Blossom

October had passed, and even the palace was no exception. The Empress began granting rewards to various noble households, while the concubines busied themselves making new clothes and jewelry. Dou Zhao carried Yuan Ge'er as she walked along the bluestone-paved path in the inner palace. Despite the biting cold wind, she could still sense the joyful anticipation of the approaching New Year.

Snow had fallen the night before, and with the morning sun, the cold felt especially piercing.

Dou Zhao paused, tucking her son's fur cloak tighter around him to shield him from the chill.

The wet nurse hurried forward and whispered, "Madam, shall I carry Yuan Ge'er for you?"

Yuan Ge'er had grown shy upon entering the palace, clinging tightly to her robe. Heart aching for her son, she had carried him all the way to the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility.

Jin Gui and Yin Gui exchanged uneasy glances, also stepping forward to offer to carry Yuan Ge'er. But from a distance, they spotted a group of palace maids swiftly approaching.

"Are you the wife of the Duke of Yingguo's heir?" The leader, a young maid in her prime, smiled warmly. "This servant is A-Lan from the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was concerned and specially sent me to welcome you." She curtsied to Dou Zhao and reached out to take Yuan Ge'er.

But Yuan Ge'er twisted away, burying himself deeper into his mother's embrace.

Dou Zhao recognized the woman as one of the Empress Dowager's most trusted maids.

She was inwardly surprised.

She hadn’t expected the Empress Dowager to hold the Crown Princess in such high regard!

Reassessing the Crown Princess's influence, she smiled apologetically at A-Lan. "Forgive him—he’s a little shy around strangers."

A-Lan didn’t mind at all, chuckling as she patted Yuan Ge'er’s head. "In that case, Madam, please follow me to the side hall."

Dou Zhao nodded in agreement.

Yuan Ge'er peeked curiously at A-Lan from beneath his cloak, his dark, gem-like eyes full of adorable mischief.

A-Lan couldn’t resist smiling kindly at him.

Blushing, Yuan Ge'er hid his face in the cloak.

"He’s such a sweet child," A-Lan remarked.

Dou Zhao smiled faintly, her gaze softening as she looked at her son.

A-Lan suppressed a chuckle and led Dou Zhao and Yuan Ge'er to the heated room in the rear hall of the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility.

The Empress Dowager sat on the heated brick bed by the window, while the Crown Princess held the Third Imperial Grandson beside her. The Empress Dowager was amusing the child with a rattle drum.

When Dou Zhao entered, both women smiled in unison.

After Dou Zhao paid her respects, the Empress Dowager beckoned her to sit by the bed and pointed cheerfully at the Third Imperial Grandson. "Let’s compare these two—see who’s taller."

The Crown Princess set the Third Imperial Grandson on the bed with a smile, and Dou Zhao placed Yuan Ge'er beside him. The two lay side by side, nearly identical in size.

The Empress Dowager laughed heartily. "Both children are so well-nourished."

Dou Zhao and the Crown Princess thanked her for the praise. Unnoticed, the two children had rolled onto their sides, grabbing each other’s robes and tassels, tangling themselves together.

The Empress Dowager burst into laughter.

But Yuan Ge'er and the Third Imperial Grandson’s wet nurses were horrified, rushing forward to separate them.The Empress Dowager waved her hand, stopping the two women, and said, "Children should roughhouse with others their own age. Back when I hadn't entered the palace yet, all the village kids would wrestle and tussle with each other, yet they grew up strong as oxen. But palace children? Raised too delicately—few can even stand properly." At this point, she sighed softly and instructed the wet nurses, "Leave them be. Let them play for a while."

A few days prior, Consort Liu, favored by the Emperor, had finally given birth to a prince, but the child passed away before reaching a month old.

The wet nurses quietly withdrew. Dou Zhao and the Crown Princess stood by the heated platform, watching over the children.

The two little ones tugged at each other's clothes and sashes, laughing gleefully as they played, filling the room with warmth.

Before they knew it, an hour had passed. When the children were taken away to be fed, the Empress Dowager asked about Song Han: "I heard they've moved out to establish their own household?"

Dou Zhao understood the Empress Dowager's implication but had no intention of getting involved. She smiled respectfully and replied, "Yes."

The Empress Dowager chuckled. "As it should be! When children grow up, they must learn independence. As their sister-in-law, don't spoil them too much. Let them handle their own affairs—they'll learn how to live properly in time. That's how all children grow up."

Dou Zhao felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager didn't press further. She instructed Aunt Lan to keep Dou Zhao for lunch before dismissing them.

The Crown Princess then invited Dou Zhao to the outer chamber for a conversation.

Dou Zhao knew this was the real purpose of today's visit. Smiling, she followed the Crown Princess out of the heated room.

Palace maids served tea and snacks before quietly withdrawing.

Only then did the Crown Princess say with a smile, "Regarding yesterday's matter, we must thank the Young Lord. If not for him, His Highness wouldn't have known someone could be so bold. His Highness wishes to express his gratitude but fears attracting unwanted attention, so he asked me to convey his thanks to you, Madam."

Nobility in the palace were always calculating. Those with any standing knew when to bow low in critical moments—and when to settle scores afterward.

Dou Zhao quickly rose, her expression flustered. "Your Highness's words overwhelm us. Serving the Crown Prince is the duty of any subject. This humble wife is deeply honored!"

A flicker of relief passed through the Crown Princess's eyes.

She hurriedly pulled Dou Zhao back down, laughing. "I only mentioned this to avoid misunderstandings. If my words have unsettled you, I've defeated my own purpose."

Dou Zhao understood—the Crown Princess was using her to sound out Song Mo's stance.

