ATLAS TRANSLATES

When something involves one’s own interests, news spreads like it has grown wings, impossible to contain as it flies everywhere.

In just one night, everyone in the Dou household, from top to bottom, knew about this matter.

Some secretly cursed Wang Yingxue as the root of trouble, some criticized Zhao Siyi for being unrealistic, some calculated their own interests, while others watched the drama unfold, waiting to see how it would play out.

But regardless of their attitudes, no one wanted to be the first to speak up.

Suddenly, the previously lively east wing of the Dou residence fell silent, with only a few servant girls and old women moving about in the courtyard, while people from all quarters seemed to have vanished.

Dou Zhao felt somewhat gleeful about the situation, but Ji shi took her to the western residence.

“Your grandfather is ill,” Ji shi told her while helping her change clothes. “We’re going to see him.”

To the Zhao family, they maintained the stance that the Wang family now held great power and position, demanding Wang Yingxue be made the official wife, leaving them no choice. To the Wang family, they presented the attitude that although they disapproved of Wang Yingxue, for the sake of both families’ dignity, they would find a way to make her the official wife. Trying to please both sides had now turned into a difficult situation with no way forward.

It must be an acute illness, she thought to herself as she entered Heshou Hall with Ji shi.

Dou Tuo lay in bed wearing a blue headscarf, looking quite unwell, with Concubine Ding attending to him.

When told Dou Zhao had come to see him, he didn’t even lift his eyelids.

Concubine Ding looked embarrassed.

Ji shi poured a cup of tea and gestured for Dou Zhao to offer it to her grandfather.

Dou Tuo merely grunted and turned away.

Dou Zhao held the teacup, blinking as she looked back at Ji shi.

Ji shi’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. She stepped forward, put her arm around Dou Zhao’s shoulders, and said with a smile, “Grandfather is ill and not feeling well. Just put the tea on the small table.”

Dou Zhao listened and carefully placed the teacup down.

Dou Tuo continued to ignore them.

Ji shi smiled and said to Concubine Ding, “Since Third Uncle is resting, we won’t disturb him further. We’ll return tomorrow to check on him.” Then she politely nodded to Concubine Ding and led Dou Zhao out by the hand.

On their way, Dou Ming saw Madam Pang’s figure flash between the flowering trees.

She pretended not to notice and got into the carriage.

Madam Pang hurried back to Qixia Court.

Wang Yingxue had grown very thin and was listlessly making autumn clothes for Dou Ming.

Her brother had come and gone, telling her things she had never imagined before.

The only reason she could still live peacefully in Qixia Court until now was simply because her father had been reinstated. It was only because her maiden family had power.

If her father were to be implicated because of her matters… Wang Yingxue dared not think further.

But if she were to return to the Wang family with Dou Ming this way, how would she live her future days?

Whenever Wang Yingxue thought of the gentle and caring Dou Shiying, her heart ached terribly. She only hoped to delay things one day at a time… If only she could wait until Dou Shiying returned…

Seeing Madam Pang enter, she forced a smile and said, “Second Sister-in-law left in such a hurry, did something happen?”

Madam Pang poured herself a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, then sat beside her and said in a low voice, “I just saw Dou Zhao!”

Wang Yingxue couldn’t help but exclaim “Ah!” and sat up straight.

Last night they had already heard about Zhao Si’s conditions. Wang Yingxue thought Zhao Si had gone mad, but Madam Pang’s eyes lit up and she seemed somewhat distracted all night.

“Don’t panic,” Madam Pang smiled and said. “It looks like Dou Zhao came with Sixth Madam to visit the sick.” She continued with a clicking sound, “I must say, Dou Zhao is truly beautiful, and just those pearl-embroidered shoes on her feet must cost at least ten or more taels of silver. The Dou family is really wealthy.”

Wang Yingxue very much disliked how her second sister-in-law judged everything by its monetary value.

But she couldn’t say anything about it.

These days, she had relied heavily on her second sister-in-law’s help with her affairs. How could she argue about such minor details with her?

