In Qixia Court, the bright red wedding candles crackled and sparked.
“This is too much, simply too much!” She stood in the middle of the room with an angry face. “Why must the East Residence always suppress the West Residence? I am now legitimately Wan Yuan’s wife, by what right does she keep Ming girl in her rooms?”
“Madam, please lower your voice, lower your voice,” Nanny Hu hurriedly reminded her, glancing around to check for others. Seeing no one, she whispered, “Now is not the time to lose your temper — Seventh Master still needs Fifth Master’s support, you’ve just been formally recognized, and you don’t have a son to rely on… Better to endure a moment’s anger than worry for a hundred days!”
“I know!” Wang Yingxue’s expression softened slightly. “If I wasn’t thinking of this, I wouldn’t have swallowed my anger today.”
Nanny Hu sighed in relief, smiling as she changed the subject: “Today is your special day, and it’s getting late. Seventh Master should be coming soon. Why don’t I help you remove your makeup, and you can have a cup of lily and lotus seed soup…”
Wang Yingxue blushed.
Qiong Fang walked in smiling, carrying a box: “Seventh Madam, these are today’s wedding gifts. Where would you like me to put them?”
Mentioning this made Wang Yingxue’s anger flare up again.
The Dou family was wealthy and refined, usually rewarding their servants with fine silks and silver hairpins, yet Second Lady Dowager and the others had given her merely common ornaments like gold-inlaid jade hairpins, showing their disregard for her.
“They’re nothing special, why keep them hidden away?” Her voice was sharp.
Qiong Fang’s attempt at flattery had backfired, earning her a scolding instead of praise.
Nanny Hu quickly signaled to Qiong Fang with her eyes and tried to comfort Wang Yingxue: “The Dou family isn’t newly rich. They’re more low-key and reserved about formal occasions. Don’t underestimate these items. They might all be precious antiques with special significance. We’re too busy today, but when you have time, Madam can examine them carefully.”
Since Zhao Guqiu’s death, the West Dou household had lacked someone to manage internal affairs. After several years, it had become chaotic, with everyone harboring their own intentions. Moreover, after Dou Zhao recently took half the property, even those who had previously curry favored with her were now taking a wait-and-see approach. At this time, everyone in the household must be watching Qixia Court – if she showed any unusual behavior, it would likely be greatly exaggerated… Better to use this explanation to save face!
Wang Yingxue considered this and gave a soft “mm” in response. Just as she was about to scold Qiong Fang further, a young maid announced: “Gao Sheng is here!”
Everyone in the room was startled.
Wang Yingxue asked suspiciously: “Show him in!”
Gao Sheng stood outside the plum blossom patterned screen door of the inner chamber, his voice gentle and respectful: “Seventh Madam, Seventh Master says it’s too late today, so he’ll rest in the main room. He asks you to rest early too. Tomorrow at mao hour (5-7 AM) you should pay respects to the Elder Master, and at chen hour (7-9 AM) Third Madam will come over. He asks you not to be late.” After speaking, he bowed and retreated.
Wang Yingxue’s mouth gaped open for a long while before she could close it. Her face then flushed red and tears welled up in her eyes: “What does he mean? If he wants to make excuses, why say it’s too late? It’s only the beginning of xu hour (7-9 PM)… and staying in the main room… isn’t he just making me a laughingstock?”
Nanny Hu also sensed something unusual about Dou Shengying’s behavior. She hesitated: “Madam, should I go check?”
“No need!” Wang Yingxue gritted her teeth and said, “I’ll go invite him myself.”
On her first day as his wife, Dou Shengying was sleeping elsewhere – how could she ever hold her head up in the Dou family after this?
Nanny Hu accompanied Wang Yingxue as she hurried to the main room.
Dou Shengying had changed into casual clothes and was writing at his desk.
Seeing Wang Yingxue, he showed no surprise, just smiled faintly and said “You’ve come.”
Looking at Dou Shengying’s handsome face in the lamplight, all the reproaches she had prepared on the way suddenly vanished. She nervously adjusted her sleeves, her voice becoming gentle: “Are you very tired today? Why are you writing alone in the main room?” As she spoke, she walked closer, smelling the alcohol on him. She smiled, “How much did you drink, Seventh Master? You smell of wine. Shall I have someone bring you some sobering soup?” As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves to help him grind ink.
Dou Shengying stopped her: “I have Gao Sheng to serve me here. You should go rest, you’ll be busy tomorrow.” His voice was as gentle as the evening breeze through the window, but he lowered his head and continued writing, completely focused.
His rejection was so obvious that Wang Yingxue blushed with shame, but she had never been one to wait passively. After pondering for a moment, she suddenly stepped forward and embraced Dou Shengying’s waist from the side.
“Wan Yuan…” Under the lamplight, her gaze was soft enough to drip water.
Dou Shengying’s body stiffened. He slowly put down his brush and, gently but firmly, peeled away the arms encircling him: “Yingxue, I told you before, except for status, I can’t give you anything else… you know this… isn’t it better if we maintain a respectful distance?”
He turned around, his ink-black eyes quietly gazing at her, his expression completely serious.
Wang Yingxue was stunned.
Of course she knew… but she had thought that time would fade everything… How could a thousand miles of longing compare to warm jade in one’s arms…
Dou Shengying strode out.
The tuberose in the Dou mansion was already blooming, its rich fragrance wafting over.
He suddenly remembered his own wedding.