Perching halfway on the embroidered stool, she said humbly, "This humble wife was too dull to grasp Your Highness's thoughtful intentions."

The Crown Princess nodded approvingly and invited Dou Zhao to sit properly before turning the conversation to children, never mentioning the Crown Prince's summons to Song Mo again.

After chatting pleasantly and lunching at the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility, Dou Zhao finally left the palace carrying Yuan Ge'er.

Song Mo had made all the arrangements. Though he didn't know what the Crown Princess had said to Dou Zhao, he'd been fully informed about her palace visit. Seeing his wife and son emerge safely, he finally relaxed.

Taking the increasingly sturdy Yuan Ge'er into his arms, Song Mo helped Dou Zhao into the carriage.

In a low voice, Dou Zhao recounted everything the Crown Princess had said to Song Mo.Song Mo remained silent for a long moment before saying, "This year, you should pay a New Year's visit to the Crown Princess in the palace."

Was this an attempt to align themselves with the Crown Prince?

Dou Zhao was taken aback.

Song Mo chuckled and embraced her, saying with a smile, "What are you thinking? Since His Highness has given us a favor, shouldn’t we at least show some gratitude? As for Liao Wang, we’ll just send the usual New Year’s gifts as we’ve done in previous years."

After uncovering Shi Chuan’s involvement, Song Mo could no longer side with Liao Wang. Otherwise, others might think Song Mo feared Liao Wang, and then where would his dignity be? Would anyone dare to step on Song Mo if they pleased?

Dou Zhao smiled and agreed.

Upon returning to the Duke of England's Mansion, they encountered Gaosheng at the gate.

Gaosheng said cheerfully, "Tomorrow, the twelfth young master will formally pledge his allegiance. The master sent me to inform the young master and young mistress not to forget to come to Jing'an Temple Alley for drinks tomorrow."

Song Mo acknowledged with a smile and instructed Gaosheng to take a few jars of Pear Blossom White, a gift from the palace, back to Dou Shiying.

Gaosheng expressed profuse thanks before departing.

The next day, Song Mo and Dou Zhao, dressed in their finest, took Yuan Ge'er to Jing'an Temple Alley.

Dou Shiying couldn’t bear to put Yuan Ge'er down.

Guests arrived one after another. Seeing the exquisitely dressed child in Dou Shiying’s arms, they couldn’t resist coming over to play with him.

For a while, the hall was filled with laughter and joy.

Someone asked, "Why haven’t we seen the fifth son-in-law and the fifth granddaughter?"

Dou Shiying, worried that Dou Ming might cause a scene and embarrass Dou Dechang, had only informed Wei Tingyu. Whether he came or not was up to him.

But seeing that Wei Tingyu hadn’t shown up, Dou Shiying couldn’t help feeling displeased.

He frowned slightly and was about to offer an explanation when Wei Tingyu arrived in haste.

Wei Tingyu wore a brand-new sapphire-blue brocade robe embroidered with pale blue floral patterns and a dark gray squirrel-fur cloak. As soon as he entered, he clasped his hands in apology, saying, "Mingjier wanted to come with me, but she caught a chill yesterday and wasn’t feeling well today. The physician prescribed some medicine, and after taking it, she felt drowsy, so I didn’t bring her."

No one paid much attention.

Dou Ming hadn’t visited her family in a while, and for any events in the Dou family, they would only notify Wei Tingyu. Whether he came or not was his choice—no one would insist.

Dou Zhengchang and others stepped forward to greet him with smiles.

A maid hurried over to take Wei Tingyu’s cloak.

Dou Jichang, sharp-eyed, noticed several scratch marks on Wei Tingyu’s neck.

He shot Dou Dechang a meaningful glance.

Dou Dechang coughed lightly, signaling him to stay out of it.

When Dou Jichang returned home, he told Fifth Madam about it.

Fifth Madam also cautioned him, "This is the Marquis of Jining’s family affair. Just pretend you didn’t see anything."

Wei Tingyu returned to the Marquis of Jining's Mansion and headed straight to Tian Shi’s widow’s courtyard.

Maids rushed forward to help him remove his cloak.

But he pushed them aside and urgently asked Nanny Tian, "How is she?"

Nanny Tian’s expression darkened. She whispered, "The physician said if she makes it through tonight, both mother and child will be safe. If not..."

Wei Tingyu’s face turned grim, and he gritted his teeth in anger. "How could she be so cruel? A single bowl of medicine took my child’s life!"

Nanny Tian lowered her head and remained silent.

Wei Tingyu strode into the inner chamber.

The room, heated by underfloor heating, was as warm as spring.

On the large heated brick bed by the window lay a pale-faced young girl—none other than the maid who had attended to Wei Tingyu in the study that day.Tian Shi was sitting by the kang, fingering her prayer beads and chanting scriptures.

Hearing the commotion, both looked over. The young girl lowered her eyes and called out, "Marquis," struggling to rise.

But Tian Shi pressed her back onto the kang, saying gently, "Stay lying down, be careful not to disturb the baby."

The girl gazed longingly at Wei Tingyu but obediently lay back down.

Wei Tingyu sat beside Tian Shi and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

The girl nodded.

Wei Tingyu's expression softened slightly.

Tian Shi, however, turned away with moist eyes and said quietly, "What do you plan to do about Mingjier?"

Wei Tingyu looked somewhat lost and replied, "Mingjier is, after all, the legitimate wife..."

He had been in the wrong for seducing the maid, and he accepted Mingjier's anger. But she shouldn't have been so cruel as to harm his child... Dou Zhao's child was already nearly six months old, yet he remained childless...