Chapter 171: Testing

Wei Tingzhen suddenly felt a little flustered.

She asked the maid, "What else did the people from the Dou family say?"

"I don't know if that person is honest or dumb, she only answered one question after three," the nanny said. "It was this sentence that she accidentally let slip and I heard it."

Wei Tingzhen was very anxious and discussed the matter with her mother.

Tian was also surprised and said, "This shouldn't be the case. The Dou family couldn't possibly not prepare dowry for Dou Zhao, and she should have some private belongings left by Zhao. Why would she come to Kyoto to ask for dowry right before she gets married?"

"So I think this matter is very strange!" After hearing what her mother said, Wei Tingzhen became more suspicious. "I think we should send someone to investigate this matter carefully..."

"Isn't this a bad idea?" Tian hesitated, "Even if the Dou family's dowry is large, it has nothing to do with us..."

"Mother!" Wei Tingzhen interrupted her mother with a headache, "If we go to inquire about Dou Zhao's dowry, we may not be taking advantage of her dowry. Who doesn't want to add icing on the cake? If Dou Zhao can bring more dowry, she will have more money. Are you? Can't you subsidize her less? If she can give it to your grandson, Will the life of the children be easier if the granddaughter leaves some property? Our family is small and the Dou family has many children. If Dou Zhao has a close relationship with her natal family, will her younger brother have more helpers? Very cold, this marriage is not real, what’s the point?”

Tian was persuaded by her daughter and said, "Then why don't you help me check it out?"

Wei Tingzhen replied "yes" rather frustratedly and sent Nanny Jin to investigate Dou Zhao's matter.

Hong Gu returned to the ink shop anxiously, and as soon as she entered the door, she pulled Chen Qushui aside and said, "I have said what you said... But what if the Wei family misunderstands that the young lady has no dowry and dislikes our young lady..."

Before she could finish, Chen Qushui's face had already turned stern. "What are you talking about? If our young lady has a dowry, will the Wei family happily marry her? If she doesn't have a dowry, will they cancel the engagement? If the Wei family is such a family, then you don't have to marry her! I let you go because I want you to test what the people of the Wei family are like. Men are afraid of choosing the wrong career, and women are afraid of marrying the wrong man. The Seventh Master doesn't worry about anything, not to mention the Seventh Madam, who is even confused about her own daughter's affairs. They can't be relied on at all. If we don't help the young lady to be more careful, won't the young lady suffer a great loss in the future? Now that we know what the Wei family's attitude is, we can come up with a solution in time. We can't let the young lady suffer any grievances, right?"

The righteous words made Hong Gu feel that she had a great responsibility, so she took the initiative to report to Chen Qushui: "Mrs. Wei is a very kind person and treats me very politely. But the personal nanny beside Mrs. Wei looks at people with needles in her eyes. It was that nanny who tested me."

"Look, it's all revealed in this test!" Chen Qushui said righteously, "The young lady's future mother-in-law is a kind person, but the people around her dare to test you, which shows that Madam Wei is not strict with her subordinates and is easily influenced. This is 'It's easy to see the King of Yan, but it's hard to pester the little devil'. If our young lady gets married, she will have to take care of the people around Madam Wei if she wants to please her mother-in-law."

Hong Gu thought what Chen Qushui said made a lot of sense and kept nodding her head.

Thinking that Dou Zhao was the one who had the final say at home, when she got married in the future, she would not only have to consider Madam Wei's face, but also the faces of the servants around Madam Wei. She not only felt sorry for Dou Zhao, but also felt sad for him. She couldn't help but choked up and said, "Mr. Chen, the young lady is too wronged!"

"Alas!" Chen Qushui sighed, "Why do they say this girl is a 'daughter' at home, but becomes a 'concubine' after getting married?" Then he advised Hong Gu, "Which girl didn't go through this!"

Hong Gu was silent for a while, then whispered, "What should I do next?" She looked like she was going to cooperate with Chen Qushui.

Chen Qushui nodded secretly and said, "Tomorrow we will go to pay our respects to Master Qi, and then discuss the young lady's dowry with him. Although the young lady has half of Xidou's property in her name, if she takes it all to the Wei family in one go, as you can see, Mrs. Wei is not a capable person. Who knows what will happen? Isn't there a saying that goes, 'It is easy to share adversity, but difficult to share wealth'. If the Wei family sets their sights on the young lady, it will harm her! What to do with the dowry, Master Qi will have to make a decision. After that, you can walk around Kyoto freely - it's a rare trip to Kyoto! If someone asks you something, just tell them directly, just don't tell others what we and Master Qi have said."

Hong Gu breathed a sigh of relief and felt lighter.

She had lived for most of her life, but she had never cheated or told a lie. She agreed to what Chen Qushui said in front of the Wei family because they had come to Kyoto to discuss the dowry of the fourth lady with the Seventh Master.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Chen. I know that what the master said cannot be spread randomly." Hong Gu assured Chen Qushui, "I will not tell anyone except Aunt Cui."

Chen Qushui nodded happily.

The next day, I went to Jing'an Temple Hutong with Hong Gu.

Jing'an Temple Hutong is exactly what the word "quiet and peaceful" means.

The snow-white walls, lush trees, and quiet alleys have a sense of ancient simplicity and nature that has been etched in time, making people who walk into the alleys unconsciously lighten their steps and even out their breathing.

Dou Shiying met Chen Qushui and Hong Gu in the study.

