Chapter 256 Inventory

Dou Zhao saw Song Han.

He was buying something in the crowd.

Someone pushed him aside, and he slammed into that person, knocking him to the ground. The person stood up and was about to fight with him. The Song family guards hurriedly carried the person aside. Chen He ran over and whispered a few words to Song Han. Song Han nodded reluctantly and stood aside. Chen He squeezed in.

The Song family's guards pointed at the people who were squeezing Song Han and said a few words, as if asking Song Han how to deal with it.

Song Han suddenly raised his head and looked towards Zuixian Tower.

Dou Zhao was shocked, thinking that the Song family's guards had discovered him and reported it to him. He was about to ask Song Mo if he wanted to say hello to Song Han, but he saw Song Han lower his head, waved at the guard, and let the person who was squeezing him go.

Chen He, sweating profusely, handed a bag of roasted nuts to Song Han.

Song Han looked very happy. He took the paper package and went into Zuixianlou accompanied by Chen He.

Dou Zhao turned around and saw Song Mo also staring at Song Han silently.

"The Second Master is here!" she said with a smile, and sat down at the big table that could seat more than a dozen people. However, the scene of Song Han pushing someone kept appearing in her mind.

Song Mo poured a cup of tea for Dou Zhao.

Song Han went upstairs with heavy steps.

"Sister-in-law," he happily offered the roasted nuts in his hand to Dou Zhao, "Yao Ji Roasted Nuts' sugar-roasted peanuts, everyone who comes to Zuixianlou for dinner will buy a bag to take home and try."

Dou Zhao didn't expect that he bought sugar-roasted peanuts for her. After a slight pause, she happily took the paper bag and thanked Song Han.

"Sister-in-law, try it," Song Han said excitedly, obviously very happy that Dou Zhao liked what he bought, "If you like it, I will come to buy it for you often in the future."

Seeing his enthusiastic gaze, Dou Zhao smiled and nodded, opened the paper package and tasted a pill.

Sweet but not greasy, crispy and delicious.

Dou Zhao nodded continuously and asked Su Xin to pour a small portion of the soup into a blue and white plate and invited everyone to taste it.

Everyone said it was delicious, and at Dou Zhao's signal, they all thanked Song Han.

Song Han smiled.

That smile seemed a little forced, and when she looked at Dou Zhao again, she no longer had the intimacy she had just had, as if she was blaming Dou Zhao for giving the thing she had bought specially for her to someone else and neglecting his kindness.

Dou Zhao seemed to be thinking about something.

※※※※※

It was already noon when we returned to the Duke of England's Mansion.

Song Mo is going to the palace to take up duty.

He said to Dou Zhao, "I take one day off every ten days. I will rest in the palace for three of the three days. The other six days I get up at 3:00 pm and leave the court at 7:00 pm. I will rest in the palace today. If you have anything to say, just ask Wuyi to take a message to Chen He." He whispered, "Lu Ming is now the manager of my house near Jishuitan. He has helpers who work with Du Wei. If you think it is urgent, ask Suxin to tell Lu Ming."

In other words, the group of people under Lu Ming were Song Mo's loyal followers.

No wonder I haven’t seen Lu Ming these days.

Dou Zhao felt that she still had a lot to say to Song Mo, but time did not allow it, so she had to say: "Mr. Chen and his friends will come to Kyoto in October. I will tell you something about myself then."

Song Mo smiled and said, "It's okay, you can tell me anytime you want."

Dou Zhao burst out laughing.

She really liked Song Mo's leisurely pace, which seemed to show that there was a long time to come. It made her feel the peace and leisure of a quiet time. It made her, who was always thinking about what would happen four years later, feel calmer.

Dou Zhao smiled and saw Song Mo out.

Back in the house, she began to count the dowry and adjust some small details of the furnishings according to her own habits and preferences. The next morning, she took the layout map of Yizhi Hall drawn by Chen Qushui and took Suxin and Sulan to follow the map to familiarize themselves with the layout of Yizhi Hall.

Wuyi, who was serving nearby, was horrified. He whispered to Songluo to tell Yan Chaoqing about this as soon as possible. At the same time, he introduced Dou Zhao to the scenery everywhere with a smile. He also memorized all the places Dou Zhao had been to in his heart, so that if the prince or Mr. Yan asked about it, he would be able to answer them.

If Dou Zhao wanted to harm Song Mo, why did he send people all the way to rescue Song Mo? Besides, they are husband and wife now, and they share the same fate!

Yan Chaoqing smiled and said, "Madam, wherever she wants to go, who she wants to meet, you just need to accompany her. There's no need to be surprised, and there's no need to report it to me."

Wu Yi broke out in a cold sweat when he heard this. When Dou Zhao asked him what was going on, he became less tactful and attentive, and more serious and respectful.

By the afternoon, everyone in Yizhitang knew about this.

When Dou Zhao questioned Yi Zhitang's maids, old women, and daughters-in-law, they all told him everything they knew, and Dou Zhao soon had a general understanding of Yi Zhitang.

Yizhi Hall is where the successive princes of the Duke of England lived. In order to cultivate the ability of successive princes to handle affairs independently, Yizhi Hall was built like a small Duke of England's mansion, with an accounting office, a reception office, a guard office, a stable, a laundry room... everything was available. Even the side door of Yizhi Hall faces the waist door of the Duke of England's mansion. People in Yizhi Hall do not have to go through the main door or the side door of the Duke of England's mansion. They can go in and out directly through the waist door. It is a self-contained entity and very convenient.

