Blossom

Dou Zhao asked, "Are you worried about what the Eastern Dou family might say?"

Sixth Madam had been virtuous all her life, yet in her later years, she might be seen as greedy and heartless because of her son's adoption, which would surely feel like a knife to her heart.

To everyone's surprise, Sixth Madam shook her head and whispered, "Even if your twelfth brother is adopted into the Western Dou family, wouldn't he still be a descendant of the Dou family? The elders might see further and deeper, and may not be unwilling. But I always feel your father is still young and might yet have his own heir. The best solution would be for your father to take a concubine or a bedroom servant." She paused here, unable to continue.

Dou Zhao understood Sixth Madam's meaning.

After Dou Ming's falling out with Father, he was so disappointed that he almost cut ties with her. Now, the only one who could speak to him was Dou Zhao herself.

If Dou Dechang were adopted and Father passed away without leaving a will, by law, he could inherit half of the Western Dou family's property, with the remaining half divided equally between Dou Zhao and Dou Ming. The Eastern Dou family would naturally be pleased with this outcome.

But Sixth Aunt and Sixth Uncle still hoped Father could have his own heir.

However, Dou Zhao's birth mother had committed suicide by hanging because Father took a concubine. Sixth Aunt wanted Dou Zhao to persuade Father but couldn't bring herself to say it outright.

Dou Zhao appreciated Sixth Aunt's kindness. She thought that since her mother had been gone for so many years and Father had been lonely all this time, it might not be a bad thing if he could forget the past and start anew.

She smiled and said, "I'll ask Father what he thinks."

Sixth Madam sighed in relief and gently patted her hand. "I'm glad you can let go of the past. That puts my mind at ease."

Though she knew this was the right course of action, Dou Zhao still felt a pang of melancholy. When she met Miao Ansu later, her absent-mindedness showed in her conversation.

Miao Ansu found this odd and tried probing a few times without success. Just as she was about to try a more indirect approach, Dou Zhao's elder cousin-in-law, Sixth Cousin-in-law Guo Shi, and Tenth Cousin-in-law Cai Shi arrived to offer congratulations.

Seeing Sixth Madam Ji there, the three greeted her respectfully and then playfully demanded Dou Zhao treat them to a lavish banquet.

Dou Zhao cheerfully agreed. Soon after, Madam An, the wife of the Yan'an Marquis's heir, and Third Madam Feng of the Jingguo Duke's residence arrived together.

Cai Shi, who was naturally sociable and had met both Madam An and Madam Feng before, teased them during the greetings, "I didn’t expect you two to come together."

Madam An smiled without a word.

Madam Feng replied, "We happened to meet on the way."

Before she could finish speaking, a maid announced the arrival of three ladies from the Lu family.

Everyone exchanged warm greetings again.

The room soon buzzed with lively chatter and laughter.

Miao Ansu had no choice but to set aside her curiosity for the time being.

That night, Dou Zhao tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Song Mo pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Tomorrow, I'll accompany you to the temple to offer incense for your mother. Let her pass on peacefully, free from worldly concerns, and be reborn into a life of prosperity and happiness."

His warm embrace eased the inexplicable sorrow in Dou Zhao's heart.

She chuckled lightly. "Who knows? Maybe Mother has already been reborn!"

"Exactly," Song Mo seized the moment to console her. "So while we’re still struggling in this world, let’s not make it harder on ourselves."

Dou Zhao remained silent.

Suddenly, Song Mo playfully nipped at her chest.

Dou Zhao was startled.Because there was only a thin layer of single clothing separating them, a sharp pain shot through her chest.

"You're insane!" she pushed him away in mild anger.

"Doing something will lift your spirits," Song Mo said nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow with a sly smile as his hand slipped into her garment.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Your hands are freezing—take them out now!"

"Really!" Song Mo nibbled her ear, whispering, "How nice... you can warm them up for me..."

Soon, the room was filled with sounds that would make anyone blush.

The next day when Dou Zhao woke up, Song Mo had already left for the yamen. Stretching her slightly sore body, she indeed felt much better.

She instructed Duan Gongyi to arrange a visit to the Great Xiangguo Temple the following day to offer incense.

After marrying into the Duke of England's Mansion, Dou Zhao had lit an eternal lamp at the Great Xiangguo Temple in memory of her mother.

Duan Gongyi quickly made all the necessary arrangements.

Song Mo asked her to postpone the trip by two days: "Once I finish these tasks, I'll have time."

Shao Wenji had suddenly been thrown into the Imperial prison without any handover of duties, forcing Song Mo to invite officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel to witness the inventory of the Golden Guard's belongings. He also had to ensure their small treasury remained undisclosed, leaving him swamped.

"I'm just going to offer incense, not on an outing," Dou Zhao chuckled. "You rarely get time off—I want to save your breaks for when we can go out together."

Song Mo felt warmth spread through his heart.

He repeatedly reminded Jiang Yan to take good care of Dou Zhao and even had Xia Lian accompany them to the Great Xiangguo Temple.

Jiang Yan, nervous and flustered, kept asking, "Sister-in-law, did you bring a cloak?" then, "Sister-in-law, did you pack the salted plums for the road?" and later, "Sister-in-law, should we take a carriage or a sedan chair?"—acting as if she were in charge.

Dou Zhao couldn't help laughing and pulled her to sit beside her, saying, "The maids will handle these things. You just need to come along to relax—that’s what your brother intended too."

Jiang Yan smiled sheepishly.

The two went to the Great Xiangguo Temple to offer incense.

The abbot himself came out to greet them.