“Yingxue, have you made up your mind?” Seeing Wang Yingxue’s silence, Madam Pang smiled inwardly – wanting to have it both ways was impossible. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you as your sister-in-law. Without the Zhao family’s agreement, Father-in-law will never let you stay in the Dou family in such an ambiguous state. You wouldn’t want your brother, sister-in-law, and nephew to hold their heads in shame because of this, would you? If you become the official wife, you’d at least get half of the family property; if you go back, you won’t have any claim to the Dou family’s wealth at all.”

“I can support myself,” Wang Yingxue said unhappily. “I just think Old Master Dou definitely won’t agree to this matter…”

“That’s a later concern,” Madam Pang pressed Wang Yingxue. “Just tell me if you want to become the official wife or not?”

Wang Yingxue lowered her head without speaking.

“I’m just worried about the ancient people in the stories!” Madam Pang said. “Fine, I’m meddling too much. I’ll go back to Nanwa now, and I won’t interfere in your affairs anymore!”

Wang Yingxue suddenly grabbed Madam Pang’s sleeve.

Madam Pang raised her eyebrows and smiled…

Just as Dou Zhao and Ji shi got down from the carriage, they saw Cailan hurrying over.

“Sixth Madam,” she curtsied and said softly, “Fifth Master has returned with Sixth Master and Seventh Master!”

Both Dou Zhao and Ji shi were greatly surprised, and Ji shi’s expression became particularly serious: “Do you know why the three masters have returned?”

“I don’t know,” Cailan shook her head. “I only heard that Fifth Master took a few days’ leave and returned with Sixth Master and Seventh Master.” She added, “Seventh Master has already returned to his residence, Sixth Master was just summoned by the Old Madam, and she instructed that when you return, you should go over immediately.”

Ji shi pondered for a moment and asked, “Besides me and Sixth Master, who else?”

“Also Third Master and Third Madam.”

Ji shi thought for another moment and said, “I understand.” She handed Dou Zhao over to Nurse Tuo and Caishu, “Take good care of Miss Shou, wait for my return before sending her back to her residence.”

Both women responded in agreement and took Dou Zhao back to Ji shi’s residence, while Ji shi took Cailan to the Old Madam’s place.

The Old Madam’s courtyard was eerily quiet, with serving maids and old women standing silently in the middle of the courtyard.

Seeing Ji shi, Mama Liu, who was standing at the steps of the main hall, hurried forward. While smiling and accompanying Ji shi inside, she whispered as quietly as a mosquito, “As soon as Fifth Master returned, he spoke with the Old Madam in the inner chamber for a long time, then asked for everyone to be summoned.”

Ji shi noticed they were just two steps away from the inner chamber and gave Mama Liu a meaningful look before smiling and letting her lift the curtain to enter.

Everyone was already seated, waiting for her arrival.

Ji shi quickly stepped forward to greet everyone.

Second Old Madam laughed and said, “No need for formalities, there are no outsiders here.” Then she pointed to the empty embroidered stool beside Dou Shiheng, “Sit next to Zhongzhi.”

Ji shi smiled and sat down, taking the opportunity to quickly glance at Third Madam.

Third Madam sat there observing her nose while her nose observed her heart, showing no expression.

“Now everyone is here!” Dou Shishu, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Second Old Madam, smiled and spoke, “I returned this time because I have an urgent matter that requires Third Brother and Sixth Brother’s help.”

He was a typical Dou family member, tall and straight, with fair and delicate skin. His eyes were bright and spirited, and his speech was as gentle as a spring breeze.

Dou Shibang quickly bowed slightly.

