In the next few days, Dou Zhao focused his attention on Dou Ming.

Doctors examined him one after another and changed prescriptions one after another, but Dou Ming still looked stupid and dull, not talking and ignoring anyone.

Aunt Zhou was so anxious that she kept crying: "What should I do? What should I do?"

Dou Zhao didn't have any good solution.

Duan Gongyi, who had already arrived in Kyoto, sent someone to deliver a letter saying that Wang Tan had not damaged Wang Nan's recommendation document at all, and that Yu Er had indeed committed a crime - he had lost money in a gambling affair, and had instigated Shang'er to steal Wang Tan's antique pen and sell it, but was discovered by the Wang family, who drove him and Shang'er out of the palace.

The clue is broken again.

Dou Zhao let out a long sigh.

The second wife, the third wife, and several cousins' wives and nephews' wives who were at home came to visit the patient.

The kidnapping of Dou Ming had a very bad impact on the reputation of the Dou family. The second lady, the second wife and Dou Zhao had already agreed on a story. No matter who asked, they just said that it was Dou Ming who made a fuss and went to Kyoto to find her mother. Dou Zhao refused, so she got angry with Dou Zhao and hid in the garden in the middle of the night to scare Dou Zhao. Who knew that she would scare herself instead.

No matter who saw her, she would help with advice, introduce a famous doctor, or recommend a Taoist priest. But the women of Dong Dou's family didn't know whether they believed the second wife's words and thought it was just a trivial matter not worth paying attention to, or pretended to be ignorant. Everyone just comforted Dou Ming to take good care of himself, but no one helped Dou Ming with advice. The ambiguous attitude seemed to be just a formality to save the face of relatives. On the contrary, Dou Zhao was often pulled aside by one or another to talk in private, or was called "silly child" or "silly sister", saying: "You can't stand this, tell your father quickly and hand Ming Jie'er to her mother!"

Dou Zhao had no choice but to explain over and over again that Guard Duan had already escorted Nanny Liu and Su Xin to Kyoto.

The person who spoke heaved a sigh of relief and repeatedly warned her: "No matter what your father says this time, you can't take Ming Jie'er with you anymore. This child is too worrying."

Dou Zhao kept nodding and thanking the person who gave her the advice.

After finally dealing with the relatives in the East Palace, it was the Beginning of Winter.

Dou Zhao gave the chrysanthemums and honeysuckle that he had prepared long ago as gifts to everyone in the mansion. Everyone cooked soup, bathed, and cleaned their scabies.

The whole mansion was filled with the fragrance of chrysanthemums and honeysuckle.

Nanny Zhou also helped Dou Ming bathe early in the morning. Seeing that the weather was fine, she thought that Dou Ming had been staying in the house all these days, so she reported to Dou Zhao, Fang Sheng's wife who had just been assigned to take care of Dou Ming, and several maids, big and small, brought cushions, tea, snacks, and brocade stools, and helped Dou Ming to the back garden.

As she walked, she told Dou Ming: "This is a golden hibiscus, this is a magnolia, and this is a pomegranate tree... The magnolia blooms in spring, and the pomegranate tree blooms in summer, and after the flowers bloom, it also bears pomegranates..." She kept talking and talking, treating Dou Ming as a child who didn't know anything. Dou Ming was dumb, as if all this had nothing to do with her.

Fang Sheng's wife, with a face full of pity, took her little maid to serve Dou Ming and they rested in the pavilion by the lake.

Madam Zhou ordered the maids, "Go and play!"

Fang Shengjia hesitated and asked, "Is this appropriate?"

They were all new arrivals in the mansion. They heard that the previous people were sent out by Dou Zhao because they did not serve Dou Ming well. When they came in, they followed the housekeeper's instructions for almost half a month to learn the rules and regulations before being transferred to Qixia Courtyard. Everyone followed the rules and regulations and did not dare to overstep the line.

