Blossom

At night, Dou Zhao, who had been left at the Eastern residence, lay in the green gauze cabinet room of Sixth Aunt's inner chamber, unable to sleep.

Had half of Western Dou's property really just fallen into her hands?

Her mind kept replaying the image of her father crumpling the document—his gentle yet resolute demeanor.

A quarter of the Dou family's assets—did Father even realize what he was doing?

Yu Daqing had merely managed a small portion of Mother's dowry, yet the moment Mother passed away, his intentions had shifted. She was just a five-year-old child—who would remain loyal and manage these assets for her without being tempted by the wealth before them?

Should she reach out to the Cui family?

In her previous life, she had been twelve.

In this life, she was still naive and unaware.

Dou Zhao had already experienced too much to dare test someone's integrity with money.

On the other side of the green gauze cabinet room, Ji Shi was also awake.

She was thinking about the day's events.

She wanted to share a few intimate words with her husband, but when she turned, she saw his peacefully sleeping face.

Countless words lodged in her heart.

Quietly, she draped a robe over herself and got up. First, she checked on Dou Zhao, who appeared to be "asleep," then sat alone by the window on the heated brick bed.

The current Dou Zhao was like an infant clutching a bag of gold ingots. Though the gold could ensure her a life free from want, she lacked the ability to safeguard it, only inviting those who coveted it to snatch it away.

For Dou Zhao, the disadvantages outweighed the benefits!

Ji Shi thought of her serene face in sleep, the earnest expression when she wrote, and the occasional flicker of mischief in her eyes—her heart ached unbearably.

Such a wonderful child—could she really let her be ruined like this?

Unconsciously, she glanced in the direction of her mother-in-law's quarters.

Meanwhile, Second Madam, who had just seen off Dou Duo and his son, was whispering with her second son, Dou Shishu, in the inner chamber.

"If your Third Uncle ultimately refuses to give half of Western Dou's property to Shou Gu, are you truly prepared to hand over your own share along with those of Third and Sixth Brother to her?"

The servants had been dismissed, leaving only Second Madam and Dou Shishu in the room.

Dou Shishu smiled without answering and personally poured his mother a cup of tea.

Second Madam was both exasperated and anxious. "You—you're too impulsive! Thankfully, Wanyuan stepped in today, or how would you have handled this mess?"

"I didn’t expect it either," Dou Shishu said, sitting across from his mother. "Wanyuan has become much steadier than before." He added, "As for family matters, I’ll leave them in your hands. I must return to the Capital first thing tomorrow."

Second Madam sighed. "After all this effort, I doubt Wang Xingyi will appreciate it. He might even blame you for not doing enough, thinking this whole mess is your fault."

"Mother," Dou Shishu chuckled, "do you really think Wang Yousheng and I could ever share a bowl?"

Second Madam was momentarily taken aback.

Dou Shishu continued, "Our Dou family—by my generation, we’re already the third, aren’t we?"

Since the Dou family first entered scholarly circles, Dou Shishu was indeed the third generation.

Second Madam nodded."No matter how many Recommended Men or Presented Scholars our family produces, as long as no one enters the cabinet as a minister, we remain merely an ordinary official family—insignificant in official circles and powerless in court," said Dou Shishu, his expression growing solemn, his features sharpening as if carved by a knife. "But now, I have this opportunity, this prospect before me. One day, my portrait might hang in the ancestral hall of the Dou family's northern building, my name written on the first page of the Dou family genealogy. Tell me, could I give this up? Would I give this up?"

Second Madam said firmly, "Of course not!"

"Wang Xingyi chose to be his mentor's vanguard. For ten whole years, he endured hardship in the northwest while his wife and children lived in poverty," Dou Shishu narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze flashing like a blade. "Now that he has finally returned to officialdom, his mentor will compensate him for all his suffering. Do you think he would be content with the status quo, unwilling to strive further, letting all his hardships go unrewarded?"

"Of course not!" Second Madam said thoughtfully.

"Since neither of us can yield, why should I bother currying favor with him?" Dou Shishu smiled. "Moreover, the current situation favors us—'Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.' He can't even manage his own household affairs, forcing our family to expend so much effort cleaning up his mess. His mentor will surely have to reassess him."

"Exactly!" Second Madam's spirits lifted. "How can someone who can't even handle household affairs be trusted with important matters of state? You can't wrap fire in paper—even if we keep silent, sooner or later, this will reach the ears of your peers and colleagues. Which official doesn't want to advance further? Even if Lord Zeng favors him, there will surely be those who resent it." She chuckled. "In that case, we should thank Madam Pang for making such a scene. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have progressed this far."

"Still, allowing a woman like Wang Shi into our family is ultimately inappropriate," Dou Shishu mused. "I worry the younger generation might follow her example and corrupt the Dou family's traditions. I think you should pay more attention to matters in the Western Dou residence—Third Uncle's household has long lacked someone to manage the household affairs. There must be much to do. It would be best for Shou Gu to stay in our residence. And if Wang Shi's daughter could also come to live with you, that would be ideal."