Knowing their purpose, he could not help scratching his head and asked, "What did Shou Gu say?"

Chen Qushui counted to ten in his mind, and then he said, "The fourth young lady said that apart from the things that Madam Zhao left for her, the rest will still be managed by the third master of the Dou family. After the wedding, we will see what the aunt thinks and make plans."

The husband is Qian and the wife is Kun. If the two are in harmony, such a large industry is not like the dowry of ordinary people, so it should be handed over to the husband to manage. If Wei Tingyu does not respect Dou Zhao enough, Dou Zhao does not have to give him face.

Dou Shiying understood the implication of Chen Qushui's words. He said straightforwardly, "Then let's do as the fourth young lady wishes."

This was expected by Dou Zhao and Chen Qushui. Chen Qushui smiled and said "yes", then handed Dou Zhao's dowry list to Dou Shiying: "This was written by my uncle and aunt at the last time when my young lady had her coming-of-age ceremony. Aunt Cui added a few items, and the Sixth Madam also added a few items. Can you see if there is anything you want to add or subtract?"

Dou Shiying took a quick look and returned it to Chen Qushui, saying, "Since Auntie Cui and Sixth Madam have all seen it, there must be nothing wrong with it. Just prepare it accordingly." He paused and said, "I have a few more flower and bird paintings here. Shougu will definitely like them. Let's give them to her as a dowry!"

Anything that could be collected by Dou Shiying must be good things.

Chen Qushui hurriedly thanked Dou Shiying on behalf of Dou Zhao.

Dou Shiying felt that he was worthy of this gift, so he accepted it generously and told Chen Qushui: "As for the dowry of the prince, you can discuss it with the Sixth Madam when the time comes." Then he asked Chen Qushui and Hong Gu to stay at his house, "How can you live in a shop?"

"Because the young lady is leaving, the accounts in the shop must be sorted out quickly." Chen Qushui smiled respectfully, "Hong Gu was asked by Aunt Cui to buy some good things for the young lady. It will be more convenient for her to live in the shop. After a few days, when things are almost done, I will come to bother the Seventh Master."

Dou Shiying was not a person who paid much attention to details. He thought what Chen Qushui said made sense and asked about the situation at home.

Hong Gu answered them one by one.

Seeing that it was almost time for lunch, Chen Qushui stood up and said goodbye: "I still have to hurry to Maoer Hutong. The young lady also asked me to bring some things to the Sixth Madam."

In Dou Shiying's heart, Dou Shiheng's home is no different from his own.

"Okay!" He didn't care and told them, "Since Shougu is going to marry in Kyoto, you should also go to the Fifth Elder on her behalf."

Chen Qushui was secretly delighted and said "yes" respectfully.

Dou Shiying asked Gao Sheng to send the two people out.

Chen Qushui, however, blocked Gao Sheng at the door: "We are one family and we should not talk behind each other's backs. If I don't talk to you politely, you should not talk to me politely either, or you will treat me as an outsider."

They are indeed a family.

Gao Sheng stopped with a smile and watched Chen Qushui and Hong Gu leave.

Chen Qushui and Hong Gu had a quick lunch at a small restaurant near Jing'an Temple, and then went to Mao'er Hutong.

The Sixth Madam held Hong Gu's hand tightly and asked her exactly what Dou Zhao ate every day. Only then did she ask what Hong Gu was doing in Kyoto.

Hong Gu only said that she came to discuss Dou Zhao's dowry with Dou Shiying, and did not mention anything else.

The Sixth Madam heard the news and chatted with Hong Gu for a while. Then the servant from the outer courtyard came to invite Hong Gu on the orders of Chen Qushui.

Hong Gu stood up and said goodbye: "Seventh Master told us to go and pay respects to Fifth Master on behalf of the young lady."

"You have to go and find your way around." The Sixth Madam personally escorted Hong Gu to the second gate and asked them what they had prepared.

"The one for the fifth master is a jade lion paper charm, and the one for the fifth wife is a string of nanmu Buddhist beads..." Chen Qushui reported the gift list to the sixth wife.

Seeing that everything was prepared very thoughtfully, the Sixth Madam felt relieved. She gave the two people some instructions and asked Nanny Wang to see them out.

Chen Qushui and Hong Gu went to Huaishu Hutong where Dou Shishu lived.

Dou Shiheng was not at home. The Fifth Lady was very surprised to hear that the maidservant of Aunt Cui came to greet her.

She thought about it and met Hong Gu in the flower hall.

Hong Gu had heard of this Fifth Madam a long time ago. She was the daughter of Fan Junming, the chief examiner when the Fifth Elder was selecting candidates. Not only did she come from a family of officials, but she was also smart and capable. She was a good wife for the Fifth Elder. But she had never met her before, and most people believed that "a wife's status depends on her husband." Dou Shishu was now an old man, so when she saw the Fifth Madam, she was trembling with fear and didn't even dare to raise her head, let alone say much.

When the Fifth Madam heard that Hong Gu was only visiting her as a courtesy on behalf of Dou Zhao, she felt relieved.

Since Dou Shishu entered the palace, the family has been crowded with people, most of whom come to ask for something. Although she has never met the fourth daughter of the Dou family, she has heard of her for a long time. Every time Dou Zhao does something, it will stir up a stir. She is really afraid that Dou Zhao will ask her for help - her mother-in-law, the second lady, has told her that all matters related to Dou Zhao must be decided by the second lady. As Dou Shiheng's wife, she naturally knows the reason.