Blossom

Miao Ansu had a slender figure, jet-black hair, and large almond-shaped eyes that could convey both anger and joy. Yet, there was an aggressive sharpness in the corners of her eyes and brows that disrupted her delicate beauty, making her features appear more pronounced and giving the impression that she was difficult to get along with.

At this moment, with her willow-leaf eyebrows raised high and her almond eyes wide open, this impression became even stronger.

"What kind of nonsense Young Lord is he? Just a worthless fool living off his ancestors' legacy!" Miao Ansu, supported by two maids, raised her voice even louder. "Father always says he dotes on me, yet now he’s marrying me off to a good-for-nothing who can’t even inherit the family estate. How could you bear to watch me struggle in a grand mansion with just a few hundred taels of silver a year? When the time comes, I won’t even be able to take care of myself—who will you and my brother rely on then…?"

Father Miao turned pale with fright and quickly covered her mouth, whispering urgently, "My little ancestor, lower your voice! This marriage is bestowed by the Imperial Decree. We should only be overjoyed—how could we refuse? If your words reach the wrong ears and spread, our Miao family will face disaster! Forget about me—even your paternal aunt in the palace won’t be able to protect you!"

With a forceful tug, Miao Ansu pulled her father’s hand away from her mouth and demanded, "Father, tell me the truth—did you seek this marriage yourself, or was it decreed by the palace?"

"Of course it was decreed by the palace," Father Miao replied, equally frustrated. "Do you think I’m a fool, marrying you off to a second son?"

"That doesn’t make sense!" Miao Ansu exclaimed in bewilderment. "Hasn’t the Empress Dowager always disliked my paternal aunt? Why would she suddenly decide to marry me off to the second son of The Duke of England's Mansion? Though the Duke’s family is illustrious, I’ve heard their Young Lord is extremely formidable. Even the Bandits who come and go as they please dare not steal from their farmstead in our county. Tell me, how could I, as his sister-in-law, dare to even breathe loudly? How could I dare to fight for the family estate when it’s divided?" She began to sob. "Father, this isn’t elevating me—it’s throwing me into a pit of fire!" She tugged at her father’s sleeve. "No matter what, you can’t marry me into the Song family!"

"I know, I know," Father Miao said helplessly. "But the Imperial Decree has already been issued—there’s no changing it. If you don’t marry him, what else can we do?"

Miao Ansu whispered, "We have so many sisters in the family. The nobles in the palace and the Song family have never seen me—couldn’t you just send someone else in my place?"

Father Miao was horrified. "Nonsense! That’s deceiving the emperor—a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations! Do you want to doom our entire family?" Fearing his daughter would continue to argue and spout even more outrageous words, he shook off her hand and sternly declared, "Stop these wild thoughts. Stay at home quietly and prepare for your wedding. If you dare act recklessly, don’t blame me for disowning you!" Then, turning to the Old Women and maids attending Miao Ansu, he warned, "If the Sixth Young Miss goes missing, I’ll sell off your entire families—the women to brothels, the men to salt mines!"

The maids and Old Women turned pale with terror, trembling as they murmured their obedience.Miao's father called in a few rough maids and threatened, "You stand guard outside the sixth young lady's room. If even a fly gets in, you'll be handed over to the slave traders!"

The maids didn't dare slack off and quickly assented.

Only then did Miao's father go to the main hall.

Miao Ansu was so angry she stomped her feet, but the entire family knew the gravity of the situation and were determined to keep watch over her. There was nothing she could do but wait for the Song family to send betrothal gifts.

Song Mo was extremely satisfied with this marriage arrangement and instructed Du Wei, "Keep an eye on the Miao family. Find an opportunity for me to meet with someone from their household."

Du Wei was puzzled.

Song Mo laughed and said, "If I don't make my stance clear, how would the Miao family dare to demand exorbitant betrothal gifts from the Song family?"

Though the Miao family was insatiably greedy, if it could give his father a headache, he didn't mind indulging their avarice.

With a smile, Song Mo turned and headed to Jing'an Temple Alley—Dou Zhao had taken the children back to her parents' home for a short stay.

※※※※※

Song Han's mind was in turmoil.

He had wanted to marry a daughter of the Jiang family, renowned for their loyalty and integrity, not this obscure sixth young lady of the Miao family!

Why had the Empress suddenly bestowed this marriage upon him?

Did his elder brother know about this?

Father had gone to the Third Princess Consort's residence—was there any chance things could change?

Clutching at this slim hope, Song Han waited in the main hall of Cassia Fragrance Courtyard for Song Yichun.

When he heard that Song Yichun had returned, he hurried out to meet him.

"Father," he said, his gaze full of expectation, "what did the Third Princess Consort say?"

"What could he say?" Song Yichun couldn't hide his dejection. "We can only go to the palace to express gratitude and discuss the marriage with the Miao family."

Song Han fell silent and helped Song Yichun into the inner chambers.

As the maids attended to Song Yichun's change of clothes, he couldn't resist asking, "Father, do you know what kind of family this Wanping Miao family is?"

Mentioning this only worsened Song Yichun's mood.

"They're Consort Miao's maternal family," he said irritably. "They used to run a grocery store, but after Consort Miao gained favor in the palace, they switched to the construction business. With all the recent changes in the Ministry of Works officials and the family losing their backing, they've been living off past gains."

In other words, they were a family in decline!

Song Han felt deeply humiliated, his face flushing red with anger, his hands involuntarily clenching into fists.

How could he show his face in public after this?