Second Madam despised Wang Shi and, by extension, disliked Dou Ming. "Given that we’ve now fallen out with your Third Uncle, if it’s just for her upbringing, I think we should forget it!"

"But she is still a daughter of the Dou family," Dou Shishu said. "If she behaves improperly after marrying into another family, it will still reflect poorly on us."

Second Madam reluctantly nodded.

Dou Shishu added, "Regarding Shou Gu inheriting half of the Western Dou estate, please remind our family members not to speak carelessly."

Second Madam was puzzled.

Dou Shishu said meaningfully, "I fear someone might set their sights on Shou Gu."

Second Madam understood.

Half of the Western Dou estate—how much silver was that?

Any family that married such a bride could live in luxury for generations without lifting a finger.

"We must find someone close to our family for Shou Gu," Second Madam pondered."If her heart leans towards the Eastern Mansion, that would be even better." Dou Shishu, seeing his mother understood his meaning, smiled warmly. "Madam Zhao will return with Master Zhao's agreement in the next couple of days. After all, she is still young. If she encounters any difficulties, please lend her a hand to prevent any complications in dividing the assets—since we've agreed to the Zhao family's terms, why not make it a clean and graceful affair?"

Second Madam, however, was surprised at how quickly Dou Zhao's aunt had arrived.

Dou Shishu smiled faintly. "As soon as I heard that Ruifu demanded half of Western Dou's assets as Shou Gu's dowry, I understood his intentions. I immediately sent someone to Ganquan County, fearing delays might bring trouble. I was worried Third Uncle might change his mind at the last moment when handing over the property."

"You’ve always been thorough in your considerations," Second Madam praised her refined yet confident son repeatedly.

Dou Duo’s regret came faster than Dou Shishu had anticipated.

Upon returning home, Dou Duo grabbed an inkstone from his desk and hurled it at Dou Shiying.

Dou Shiying neither dodged nor flinched. After his father vented his anger, he calmly said, "I will return to the Capital with Fifth Brother tomorrow..."

"Are you not ashamed enough today?" Dou Duo interrupted furiously.

"I still need to prepare for next year’s Spring Examination," Dou Shiying replied. "I’d like Fifth Brother to introduce me to an Old Academician to help me with the Eight-legged Essay."

Dou Duo’s anger subsided at once. Then he added, "Very well. We can hold the formal succession ceremony after your return from the Spring Examination. This will also serve to leave that Wang Shi hanging for a while."

Was this really necessary?

Dou Shiying wanted to advise his father against it, but considering his father’s resentment and the fact that he couldn’t skip the Spring Examination, he hesitated and remained silent.

Instead, Dou Duo began quizzing his son on the Eight-legged Essay.

Father and son engaged in questions and answers until the sky lightened with the first glow of dawn.

Dou Shiying rubbed his bloodshot eyes, freshened up, and returned to Crane Longevity Hall to join his father for breakfast. When Gaoxing arrived to report that the luggage had been loaded onto the carriage, Dou Duo escorted his son to the main gate.

As the two were speaking, a large crowd suddenly approached with gongs and drums.

Dou Duo frowned and had just called out "Du An!" when a man’s loud wail rose from the crowd: "Elder Dou, it was all my brother’s fault for offending you! We three brothers have come to kowtow and beg for your forgiveness. Please be magnanimous and spare us!"

The Dou family members were stunned and turned to look at the crowd.

In the center of the group were three men wearing lilac silk trousers, bare-chested, with thorny branches strapped to their backs.

Weren’t these the three Pang brothers?

Du An’s jaw dropped in shock.

Dou Duo, however, was so furious his temples throbbed. He sharply demanded of those around him, "What are they doing here?"

"I—I don’t know," a page stammered. "I’ll go ask." But before he could reach the Pang brothers, the three of them dropped to their knees in the middle of the street with a resounding thud.

"Master Dou, we kowtow to you!" they cried, then began knocking their heads against the ground repeatedly, their foreheads soon bruised and swollen.

"What’s going on?"

"Who are these three?"

Some recognized Pang Xilou, the youngest Pang brother: "Isn’t that Third Master Pang from Lingshou County next door? He’s the notorious troublemaker there—who’d have thought he’d end up like this? I wonder what the Pang family did to offend the Dous?"The onlooking neighbors chattered endlessly, while members of the Pang family kept explaining to the crowd: "Our Third Master failed to recognize true worth and offended Elder Dou. He's here now to make amends."

"Serves him right!" came a vindictive jeer from the crowd. "So Pang the Tyrant finally gets his comeuppance!"

"Elder Pang ought to teach him a proper lesson."

"No doubt Pang the Tyrant tried to extort Elder Dou this time!"

Opinions flew thick and fast.

Dou Duo's fingers trembled with rage.

Pang Yulou's second brother, Pang Yinlou, couldn't hide his smugness. He whispered to eldest brother Pang Jinlou and younger brother Pang Xilou: "See? Didn't I tell you? Had our younger brother gone to stir trouble with the Zhu family that day, how would we face this today? In these petty neighborhood squabbles, the worst mistake is leaving no room for retreat after striking the first blow. You must be more careful if such matters arise again!"