chonglan gave a bitter laugh. Intending to seek Third Princess's help, he recounted Song Yichun's words in great detail. "Mother Empress actually issued an Imperial Decree betrothing the sixth daughter of a Miao family from Wanping to Song Han. Which Miao family from Wanping is this? Are they old acquaintances of Mother Empress or descendants of some fallen meritorious family? How come I've never heard of them? Do you recall?"

Though Consort Miao had once been the most beautiful in the imperial harem, that was over twenty years ago. Now, she was merely a forgotten woman, barely surviving under the Empress Dowager's shadow. Who still remembered her?

"The Miao family from Wanping?" Third Princess frowned in thought for a long while before hesitantly saying, "Could it be Consort Miao's maternal family?"

At the mention of Consort Miao, Shi Chonglan recalled.

He turned to leave. "I'll inform Song Yichun and have him send someone to investigate."

Third Princess could only shake her head as she watched Shi Chonglan's retreating figure.

Song Yichun was dumbfounded. "Consort Miao's family? Her Majesty the Empress Dowager would be doing well not to turn Consort Miao into jerky. How could Her Majesty the Empress arrange a marriage for a Miao daughter? What kind of mess is this? Does she expect me to form an alliance with some commoner?"

The mere thought made him feel as disgusted as if he'd stepped in dung.

Shi Chonglan, however, began to see the underlying implications.

Song Yichun's timing couldn't have been worse—bringing up the marriage proposal now, just when the Empress Dowager, whether on a whim or long-planned, decided to make him the scapegoat.

Still, the Song family was illustrious, and though Song Han was a second son, he was more than a match for a Miao daughter. Logically, the Empress Dowager shouldn't have slighted Song Han like this. Could there be more to this situation?

Only then did Shi Chonglan deeply regret his actions.

He truly shouldn't have gotten involved in this matter.

If he inadvertently thwarted the Empress Dowager's plans and earned her resentment, even with the Emperor's protection, given the Empress Dowager's temperament, he'd be in for a world of trouble.He felt like backing out and said tactfully, "Since there are traces to follow, there's no worry about not finding the cause. I'll help you ask around, and you should also send someone to investigate the Miao family's background. That way, you'll have a better idea when it comes to the betrothal gifts."

With the Imperial Decree already issued, would Song Yichun really dare to defy the Emperor's will?

No matter how dissatisfied he was, he could only grit his teeth and accept it, at most grumbling privately to his confidants.

At this point, he had no better ideas left. He sighed awkwardly, thinking about the three thousand taels of silver he had given to Wang Ge, still relying on Shi Chonglan to help uncover the inside story of this matter.

Shi Chonglan, fearing he might have inadvertently caused a disaster, also wanted to question Wang Ge for clarity and naturally agreed without hesitation.

Song Yichun returned to The Duke of England's Mansion.

The Miao family, having produced a consort, had bought land and property in recent years, gaining prestige. In Wanping County, they were considered somewhat influential. Tao Qizhong didn’t have much trouble finding out about the Miao family’s affairs.

Rubbing his forehead, he wasn’t sure how to break the news to Song Yichun.

Meanwhile, Song Mo had already received the information.

The Miao family had flourished for several years, riding on Consort Miao’s influence. But after the late Emperor’s passing, their fortunes declined year by year. As the saying goes, it’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance but hard to go back. The Miao family, having tasted the benefits of marrying off their daughters, didn’t focus on how to sustain their household. Instead, they were fixated on finding a good son-in-law to support them.

The sixth young lady of the Miao family was the most beautiful and clever among her sisters. Originally, the family had planned to send her into the imperial harem, so they spared no expense in hiring tutors to teach her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Later, when they learned Consort Miao had long lost favor in the palace, they changed their minds, determined to marry her into a wealthy and powerful family to support them in the future.

Upon hearing that the Empress Dowager had betrothed Miao Ansu to the second son of The Duke of England's Mansion, the Miao family immediately sent someone to investigate Song Han’s background. When they learned that Song Han only had less than five thousand taels of silver in assets left by Madam Jiang, that Song Mo was notoriously cruel and ruthless yet highly favored by the Emperor, and that Song Yichun was still in his prime, the Miao family’s expressions darkened. The brothers gathered to discuss their options.

"The older one will surely remarry, and the younger one is someone we can’t afford to provoke. Apart from reputation, there’s no real benefit," Miao Ansu’s own brother, Miao Anping, complained impatiently before the elders could speak. "It would be better to marry her off to Master Guo in the county—even though he’s a widower, they said the betrothal gifts would be five thousand taels of silver. Once my sister marries him, she’ll manage the household, and we can even invest in the Guo family’s shops..."

"Shut your mouth!" Miao Ansu’s father glared at his son. "This is an imperial marriage—can we back out now? Keep your words in check, or you’ll bring trouble upon us."

Miao Ansu’s uncle chimed in, "Can we at least ask for more betrothal gifts? We’ve raised Ansu all these years, and the tutors’ fees alone should be recouped."

"That depends on whether the Song family agrees!" Miao Ansu’s father said gloomily. "The Young Lord of The Duke of England's Mansion is a ruthless killer. Crushing us would be as easy as stepping on an ant."

Hearing this, everyone deflated.

Just then, a commotion arose from the backyard.

Already irritated, Miao Ansu’s father grew furious at the noise.

Miao Anping quickly called a maid to ask what was happening.The maidservant timidly glanced at Miao's father before whispering, "The Sixth Young Miss... says she refuses to marry into the Song family... Let whoever wants to marry go instead..."

Miao's father immediately felt a dull ache forming at his temples.

He had pinned his hopes for wealth and status on this daughter, naturally doting on her excessively. Over time, this not only fostered her domineering temperament but also eroded her respect for him. When she threw tantrums, no one in the household could control her.

Miao Su'an's second uncle shot Miao's father a somewhat gleeful look and said, "She's an unmarried young lady. If this commotion reaches the neighbors' ears, won't all our efforts over these years to build her reputation go to waste? You'd better go check on her! It's not as simple as her refusing to marry now."

Flustered, Miao's father rose and hurried toward the inner courtyard.