Dou Zhao's words brought deathly silence to the room.

She couldn't help but cough lightly, wanting to persuade Ji Yong a few more words, but before she opened her mouth, she heard Ji Yong's cold sneer filled with disdain and contempt: "Some people have no ability themselves, but always blame others for being rude to them. I despise such people the most!" Although his tone was less aggressive than when he ridiculed others, his words were just as sharp and sarcastic.

Well, I said the wrong thing and recognized the wrong person!

Dou Zhao decided that he would never play the qin for Niu again.

She asked Ji Yong, "What do you want to talk to me about?" and her attitude became cold.

Ji Yong didn't take it seriously, touched her nose, and said leisurely: "Don't you really want to marry He Yu?"

Dou Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and he said calmly, "Why do you say that?"

"Otherwise, why would you plot against me?" he said slowly.

Dou Zhao's heart was suddenly filled with turmoil. He managed to restrain himself from jumping up with great difficulty, but his expression became unbearable and looked a little ugly.

Ji Yong nodded with a smile, and seemed to be in a very happy mood. He said leisurely: "However, since we are relatives, I will help you this time." He looked as if he didn't care.

Dou Zhao was shocked.

Ji Yong had already stood up and left the flower hall.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but touch his forehead.

What does this verse mean?

He was an elite in the Ji family, loved by the elders and admired by the younger generations. Not to mention people like him who could share the resources of the Ji family and enjoy the prosperity of the Ji family, even Sixth Aunt would distinguish the priorities at this time and stand firmly on the side of the Dou family, on which her son depended for survival and on which she would be worshipped after her death, rather than on the Ji family, which gave birth to her and raised her. How could he abandon the Ji family to help her?

This is like selling out your own interests!

But from her understanding of him, although his words and actions often made people so angry that they wanted to spit blood, he never broke his words...

Or, was he just here to make fun of himself?

Dou Zhao carefully recalled the clues just now.

Except for a few sarcastic remarks about himself when mentioning Dou Qiguang, he behaved quite normally at other times!

Is he here to demonstrate to me?

Then why did he say anything about helping her...it doesn't seem like it!

Dou Zhao sat there shaking his head.

Ji Yong suddenly left and came back.

"Oh, by the way," he grinned, his smile so bright that it was dazzling, "I forgot to tell you something. Your accountant is really good, but he is much worse than me. If you have such things in the future, you can discuss it with me. I promise I can be more useful than him."

Dou Zhao couldn't help but look pale.

Ji Yong, however, seemed to have seen some long-awaited wonder. He laughed heartily with satisfaction and walked away.

Dou Zhao hurriedly called out "Su Xin" loudly: "Please ask Mr. Chen to come over. I have something important to discuss with him."

※※※※※

The Wu family's residence in Kyoto was located in Fangjia Hutong, Chongjingfang, near Andingmen in the north of the city.

To the north of it are the Imperial College and the Temple of Literature, to the south is the Kaiyuan Temple, and to the west is Andingmen Street. It is a quiet place in a bustling city, and is a good place to study. Most of the scholars who come to Beijing from other places like to rent apartments nearby, and the housing prices in Chongjingfang have always remained high.

The Wu family's house was bought by their ancestors many years ago. The small courtyard with two entrances is planted with crabapple and pomegranate trees. In the middle of the courtyard is a grape vine. In the large blue and white fish tank, a few goldfish are swimming among the water plants with their tails wagging. The atmosphere is full of affluent and comfortable home.

Mrs. Wu and her daughter were sitting on the beauty's recliner under the porch, doing needlework. Listening to the sound of someone reading aloud coming from the west wing, her brows unconsciously furrowed into the shape of the Chinese character "川".

Wu Ya looked up and saw her mother's face full of sorrow. She asked in confusion, "Mom, what happened to you these days? Why do you always look so sad?" Then she joked with her mother, "I'm so obedient. Did my brother do something wrong again? Tell me, I promise not to tell Dad and help you teach my brother a lesson!"

"Silly child." Mrs. Wu couldn't help but touch Wu Yawu's dark hair.

After the new year, my daughter was fourteen years old and it was time for her to get married.

After that incident, her son rarely spoke. He used to talk and laugh with her, but now the conversations between mother and son are all the same: "Are you hungry?" "No"; "Do you want to eat anything?" "No"; "Did you sleep well?" "Good"... She told her husband about her son's abnormality, but her husband thought it was a good thing: "Shan'er has grown up and has become steady and calm."

She had no choice but to tell her husband what happened in the Dou family, but she did not dare to mention her son. She only said that she had fallen in love with Dou Zhao.

"Ridiculous, ridiculous!" The husband was furious after hearing this. "Such a big thing, why didn't you discuss it with me earlier? The fourth daughter of their family is no different from other ladies in the imperial court. When the daughter of the Wang family was appointed as the wife, the Dou and Zhao families had agreed in advance that the Wang family should not interfere in the marriage of the fourth daughter, for fear that the fourth daughter would be wronged by the Wang family or the Dou family. Do you think Yuanji would interfere easily? He could have agreed to you, but I don't know how he dealt with it behind the scenes. You just rejected it with a word that it was not suitable. What have you done before? How embarrassed are you to let Yuanji feel? You didn't tell me until now... I have to apologize to Yuanji!" Then he glared at her and said loudly, "You should also write a letter of apology to the second wife. I'm afraid she would run away because of your words!"

Thinking of this, Mrs. Wu felt as if a hammer was piercing her forehead, causing a buzzing pain.

If I had known this would happen, I should have gritted my teeth and not agreed to my son's request, so as to avoid the trouble that followed.