It was weather just like this.
The tuberose bloomed wildly, like gleaming jade in the moonlight.
His wife’s clear voice calling “Wan Yuan,” asking him “Am I pretty?”…
He couldn’t remember how he had answered, only remembered his wife jumping into his arms with surprise and joy, burning like a flame in his heart… In his ears was his wife’s silver bell-like laughter: “They all say I’m shameless, but I just like you, I just want to marry you!” Her sweet, naive voice carried undoubted joy and satisfaction…
The flower fragrance was so intense, like the decay at the end of blooming, making one’s heart palpitate with fear.
He ran out…
A thunderous boom sounded, and rain poured down… Dou Zhao was awakened by the movement beside her. In her drowsy state, she heard her grandmother instructing Red Maid: “…Check if the foals in the stable are frightened? Are the kitchen windows closed? The straw in the firewood room needs to be gathered up too, lest it gets wet from the rain.”
Red Maid responded with a yawn, putting on clothes as she went out.
Grandmother turned back, saw Dou Zhao squirming under the blanket, and smiled, patting her gently: “Don’t be afraid, Shou girl. Concubine Cui is here!”
Instead, this fully woke Dou Zhao up.
She stared at the ceiling, momentarily confused.
Outside came the sound of loud knocking, echoing through the courtyard.
Grandmother was startled. Liu Sihai, the farmhand living in the west wing, had already walked to the main gate with the wooden bar used to secure it.
“Who is it?” he asked vigilantly.
“It’s Seventh Master,” came a loud voice from outside. “Quick, open the door.”
Liu Sihai hurriedly dropped the wooden bar and opened the gate with a creak.
Dou Shengying and Gao Sheng walked in through the rain.
“What happened?” Grandmother, standing at the main room’s doorway in her robe, hurried forward despite the heavy rain.
“Nothing, nothing.” Dou Shengying’s clothes were soaked through. Though it was hot in midsummer, the night rain was still quite cold when it soaked through to the skin. His lips were somewhat pale. “I came to see Shou girl.”
Grandmother’s eyes showed deep suspicion, but she didn’t ask anything. She ordered the servants to boil water and sent Red Maid to borrow some change of clothes from the neighboring wealthy Lang family.
By the time Father had cleaned up, the rain was even heavier, and the sky was so dark it seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Dou Zhao sat on the kang bed, drowsy, her head nodding like a fishing bob.
She was indifferent to her father’s appearance.
In the middle of the night, in such heavy rain, one could easily catch a cold or even fall seriously ill, and would also trouble the visited family to frantically help find change of clothes and arrange hot water and refreshments… Childish and willful. How inconsiderate – not at all like a father should be.
More importantly, she felt that regardless of what conflicts Father had with Wang Yingxue, running away like this showed too much weakness and incompetence.
Father, however, showed no such self-awareness. He smiled as he ruffled Dou Zhao’s hair, asking gently: “Are you comfortable living at the estate?”
“Yes!” Dou Zhao turned her head away, batting away his hand. “Everyone treats me very well.”
Dou Shengying looked at the rough, simple furnishings in the room, feeling his eldest daughter was somewhat carefree.
He stood silently by the kang for a long while.
Dou Zhao very much wanted to sleep. Since Father wasn’t speaking, she had to say: “Father, aren’t you going to sleep?”
Dou Shengying remained silent. After a while, he slowly sat down beside Dou Zhao and asked in a deep voice: “Do you… remember your mother?”
Dou Zhao was surprised, her expression growing serious.
“I remember your mother,” he murmured, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. “The day she married me, she wore an emerald ring with a gold setting, made in the shape of a begonia flower…”
Dou Zhao turned her face away, sadness slowly welling up from the depths of her heart…
Father left before dawn. Dou Zhao looked at the sky, clear as water after the rain, momentarily dazed.
After grief, people have more courage to face life’s disappointments!
She returned to the room to practice calligraphy.
Zhao Liangbi eagerly helped her tidy the study.
She said to Zhao Liangbi: “Let me give you a name?”
Zhao Qibi was both excited and worried.
He was happy that he wouldn’t have to be called Gou Sheng anymore, but worried that Dou Zhao might give him a name similar to Gou Sheng on a whim… and he wouldn’t be able to change it later!
“How about Liangbi?” Dou Zhao wrote his name on paper. “It means beautiful jade. I hope you’ll be as beautiful and modest as fine jade.”
Zhao Liangbi was overjoyed and showed off the paper with his name written by Dou Zhao everywhere.
Within a day, everyone at the estate knew that Gou Sheng was now called Zhao Liangbi.
Grandmother also praised the name as well-chosen, and said she would take her to the temple to play in a few days, but Father’s leave was over. He came to take Dou Zhao back, telling Grandmother: “If you need anything, you can send word through Sixth Brother. While I’m in the capital, he will look after you and Shou girl.”
Grandmother nodded, not taking his words to heart.
She had lived alone on the estate for over twenty years without any problems, and she believed that if she had any issues in the future, she wouldn’t need to seek help from the Dou family.
However, Dou Zhao made a request to her father: “Can we take Zhao Liangbi back with us?”
Father asked who Zhao Liangbi was.
Grandmother told him about Zhao Liangbi’s background.
Hearing that Dou Zhao had helped choose the name Zhao Liangbi, Father nodded: “Then let’s take him back!”
And so, Zhao Liangbi appeared in the Dou household ahead of schedule.
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