Chapter 191: Lessons
The Second Lady, accompanied by the Sixth Lady Ji, was playing mahjong with the Fifth Uncle's two daughters-in-law, Guo and Cai, and Dou Zhengchang's daughter-in-law, Han.
Seeing Dou Zhao coming in, the Sixth Madam stood up and waved at her with a smile: "Come here quickly and help your great-aunt to check the cards."
The Second Lady's eyesight is not good, so when she plays cards, there must be someone standing behind her to quietly report the cards to her, and then help her play a few hands at critical moments.
Dou Zhao knew that Ji's eyesight had not been very good in recent years, and he thought it must be a difficult task for Ji to help the Second Lady to read the cards.
She sat down next to the Second Lady with a smile on her face.
The Second Lady chatted with Dou Zhao in a random manner, while Guo and the others listened beside them.
"Did you see your father?"
“Yes.”
"Why didn't you stay home longer?"
"Some of the younger generation from the Hanlin Academy came to visit my father and invited him to go to Jing'an Temple to listen to the abbot's lecture. I came back first."
The second lady nodded.
Dou Zhao hurriedly pointed to the cards on the table: "Great aunt, Kong Yi Yi." Then he helped the Second Lady draw a "Kong" and a "Yi" and threw them on the table.
Cai was obedient and tried to make fun of the Second Lady: "Fourth sister is really quick-witted. We can't even get a single trick from the old ancestor."
The second lady laughed.
Everyone's attention finally returned to the poker table.
By the time dinner was ready, Dou Zhao had already helped the Second Lady win more than ten taels of silver.
Cai took Dou Zhao's arm and said, "I didn't expect that the fourth sister is such an expert. She helped our ancestors win all our money."
"You're so naughty!" After just a few days, the Second Lady fell in love with this lively granddaughter-in-law and spoke to her in a friendly and easy-going manner.
Both Ji and Han laughed.
Guo's eyes couldn't help but dim.
Mrs. Five came in.
"Mother, where do you think we should place the dinner?"
After the Second Lady moved into Huaishu Hutong, no matter how busy she was, Fifth Lady insisted on visiting her every morning and evening, serving Second Lady meals, and fulfilling her duties as a daughter-in-law, which made Second Lady very satisfied. As a result, she was very lenient to Fifth Lady and exempted Fifth Lady from serving meals. However, Fifth Lady was very persistent and finally changed to serving only dinner. For this reason, Second Lady repeatedly told Dou Shishu to be nicer to Fifth Lady.
Mrs. Five looked a little unhappy today and her smile was very forced.
Dou Zhao guessed that she was troubled by the rumor that the Wei family wanted to cancel the engagement.
Although she was not a member of the Dou family, Dou Shishu was the highest-ranking official in the family. As a wife relies on her husband's status, she also has to bear responsibilities and obligations - this matter fell on her head.
Dou Zhao found an opportunity and told Su Xin: "Go and tell Master Ji that I have something to say to him. Ask him to come over when he is free." She couldn't help but feel emotional. When she was in Zhending, although there were many elders above her, she and her grandmother lived in Xidou, and everyone reported to her for everything. Her word was final and she had the final say on everything. After coming to Kyoto, although there were fewer elders above her, she lived in Huaishu Hutong, and everyone reported to Dou Shishu or the Fifth Madam for everything, or at least the Sixth Madam. She had nothing to do with it, and even if she wanted to see Mr. Chen, it was very inconvenient, let alone see Ji Yong.
Come to think of it, it’s really good!
Perhaps it was for this reason that Ji Yong waited five or six days before coming to see her.
At this time, the Fifth Madam had already heard the news that Wei Tingzhen had fallen in love with the daughter of Marquis Ting'an, and she was so angry that she and the Sixth Madam closed the door and thought of a solution together.
Ji Yong sat on the armchair beside the kang and asked Dou Zhao, "Why did you look for me? You don't want to tell me that you want to break off the engagement with Wei Tingyu?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
It seems that Ji Yong still feels bad about her insistence on marrying Wei Tingyu.
Dou Zhao asked him, "What do you want Dou Ming to do for you?"
Ji Yong was slightly stunned and said, "You know?" Then he asked curiously, "How did you know? Did you catch Dou Ming's secret?" He sighed again, "I knew Dou Ming was unreliable, but I didn't expect her to be exposed so soon! What did she say to you..."
Dou Zhao stared into his eyes quietly without saying a word.
Ji Yong felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by her, and said loudly: "Okay, okay, why are you looking at me like that? Don't you just want to know what I asked Dou Ming to do? I'll tell you. I saw that Wei Tingyu didn't have much self-control, so I asked Dou Ming to coax Wei Tingyu to accompany her to visit Daxiangguo Temple..."
In the end, the purpose is to create the illusion that Dou Ming and Wei Tingyu had a secret relationship.
Dou Zhao couldn't help but close his eyes. After a while, he calmed down and asked him, "What's next?"
"What?" Ji Yong was suspicious for a moment, but soon reacted and said with a smile: "I just want to see if Wei Tingyu will be fooled..."
Dou Zhao looked him in the eyes and interrupted him: "I thought you would respect my decision."
Ji Yong's voice suddenly stopped, and the nonchalant smile on his face gradually faded, revealing a hint of solemnity.
"Or maybe you don't trust my judgment?" Dou Zhao continued, "So no matter what decision I make, as long as you think it's wrong, you will try to help me correct it until I act according to your wishes."
