After staying in the family for over a year without any signs of pregnancy, Lady Ding made Dou Zhao’s paternal grandmother very anxious. One day, she heard about a family with the surname Cui at the Dou family estate who had eight sons and two daughters, all of whom survived. Because they had too many…

Dou Zhao wanted to give her mother a hint, but she thought of the maids still confined in the side room who hadn’t been dealt with yet. She quickly sat up in bed and called out “Father” loudly. If mother was clever enough, she should instinctively bring her to father. If grandfather scolded them, they…

When they heard that Dou Shibang had arrived, Father went personally to welcome him in. He was carrying a basket of tangerines. Since they were all family, Mother and Aunt Ding didn’t need to avoid them. After everyone exchanged greetings, Dou Shibang pointed at the tangerines and said with a smile to Grandfather: “Elder Brother…

Dou Zhao’s ancestors began with a peddler who owned no property. By chance, he married a maid from a merchant family in town. Using his wife’s dowry of ten taels of silver, he bought 1.2 mu of land in Beilou Village of Zhending, where he settled down and raised his family. This was the origin…

Father’s carriage was parked at the second gate, with servants busy carrying things inside. Father wore a sapphire blue straight robe made of Hangzhou silk with water iris patterns and a grey squirrel fur cape. He stood elegantly by the carriage, talking to Gao Sheng. Hearing movement, he turned around with a gentle smile, handsome…

Dou Zhao couldn’t tell if she was jealous or envious. Blood rushed to her chest, making her feel terribly uncomfortable. She feared that if she looked at her son one more time, she might do something she’d regret. “Give the token to the young master,” she instructed Cui Leng. “Tell them that from now on,…

“I’ve already given my word, how could I go back on it?” Dou Zhao said with a smile. “Just the other day, Madam Guo sent someone with a message about wanting to arrange a marriage with our family. That’s why I thought we might as well arrange for Young Master Wei to marry the eldest…

Song Mo, courtesy name Yan Tang, was the eldest legitimate son of Duke Song Yichun of England. His mother, Lady Jiang, was the sister of Duke Jiang Meisun. His background was extremely prestigious. At five years old, he was appointed as heir. At fourteen, during his mother’s mourning period, a concubine became pregnant, leading to…

Dou Zhao felt she might not die soon. The elderly often said that dreaming of death brings life, while dreaming of life brings death. These days, she kept dreaming of her childhood — sitting under a trellis full of blooming wisteria, swinging her chubby little legs while her plump white nanny, who looked like a…