Blossom

After Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai left, she couldn't help but ask Wang Qinghuai: "Why did the Marquis of Jining come to see you? I remember he was always a handsome young gentleman—how did he become like this after just two years?"

"Don't worry about it," Wang Qinghuai replied with a grim expression. After all, this was his younger brother's friend, and he couldn't very well tell his wife that his brother had brought a friend to borrow money—not for an emergency, but to secretly invest in a tea business behind his family's back. Never mind whether the money would be repaid; even if the venture succeeded, no one in the Marquis of Jining's household except Wei Tingyu would be grateful. He didn't want to dwell on such vexing matters and changed the subject: "What did you come to see me for?"

An Shi then relayed all the news the matron had gathered to Wang Qinghuai.

Wang Qinghuai sighed and said, "If Wei Tingyu knew things would turn out like this, I wonder if he'd regret marrying Little Dou Shi back then."

An Shi was puzzled by his words.

But Wang Qinghuai didn’t want to discuss it further.

Wei Tingyu had married a daughter of the Dou family, yet now he couldn’t even scrape together five thousand taels of silver—just imagine what kind of life he was living. Thankfully, he hadn’t impulsively agreed to lend him the money.

According to his younger brother, Wei Tingyu had secretly taken in a concubine outside, who was already five or six months pregnant. He wondered if Little Dou Shi would react the same way as last time—storming over with a group of people to make a scene. If so, the Capital would have quite the spectacle to witness!

Honestly, Song Mo must be thoroughly embarrassed to have such a brother-in-law.

After some thought, he decided to personally visit the Duke of England's Mansion.

The fact that the household's guards could be sent out for official posts reflected well on their master. It was only proper for him to offer his congratulations.

Meanwhile, Dou Zhao at the Duke of England's Mansion remained unaware of the events at the Wang household. She was busy with the arrangements for Chen Xiaofeng and the others' new assignments—preparing travel expenses, offering final words of advice since they were leaving her service, and ensuring their families were properly settled. They could no longer stay in the East Wing Courtyard of the Duke of England's Mansion. Those accompanying them to their new posts were easily handled, but those returning to Zhen Ding needed reliable escorts. Most importantly, she had grown accustomed to having Chen Xiaofeng and the others as her guards over the years, and their departure left her feeling hollow inside. She knew that even if more skilled and loyal replacements arrived, they could never share the same bond forged through life-and-death experiences.

She entrusted Duan Gongyi with the affairs of the guards who had died at the Fragrant Mountain Estate: "From now on, no matter what these families need—whether money, supplies, or any other difficulties—you must inform me immediately. Don’t hide anything from me."

"Rest assured," Duan Gongyi replied, his expression heavy with emotion—his connection to these men ran even deeper than Dou Zhao's. "I’ll make sure someone keeps a close eye on them."

Dou Zhao then brought up another matter: "Now that the Emperor has stepped back from governance and the Crown Prince oversees state affairs, the household shouldn’t face any major difficulties. Have you considered finding someone to attend to Madam Duan?"

Duan Gongyi’s face flushed slightly. "I already have two maids at home—both diligent and well-behaved. My mother is well cared for for now."

Dou Zhao smiled knowingly and didn’t press further.

Yet, within a few days, joyful news arrived from Duan Gongyi’s household.It turned out that Duan Gongyi’s mother had long taken a liking to a young maid working in the kitchen of the Hall of Cultivating Will. However, because Duan Gongyi was not yet ready to settle down, the matter had been delayed. Now that Duan Gongyi had finally relented, his mother seized the opportunity while the people from Zhen Ding and the Duke of England's Mansion were still present. She arranged the marriage in just five or six days, from matchmaking to setting the wedding date.

Dou Zhao summoned the girl to have a look. Seeing that she was fair and clean, with a gentle and obedient demeanor, she gifted her five hundred taels of silver as dowry and an additional twenty taels as a wedding gift. She then chose an auspicious day for Duan Gongyi’s wedding.

Everyone was delighted, and Song Mo also attended the ceremony.

However, before the bride could even enter the house, he was quietly pulled away.

Dou Zhao remained composed, while Chen Xiaofeng and the others assumed Song Mo had only intended to make a brief appearance at the wedding and paid it no mind. After Duan Gongyi completed the wedding rites, they surrounded him and made merry in the bridal chamber. Only then did Dou Zhao find the chance to quietly ask Wuyi, “What’s happened?”

Wuyi whispered, “The Empress has passed away. His Highness has summoned the Young Lord to the palace immediately to discuss the matter.”

Dou Zhao felt a surge of anxiety.

Liao Wang was still at the West Garden “attending to the Emperor’s illness,” and now the Empress was gone.

It had only been a few days since the incident at Jade Sound Mountain—how could people not draw connections?

Moreover, it was the Crown Prince who had promised the Empress she could retain her position, and Song Mo who had vouched for it. If someone maliciously stirred the pot, the two of them could drown in the ensuing backlash. What was most unsettling was that the Crown Prince still had the Emperor above him. If this aroused the Emperor’s suspicions, who knew whether it might threaten the Crown Prince’s position?

Dou Zhao waited until late in the night, around 9 PM, before Song Mo returned.

“What’s the situation now?” she asked, sitting on the kang, after Ruo Tong and the others had helped Song Mo change and left the room. “Has the time for announcing the mourning been decided?”

Song Mo sat beside her, and only then did Dou Zhao notice the weariness between his brows.

She began massaging his shoulders.

