Blossom

During the New Year's Eve reunion dinner, no one mentioned anything, but by the time of the grand New Year's Day court celebrations, Madam Changxing couldn't resist pulling Dou Zhao aside to ask about Song Han: "...Is it true or not?"

Song Mo had long resolved to sever ties with Song Han, even going so far as to borrow the Lu Family's name to do so. When questioned, Dou Zhao no longer felt the shame of shared honor or disgrace, but she couldn't outright confirm the rumors either, lest others think she was gloating.

She adopted an expression of reluctant embarrassment.

"Ah!" Madam Changxing immediately understood and comforted her, "Every family has one or two black sheep—don't take it to heart. The heir's character is well-known to us all, and no one would mistake right for wrong."

Dou Zhao thanked her gratefully.

Yet within the time it took to drink two cups of tea, every noblewoman attending the court celebrations had heard the news.

Their gazes toward Dou Zhao were tinged with either sympathy or curiosity, making her the center of attention in no time.

Dou Zhao inwardly groaned.

While she had intended for Madam Changxing to spread the word, the woman's mouth had moved far too quickly.

Dou Zhao pretended ignorance.

The Crown Princess, observing this, sighed and beckoned her over. "It's been a while since I've seen He'er. Has he grown taller? The weather has been so cold lately that I haven't dared let the Third Imperial Grandson go out, but he's so restless—he never stops fussing. What has your He'er been up to these days?"

Dou Zhao answered each question with a smile.

The Crown Princess's favor instantly warmed the expressions of those around them, giving Dou Zhao a firsthand experience of the fickleness of human relationships.

When the celebrations ended, she overheard a woman whispering, "...Without a proper wife, how could she get involved with the men of the household? Madam Jiang has been gone for years, and the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion hasn't taken a new wife. Could it be that his health is failing, leaving him...incapable?"

People's imaginations truly knew no bounds!

Dou Zhao barely suppressed a snort of laughter but couldn't resist glancing back at the speaker.

The two women, sensing her gaze, hunched their shoulders nervously and hurried past her.

Even after returning home, Dou Zhao couldn't help laughing whenever she recalled their expressions.

What a delightful misunderstanding!

By the time the Dragon Head-Raising Festival on the second day of the second lunar month arrived, even Gu Yu had heard the rumors. He came to ask Song Mo, "What on earth is going on?"

Only then did Song Mo learn how the story had been twisted.

He was momentarily speechless.

Fortunately, a page entered to announce, "Your brother-in-law from Jing'an Temple Alley has arrived," saving Song Mo from further embarrassment.

Gu Yu frowned. "Isn't he preparing for the Metropolitan Examination? It's just days away—why isn't he studying at home instead of coming here?"

Equally puzzled, Song Mo instructed the page to bring Dou Dechang to the study.

Moments later, Dou Dechang stormed in.

Fury etched across his face, he sat down without a word and gulped down a cup of tea.

Song Mo and Gu Yu exchanged bewildered looks as Dou Dechang shoved the teacup aside and declared through clenched teeth, "That despicable Wei Tingyu—he's keeping a mistress!"On the third day of the Lunar New Year, when visiting the wife's family was customary, Wei Tingyu made excuses that Dou Ming was unwell, sending gifts but not showing up in person. By the sixteenth, when their grandmother invited them for sweet dumplings, the couple still hadn’t appeared. Dou Shiying was displeased, but the grandmother, being broad-minded, assumed Wei Tingyu looked down on her humble origins. She consoled Dou Shiying, "Relationships depend on fate. Look at Shou Gu—she’s been close to me since childhood, though I only saw her a few times when she was little. You’re no spring chicken yourself; don’t fret over such things."

Dou Shiying didn’t blame Mingjier but instead resented Wei Tingyu. Privately, he complained to Dou Zhao, "A man should teach his children before the family altar and his wife by the pillow. Wei Tingyu is several years older than Mingjier. If he could seduce her into marrying him recklessly, why can’t he now teach her to respect her elders?"

Dou Zhao didn’t know how to judge the matter and remained silent.

Now, it seemed there was more to the story.

Song Mo’s thoughts churned, and he asked, "What exactly is going on?"

Gu Yu, ever the troublemaker, immediately perked up his ears.

Dou Dechang, knowing Gu Yu and Song Mo were as close as brothers and appreciating Gu Yu’s straightforward nature, spoke bluntly: "Fifth Sister hasn’t shown her face, and Father grew worried. He’s been hounding me about my studies lately, but with the Metropolitan Examination approaching, he eased up and told me to rest. He asked me to visit the Marquis of Jining’s Mansion to check on Fifth Sister. To my surprise, the place was in chaos—the Dowager was bedridden, Fifth Sister was screaming and throwing tantrums, and the servants were scrambling to avoid her. Turns out, Wei Tingzhen, using the excuse that Fifth Sister was childless, sent two maids to Wei Tingyu as bedroom servants before the New Year. Fifth Sister resented Wei Tingzhen meddling in the Marquis’s household and sold the maids off the moment they arrived. This infuriated Wei Tingzhen, who then bought two Yangzhou-trained courtesans and housed them in a residence near the Duke of Jing’s estate. Wei Tingyu claimed he was visiting the Duke’s family but was actually frolicking there. When Fifth Sister found out, she fought with Wei Tingyu, scratching his face. Too ashamed to show himself, Wei Tingyu hid at his mistress’s place during the New Year. Fifth Sister led a group to catch him in the act, but he got wind of it and fled with the courtesans. Unable to find him, she vented her rage at home. How am I supposed to explain this to Father?"

