Blossom

The Pacification Office was the core department of the Imperial Bodyguard. Although the Assistant Prefect managed the internal affairs of the Imperial Bodyguard, how could handling administrative matters compare to overseeing judicial cases?

Song Mo smiled faintly and said, "The Assistant Prefect of the Imperial Bodyguard seems to hold the same rank as the Pacification Commissioner of the Pacification Office, both being fourth-grade officials, correct?"

Shi Chuan had long known Song Mo wouldn’t agree so easily. Upon hearing this, he chuckled and replied, "The Pacification Office has remained peaceful under Chen Zan Zhi’s management these past few years without any incidents. I was considering whether to petition for him to receive a hereditary captaincy to commend his contributions."

A hereditary captaincy!

Shi Chuan was truly willing to go to great lengths to secure control over the Imperial Bodyguard.

Some matters couldn’t be rushed.

Song Mo raised his cup with a smile. "Chen Zan Zhi is truly fortunate to have a superior like you, Lord Shi!"

Shi Chuan laughed heartily and clinked his cup lightly against Song Mo’s.

And so, the matter was settled.

Yet Shi Chuan felt anything but at ease.

Just how much did Song Yantang know? And to what extent?

As he gazed at Song Mo’s elegant and composed smile, uncertainty gnawed at him.

Meanwhile, at Consort Cui’s residence in the alley behind the temple, Yuan Ge’er had already fallen asleep. Dou Zhao patted her son absentmindedly while straining her ears to listen to the conversation in the main hall.

Her father, Dou Shiying, sounded bitter as he spoke: "...Why must you insist on this, Elder? The residence at Jing'an Temple Alley is so spacious, and Wang Shi often stays with her maternal family. If you were to move there, the inner household would finally have someone to take charge. Staying here—what will Yantang think of me? How will our relatives and friends perceive—"

But the grandmother’s voice remained as lighthearted as ever. "You’ve always cared too much about appearances! Yantang is our grandson-in-law. If he wishes to honor me, why should I stand on ceremony? Besides, I find this residence perfectly suited to my tastes and am quite content here. If I moved in with you, what would happen during festivals when Fifth Madam and Sixth Madam come to visit? Should they pay their respects to me or not? If they held high positions, I wouldn’t trouble them. By staying here, we can all pretend ignorance and live in peace. Why complicate things? This arrangement is just fine. Say no more—my decision is made. I’m staying here."

"But..." Dou Shiying murmured, still hoping to persuade her.

Dou Zhao, however, breathed a sigh of relief.

Song Yantang had deliberately waited until Yuan Ge’er’s hundred-day celebration before bringing the grandmother to the Capital precisely to spare her the indignity of receiving half-hearted courtesies from Fifth Madam and Sixth Madam in her old age. This way was much better—the grandmother could live quietly here, surrounded by trusted servants, while the households of Huai Shu Alley and Mao’er Alley could feign ignorance of her arrival. Neither side needed to trouble themselves with formalities, and everyone could remain at ease.

Dou Zhao handed Yuan Ge’er over to the wet nurse and stepped out of the inner chamber, lifting the curtain.

"Father, we all know how filial you are," she said soothingly. "But Consort Cui is getting on in years. Let her live as she pleases."

The grandmother nodded repeatedly, beaming. "Shou Gu understands me best!"

Dou Shiying could hardly insist further. Flustered, he added, "Then if there’s anything you lack or wish to purchase..." He trailed off, nodding toward Hong Gu, who had accompanied the grandmother to the Capital.Hong Gu quickly curtsied and said respectfully, "Seventh Master, rest assured. I will serve Consort Cui well."

Grandmother waved her hand with a smile. "Alright, enough of all this fuss. Now that I'm in the capital, there will be plenty of time to talk later. I heard from the kitchen women that Yantang specially had a basket of crabs shipped from the south. Shou Gu can't eat them, and I haven't had much of these cold-natured foods in recent years either. But since you’ve always liked them since childhood, I asked Hong Gu to fetch a jar of Huadiao wine. You’ll have dinner here tonight!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Dou Shiying's face.

He hadn’t expected his grandmother to know his eating habits... He had thought she was merely the woman who gave birth to him...

For a moment, his eyes grew moist.

He quickly lowered his head and softly replied, "Yes."

Hong Gu immediately ordered the meal to be served.

Soon, the Eight Immortals table in the main hall was laden with dishes.

The kitchen women fawned, "This is crispy pigeon, specially ordered by the Young Lord for the Old Madam. This is braised pork knuckle—the Young Lord said the Old Madam is getting on in years and should eat less sweets, so I made this dish for easier digestion. Please taste it, Old Madam, and see if it suits your palate. And this is steamed seasonal vegetables arranged in a yin-yang pattern, wishing the Old Madam boundless happiness and longevity like the southern mountain..."

Both Grandmother and Dou Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. Grandmother added, "This isn’t my birthday! No need for wishes of boundless happiness and longevity!"

The kitchen woman flushed crimson and hastily knelt. "This lowly one is uneducated and doesn’t know how to speak properly. Please forgive me, Old Madam!"

Grandmother chuckled. "There’s no need for such formalities here. Get up quickly!" She then instructed Hong Gu, who was helping the woman up, "Give her a Red Envelope." Turning back to the woman, she said, "You’ve worked hard today. Go and have your meal. Your service isn’t needed here anymore."