Dou Zhao had experience in managing the Jining Marquis's Mansion. After receiving the personnel list and account books, she looked at the total monthly expenditures for the past six months and knew approximately how much the various departments of Yizhi Hall spent each year.

She pondered for a long time, and seeing that it was still early, she went to Yan Chaoqing and asked him, "If I want to go back to Jing'an Temple Hutong, how can I get the Duke's permission?"

Yan Chaoqing said tactfully: "The Duke also goes to court at yin hour every morning and leaves office at you hour, and takes a day off every ten days."

Dou Zhao nodded and asked someone to take a letter to his father, saying that he wanted to see him for something.

After breakfast the next day, she left the Duke of Ying's Mansion through the waist gate and returned to Jing'an Temple Hutong.

Dou Shiying didn't know what had happened and didn't sleep well that night. When he saw Dou Zhao coming back alone, his expression became even more solemn.

He hurriedly pulled Dou Zhao to the study, closed the door and asked anxiously: "What happened? Where is Yantang? Why didn't he come back with you? Did you have a quarrel? Even teeth and tongues can fight each other, not to mention you two newly married young couples! Shougu, as a woman, you must be tolerant in everything. Don't go back to your parents' home all the time. Can your parents' home let you live there for the rest of your life? In the end, you will have to live with Yantang for the rest of your life..."

Dou Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Dad, can you please stop making assumptions and listen to me first?" She interrupted her father's speculation, "I didn't quarrel with Yantang. I came back to tell you something..."

She was just thinking about how to tell her father this. After a moment's hesitation, Dou Shiying said anxiously, "You didn't quarrel with Yantang. Today is neither the ninth day of the ninth month nor a solar term. What are you doing back here alone?"

Dou Zhao simply pulled his father to sit on the big kang next to the window and said with a smile, "Do you still remember the day when Sanchao came back home, the prince mentioned that he had selected the Spring and Autumn Annals to read?"

"Remember." Dou Shiying's face was full of suspicion.

Dou Zhao smiled and said, "He just made it up to please you!"

"Ah?" Dou Shiying opened his eyes wide.

Dou Zhao explained, "Mr. Zhongyi is well-educated. When he was studying with him, he obviously had some knowledge of various schools of thought. But he didn't have to take the imperial examinations, and his family hired a teacher to teach him riding and archery. How could he be like those scholars who 'turned a deaf ear to the world outside the window and focused on reading the books of sages'? He heard from somewhere that you liked the Spring and Autumn Annals, so he read it carefully. As for his knowledge, I'm afraid it is still very shallow." There was a sense of protection in her words that she herself was not aware of.

Dou Shiying heard it.

He couldn't help laughing and said, "How old is he? Even if he is a child prodigy, how much knowledge can he have?" As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized, "You were rude this time and ran back in a hurry. Are you afraid that we will hear that he chose to read the "Spring and Autumn Annals" to test his knowledge, and that Yantang will not be able to answer, so you came to plead for Yantang?" After saying this, Dou Shiying looked at Dou Zhao and laughed again, but compared with the laughter just now, it was more cheerful, and the look he gave Dou Zhao was also a little more playful, "Silly child, do you think your uncles and I are all fools? When we were his age, we didn't know what to read! He said he liked reading the "Spring and Autumn Annals", and we just admired his determination. "I'm glad that someone likes the Spring and Autumn Annals as much as we do. How could we really test his knowledge? Even if we do, we'll just ask him some relatively simple questions like 'In the spring of the fifth year of Duke Yin, Duke Yin shot a fish into a dried tangerine tree. What did Zang Xibo say?' Could it be that he would be like those old Confucian scholars in the Hanlin Academy, who have to test people to show their knowledge? Not only your sixth uncle and I, but also your fifth uncle, when he was in the Hanlin Academy, he had lectured on the classics to the princes. We know how good they are! Don't worry, no one will embarrass Yan Tang!" He smiled timidly and said, "I've studied for more than thirty years, but I don't dare to say that I have dabbled in all the schools of thought. You're not afraid of flattering him!"

Dou Zhao's face felt hot.

No wonder my father and my fifth and sixth uncles believed Song Mo's words so easily. It turns out that they don't think Song Mo has much knowledge at all. They just admire him for being willing to study!

But when she thought of the contempt her father had for Song Mo's knowledge, she felt particularly uncomfortable. She felt that her father had wronged Song Mo and could not help but defend him, "Song Mo is not like those princes and grandsons of the emperor. He is very serious in his studies and riding and shooting. He was able to get the position of the commander of the Jinwu Guards before he was twenty because he had been in the Qiuwei for several years. He won first place in the examination, not just because he is the son of the Duke of Ying. His handwriting is also very good, even the emperor appreciates it... It's not as bad as you say! If I had known this, I would not have told you about this..." She couldn't help but deeply regret that she was too impulsive in this matter, and complained angrily, "How dare I come to you to discuss anything in the future if you are like this? ! "

Seeing Dou Zhao getting angry, Dou Shiying hurriedly said, "No, no, I don't mean to look down on Yantang." After saying that, he felt that his words were too pale and weak, and lacked sincerity, so he said in a flattering way, "How about you let Yantang study with me? I guarantee that he will not be worse than those scholars in the Hanlin Academy!"

"I really shouldn't have told you this." Dou Zhao couldn't help but stare, "Is it okay if Yan Tang doesn't know about my coming? If he knew, would he still have the nerve to come to our house in the future?" Thinking of her father's temperament, she asked her father to promise, "Don't tell anyone about this! Even to my sixth uncle, you can't reveal a single word!"

Dou Shiying swore hastily.

Dou Zhao's expression looked better now.