Blossom

Song Yan went to the Dou Family School as an attached student, while Song Yumin was responsible for teaching Dou Zhao and Dou Ming. They had one day off on the first and fifteenth of each month. He would first teach Dou Zhao the works of various philosophers before instructing Dou Ming on the Analects of Confucius .

Dou Ming dutifully attended Song Yumin’s lessons. However, her foundation was weak. Apart from her morning studies, she had to practice writing five hundred large characters every afternoon. After just a few days, she began to complain incessantly.

Zhou Momo constantly encouraged her: "No pain, no gain. Look at Fourth Miss—while the steward mammies are still calculating on their abacuses, she’s already figured out the sum..."

Dou Ming glared at Zhou Momo. "What does accounting have to do with writing?"

Zhou Momo quickly soothed her: "Nothing, nothing. It’s just that Fourth Miss seems to excel at everything. Since Fifth Miss is so clever, you should be able to do the same."

Dou Ming fell silent but stopped complaining about the writing practice.

Due to the Pang Kunbai incident, Chen Qushui stepped into the open. He moved into the Dou residence to help Dou Zhao manage her business affairs and the newly recruited guards. Gaoxing (Happy) oversaw the affairs of Western Dou and the steward mammies in the inner courtyard, while Du Ning was relegated to assisting Zhou Momo. Gaoxing, considering himself Dou Zhao’s man, quickly aligned himself with Chen Qushui. After Du An was sent to the authorities for theft and died under the rod punishment, Du Ning became as skittish as a startled bird, no longer daring to meddle in anything. Zhou Momo, being new and unsupported, struggled alone. Though Western Dou was divided into three parts, everyone still had to act according to Dou Zhao’s wishes. With an annual fixed allowance of ten thousand taels, Dou Zhao now had both money and manpower, making her actions more convenient than before. Her focus shifted from Eastern and Western Dou to the political affairs of the Capital.

"Grand Secretary Zeng should be nearly seventy this year, right?" she asked Chen Qushui. "I wonder how many more years he can hold on?"

In her past life, she hadn’t paid attention to such matters and didn’t know exactly when Zeng Yifen had passed away.

Chen Qushui replied, "Fourth Miss is remarkably astute! Just yesterday, I received news that rumors are circulating in the Capital about 'Zeng Yifen’s poor health and possible retirement.'"

"It all depends on whether Fifth Uncle can seize this opportunity."

In her previous life, Wang Xingyi had already returned to the Capital before Zeng Yifen’s death, serving as a Vice Minister in the Ministry of War. In this life, due to Wang Yingxue’s involvement, he remained stuck in his position as the Shaanxi Governor.

Dou Zhao mused, "Who is the current Vice Minister of War?"

Chen Qushui answered, "Gu Yanjing."

Dou Zhao pondered, "Can we send a message to the Wang Family? Say that originally, Grand Secretary Zeng intended to promote Wang Xingyi as Vice Minister of War. But because of Wang Shi’s affair, Ye Shipei seized the opportunity to pressure him, forcing Grand Secretary Zeng to compromise and support Gu Yanjing instead..."

In her memory, Ye Shipei and Zeng Yifen were long-time rivals. Back then, Zeng Yifen’s retirement had been orchestrated by Ye Shipei. If Ye Shipei hadn’t died shortly after Zeng Yifen’s passing and lacked strong disciples, it would have been uncertain whether Wang Xingyi and Dou Shishu could have entered the Grand Secretariat.

The prohibition of horse markets was a conflict between civil and military officials, so Ye Shipei wouldn’t have obstructed Zeng Yifen. But now, with the struggle involving high-ranking third-grade officials under the two Grand Secretaries, Wang Xingyi’s matter could be brought up.

Chen Qushui considered carefully, "We must be cautious with such words. The slightest misstep could backfire...""Then let's try gathering information from this angle," Dou Zhao said. "We should be able to find some leads related to this matter." She smiled. "Even if there aren't any, we can always create some!"

"That's true," Chen Qushui chuckled. "If the Wang family believes Wang Yingxue is hindering Wang Xingyi's career prospects, even Madam Xu Wang might harbor some resentment toward her daughter. Especially since Wang Yingxue has failed to establish herself in the Dou family after marrying in and has caused a lot of trouble."

"Cutting the problem at its root—I think this approach is cleaner and more decisive," Dou Ming nodded with a smile, then inquired about the shops.

Chen Qushui replied, "Only the shop in the Capital is roughly breaking even. The others are operating at a slight loss, totaling over two hundred taels."

"That's not bad at all," Dou Zhao smiled. "By September, Boyan's affairs should be settled, and you'll need to prepare some silver for Cui Shisan's loan sharking."

"It's already prepared," Chen Qushui said, discussing his plans with Dou Zhao when Su Xin announced from behind the curtain, "Fourth Miss, Young Master Ji is here."

Ji Yong?

What does he want?

After finishing her conversation with Chen Qushui, Dou Zhao went to the Reception Hall to meet Ji Yong.

Ji Yong asked her, "I'm going to Baoding Prefecture. Is there anything you'd like me to bring back for you?"

Having never been to Baoding, how would she know what to ask for?

Still, Dou Zhao smiled and thanked him, "There's nothing I need. Wishing Cousin Ji a smooth journey!"

Ji Yong grinned and said, "Then I'll just bring you something at random!"

His smile was gentle and polite, yet for some reason, Dou Zhao felt he was up to something, making her uneasy.

"No need, really," Dou Zhao repeatedly declined.

Ji Yong smiled without responding and stood to take his leave.

Dou Zhao saw him to the door of the Reception Hall but felt someone's gaze fixed intently on her.

Turning around, she saw Dou Ming standing under a willow tree.

