ATLAS TRANSLATES

Dou Shiying hired a tutor named Jiang, given name Li, courtesy name Yugong, for his daughter. He was a sixty-year-old former scholar who had served as a tutor for fifteen years in the household of He Wendao – Dou Shiying’s teacher and a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. Due to his advanced age and declining energy, he had requested to retire to his hometown, but was persuaded by Dou Shiying.

“…Scholar Dou said since it’s just a girl, it doesn’t matter what she learns, as long as she understands some basic principles,” Jiang Yugong said politely, though his tone revealed his arrogance. “And with Master Dou’s recommendation, I couldn’t refuse due to face, so despite knowing my limited talents and learning, I had to reluctantly accept.”

With three imperial officials in the Dou family, he had to address them by their official titles.

Dou Shibang repeatedly expressed his thanks, asked Master Du to accompany Jiang, and personally arranged for Jiang Yugong to stay in the West Dou Mansion’s outer study. He assigned two male servants, two maids, and two rough-work women to serve him. He called Dou Zhao out to pay respects to Jiang Yugong, set the date for starting lessons, and then returned to the East Dou Mansion.

Second Madame asked her son: “What kind of person is he?”

Dou Shibang smiled bitterly: “His scholarship is first-rate, but his temperament… I don’t know if we can keep him.”

Second Madame frowned.

Dou Zhao was so angry she wanted to curse.

Why couldn’t Father just leave things be? This Jiang clearly wasn’t here to be her proper tutor – he was just going through the motions!

Though already sixty, he still rigidly maintained gender separation, setting up a screen between himself and Dou Zhao during lessons. He frequently boasted about his time at Grand Secretary He’s household. During lessons, he didn’t care whether Dou Zhao understood or not, just lectured by himself and left when finished, as if Dou Zhao was a wooden block who couldn’t comprehend his excellent teaching or recognize his poor instruction. He taught very reluctantly, yet Dou Shiying had promised him not only an annual payment of one hundred taels of silver but also two sets of clothes for each season.

He was simply looking down on her for being a girl.

One day when Dou Qijun was home, as Jiang Yugong was teaching Dou Zhao “Mencius: Duke Wen of Teng Part Two,” Dou Zhao called Cui Thirteen over and asked Dou Qijun to write an essay on “Duke Zhou pacified the barbarians, drove away fierce beasts, and brought peace to the people.” She placed it on Jiang Yugong’s desk the next morning. Jiang Yugong first glanced at it casually, then exclaimed in surprise, picked it up and read it carefully for a while before asking Dou Zhao: “Who wrote this?”

Dou Zhao replied calmly without changing expression: “The student wrote it for fun.”

Jiang Yugong snorted dismissively, tossed the essay aside, and then used the “Duke Wen of Teng” text to lecture her about the proper conduct of concubines and women.

Dou Zhao remained silent, attending her lessons every day without missing a minute.

When Chen Qushui heard that the Seventh Master of the Dou family had invited a tutor from the capital for his daughter, he laughed heartily and wrote a letter to Dou Zhao, saying that since she thought highly of him, he had decided to come to Zhending County immediately to be a tutor at the Dou household.

Dou Zhao arranged for Chen Qushui to stay at the estate.

Chen Qushui watched as the carriage bypassed Zhending County town and headed toward the countryside estate, unable to hide his surprise. He asked Zhao Liangbi who had come to receive him: “Where are we going?”

Zhao Liangbi smiled and said: “Naturally to Aunt Cui’s estate!” He explained, “Aunt Cui has long declared that this estate would be given to Fourth Young Miss, and the Seventh Master has agreed. From now on, this estate belongs to Fourth Young Miss.”

Chen Qushui fell silent.

No wonder Fourth Young Miss Dou had asked him to be her personal tutor.

Could it be that Fourth Young Miss Dou had known all along that Seventh Master Dou would invite a tutor from the capital?

He had originally just wanted to give Dou Zhao a small lesson, to let her know that she didn’t necessarily have the final say in the Dou family. Promises required real power to back them up!