Dou Shishu then said, “Wang Xingyi is investigating the horse market matter in Gansu, and now with this Wang matter coming up, if he gets impeached, it will put Chancellor Zeng in a very difficult position. The Wang matter must be dealt with swiftly and decisively. I have an idea, let me share it with everyone to see if it’s feasible?” He paused slightly, his gaze slowly passing over the faces of his brothers and sisters-in-law, “Zhao Ruifu proposed that Third Uncle allocate half of his property to Miss Shou as her dowry. I think Third Uncle will definitely not agree. So I roughly calculated that currently, half of the Dou family’s property belongs to the East Residence, and half to the West Residence. The East Residence’s portion is divided into six parts, with the First, Second, and Fourth Branches taking half, and Third Brother, myself, and Sixth Brother taking the other half…”

When Ji shi heard this, she vaguely understood Dou Shishu’s plan. Her heart began to race, and she couldn’t help but look toward Second Old Madam.

Second Old Madam sat perfectly straight, her gaze steady.

She then thought of Cailan’s words.

It seemed that Fifth Uncle had already gained Mother-in-law’s support!

Ji shi glanced at Dou Shibang.

Dou Shibang’s mouth was slightly open, clearly also having a vague idea of what Dou Shishu would say next.

But he quickly regained his composure and continued listening to Dou Shishu’s words as attentively as before.

Looking at her husband again.

His face showed indifference, obviously already knowing what Dou Shishu would say.

Ji shi sighed.

Dou Shishu’s voice came to her ears: “…our three branches combined exactly equal half of the West Residence’s property, precisely meeting Ruifu’s requirements. If Third Brother and Sixth Brother’s wife agree, I think we should allocate our three branches’ share of the property to Miss Shou. As for Third Brother and Sixth Uncle’s losses, please give me some time, I’ll write an IOU and pay it back gradually.”

As soon as he finished speaking, before the Third and Sixth Branches could respond, Second Old Madam already said, “If you need urgent funds, just give me a number. I still have some personal savings that can cover the family’s expenses for three to five years.”

Dou Shibang respected his mother the most, and this was for his blood brother’s future career.

He had nothing to say.

However, he also didn’t want to express his opinion, to avoid making Sixth Brother and his wife feel he was meddling.

Dou Shiheng already had the mindset that “a good woman doesn’t wear wedding clothes, a good man doesn’t eat his parents’ food,” and moreover, he knew about this matter before returning. He was only worried that Ji shi would feel wronged, so he looked towards her.

Dou Shishu had calculated everything, how could she say no?

She nodded to her husband.

Dou Shiheng said in a deep voice, “I agree.”

Dou Shibang was someone who could let things go easily. Seeing the matter was settled, he had no more reservations and said, “I agree too.” Then, feeling the atmosphere was a bit heavy, he deliberately lightened his tone and said, “We don’t need Fifth Brother to write any IOUs. Mother’s personal savings should be kept for rewarding the grandsons and granddaughters. As for daily expenses, whether it’s me or Sixth Brother, we can both manage. If we really reach a point where we’re completely broke, I’ll take my sons, daughters-in-law, grandsons, and granddaughters to find Fifth Brother in the capital.”

Dou Shishu smiled slightly, his smile warm and sincere: “Third Brother, rest assured, I will certainly welcome you with the utmost respect!”

Dou Shiheng laughed heartily.

Second Old Madam was genuinely happy, the wrinkles on her face seemed to have decreased: “Good, good, good. Brothers united, their sharpness can cut through metal. Seeing you like this, I can die with peace of mind. Don’t worry, as long as your Fifth Brother has food to eat, you will have food to eat. I’m saying this here, Old Five, make an oath in front of your brothers and sisters-in-law…”

“No need, no need,” Third Madam had now reacted and said with a full smile, “This isn’t just one person’s matter, it’s our family’s matter, how can we let Fifth Brother bear it alone?” Then she teased, “Mother, speaking like this is stirring up discord between us brothers and sisters-in-law!”

“I was wrong, I was wrong!” Second Old Madam smiled as if she had eaten a longevity fruit, “I won’t say anymore, I won’t say anymore.”

Dou Shishu then stood up with a smile: “Since that’s the case, I won’t say more. I’ve already invited Lan’er, First Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, and others to talk in the flower hall. By now, they should all have arrived. Let’s go there together!”