Gu Yu’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

He had always disliked Wei Tingyu and would have dealt with him long ago if not for Song Mo.

"Tianci-ge," he said eagerly, rolling up his sleeves, "Wei Tingyu’s a worthless upstart who’s forgotten his place now that he’s living off the Dou family’s dowry. Let’s teach him a lesson."

"Stay out of this!" Song Mo frowned, scolding Gu Yu. "Sit down and behave."

Logically, Dou Zhao should handle this, but Song Mo didn’t want her involved with Wei Tingyu, let alone mediating between the couple.

After a moment’s thought, he said, "I’ll explain it to Father-in-law. You focus on preparing for the Metropolitan Examination."

Dou Dechang had come to Song Mo for this very reason. Relieved, he joined Gu Yu in lambasting Wei Tingyu’s misdeeds.Song Mo couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction and shared the matter with Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao was quite surprised.

In their previous lives, Wei Tingzhen had been fond of meddling, but she had never gone so far as to push women into Wei Tingyu's household. Wei Tingyu, for his part, had never been one to concern himself with farming matters, yet he had always respected his lawful wife.

No matter how good the circumstances, Dou Ming would always manage to ruin them.

She couldn't help but shake her head and asked Song Mo, "What do you plan to do about this?"

"It takes two to tango!" Song Mo said coldly. "I want to advise Father-in-law to stay out of this—'To be neither foolish nor deaf is not to be a good father-in-law.' They aren't children anymore. We can't possibly manage every little thing for them their whole lives. And we certainly shouldn't let this interfere with Zixian's important matters."

This was for the best!

They had sown the seeds themselves; now they could reap the harvest and swallow it whole.

Dou Zhao nodded in agreement.

The next day, after leaving his office, Song Mo went straight to Jing'an Temple Alley.

Dou Shiying was deeply saddened by the news but had to admit that Song Mo's words made sense.

He pulled Song Mo aside for a drink.

Dou Dechang joined them as company.

A page rushed in and announced, "Presented Scholar Wu Shan from Xindong requests an audience with the Twelfth Master!"

Dou Shiying let out an exclamation of surprise and laughed, visibly excited. "That little fellow! I haven't seen him in years. I never expected he'd come to Jing'an Temple Alley to visit! He must be here for this year's Spring Examination. Quickly, invite him in." After saying this, he turned to Song Mo to explain the relationship between their families. As for the past grievances, he wasn't entirely clear about them himself, and he considered them misunderstandings stirred up by the women of the inner household. He didn't dwell on them and certainly didn't mention them to Song Mo.

Song Mo observed Wu Shan's composed and scholarly demeanor, his modest and courteous speech. Upon learning that Wu Shan was the Dou family's fourth son-in-law, his gaze turned scrutinizing, filled with an indescribable complexity.

Feeling uneasy, Song Mo left Jing'an Temple Alley and immediately instructed Wuyi, "Have Du Wei investigate this Wu Shan thoroughly for me!"

Wuyi respectfully acknowledged the order.

But no matter how much they investigated, nothing suspicious turned up about Wu Shan. Instead, news arrived that Wu Shan, Dou Dechang, and Kuang Zhuoran had all passed the imperial examinations and become Presented Scholars.

Dou Shiying was overjoyed. Together with Dou Shiheng, they confined Dou Dechang at home to study, preparing him for the selection of Bachelors of the Imperial Academy.

By April, the list of Bachelors was announced. Both Dou Dechang and Wu Shan made the list, but Kuang Zhuoran was not selected.

Undaunted, Kuang Zhuoran cheerfully brought gifts to thank Song Mo: "If not for Boyan and the heir, my Kuang family would have been ruined long ago. There would be no Kuang Zhuoran today!"

Song Mo thought he was being too polite. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, they waited for Dou Zhao to finish her preparations before heading together to Jing'an Temple Alley.

Today, Jing'an Temple Alley was celebrating Dou Dechang's entry into the Imperial Academy. Dou Shishu, Dou Shiheng, Dou Wenchang, Dou Bochang, and Dou Jichang were all present, making the occasion lively and bustling.

Yuan Ge'er piped up clearly, instructing Dou Shiying, "Grandfather, don't drink. Mother says alcohol harms the body!"

The room erupted in laughter.

Dou Shishu picked up Yuan Ge'er and praised, "To speak so clearly at such a young age—truly remarkable!"

Dou Shiying was immensely proud and said to Dou Dechang, "I've heard that Imperial Academy Bachelor Du's youngest daughter is around your age. In a few days, I'll go have a drink with Bachelor Du."

Everyone laughed.

But Dou Dechang turned pale and fled in panic.

The others assumed he was merely embarrassed, but Song Mo, recalling Dou Zhao's words, held his wine cup to his lips for a long moment before taking a small sip.

During dinner, Wu Shan arrived.Better to make friends than enemies. Now that he was a newly appointed Presented Scholar and willing to take the initiative to get close to the Dou family, those who knew about the past kept silent, while those unaware simply assumed he had distanced himself from the Dou family in recent years to focus on his studies. They still welcomed him warmly with smiles.

But Dou Dechang pulled him into his own study.

No one minded, letting them have their private conversation.

In the study, the topic gradually shifted to the young scholars who had been Named on the Golden List in recent years.

Dou Shishu remarked, "After all the calculations, Ji Jianming still stands out the most. A few days ago, he went to the Bureau of the Prince's Tutor and became an Official of the Eastern Palace."