Now it seemed his small attempt at teasing was utterly insignificant before Fourth Young Miss Dou.

Why did Fourth Young Miss Dou need a tutor to teach classics and history?

Chen Qushui seriously considered Dou Zhao’s purpose in seeking him out for the first time.

Dou Zhao took a day off to welcome Chen Qushui at the estate’s entrance.

Chen Qushui was surprised not to see any adults present.

Dou Zhao pretended not to notice and smiled as she led Chen Qushui to the prepared study.

It was a three-room building with gray brick and tiles, one front room and two back rooms. The east side was the inner chamber with a warm room behind it; the west side was the study with a suite behind it. A crabapple tree and an apricot tree were planted in front, with a bamboo grove behind. The ground was paved with gray bricks, the windows were covered with Korean paper, and black lacquered furniture held blue-and-white porcelain teacups. A Song dynasty white porcelain vase held two deep red hibiscus flowers of different heights, creating an atmosphere of pure elegance.

Chen Qushui’s eyes immediately brightened. When he picked up the teacup and saw the bright yellow tea with its refined fragrance, he tasted its rich flavor with a lasting sweetness – it was this autumn’s fresh Tieguanyin. Joy spread across his face as he exclaimed loudly, “Excellent tea!”

Dou Zhao smiled slightly.

A person without obsessions cannot be befriended, for they lack deep feeling; a person without flaws cannot be befriended, for they lack true spirit.

Chen Qushui had faced many hardships in life, yet could still be moved by scenery and a cup of tea – this showed his true nature.

She took a sip of tea, letting the fresh sweetness of the Tieguanyin roll through her chest, then smiled and asked: “What are Master Chen’s future plans?”

Chen Qushui raised his eyebrows slightly, as if questioning her intentions.

Dou Zhao was frank and said openly: “Living long in a room of orchids, one stops noticing their fragrance; living long in a fish shop, one stops noticing the smell. The East Alley Street has lost its pavilion master, and perhaps is no longer suitable for Master Chen’s long-term residence. I would like to invite you to stay at the estate and teach me whenever convenient. What do you think of this arrangement?”

Chen Qushui’s gaze sharpened.

Fourth Young Miss Dou’s words carried deeper meaning.

When he first arrived at East Alley Street, he had encountered harassment from idle thugs. If not for Bie Gangyi’s intervention, how could he have escaped unharmed?

Chen Qushui thought of Bie Gangyi, whose time was running short, and the Bie sisters who were about to seek refuge with Dou Zhao. He felt somewhat tempted.

He had long accepted his fate and now sought nothing more than to live out his remaining days in peace and tranquility.

Moreover, he was concerned about the Bie sisters and hoped to repay Bie Gangyi’s years of kindness toward him.

After long contemplation, Chen Qushui seriously asked Dou Zhao: “They say a woman’s virtue lies in her lack of talent. Why does Fourth Young Miss Dou insist on having a tutor teach classics and history at home?”

Since she would be entrusting certain matters to Chen Qushui, it was better to be completely honest.

This was Dou Zhao’s principle in dealing with people.

“You must have already investigated my situation thoroughly, Master Chen,” she said thoughtfully. “Previously, I was certain that since Wang was already a concubine, the Dou family would never elevate her to primary wife status for the sake of their reputation. But I was wrong. With Zeng Yifen’s reinstatement, Wang Xingyi’s rise to power, and Fifth Uncle’s ambition, Wang was not only elevated, but I also became a pawn in the power struggle between the Wang and Dou families.” At this point, she slowly picked up her teacup and took a sip, her voice becoming somewhat dim, “I often think, when I was young I had no power to struggle, but now that I’m grown, must I continue living as a mere sacrificial lamb? Moreover, in at most ten years, the Wang and Dou families will determine a victor – what will become of me then?”

In her previous life, Wang Xingyi and Dou Shixu had taken only nine years to determine the outcome.

In this life, although circumstances had changed, who could guarantee that Dou Shixu would definitely be able to change history and emerge victorious?