It's not like that!
Ji Yong subconsciously wanted to refute, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that no matter how he defended himself, it didn't seem to be strong enough.
"Cousin Ji." Dou Zhao looked at him sincerely, "I hope you can have more confidence in me and stop interfering in my marriage. If I need your help, I will naturally ask you for help." As she spoke, she smiled at Ji Yong with a slight smile on her lips.
Ji Yong couldn't laugh.
For the first time in his life, he felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
There was a sudden noise outside.
This is the inner courtyard of the Dou family, why is there such a noise?
Dou Zhao frowned slightly.
Su Xin rushed in in a panic, not caring about Ji Yong standing by, and said hastily, "Oh no! Miss Fifth was going to visit Daxiangguo Temple with Marquis Jining, but was discovered by Chief Steward Gao and is blocking them at the gate."
Although he knew this might happen, when it happened and he heard it with his own ears, Dou Zhao's face still changed.
Did Dou Ming intentionally make such a big fuss?
If she went to visit Daxiangguo Temple with Wei Tingyu, not only her reputation would be ruined, but also the reputation of the Dou family, and the Second Lady would never let her go; but if she failed to visit Daxiangguo Temple with Wei Tingyu, she would have no way to explain to Ji Yong. This was the best way - to shut up Ji Yong, but not to make things out of control and make herself the target of public criticism.
She glanced at Ji Yong.
Ji Yong's face looked extremely ugly.
He thought that Dou Ming was superficial and ignorant, and that he would obey obediently if threatened, but Dou Ming actually tricked him at the critical moment and acted completely according to his requirements, leaving him no room for fault.
Dou Zhao ordered Su Xin: "Let's go and take a look!"
Ji Yong was left alone in the flower hall.
In the early spring afternoon, the sunlight shining through the glass windows into the flower room makes people feel warm, but the wind blowing on the body still brings a bit of biting chill.
Ji Yong gazed at the dancing dust in the sunlight and left the Dou family in a daze.
Within a few days, he received news that the Wei family had once again invited a matchmaker to the Dou family to discuss the wedding date.
Ji Yong, who was lying in bed and didn't want to get up, couldn't help but curse harshly.
Old Mrs. Ji walked in with a smile on her face and said lovingly, "I heard that you were not feeling well? I see you are in good spirits. Who made our Jianming unhappy? Do you want your great-grandfather to help you beat him?" She spoke in a tone of coaxing a child.
Ji Yong felt very annoyed.
He glanced at his great-grandfather and asked lazily, "Why didn't you go out to play with your cousins today?"
The implication is to let Old Lady Ji go wherever she wants to have fun.
Old Lady Ji sat down next to Ji Yong with a chuckle and said, "I heard that the Dou family and the Wei family have already started discussing the wedding date. It looks like your plan is useless!"
Ji Yong was shocked. He sat up suddenly and looked at Old Lady Ji with wide eyes.
Old Lady Ji laughed even more happily: "You wanted to ruin the reputation of Marquis Jining, so that the Dou family would be dissatisfied with him and break off the engagement with the Wei family, but you ended up dragging the Prince of Ying into it. Not only did Marquis Jining's reputation not get ruined, but he also became enemies with Song Mo. Then you instigated Dou Ming to trick Marquis Jining into going to the Daxiangguo Temple together, but the secret was exposed before Dou Ming even left the house. Not only did the Dou family not break off the engagement with the Wei family, but they also put aside their past grudges and sat down to agree on the wedding date... Jianming, what are your plans now?" There was a hint of teasing in his tone, as if he was gloating over another's misfortune.
Ji Yong's face suddenly turned ashen.
Old Lady Ji said, "I'm telling you, Jianming, when you were a kid, you jumped off the eaves with a piece of cloth on your body, saying you wanted to learn to fly like a bird; later, you burned down half of the ancestral house, saying you wanted to refine the elixir of immortality; later, you said you wanted to be a treacherous official, so that you could be appointed prime minister before the age of 30 and give an explanation to the Ji family... Although these things and words are absurd, at least there must be a reason. Look at you now, the fourth daughter of the Dou family has made it very clear that she wants to marry into the Wei family, but you insist on breaking up her marriage. Tell me, what is your reason for doing this?"
As if hearing the teacher asking questions, Ji Yong immediately entered a state of combat readiness.
"Since you know everything, then tell me, is Wei Tingyu worthy of my fourth sister? If my fourth sister marries Wei Tingyu, it would be like putting a flower on cow dung! It's like putting a wolf-hair brush on a blue and white porcelain pen holder. It looks good, but it's not easy to use."
"So what if that's the case?" The smile on Old Lady Ji's face gradually faded, and her eyes, which were always full of curiosity and spirit, now showed a bit of sharpness because of the added shyness. "I remember one time I took you, Ming'er and Na'er to Longhu Mountain to visit the leader of Tianyi Sect. On the way, we saw a woman with a three or four-year-old girl who had lost her legs begging from us. Ming'er and Na'er both showed sympathy. "I gave my old money to the woman out of pity. Only you turned around and jumped on the carriage, taking the best seat, and said: There are many beggars in the world. Just because she is a woman and the girl she took care of lost her legs, should I help them? There are many cases of good wives accompanying bad husbands in the world. Just because the fourth daughter of the Dou family is your cousin, should you help her?"
When Ji Yong heard this, beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead!
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