Although Dou Yuanji looked as if he had no grudges, she didn't believe that they really didn't have any thoughts at all, and she didn't visit the Dou family as often as before.

While she was thinking about it, a little maid came to report that Lord Wu had left the yamen.

Mrs. Wu straightened her clothes and went to greet him with her daughter.

Wu Song is a man in his fifties, tall and stern. When he saw his well-behaved daughter, a warm smile appeared in his eyes.

"Where is Shan'er?" The sound of reading stopped and the yard became quiet.

"I was reading just now!" As soon as Mrs. Wu finished speaking, the door of the west room creaked open, and Wu Shan, who heard the noise, came out.

"Daddy!" He saluted Wu Songnian respectfully. His every move lacked the sharpness of a young man and was more reserved.

Wu Songnian nodded continuously and asked about his homework with a smile.

Wu Shan answered them one by one.

The two of them stood in the yard and discussed academic matters.

Wu Ya pulled at her mother's collar.

Mrs. Wu found an opportunity to interrupt the father and son and said with a smile, "...We'll have plenty of time after dinner."

Wu Songnian was very satisfied with his son's homework and walked into the main room with a smile.

Although Wu Shan's lips curled up, there was no smile in his eyes. He followed his father into the house.

Mrs. Wu couldn't help but sigh.

After helping her husband wash and dress, she couldn't help but ask him, "Didn't you say that Master Cai invited you to drink today? Why did you come back so early?"

Wu Songnian smiled and shook his head: "Don't mention it - Lao Cai is out to be a matchmaker!"

"Matchmaking?" Mrs. Wu could not help but be greatly surprised. "Why would he be a matchmaker? Who has such a high status that he could be invited?"

Cai Bi's knowledge was first-rate, but he was also a very snobbish person. If Cai Bi and Dou Shishu were not relatives, their family would never have had anything to do with Cai Bi. Even so, Wu Songnian would not have easily entered the Cai family's door without any reason.

"It was Lord He," Wu Songnian said, "He wanted to marry his youngest son to the Dou family, and asked Cai Bi to be the matchmaker." He added, "From what Cai Bi said, it seems that Lord He was afraid that the Dou family would not agree, so he asked him to come forward and make the marriage happen no matter what."

Mrs. Wu's eyelids twitched: "Daughter of the Dou family? What's her ranking?"

"How can I get so much information?" Wu Songnian said, "Yuanji has seven brothers, so he should have several nieces."

"Niece?" Mrs. Wu was surprised. "Isn't that a difference in generation?"

"Yes!" Wu Songnian frowned, "Otherwise why would they ask Cai Bi to come forward! Firstly, he and the Dou family are relatives, so they can talk it out if there is anything; secondly, apart from Cai Bi, there are only a few people who can come up with those tricks and use classics to make this matter round." Then he said with emotion, "It seems that the He family is determined to get this marriage. This is also Yuanji's luck - if Zeng Ge Lao retires, with He Ge Lao's great help, Yuanji will have no doubts about entering the court."

Mrs. Wu's heart suddenly began to boil like water.

Her husband didn't know how many young ladies there were in the Dou family, but she knew it clearly.

Dou Zhao was the only niece of the right age in the Dou family.

As the thought flashed through her mind, she heard her son exclaim in shock, "Could it be Shougu?"

The couple couldn't help but look at Wu Shan.

I saw my son standing there in a daze, looking distraught.

The couple exchanged glances, but heard their daughter Wu Ya loudly rebuke: "How could it be Shougu? She grew up in the countryside of Zhending, how did the He family know her? It must be Dou Ming! No matter what, Dou Ming is the granddaughter of Lord Wang..."

"Not bad, not bad." Wu Shan seemed to come back to his senses. Although there were beads of sweat on his forehead, he said happily as if he had suddenly come alive, "Shou Gu has an engagement with the Wei family of Jining Marquis's Mansion. It's definitely not her, it's definitely not her..."

Wu Songnian's face turned pale, and he shouted in a stern voice: "Don't look at, listen to, or say anything indecent. Let's not discuss other people's affairs behind their backs. All of you go down first! I still have something to say to your mother."

Wu Shan and Wu Ya retreated.

Wu Songnian's expression became more serious, and he asked Mrs. Wu, "Is the fourth young lady you are talking about this Shougu?"

Mrs. Wu nodded.

"I'm afraid the girl the He family wants to marry is this Shougu." Wu Songnian said in a deep voice, "Lord Cai went to the Jining Marquis's mansion today."

"What did you say?" Mrs. Wu said in shock, "This is impossible! Dou Zhao is already engaged to someone else, why would the He family marry her? Without Dou Zhao, could it be that the He family can't get a daughter-in-law?" She felt a mixture of sweet and sour in her heart, and she didn't know what to feel.

"The He family has a prominent family. It's impossible to marry his niece just to curry favor with Yuan Ji." Wu Songnian said, feeling ridiculous himself, and walked around the room with his hands behind his back, "He Yu is the youngest son, and he only wants to marry a wife with virtue... I'm afraid that the fourth lady... is not simple!" Wu Songnian! Thinking of this, his tone couldn't help but add a bit of complaint, "You should have discussed the matter with me first. A wife is half a blessing, our family is not prosperous, and the Dou family has many children and nephews. If you can marry a young lady from the Dou family, , our Shaner might as well have someone to help us..."

Mrs. Wu's face turned pale and red, and she didn't say a word for a long time.

Wu Shan, who was eavesdropping at his parents' window, slid down the wall skirt carved with passionflowers and sat on the ground as if all his strength had been drained away.

Wu Ya, who was following Wu Shan, bit her lip and looked at her brother with a gloomy look in her eyes.