Chapter 257 Inquiry

Dou Zhao felt that he had done something stupid and was depressed.

But Tao Qizhong was even more depressed than her.

He left Beijing on August 25th, traveling day and night, and arrived in Zhending in just four days.

After entering the city, he sat down in a teahouse and asked about the Zhending Dou family: "…the home of the current Minister of Justice and Grand Academician of the Wenhua Palace, Dou Yuanji and Dou Ge Lao!"

The tea master looked at Tao Qizhong, who was dressed like a scholar. He brewed tea skillfully and said with a smile, "Sir, you are not a local, right? Who in Zhending Prefecture doesn't know the Dou family in Beilou? The boss of our teahouse married a daughter of the Dou family who was in charge. My ancestors also sold cotton to the Dou family. You really asked the right person!"

Only then did Tao Qizhong truly feel the deep roots of the Dou family in Zhending.

He smiled and said, "I am from Jiangnan. I have been a clerk in Kyoto for many years. Now that I am old, I have resigned and returned to my hometown. A few days ago, I saw the Dou family marrying off their daughter in Kyoto. The bride was dressed in red and made-up, which was more magnificent than the weddings of our Jiangnan families. That's why I have some questions!"

Doctor Cha laughed when he heard this and said, "You are talking about the fourth daughter of the Dou family, right? The fourth daughter of the Dou family has been engaged to the Marquis of Jining in Kyoto since she was a child, but the old marquis of Jining died, and the fourth daughter waited for three years. Last year, she was personally escorted to Kyoto by the lady. According to the date, the fourth daughter of the Dou family should also be married."

It turned out that the news of the Dou sisters' remarriage had not yet reached Zhending, or perhaps the Dou family had already known about it, but because they did not know how to explain it to their fellow villagers and neighbors, they had to remain silent.

Tao Qizhong was about to ask about Dou Zhao when he heard someone say, "It's a pity that the Second Madam is not at home. Otherwise, when Fourth Miss Dou gets married, the capital will definitely send someone to announce the good news. At that time, the Dou family will definitely set up a buffet, set up a stage to perform operas, and hold a big celebration. We can also go and join in the fun!"

Tao Qizhong was accompanied by one of his followers. This follower was Tao Qizhong's confidant and naturally knew why Tao Qizhong came. Seeing Tao Qizhong's surprise, he thought for a moment and said with a smile, "The Dou family is really rich. No wonder they are so generous. There is even a load of banknotes in the dowry!"

His words were like water dropped into a hot oil pan, exploding with crackling sounds.

"A load of banknotes? Why do we have to pay a load of banknotes as a dowry? The Dou family is not a nouveau riche!" Someone asked curiously, "Old sir, what is going on here?"

In the teahouse, whether they were local people from Zhending or passers-by, they all looked at Tao Qizhong.

Tao Qizhong then told the story about the dowry.

Some were envious, some sighed, and some said sourly: "The Dou family has plenty of money, so what is a bunch of silver bills? Back then, when Lord Yaocheng of the Dou family entertained the Salt Transport Commissioner who was passing through Zhending on his way to Huai'an, he not only invited a troupe from Kyoto to perform, but also lit more than a thousand glazed lotus lanterns in the waterside pavilion, reflecting the stars in the sky. It was hard to tell whether one was in the human world or in heaven. That was a real big deal..."

Someone sneered, saying, "When was that? If we talk about excitement, I think the coming-of-age ceremony of the fourth daughter of the Dou family two years ago was the real excitement! Not only the female relatives of the Dou family who lived far away in Kyoto, and the wife of the uncle of the Zhao family who followed her husband to serve in the northwest, but also the in-laws like the Ji family of Yixing in Jiangnan, the wives of local gentry like Lord Lu, and even the shopkeepers of the Dou family's branches, the heads of the various farms, and those neighbors, all came to celebrate the fourth daughter of the Dou family's coming-of-age ceremony. The whole northern Zhili was shocked. How can this be achieved with money!"

This speech caused a lot of discussion among the people, but no one said anything to refute it.