Seeing how amiable Grandmother was, the kitchen woman accepted the Red Envelope with delight, thanking her profusely before withdrawing.

Dou Shiying lowered his head, deciding not to bring up the matter of moving his birth mother to Jing'an Temple Alley again.

The servants there would never flatter her like this!

Who wouldn’t want to live comfortably and happily? Since she was content here, so be it.

Dou Shiying ate in silence.

Meanwhile, Dou Zhao sent two premium Red Envelopes to the kitchen woman, with Gan Lu relaying the message: "Serve the Old Madam well, and there will be further rewards."

Dou Shiying was even more generous—ten taels of silver!

This stirred envy and jealousy among the other servants in the household, who seized every opportunity to hover around Grandmother, keeping her in high spirits every day.

Of course, these were events that came later.

That evening, after Song Mo brought Dou Zhao and their child back to the residence, Dou Zhao clung tightly to him from behind, ignoring that he was in the middle of changing.

Her embrace was so tight that Song Mo could barely breathe, but he vaguely understood—his actions had moved her deeply.

Feeling both smug and inexplicably fulfilled, he gently stroked the back of her jade-smooth hand and teased, "As long as you’re happy."

"I’m very happy!" Dou Zhao pressed against his shoulder and fiercely kissed his neck.

Song Mo inhaled sharply, his body instantly aflame.

Dou Zhao laughed softly, her nimble fingers slipping into his robe.

"Shou Gu!" Song Mo’s voice deepened, rough with desire.

They had been together since the child’s full moon.Yet each time, Dou Zhao was either preoccupied with thoughts of the child or worried about milk leakage, showing little interest, which left him perpetually unsatisfied.

In her previous life, Dou Zhao hadn't breastfed her children herself, so she hadn't realized the inconveniences of nursing. But she could sense Song Mo's restraint, and the arrival of her grandmother suddenly triggered an emotional outburst in her.

She trailed kisses down his neck.

Her hands were equally busy.

Song Mo could no longer hold back. He turned and lifted her, striding toward the bed...

Gan Lu and the others waited outside for most of the night, but the room showed no signs of quieting down.

Ruo Tong was utterly exhausted, sitting in the armchair and tiptoeing around the hall.

Gan Lu said, "Go rest! It's enough for me and the two young maids to stay here. Just remember to bring two quick-handed maids tomorrow morning to tidy up Madam's bedding."

Usually at this time, items from Dou Zhao's room wouldn't be sent to the laundry room.

Gan Lu was their mentor, always looking out for them—a truly kind person. Ruo Tong didn't stand on ceremony and went to rest.

Gan Lu sat in the hall weaving knots, her mind drifting to what Dou Zhao had told her in the carriage on their way back: "One is a third-tier steward in the outer court of the Duke of Yingguo's mansion. He's your age and only has a younger sister, who's already betrothed and will marry in the next couple of years. The other is the assistant manager of the heir's silk shop—he studied for a few years and has been an apprentice since he was twelve. They say he's quite decent. Then there's Zhang Fugui's eldest son, two years younger than you, currently running errands with his father. The boy seems much more upright and steady than his father, and we know his background well. That's why I included him... Think about it and see which one suits you."

Which one suited her?

She didn't know.

Elder Sister Su Xin and Su Lan had both married and were doing well.

She felt that following their example would be enough.

As for which one was suitable, she’d leave it to Madam to decide!

She trusted Madam completely!

At this thought, her face burned, and she couldn’t help but listen carefully for sounds from the inner chamber.

Faint laughter from Dou Zhao drifted over—joyful, with an indescribable hint of allure.

Gan Lu couldn’t help but smile too.

Madam was truly living well!

She lowered her head and continued weaving her knots.

※※※※※

Chen Jia, however, was filled with dread and unease.

Just before leaving duty, Shi Chuan suddenly summoned him to the Imperial Bodyguard office. After a lengthy speech praising him, he was informed that starting the next day, he would be promoted to Assistant Prefect of the Imperial Bodyguard, and his duties would be handed over to Liu Yu, a Qianhu officer of the Imperial Bodyguard. He was to complete the handover within two days.

This was a blatant promotion in name but a demotion in reality!

Everyone knew he was Song Mo's man, while Liu Yu was Shi Chuan's trusted subordinate.

Was this Song Mo punishing him over the Jiang Yan incident? Or had he unwittingly gotten entangled in Shao Wenji's affairs, earning Shi Chuan's wariness?

Whether it was the former or the latter, in the face of heavyweights like Song Mo and Shi Chuan, he was nothing but an ant.

What should he do?

He paced back and forth in his room.

Huzi watched from the side, biting his lip.

The next day, he claimed a headache and didn’t accompany Chen Jia to the Pacification Office.

But the moment Chen Jia left, Huzi headed straight for the Duke of Yingguo's mansion to find Duan Gongyi.Duan Gongyi was quite close to Chen Jia, so he naturally knew Huzi.

When Huzi said he had been sent by Chen Jia to see Jiang Yan, Duan Gongyi didn’t think much of it and had someone pass the message to Yinghong.

But in front of Yinghong, Huzi refused to say anything and insisted on seeing Jiang Yan directly.

Yinghong knew Jiang Yan had asked Chen Xi to inquire about Li Liang’s whereabouts, so she didn’t dare to stop him and went to inform Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan was very surprised when she heard this.

She quickly met with Huzi.