Especially when Song Mo had married the niece of Grand Secretary Dou from the Dou Family of the Northern Mansion, whose father-in-law was a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations and a scholar of the Imperial Academy... Wouldn't he forever be overshadowed by Song Mo?

This marriage to a Miao daughter benefited no one but Song Mo—no wonder Father suspected Song Mo's involvement.

But how had Song Mo managed it?

Suddenly, Song Han felt he had been naive and foolish all along.

Rather than trusting others, it was better to trust himself.

No matter whose idea it was to make him marry the Miao family's sixth young lady, they wouldn't get their way! Even if she did marry into the family, he would make sure she knew that being Song Han's wife was no easy task!

Having made up his mind, Song Han felt slightly calmer and softly asked Song Yichun, "Father, elder brother had already entered official service before his marriage. Now that I'm about to marry, could you ask the Emperor for an official post for me? It would prevent me from being idle and looked down upon by my in-laws."

Song Yichun's expression darkened. "Isn't studying enough?""All occupations are base, only the study of books is exalted," Song Han hurriedly replied. "How could I ever think studying is unimportant? It's just that worldly people are short-sighted. Studying takes ten to twenty years to show results, and I'm afraid of being ridiculed. This is merely a way to cope with outsiders' perceptions, a last resort."

Song Yichun was quite satisfied with his answer, nodding slightly. "Tomorrow I will enter the palace to express gratitude for the imperial favor. I'll mention this to the Emperor then. After all, your marriage was bestowed by the palace. Having a respectable position would be like adding flowers to brocade, making the marriage more honorable."

Song Han bowed respectfully and said, "Yes," secretly relieved.

But Song Yichun felt somewhat uneasy.

The Empress Dowager had always been harsh toward Consort Miao, treating her with disdain. Now that Song Han was marrying Consort Miao's grandniece, he wondered if the Empress Dowager would take a dislike to Song Han because of it. If she truly held a grudge, it would be troublesome indeed!

The thought made his head throb with pain, and he called loudly for Tao Qizhong.

Instead, Zeng Wu entered.

With a fawning smile, Zeng Wu stepped forward to greet Song Yichun. "Mr. Tao hasn't returned yet after going out earlier."

Song Yichun frowned.

This Tao Qizhong was becoming increasingly sluggish in his duties.

Was it because of his age?

Should he consider replacing his adviser?

Song Yichun stood there pondering.

Ever since his falling out with Song Mo, Tao Qizhong's strategies against Song Mo had been too mild, failing to produce any significant effect. Clearly, he was still wary of Song Mo's status as the heir of the Duke of Yingguo's household and didn't dare act boldly. Previously, Song Yichun had overlooked this, allowing Song Mo to grow stronger over time.

If Tao Qizhong left, replacing him with another adviser would mean no one would hold him back.

Song Yichun nodded to himself and headed to his study.

※※※※※

Meanwhile, Song Mo was sitting in the main hall of the eastern wing of the Dou family's upper residence at Jing'an Temple. His father-in-law was holding his son, already grinning from ear to ear, his eyes crinkling with joy.

"How can this child be so well-behaved?" Dou Shiying, who now rushed home from his official duties every day just to hold his grandson, couldn't bear to put him down. "I remember when Shou Gu was this age, she cried all the time, nonstop, until my head ached. I had to retreat to the study in the outer courtyard to rest. It wasn't until she was six months old that I dared get close enough to see what she looked like." He concluded, "Yuan Ge'er's temperament must take after you!"

Song Mo was overjoyed inside.

But in front of his father-in-law, he restrained himself to maintain dignity, merely smiling modestly. "You flatter me, Father."

Dou Zhao, who had just finished tidying Song Mo's room, lifted the curtain and entered, hearing every word. Suddenly, she felt a pang of emotion.Some people mature early, while others mature late. Father and Wei Tingyu both belonged to the latter category. Though they were not young when they married, they still had childlike temperaments. Even after becoming fathers, it took them a long time to adjust. Thus, they would simply avoid the children when they cried, which also had to do with their personalities. Song Mo, however, was the exact opposite—he never shied away from problems and always sought to understand things thoroughly. If the child cried in the middle of the night, he would ask if the baby was hungry or needed a diaper change, or if his own way of holding the child was too stiff and uncomfortable. After a few tries, the child would sleep especially soundly in his arms. Though she took care of the child herself, with Song Mo’s help, she actually found it easier than in her past life when she had been surrounded by a crowd of wet nurses, maids, and old women.

She chuckled softly and gave a light cough.

Dou Shiying looked somewhat embarrassed.

Song Mo quickly said, "Finished packing? Father-in-law was just telling me about your childhood. I never knew you were so mischievous back then."

He was quick to help his father-in-law out of the awkward moment, earning a grateful look in return.

Dou Zhao found it amusing. While replying, "Everything’s packed," she reached out to take the child.

Dou Shiying sidestepped, avoiding her hand, and said, "The baby’s sleeping soundly. What if you wake him up when you take him? Let me keep holding him."

The old man had already been holding the child for nearly two hours, yet he didn’t seem to mind his arms getting sore.

Helpless, Dou Zhao shot Song Mo a pleading glance.

But Song Mo pretended not to notice, averting his gaze as he sipped his tea.

This guy—only knows how to curry favor with his father-in-law!

Dou Zhao glared at Song Mo.

Song Mo couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.

When a child turns one month old, the maternal family traditionally invites the grandchild over to acknowledge their roots, and the son-in-law must leave after escorting them there.

The only reason he could stay overnight at Jing'an Temple Alley was because he had managed to win his father-in-law’s favor.

At a time like this, he had no choice but to play dumb.