Seeing his son-in-law siding with him, Dou Shiying secretly felt pleased and found Song Mo even more agreeable. He asked, "I heard your second son is getting married? Has the betrothal date been set? We'd like to join the celebration when the time comes."
Although Dou Shiying knew there were complications regarding Song Han's background, he always believed these were grievances between the older generation and had nothing to do with Song Han himself. As long as Song Han remained Song Mo's younger brother, Dou Shiying, as Song Mo's father-in-law, felt obliged to maintain appearances for Song Mo's sake.
Song Mo regarded Dou Shiying as a father and naturally didn't want him involved in such messy affairs. He quickly smiled and replied, "Since this is an imperial-bestowed marriage, there are many formalities to observe. The betrothal and wedding dates must first receive approval from the palace—it's quite troublesome. I'll have Liao Bifeng come invite you when the time comes."
His implication was clear: it was better for Dou Shiying not to get involved.
Dou Shiying found Song Mo's reasoning sound. Being someone who disliked social engagements, he was quite satisfied with this arrangement.
Dou Zhao was staying at her parental home, residing in the eastern wing of the upper courtyard, while Song Mo was accommodated in the small study of the eastern wing. With nothing else to do, Dou Zhao had her maid bring her needlework and listened to Dou Shiying and Song Mo chat while she worked.
Suddenly, Dou Shishu paid a visit.
Dou Shiying was very surprised. "At this hour?"
The city was already under curfew.
He handed the child to Dou Zhao and said, "I'll go see what's the matter."
Song Mo stood up to see Dou Shiying off, reassuring him, "The palace has been calm these past few days. Fifth Uncle might be here for some other matter."
Dou Shiying nodded and went to the outer courtyard study.
Dou Shishu was still in his official robes, seated in the Grand Preceptor's Chair in the study, drinking tea. When Dou Shiying entered, he didn't stand on ceremony and got straight to the point: "The Emperor wants to educate the imperial eldest grandson. I'm thinking of recommending you to teach the 'Thousand Family Poems.' Are you confident?"
However, Dou Shiying was reluctant to get involved in such matters. Frowning, he said, "I'm of a reserved temperament. Fifth Brother, do you have any other candidates?"
"Sixth Brother is even less suitable!" Dou Shishu replied. "He may seem steady, but he's careless with details. Sending him to the palace would be doing him a disservice."
Dou Shiying felt this matter had come too suddenly and wasn't as simple as Dou Shishu made it out to be. Remembering that Song Mo was present, he said, "Let me think it over carefully."
After all, this involved tutoring the imperial eldest grandson, the future Crown Prince. Dou Shishu hadn't expected Dou Shiying to agree immediately and nodded. After inquiring about Dou Shiying's studies, he took his leave.
Dou Shiying saw him to the main gate.
Noticing the carriage parked in the sedan hall, Dou Shishu suddenly slapped his forehead in realization. "Is Yantang here?"
"Yes!" Dou Shiying's face lit up with a smile at the mention of his son-in-law. "He came to see Shou Gu and Yuan Ge'er. I invited him to stay the night. Since I didn't know what you wanted to discuss, I didn't bring him along."
Dou Shishu said, "It's getting late. I won't see him now, but pass on my regards." He then hurriedly boarded his sedan.
Dou Shiying, now cautious, instructed a page to follow him.
The page returned and reported, "Fifth Master went toward Chang'an Street."
The Six Ministries, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review were all located on Chang'an Street.
Dou Shiying gave a noncommittal "Hmm" and returned to the eastern wing, where he told Song Mo about Dou Shishu's visit.
Song Mo broke out in a cold sweat.
If Dou Shiying agreed to tutor the imperial eldest grandson, he would be labeled as part of the Crown Prince's faction. Should Liao Wang succeed in his ambitions, Dou Shiying would surely face dire consequences!He quickly replied, "Fortunately, Father-in-law, you are noble and incorruptible, unmoved by power and influence, and didn't immediately agree to Fifth Uncle's proposal. Seeing how anxious Fifth Uncle is, I suspect it's largely related to the ministers in the Grand Secretariat. Let me make a round in the palace tomorrow. There's no hurry for Father-in-law to make a decision."