"The Fifth Miss used to like the hustle and bustle." Nanny Zhou said bitterly, "You are all so happy, and the Fifth Miss is watching here. Maybe she will think of the past and her illness will get better." She added, "The Fourth Miss is not as rigid as you think. It was those people in Qixia Court who made mistakes that the Fourth Miss replaced them. If you don't believe it, you can look at the people around the Fourth Miss. Who doesn't smile happily?"

Fang Shengjia thought about it and gave the order with a smile.

The maids were only seven or eight years old. Dou Zhao had chosen them to serve Dou Ming in the hope that the atmosphere in Qixia Courtyard would be more lively. They were not serious-minded children and were a little restrained at first. But as they looked at the paths paved with colorful bricks in the garden, the blooming camellia flowers, and the lush old trees, they gradually relaxed. You and I fought with the grass, and I looked at the flowers with you. There was laughter and joy, and the atmosphere was lively. Ji Yong and Dou Qijun, who had been pestered by Dou Qijun for several days and sat next to the Taihu stone rockery not far away on the pretext of going out for a walk, were surprised.

Dou Qijun took Ji Yong up to the pavilion on the rockery, and saw several maids laughing and making a scene together. He couldn't help but say, "The butterflies are dancing, and the orioles are singing!"

This made Ji Yong roll his eyes and said, "Do you see any of them who is as charming and beautiful as a spring oriole? They are all covered in dust and dirt..." Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly said "Huh" and walked down the mountain.

"What are you doing?" Dou Qijun hurriedly chased after him and saw several maids accompanying Dou Zhao walking towards the water pavilion.

"Fourth Aunt!" Dou Qijun called Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao turned around and saw Dou Qijun and Ji Yong. He smiled and said, "Cousin Ji and Boyan are also taking a walk in the garden?"

Dou Qijun smiled and said, "I've been studying until midnight these days. It's a rare good day, so I'll go out for a walk." Then he saw Dou Ming sitting in the waterside pavilion and said, "Is Fifth Aunt's illness getting better?"

"There is no improvement for the time being." Dou Zhao was in a low mood.

Ji Yong said nonchalantly, "What does it have to do with you? You are not her mother! Even if you are her mother, you can't tie her to your belt every day, right?"

Dou Zhao smiled bitterly: "Dad gave her to me, so I have a responsibility after all."

Dou Qijun also said: "Legal principles are nothing more than human feelings. It makes sense from the perspective of law, but not from the perspective of Confucianism."

"So Confucianism disrupted the law and destroyed the government."

"That's too arbitrary. If everyone only obeyed the law and ignored human feelings, wouldn't all those heroes who were fighting against harm for the people be convicted?"

"It is because of this kind of human relationship that loopholes are found. It is the government's job to eliminate harm for the people. What does it have to do with those gangsters?"

Dou Zhao couldn't help but tease Ji Yong: "Cousin Ji, it seems that you are also a Confucian scholar!"

Ji Yong curled his lips and said, "Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha remains in the heart."

Dou Qijun and Dou Zhao couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The three of them entered the pavilion together.

Nanny Zhou and others hurried forward to pay their respects.

Dou Zhao asked them, "How is Miss Fifth today?"

"Not bad." Madam Zhou said tactfully, "I had half a steamed bun and a small bowl of rice porridge in the morning. At noon, I had a few bamboo shoots, a few meatballs, and a small bowl of noodles."

Dou Zhao nodded.

Dou Qijun smiled and greeted Dou Ming: "Fifth aunt, do you still recognize me?"

Dou Ming sat woodenly beside the beauty beside the waterside pavilion, staring blankly out the window, not knowing what he was looking at.

Dou Zhao said softly, "She doesn't pay much attention to me now."

Dou Qijun nodded in understanding.

Ji Yong said sarcastically, "I think she's fine! She can eat and drink, and she's not noisy. She's much more pleasing to the eye than before."

