Blossom

After all, Wang Yingxue was still alive, while Zhao Guqiu had passed away over a decade ago.

He couldn't help but slap his thigh in excitement and said, "That's a brilliant idea! Let's do it!" After finishing dinner, he immediately headed to Elm Tree Alley.

When Fifth Madam heard about it, she remarked, "Both Sixth Sister-in-law and I had thought of this, but neither of us felt it appropriate to bring it up. Who would have thought Seventh Uncle would suddenly come around?"

Dou Shishu also smiled and said, "His actions these days have been much more methodical than before."

Fifth Madam nodded, gazing at the silver strands appearing at her husband's temples with a pang of heartache. "If they can settle things smoothly, you’ll have less to worry about."

Dou Shishu gave his wife a gentle smile and handed her an inkstick, saying, "Here, help me grind some ink. I’ll write a letter to Second Brother to add a note in the family registry."

Fifth Madam responded with a smile, rolling up her sleeves to quietly grind the ink for her husband.

Meanwhile, Dou Zhao, who had returned home, "rewarded" Song Mo generously. Amid his delight, Song Mo grew slightly uneasy and asked, "Has something happened?"

Dou Zhao found this both amusing and exasperating. She shot him a glance and retorted, "What could possibly have happened?"

Song Mo chuckled, unwilling to let go of his "benefits." He pulled the half-naked Dou Zhao into his arms and whispered, "I want to enter from behind again."

As he spoke, his hardness pressed insistently against her inner thigh.

Dou Zhao hadn’t expected him to be in the mood again so soon and was startled. She gave him a sidelong glance and scolded, "Haven’t you caused enough chaos already?"

Unaware that her face was flushed like rosy clouds, her glance resembled dewdrops on a begonia—indescribably alluring and delicate—only fueling Song Mo’s desire further.

"Let them come in and clean up later," he murmured, his hands already cupping her fullness as he pressed her down onto the bed.

Dou Zhao, stirred by his touch, surrendered and closed her eyes, letting him have his way.

The next morning, the wet nurse brought Yuan Ge'er for his feeding.

Dou Zhao was too embarrassed to even look at her son’s face. She forced herself to remain composed and instructed the wet nurse, "You feed him this morning!"

Puzzled, the wet nurse withdrew.

Gan Lu, who was attending nearby, caught sight of the replaced bedding stained with various marks and vaguely guessed what had happened, her face burning as well.

Only Song Mo, the culprit, remained unruffled, leisurely sipping his porridge.

But the moment he stepped outside, the corners of his lips curled upward in satisfaction.

Yuan Ge'er reluctantly took a few sips from the wet nurse but started crying and nuzzling toward Dou Zhao’s arms before an hour had passed.

It was too soon—Dou Zhao’s body hadn’t fully recovered, so Yuan Ge'er only got half his fill. Within another half-hour, he was fussing again, completely disrupting his usual routine.

Dou Zhao blushed inwardly but indulged her son, letting him feed whenever he wanted. The result was Yuan Ge'er clinging to her arms without a moment’s respite. When Ruo Zhu came to report that Jiang Yan had seemed distracted lately, Dou Zhao had no choice but to carry Yuan Ge'er to Green Water Residence.

Upon closer inspection, Jiang Yan did appear thinner than before.

Dou Zhao let her play with Yuan Ge'er and asked, "Is something on your mind?"

After a moment of silence, Jiang Yan replied softly, "I’d like to go to Great Xiangguo Temple to offer incense..."

Dou Zhao found this odd, but when she pressed further, Jiang Yan only blushed and stayed silent. Thinking that her upcoming marriage might have stirred emotions she was too shy to voice, Dou Zhao smiled and agreed, arranging for a carriage and accompanying old women for the trip.Jiang Yan shyly thanked Dou Zhao and timidly asked, "Could I invite Sister Twelve to come along?"

"Having her accompany you would be wonderful." Dou Zhao had originally planned to go with her herself, but since Jiang Yan had her own close sister now, Dou Zhao was happy to step back and encouraged her to write an invitation to Jiang Lizhu.

Jiang Lizhu had been married into the Wu family for over half a year. The couple was deeply in love, and life was smooth, yet for some reason, she hadn’t conceived. Though her mother-in-law comforted her, saying these things couldn’t be rushed, she still felt anxious as if her heart were on fire. She had been considering whether to visit Guanyin Bodhisattva to offer incense when she received Jiang Yan’s invitation and gladly accepted.

Madam Wu, having endured the journey from daughter-in-law to mother-in-law herself, understood Jiang Lizhu’s feelings well. She personally arranged for the incense and saw Jiang Lizhu off in the carriage.

Song Mo also hoped Jiang Yan would socialize more with friends. When he learned she was going to the Great Xiangguo Temple to offer incense, he even gave her a hundred taels of silver as a donation.

Jiang Yan declined.

Song Mo’s face immediately darkened.

Dou Zhao quickly signaled Jiang Yan with her eyes.

Only then did Jiang Yan belatedly realize her mistake. She hurriedly accepted the silver and thanked Song Mo before retreating in distress.

Song Mo couldn’t help but press his temples.

Dou Zhao chuckled and stretched out her palm in front of him, teasing, "The jeweler will bring the bridal jewelry for Sister Yan today. I want a pearl headband!"

Song Mo laughed and pulled her onto his lap, nibbling her ear as he whispered, "Even I belong to you—how could I deny you a pearl headband? Forget the headband; I’ll make you a jeweled necklace instead. How about that?"

"Who wears a jeweled necklace every day?" Dou Zhao teased back. "You just don’t want to grant my wish."

Song Mo’s hand slipped into her collar as he joked, "Let me have a taste, and I’ll make you both—the pearl headband and the jeweled necklace..."