Song Mo smiled. “I’m fine. You’re carrying a child—you shouldn’t overexert yourself.” Then he pulled her into his arms and sighed. “The Crown Prince is no fool. The Empress’s survival was in his best interest. When he heard the news, he was stunned. He and the Crown Princess rushed to the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility, only to find that the Empress had died by suicide by hanging. But with the Empress Dowager also in the palace, the Crown Prince couldn’t even ask questions. He summoned me to accompany him to see the Emperor. When the Emperor learned of the Empress’s death, he said nothing, but after a long silence, he dismissed the Crown Prince. Not a word was mentioned about when the funeral would be held or what the arrangements would be. From what the Crown Prince said, the Emperor seemed deeply grieved…”

For a once-loving couple to turn into bitter enemies—no one could remain indifferent to such a thing.

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but sigh as well.

“Let’s rest early,” Song Mo said, patting her hand reassuringly. “I have to return to the palace first thing tomorrow.”

By then, news of the Empress’s death would surely be impossible to conceal. How to face the officials’ questions would keep both the Crown Prince and Song Mo busy for some time.

Dou Zhao sighed and blew out the lamp.

The next day, the Capital was indeed in an uproar.

Some said the Empress had been murdered by the Crown Prince. Others claimed the Crown Prince had long harbored intentions to kill Liao Wang, and that Song Mo was his accomplice… Rumors of all kinds spread like wildfire, with no one believing the Empress had died of illness.The Crown Prince was busy every day rushing to the West Garden to explain himself to the Emperor, while Song Mo was occupied with spreading new rumors.

Yet nothing could compare to royal secrets. People grew increasingly curious about the cause of the Empress's death, so much so that even Dou Zhao's reclusive grandmother heard about it and came to the mansion to ask if Song Mo would be implicated.

Strangely, the Emperor remained silent, and the Crown Prince, to avoid suspicion, became even more hesitant to make decisions. Twenty-one days after the Empress's passing, the funeral arrangements still hadn't been finalized, leaving Ji Yong frantic. He confronted Song Mo, shouting, "Do you even have the ability to command the Imperial Bodyguard? Why hasn't this matter been suppressed by now? If you can't handle it, there are plenty of others who can take over!"

Song Mo was annoyed by Ji Yong's habit of always criticizing without offering any constructive advice. He sneered, "Unfortunately, the Metropolitan Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard is a military post. No matter how capable you are, Lord Ji, you'll never control the Imperial Bodyguard!" With that, he stormed off.

Ji Yong curled his lip disdainfully as he watched Song Mo's retreating figure.

Soon, busybodies brought this incident to the Crown Prince's attention.

Though overwhelmed with troubles, the Crown Prince couldn't help but sigh in relief upon hearing this, feeling slightly better.

As if the chaos in the Capital wasn't enough, Liaodong sent an urgent eight-hundred-li dispatch.

Liao Wang's eldest son had passed away!

This news left the Crown Prince unable to sit still.

Furious, he threw the memorial in front of Song Mo. "Look at this! Which bastard is trying to frame me? If I find out who it is, I'll skin them alive!"

Song Mo frowned slightly but remained calm. "We should first investigate the cause of the child's death."

"How can we possibly find out?" the Crown Prince exclaimed, running his hands through his hair.

"Even if we can't, we need a plausible explanation," Song Mo replied.

The Crown Prince slumped onto the large Nanmu-inlaid platform bed in despair.

Marquis Changxing requested an audience.

"Let him in," the Crown Prince said listlessly.

Due to Shi Taifei's influence, the Crown Prince held a favorable impression of Marquis Changxing.

With a square face and caterpillar brows, Marquis Changxing exuded an air of righteousness, giving off a sense of steadfast loyalty and bravery.

He nodded slightly at Song Mo before stepping forward to pay his respects to the Crown Prince.

Seizing the opportunity, Song Mo withdrew.

By afternoon, word spread that Marquis Changxing had advised the Crown Prince to ask the Empress Dowager to persuade the Emperor. By evening, an imperial decree arrived from the West Garden, stipulating that the Empress's funeral, aside from the mourning period, would follow the precedents set by Empress Ren.

Song Mo smiled bitterly. "This matter will likely drag on."

Dou Zhao was sitting on the heated brick bed, sewing a bellyband for their unborn child. Hearing this, she laughed. "I thought you were worried about Marquis Changxing!"

"Why would I worry about him?" Song Mo chuckled. "There are plenty of capable people in the court. Though the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion is close to the royal family, there are limits. Like last time, when the Crown Prince asked me to accompany him to see the Emperor—I went with him to the West Garden but didn't enter the audience. Sometimes, being too close to the Emperor isn't necessarily a good thing."

Dou Zhao had full confidence in Song Mo. Smiling, she bit off the thread with her teeth and nodded repeatedly.

A letter arrived from Tianjin, saying Gu Yu had lost a worrying amount of weight recently.

Song Mo stared at the letter for a long time before instructing Du Ming to send him some medicinal herbs and other supplies.

Another letter came from Haozhou, reporting that Jiang Da Tai Tai, seeing Jiang Bosun lacked proper guards, had sent Shi An to accompany him to Liaodong.

This left the Jiang Family short of a capable guard to manage affairs.Song Mo sent Zhu Yicheng to Haozhou and wrote a letter to Xu Qing, asking him to look after the Jiang Family.

After several busy days, the Crown Prince suddenly paid a secret visit.

Pacing around Song Mo’s study, he said, “The Emperor simply refuses to believe that this matter has anything to do with Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. He keeps implying that she only took the blame for the Empress’s death at Shi Taifei’s suggestion because she didn’t want to drive a wedge between us, father and son. And the more she explains, the less the Emperor believes her. Now I’m truly in a situation where even the Yellow River couldn’t wash me clean!”

The Crown Prince scratched his head in frustration—a habit from his childhood. Though he had been taught to break it, he still unconsciously did so when anxious or distressed.

Cui Yijun watched the Crown Prince and Song Mo with deep concern, his heart burning with worry.