"Master Ji!" Madam Zhou suppressed her anger and said in a deep voice, "Please be merciful."

Ji Yong sneered: "Is what I said wrong? For someone like her who doesn't know her place, it's her blessing to be able to stay at home peacefully without causing any trouble. There are always people better than you, and not all problems can be settled by the Dou and Wang families alone!"

Dou Zhao and Dou Qijun remained silent.

Nanny Zhou's eyes turned red, and she said in a hoarse voice: "Even so, Master Ji shouldn't say that about our Fifth Miss! How old is she..."

"You can tell a person's future from the age of three." Ji Yong interrupted Nanny Zhou rudely, "What kind of person is she? Don't you know? Can you deny her the present situation? Don't blame others when something goes wrong, and don't think about yourself..."

"Cousin Ji!" Dou Zhao called him unhappily.

“Forget it!” Ji Yong waved her hand, not wanting to argue with Nanny Zhou. “You don’t understand what I’m telling you. I don’t even want to bother with you!”

Nanny Zhou's face flushed red.

Dou Ming suddenly covered her ears and screamed - she didn't know when she turned her face away.

Dou Ming, Dou Qijun, Madam Zhou, and Fang Shengjia hurried over and asked her anxiously, "What's wrong? What's wrong?" Madam Zhou even hugged Dou Ming in her arms and choked up, "Ming Jie'er, Ming Jie'er, what's wrong with you?"

Dou Ming, who had been in a daze since being rescued by Duan Gongyi, suddenly pointed at Ji Yong and screamed: "It was him, it was him who harmed me, it was him who instructed Yu Er..."

Everyone's face was filled with shock, except for Dou Zhao and Dou Qijun - the former had his eyelids drooped and the latter had a stern expression.

"Fifth aunt, you can't say anything nonsense!" He said with a sullen face, "You said that Master Ji harmed you, what evidence do you have?"

"I knew it, I knew it!" Dou Ming screamed bitterly, "Yu Er said that when gods fight, the little ghosts suffer... I have only offended him, and he is the only one who would hurt me..."

Dou Qijun listened to these completely irrational words and ignored Dou Ming's shouting. Instead, he apologized to Ji Yong with an apologetic look on his face: "Fifth aunt may have been frightened and confused. Please forgive me, Master Ji!"

Ji Yong glanced at Dou Ming with sarcasm and walked away.

Dou Qijun hurriedly said to Dou Zhao, "Master Ji has a proud personality. I will explain this matter to him. You don't have to worry about it," and then he ran after him.

"It's him! It's him!" Dou Ming shouted at Ji Yong's back with bloodshot eyes, and he pushed and kicked Madam Zhou, trying to break away from her and chase Ji Yong, "I want to die with him!"

"Fifth Miss, Fifth Miss!" Nanny Zhou was so anxious that she was sweating all over. Fang Sheng's wife also came forward to help.

Dou Zhao walked to the waterside pavilion, stood in front of the beauty and looked into the distance.

Ji Yong and Dou Qijun disappeared into the winding path while talking.

At night, she went to find Ji Yong and asked, "What would happen if Duan Gongyi failed to catch up with Dou Ming in time?"

Ji Yong smiled and said, "It's just a lesson for her. Actually, you don't have to care about her at all."

There was no clear answer as to what her plans were.

The night wind blew, bringing with it a biting chill.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but tighten his fist.

Ji Yong said, "Hey, you're not really angry, are you? You can only blame her bad luck for meeting me. However, if she hadn't met me, then it would have become your bad luck..."

"I know." Dou Zhao said in a low voice, "If the lantern fell from midair, it would probably burn half of your face, and you would never have the chance to enter the government again; if the horse that ate croton suddenly became weak, you might fall off the horse and become paralyzed... If she had succeeded in that incident in the garden, we would have been ruined." At this point, she raised her head and looked into Ji Yong's eyes intently, "So I didn't blame you. But I also hope that when you do things, you can give people a glimmer of hope."