In her previous life, she was just an insignificant person yet still earned Wang Yingxue’s hatred. In this life, she owned half of West Dou’s property…

Dou Zhao set down her teacup. The lid clinked against the cup with a clear, pleasant sound that seemed particularly loud in the quiet study.

“Before, I only knew that the Dou family treated me poorly and that Wang and I had an irreconcilable feud, but I never carefully considered how things came to be this way,” her voice was clear. “Now I see clearly that although the imperial court seems distant, even a small ripple from there can turn into huge waves that could drown me in an instant. Previously, I only focused on the people and events around me, watching storms arise without knowing how they related to me, let alone how to avoid them…”

In her previous life, she only began to understand the relationship between the imperial court and the inner quarters after becoming a marquise. In this life, the feud between the Wang and Dou families gave her an even deeper understanding. Due to the restrictions of her status as a sheltered young lady, she could only learn about outside events through others, which led her to consider finding someone to be her eyes and observe for her. Chen Qushui was undoubtedly the best candidate she could find at present.

Chen Qushui suddenly understood and said: “Use bronze as a mirror to see if you are properly dressed, use people as a mirror to understand gains and losses, use history as a mirror to understand the rise and fall of power…”

“No, no, no,” Dou Zhao smiled. “I don’t have such grand ambitions. I just want to protect what I currently have – not to be spied upon, not to be coveted, not to be used, not to be betrayed, not to be manipulated… that’s all.”

Chen Qushui was puzzled and tactfully said: “But isn’t everything Fourth Young Miss has today given by the Dou family?”

“Master Chen may not know yet,” Dou Zhao smiled as she looked at Chen Qushui, “Before Wang was elevated to primary wife, my uncle arranged on my behalf for half of West Dou’s property to be transferred to my name as dowry, currently managed by my Third Brother from East Dou’s Second Branch.” She told Chen Qushui about the agreement between the Zhao and Dou families.

Large drops of sweat fell from Chen Qushui’s forehead.

He lived at East Alley Tower, a gathering place for idle thugs, yet had never heard even a whisper about this.

What did this mean?

His eyes widened in shock.

Someone didn’t want this information to spread.

Who would benefit from keeping this matter secret?

“Fourth Young Miss Dou,” Chen Qushui prided himself on being calm, but now couldn’t help wiping his forehead, “your situation… is truly… worrisome…”

“That depends on how you look at it,” Dou Zhao said casually with a smile. “Good fortune can lead to misfortune, and misfortune can lead to good fortune. Sometimes good things can turn bad, and sometimes bad things can turn good. With that wealth in hand and training capable people, we can watch from Yellow Crane Tower as others’ boats capsize. Whether the Wang family wins or the Dou family wins, they probably won’t be able to do anything to me.” She smiled gracefully at Chen Qushui, “Rather than asking Master Chen to be my tutor, I’d rather ask you to be my teacher, to teach me how to avoid danger and seek fortune, to live a comfortable and satisfying life.”

If Dou Zhao were a boy, Chen Qushui would have agreed without hesitation. But Dou Zhao was a girl…

He hesitated and asked: “May I ask if Fourth Young Miss Dou is betrothed?”

Dou Zhao smiled and said: “I don’t plan to marry!”

Chen Qushui was stunned.

Dou Zhao explained: “The Dou family is prosperous – I already have eleven nephews, and there will be more in the future. Why should I need to marry?”

If she married, she would bear children and be someone’s wife and mother, able to rely only on her husband and sons. If she didn’t marry, she would forever be a daughter of the Dou family, able to rely on everyone in the Dou family – her choices would be greater!

“But…” Chen Qushui couldn’t agree, “You can’t spend your whole life alone, can you?”

She had already been married and had children – it wasn’t all it was made out to be.

But Dou Zhao couldn’t explain these things to others, so she could only say: “For now, this is the best solution, isn’t it? Nothing in this world stays the same forever. Let’s wait until we’re firmly established before deciding! Living with dignity is more important than marriage.”