Dou Zhao surrendered, jumping up from his lap.

Song Mo laughed heartily, thoroughly delighted, and tugged at her to keep her from leaving.

As the couple playfully tussled, Wuyi announced from behind the curtain, "Young Lord, Geng Li is here."

Song Mo released Dou Zhao, gently kissed her cheek, and murmured, "I’ll be back soon."

Obediently, Dou Zhao straightened his collar and saw him out of the inner chamber. She stood at the doorway, watching until his figure disappeared beyond the main courtyard before returning inside.

Though Song Mo remained composed, she had sensed his slight tension at the mention of "Geng Li."

She summoned Liu Zhang, one of Du Wei’s pages left in the residence, and asked if he knew of Geng Li.

The more he knew, the more he understood Dou Zhao’s standing in Song Mo’s heart—and the more cautious he became.

Liu Zhang’s teeth chattered as he replied, "I know of him. He’s Liao Wang’s top adviser."

Dou Zhao was stunned. Dismissing Liu Zhang, she sat restlessly by the window on the heated brick bed, waiting for Song Mo’s return.

Now that he had become the Metropolitan Commander, Liao Wang’s influence had finally reached Song Mo.

Was this fate’s design?

If so, was Liao Wang’s ascension to the throne also heaven’s will?

Lost in thought, Dou Zhao didn’t even notice the tea dripping onto her horse-face skirt.

Maids rushed over to attend to her.

When Song Mo returned, his expression was calm, but his eyes held a trace of amusement.

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but feel puzzled.Song Mo waited until Dou Zhao had changed her clothes and all the attendants had left the room before smiling and asking, "Guess what? What did Geng Li come to see me for?"

Dou Zhao could tell from his demeanor that his conversation with Geng Li had gone smoothly. She teased, "Could it be that he came to bring you gifts?"

"Not quite, but close enough," Song Mo said, winking at her. "Geng Li came on behalf of Liao Wang to propose marriage to A-Yan as his Madam."

Dou Zhao was shocked and exclaimed, "A formally titled Madam?"

Song Mo nodded. "If we agree to this marriage, he will immediately submit a memorial to the Emperor for approval. He even brought the draft memorial with him."

This matter was too significant. Dou Zhao’s heart raced, and she barely managed to suppress the words "absolutely not." Worried, she asked Song Mo, "What are you planning to do?"

Song Mo replied, "Naturally, I’ll decline politely!" His expression turned cold. "A-Yan has suffered enough. I have no intention of letting her marry far away."

Dou Zhao blushed at her own momentary hesitation.

She then asked, "What about Chen Jia and Yan-mei’s marriage?"

Song Mo frowned and gritted his teeth. "That boy is getting off too easy."

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but laugh.

Suddenly, Wuyi rushed in, panicked. "Young Lord! Madam! Something terrible has happened—Cousin was abducted on her way to Great Xiangguo Temple!"

Song Mo shot to his feet, his voice sharp. "What did you say? Where is Zhu Yicheng?"

Dou Zhao also stood up in alarm.

Zhu Yicheng had been the one accompanying her today.

Great Xiangguo Temple was one of the most popular Buddhist temples in the Capital, with countless worshippers daily. Who would dare to kidnap someone in such a heavily guarded area?

She looked at Song Mo.

Song Mo was already striding toward the door, sternly instructing Wuyi as he went, "Summon Xia Lian immediately! Prepare my horse!"

Wuyi responded with a quick "Yes" and hurried out.

Dou Zhao called out, "Yantang!" and added, "Let Duan Gongyi go with you too!"

Song Mo nodded and swiftly exited the main courtyard.

Dou Zhao, still uneasy, followed.

Just then, she saw Song Mo leap onto his horse, tugging the reins as he roared at Wuyi, "Bring me my bow!"

Xia Lian, Duan Gongyi, and the others were already armed and ready to depart.

Dou Zhao’s heart pounded with fear.

In their past life, Song Mo had shot and killed the Crown Prince with an arrow.

Unable to restrain herself, she ran forward and grabbed Song Mo’s robe, urgently pleading, "Yan-mei is a young woman. You can’t let this become a public scandal."

Song Mo’s brows were dark with fury, but after a brief pause, he nodded.

Dou Zhao sighed in relief.

Wuyi returned carrying Song Mo’s bow.

From outside the gate came the sound of urgent hoofbeats.

Everyone turned to look.

Chen Jia, his face deathly pale, rushed in through the main gate.

Seeing the scene in the courtyard, he froze momentarily before his expression quickly turned resolute.

He clasped his fists toward Song Mo and said, "My lord, let me go with you!"

Song Mo, mounted on his horse, gazed down at Chen Jia with icy eyes, silent for a long moment.

Chen Jia was taken aback.

Song Mo said coldly, "Liao Wang just sent someone to propose marriage to A-Yan as his Madam. I politely refused, and now, right after, A-Yan is kidnapped. Do you still want to come with me?"

All color drained from Chen Jia’s face, leaving him even paler than before.

Slowly, he knelt before Song Mo and solemnly kowtowed three times. In a firm voice, he said, "My lord, please take me with you!"Song Mo curled his lips into a smile and rode out of the mansion.

Xia Lian and the others clattered after him in a rush.

Left behind were Dou Zhao, surrounded by her maids, and Chen Jia kneeling alone in the middle of the courtyard.

Dou Zhao’s eyes moistened as she softly said to Chen Jia, “Blades and arrows have no eyes—be careful.”

Chen Jia clasped his hands in salute toward Dou Zhao, then swiftly ran out of the Duke of Yingguo’s Mansion.

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but raise her head to gaze at the sky, releasing a long sigh before a relieved smile bloomed on her lips.