Dou Shiying felt extremely pleased upon hearing this and nodded repeatedly. Noticing how late it was, he repeatedly urged them to take good care of Yuan Ge'er before retiring to his room.
Dou Zhao smiled faintly and teased Song Mo, "Your father-in-law is noble and incorruptible, unmoved by power and influence?"
Song Mo, however, replied earnestly, "I meant every word! If it were someone else, knowing they might become the Imperial Tutor, they would likely agree immediately. Only someone as indifferent to fame and wealth as Father-in-law would hesitate." He added, "I never misjudge people."
Dou Zhao could only sigh.
It seemed that fate played a role in how people perceived each other.
In her past life, Wei Tingyu had considered her father weak and incompetent. Now, in this life, Song Mo saw him as indifferent to fame and wealth.
She set aside her needlework and said softly, "You have to go to the palace tomorrow, so why not rest early? It's not as close to Chang'an Street as home, so you'll probably have to rise by the hour of Yin."
Song Mo blinked at her and whispered, "Won't you accompany me?"
Dou Zhao gently pinched his waist and said, "I'll deal with you when we get back."
Song Mo laughed heartily and retired to the southern room, which had been converted into a small study.
Dou Zhao, meanwhile, slept in the northern room with the child and the wet nurse.
Early the next morning, while Dou Zhao and the child were still asleep, Song Mo and Dou Shiying had already left Jing'an Temple Alley together.
Dou Shiying went to the Imperial Academy, while Song Mo headed to the Golden Guard's duty room in the palace.
Colleagues congratulated Song Mo on Song Han's betrothal.
Song Mo smiled and returned their greetings one by one. Only Dong Qi gave him a meaningful glance and remarked indifferently, "The Song family truly has double happiness," before heading to his own duty room.
Families with some influence had their own ways of gathering information, and the discord between the Empress Dowager and Consort Miao was no secret. Song Han marrying Consort Miao's grandniece was seen by those in the know as anything but a good match.
In the past, Song Mo would have racked his brains to sabotage this marriage, but now... he couldn't care less.
After changing into his court robes and making his rounds in the palace, Song Mo hesitated over whether to directly inquire with the Chief Eunuch Wang Yuan or visit the Court of State Ceremonial when he encountered the Crown Prince's palanquin.
Song Mo stepped aside to make way.
However, a close attendant of the Crown Prince hurried over and said respectfully, "Lord Song, His Highness requests your presence."
Song Mo approached and bowed to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "I've just come from the Golden Hall. His Majesty and several Grand Secretaries are deliberating in the study. Why don't you accompany me to the Eastern Palace for a while?"
Three years ago, the Crown Prince had begun observing state affairs, and during the Emperor's retreats to the Eastern Park, he would handle state affairs on the Emperor's behalf, assisted by the Grand Secretaries.
Song Mo replied with a smile, "As you wish," and followed the Crown Prince to the Eastern Palace.
The Crown Prince inquired about Song Han's betrothal: "I heard it was Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's idea. Why would Her Majesty have such thoughts? If Yantang has some free time, perhaps you could pay Her Majesty a visit."
The vast disparity in status between the two families made this less a betrothal and more a slap in the face.
The Crown Prince subtly hinted that the Empress Dowager might have some misunderstanding about the Song family and suggested Song Mo clarify matters with her.
Song Mo had long wanted to sever ties with Song Han.Now was the time to act.
He forced a faint, bitter smile and said respectfully, "The Empress Dowager has always shown great kindness to the Song family. For Tianen to receive her favor and be granted this marriage, it is only right that I go to thank Her Majesty in person. Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness."
The Crown Prince noticed his lack of joy and hesitated to press further, instead shifting the topic to Yuan Ge'er and the Third Imperial Grandson: "...What a coincidence! Not only are their birthdays just a day apart, but their names are also quite similar."