Kneeling before the compassionate Guanyin, Dou Zhao was suddenly overwhelmed, tears streaming down her face.

The abbot, accustomed to sorrowful women from noble households, pretended not to notice.

Dou Zhao wiped her tears, stood quietly in the hall until her emotions settled, then left the Mahavira Hall.

The abbot invited her to stay for a vegetarian meal, but she politely declined.

She decided to visit Jing'an Temple Alley in the afternoon.

As she descended the temple steps, she encountered Ji Yong.

Dressed in a gray Taoist robe with a bamboo hairpin, Ji Yong looked every bit the immortal as he walked beside a handsome monk, speaking in low tones.

Dou Zhao was surprised.

The man beside Ji Yong was none other than Defu.

How had these two ended up together?

She wondered silently.

As if sensing her gaze, Ji Yong suddenly looked up and spotted her.

Recognition lit his eyes with a gentle warmth.

After whispering a few words to Defu, the latter studied Dou Zhao curiously before both approached.

Dou Zhao greeted Ji Yong and introduced Jiang Yan to him.

Jiang Yan blushed, lowering her head as she hastily curtsied.

Ji Yong glanced at her and said to Dou Zhao, "So this is Yantang’s swapped sister?"

Dou Zhao coughed lightly.Ji Yong chuckled. "Don't try to deceive yourself—the whole Capital already knows..." His tone remained as arrogant and unrestrained as ever.

Dou Zhao cut him off: "So what if I'm deceiving myself? At least people know we don't want to discuss this matter."

It had been a long time since Ji Yong last saw Dou Zhao, and he didn't want to argue with her. He mumbled a few sounds of agreement, effectively dropping the subject.

Defu, who had already paid respects to the abbot, showed a flicker of surprise before clasping his hands together in a bow to Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao and Jiang Yan quickly curtsied in return.

Ji Yong then asked Dou Zhao, "Why did Song Yantang let you come to Great Xiangguo Temple alone to offer incense? Where's your son? I heard his milk name is Yuan Ge'er? When he turned one month old, I was on imperial orders in Fujian, so I asked my aunt to bring him a longevity lock. It was blessed by an enlightened monk from Mount Putuo—you should hang it by his bed to ward off evil spirits!"

Dou Zhao broke out in a cold sweat.

Here he was, in front of the abbot and Defu of Great Xiangguo Temple, telling her that a longevity lock blessed by a monk from Mount Putuo could ward off evil spirits—it was like praising Aunt Li's melons in front of Aunt Wang's stall...

She quickly glanced at the abbot and Defu, only to find them perfectly composed, as if they hadn't heard a thing.

What was going on here?

Dou Zhao's mind was in turmoil, so she simply asked, "What were you doing in Fujian? Did everything go smoothly?"

Ji Yong replied, "I went as a censor! Didn't you know? After Duke Ding's death, Fujian has been in chaos—Japanese pirates frequently raid the coast, killing and plundering. It's no exaggeration to say the people are living in misery. The Emperor sent me to observe the anti-piracy efforts there."

Duke Ding hadn't even been posthumously rehabilitated yet!

Even so, you shouldn't discuss government affairs so openly in public!

Dou Zhao glanced again at the abbot and Defu.

The abbot remained impassive, but Defu smiled and said, "Madam Song, there's no need to worry. I find Lord Ji's words quite reasonable."

Dou Zhao was mortified.

Ji Yong laughed heartily and said to her, "You should head back soon, shouldn't you? Don't let Yuan Ge'er cry for you. I've arranged to debate scriptures with Monk Defu today, so I won't entertain you further. Next time you visit Great Xiangguo Temple, let me know—I'll treat you to their famous sweet and sour fish."

Debate scriptures?

Not at Longshan Temple but here at Great Xiangguo Temple?

Dou Zhao wanted to say something but felt nothing would be appropriate. She smiled and nodded at Ji Yong before boarding the carriage with Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan exhaled in relief and said, "Sister-in-law, who is this Lord Ji? He seems very difficult to get along with..." She patted her chest, still visibly shaken.

Her intuition was quite sharp!

Dou Zhao explained her relationship with the Ji family to Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan said seriously, "Sister-in-law, it would be best if you had less contact with him!"

Dou Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

For some reason, both siblings disliked Ji Yong.

Upon returning home, Dou Zhao asked Gan Lu to find the longevity lock Ji Yong had sent for Yuan Ge'er.

There had been so many gifts for Yuan Ge'er's one-month celebration that she hadn't realized Ji Yong had also sent something.

Gan Lu searched high and low but couldn't find the longevity lock from Ji Yong.

Dou Zhao said, "Could it have gotten mixed up with the gifts from Sixth Aunt?"

"I checked the gift list carefully," Gan Lu replied. "Sixth Madam sent two longevity locks—one gold-inlaid with jade, the other silver with carved characters. Lord Ji only sent one, so it should be separate." As she spoke, she opened the box containing the longevity locks to show Dou Zhao.

It truly wasn't there.Where could that thing have gone?

All items were supposed to be listed on the gift registry, so it's unlikely someone took it.

Dou Zhao asked, "Have you checked the gift registry? Could it have been accidentally omitted?"

Gift registries were usually written by the gift givers, so the chance of omission was slim, but couldn't be completely ruled out.

Gan Lu hurried to check the registry.

Ruo Tong came in to report that the carriage was ready.

Dou Zhao wanted to reach Jing'an Temple Alley before her father finished his official duties. Seeing that time was running short, she had to temporarily set this matter aside and departed for Jing'an Temple Alley.