Dou Ming turned away expressionlessly and disappeared down the winding, willow-shaded path, surrounded by a crowd of maids and old women.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but sigh deeply. She spent half the day tending to the flowers in the greenhouse, noticing that several night-blooming cereus she had planted were about to bloom. She invited Sixth Aunt over to admire them.

Sixth Aunt suggested, "Why not host a flower-viewing banquet?"

Grandmother agreed enthusiastically, "Yes, yes! It's rare for the cereus to bloom. Let's invite several ladies and madams over. We have plenty of space anyway. We can't always let the East Mansion host us—it's time we returned the favor!"

Ever since Dou Zhao's engagement to the Wu family fell through, her marriage had become a source of worry for Grandmother, who feared Dou Zhao might be overlooked. Seeing an opportunity for Dou Zhao to shine, she was eager to make it happen.

Noting her grandmother's excitement and thinking of how she usually had few outings, Dou Zhao smiled and said, "Alright, let's hold a night banquet then!"Sixth Aunt also became interested upon hearing the details, and the three of them huddled together, whispering and discussing for a long time before finally settling the arrangements for the flower-viewing banquet. From finalizing the guest list and sending out invitations to clearing out the storeroom for decorations, planning the banquet menu, and assigning maids and old women to serve—Western Dou hadn’t seen such liveliness in a long time. From the stewardesses down to the senior maids, everyone was unsure of themselves. Yet Dou Zhao handled everything with effortless ease, arranging each matter methodically and without the slightest strain. Ji Shi, who had intended to come personally to assist, was left dumbfounded and couldn’t help but ask, “Who gave you these ideas?”

“Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘If you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run’?” Dou Zhao replied nonchalantly. “With all the grand New Year celebrations every year, even just watching would teach you something.”

Some people are simply born clever.

Ji Shi nodded repeatedly with a smile. “It’s good that you’re so attentive to everything. It saves me from worrying about you.” Then, realizing her words might not sound entirely complimentary, she teased, “I’ll tell Third Aunt you called her a running pig!” trying to lighten the mood.

Dou Zhao, understanding her intention, played along with a laugh. “If Third Aunt asks, I won’t admit to it.”

Ji Shi burst into laughter.

On the day of the flower-viewing banquet, Ji Shi couldn’t resist arriving early. Only after seeing that everything was perfectly arranged did she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

That evening, the flowers were exquisite, the wine mellow, and the dishes refined. The performers invited to entertain sang the “Reunion of the Hairpin” scene from The Thorn Hairpin , moving even Dou Ming—who had attended the banquet reluctantly—to tears. She kept whispering back and forth with Yi Jie’er and Shu Jie’er.

Meanwhile, Chen Qushui, listening to the distant strains of music, pondered over the news that had arrived from the Capital. He didn’t drift off to sleep until the sky began to lighten.

By the time he woke, the sun was already high in the sky.

He scrambled up in a panic and asked the page attending him, “Has the Fourth Miss arrived at the reception hall yet?”

After her lessons, Dou Zhao would spend half an hour in the reception hall handling household affairs.

The page brought in wash water, grinning. “The Fourth Miss has been in the reception hall for a while now!”

Chen Qushui relaxed slightly.

But then he froze.

In his early years, he had served as an adviser under Zhang Kai, the Governor of Fujian. Even in Zhang Kai’s presence, he had never felt such nervousness… Could it be because of the news he’d heard yesterday?

He sat blankly in his room for a while, estimating that Dou Zhao would soon return to the inner courtyard, before hurrying to the reception hall.

The area outside the reception hall was lined with weeping willows. In the height of summer, their lush branches swayed in the breeze, creating a refreshing sight. Through the open windows, Chen Qushui saw Dou Zhao, dressed in a moon-white striped cotton gown, speaking with Gaoxing (Happy).

Her posture was upright, her gaze calm, and her smooth forehead and long, sweeping eyebrows gave an impression of wisdom. Even from a distance, it was clear she was an exceptionally intelligent and strong-willed person.

Could even boys much older than her compare?

Lost in thought, Chen Qushui entered the reception hall.

Gaoxing was enthusiastically recounting how splendid the previous day’s flower-viewing banquet had been and how the people from the Eastern Manor had praised it.

Dou Zhao responded with a smile, complimenting Gaoxing on a job well done. Beaming with pride, Gaoxing happily skipped away.Chen Qushui straightened his expression and said solemnly, "Fourth Miss, it may indeed be as you said. Zeng Yifen originally intended to recommend Wang Xingyi for the position of Vice Minister of War. However, because Wang Xingyi failed to cultivate personal virtue and manage his household properly, Zeng Yifen had no choice but to agree to Ye Shipei's suggestion and let Gu Yanjing take the post instead."

"Oh!" Dou Zhao's interest was piqued. "I asked you to relay a message to the Wang Family. Was it delivered?"

Though there had been some deviation, the overall situation remained largely within expectations.

Dou Zhao felt even more confident about the future.

"The message has been delivered," Chen Qushui replied. "Madam Xu Wang summoned Wang Shi and reprimanded her harshly. It's said Wang Shi left the Wang Family in tears. Not only that, but Madam Pang's past misdeeds were also brought up again, and Madam Xu Wang placed her under house confinement."

Dou Zhao smiled brightly.

Chen Qushui couldn't help but ask, "Fourth Miss, did you perhaps hear some rumors from somewhere? Otherwise, how did you know there was more to Gu Yanjing's appointment..."

"No, I didn't know," Dou Zhao replied with a laugh. "I merely found it strange that despite Wang Xingyi's outstanding military achievements, he remained stuck as the Shaanxi Governor while Gu Yanjing, who lacked both reputation and seniority, advanced ahead of him."

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Sisters, brothers, gathering information took time, so it's been delayed until now...