Song Mo exchanged pleasantries for a while until the Crown Prince's tutor arrived to remind him of his studies. Taking his leave from the Eastern Palace, Song Mo headed to the Directorate of Ceremonial.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince sent someone to inquire about Song Han's betrothal.
The Empress Dowager had no intention of keeping the matter secret, and Shi Taifei, eager to see the Song family become a laughingstock, helped spread the news. Within half an hour, word of Song Han's situation reached the Crown Prince.
He was horrified.
After the initial shock, he privately congratulated himself for not foolishly promoting Song Han.
His thoughts then turned to Liao Wang.
The Crown Prince's birth mother had passed away early, and in his youth, he had been cared for by Empress Wan. Even after she became empress, she treated him with the same respectful affection as before, and he regarded her as his own mother. But Liao Wang... had grown increasingly aggressive in recent years. Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder—was Empress Wan secretly behind it?
Yet this suspicion remained buried deep in his heart, something he dared not share with anyone.
Not even his closest confidante, the Crown Princess.
Recalling Song Mo's bitter smile, the Crown Prince suddenly felt a kinship with him.
Faced with such circumstances, Song Mo truly had no choice but to force a smile.
Pacing in his study, the Crown Prince mused that he would like to speak with Song Mo again if the opportunity arose.
※※※※※
At the Directorate of Ceremonial, Song Mo drank cup after cup of tea until it was time for the midday meal.
The palace fare was never as appetizing as home-cooked meals, and he had little appetite.
After leaving his duties, he went to the Lu residence—since Ningde Princess had secured such a fine marriage for Song Han, it was only proper that he personally express his gratitude to Old Madam Lu and the princess.
Ningde Princess was delighted to see him and said with a smile, "I did this for my own sake as well, so don’t take it to heart. Just focus on being a proper heir and avoid giving others any leverage over you."
"Cousins are as close as brothers," Song Mo replied warmly. "I have no siblings, so my cousins are like my own brothers. If there’s anything you need, Your Highness, just have them call on me."
Pleased with his words, Ningde Princess asked about Jiang Yan: "Do you plan to keep her at home, or would you like to find her another husband?"
Considering the princess's success in arranging Song Han's marriage, Song Mo answered frankly, "She’s still young. If she could remarry into a suitable family, that would be ideal."
Nodding in agreement, Ningde Princess made a mental note of the matter and invited Song Mo to stay for dinner.
But his thoughts were with his wife and child, so he excused himself, claiming he had already eaten, and finally made his way back to Jing'an Temple Alley.
He first went to pay his respects to Dou Shiying—only to find him in the eastern wing.He went to the east chamber again and told Dou Shiying what he had learned from the Directorate of Ceremonial: "The Emperor wants to select a tutor for the imperial grandson's education. He Wendao recommended Du Jialun, but the Emperor found him too rigid and favored Chen Rong from the Court of State Ceremonial instead. Chen Rong's father was once in the same cohort as Dai Jian during their Imperial Academy days, but they fell out over lecturing matters, leading Chen Rong's father to resign and return home. Dai Jian then recommended you..."
Meanwhile, Dou Shishu saw this as a golden opportunity and decided to go along with it, pretending ignorance to push Dou Shiying forward.
Dou Shiying was instantly furious upon hearing this: "Isn't this throwing me into the fire? If I succeed, I'll make an enemy of Chen Rong; if I fail, I'll be labeled as an opportunist, becoming a laughingstock among colleagues!"
From Dou Shiying's perspective, Song Mo naturally felt Dou Shishu's actions were unfair. But from the Dou family's standpoint, he found nothing wrong with Dou Shishu's approach.
He advised Dou Shiying: "Fifth Uncle means well for you. Since you're unwilling, just decline."
Dou Shiying nodded and said, "I'll go to Huai Tree Alley."
Worried that Dou Shiying might quarrel with Dou Shishu, Song Mo offered, "Shall I accompany you?"
OpenNovel