Tao Qizhong took a deep breath and asked, "Why is everyone here to celebrate the Fourth Miss Dou's coming-of-age ceremony?"

There were gossipers who laughed loudly and said, "All the female members of the Dou family in Kyoto have returned. It is because the seventh master of the Dou family is traveling in Kyoto, and the fourth daughter of the Dou family is at home to take care of her father and serve the seventh master's mother, Aunt Cui. The elders of the Dou family want to comfort the fourth daughter of the Dou family! And Lord Zhao has only this niece, and he loves her like a pearl in his palm. Although all the family members of the Zhao family have gone to the northwest with Lord Zhao, Mrs. Zhao will come back to see the fourth daughter of the Dou family every few years. She was afraid that the fourth daughter of the Dou family would be neglected without her biological mother, so she would definitely come back for the fourth daughter of the Dou family's coming-of-age ceremony. An official wife like Mrs. Lu, seeing how much the second wife valued the fourth daughter of the Dou family, came to add icing on the cake. As for those shopkeepers and farm owners... the fourth daughter of the Dou family not only presided over the middle income of the West Dou family, but also had the support of the third master of the Dou family to manage the general affairs of the West Dou family. How dare they not come for the fourth daughter of the Dou family's coming-of-age ceremony?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the person who had sneered and spoken loudly before said, "You are a little biased. The fourth daughter of the Dou family is a kind person. Who in Zhending Prefecture doesn't know her? If it weren't for the fourth daughter of the Dou family, would the Bie family martial arts school in Dongxiang Street have been cleared of the lawsuit a few years ago? The Bie sisters are still under the protection of the fourth daughter of the Dou family! That year, there was a heavy rain in Zhending. If it weren't for the fourth daughter of the Dou family exempting the rent of some of the Dou family's farms, I don't know how many families would not be able to make ends meet and would have to sell their children! How can you say that those big shopkeepers and farm owners came to congratulate the fourth daughter of the Dou family on her coming-of-age ceremony in order to curry favor with the fourth daughter of the Dou family?"

His words were immediately echoed by the majority of the people in the teahouse, who all murmured and blamed the person who was speaking loudly.

The man looked embarrassed and lowered his head to drink tea.

This situation rumbled like thunder in Tao Qizhong's head. His heart felt as if a huge stone was pressing down on it, getting heavier and heavier, and it was difficult for him to maintain a polite smile on his face.

Is this the fourth daughter of the Dou family that he knows, who grew up in the countryside, is dull, stubborn, unpopular, and helpless?

Are they talking about the same person?

Tao Qizhong couldn't help but ask, "Didn't they say that the fourth daughter of the Dou family was not favored by her stepmother, so she stayed in Zhending to be raised by her biological mother, who was born to the concubine of Master Dou Qi? How did it become 'fulfilling filial piety on behalf of her father'?"

Someone in the teahouse chuckled and said, "Old sir, you are from Lingbi County, right? Don't listen to the nonsense of the Pang family. Wang was just a concubine who was promoted to the wife. Although she is the daughter of Wang Yousheng, Wang Yousheng was in poverty in those years and had no time to take care of his children. Wang was not well-educated, so even if she was promoted to the wife, she would still be a person who could not be in the limelight. The family's donations had to be sorted out by the fourth daughter of the Dou family. How old is the fourth daughter of the Dou family? How could a woman like Wang be tolerated? Unfortunately, the fourth daughter of the Dou family was taught by the family since she was young, and she did not want to be on the same level as Wang, so she asked to follow the sixth wife of the Dongdou family to start her elementary school education. , seldom returned to Xidou. This is also the reason why the Ji family sent people to congratulate the fourth daughter of the Dou family when she came of age - the Sixth Madam treated the fourth daughter of the Dou family as her own daughter, so the Ji family also treated the fourth daughter of the Dou family as their own cousin. Wang had planned everything, but she never thought that she would squeeze the fourth daughter of the Dou family out of the family, and instead let the fourth daughter of the Dou family have an additional in-law to help her. The Yixing Ji family is not an ordinary family. Not only has the family produced two imperial tutors, but there are also seven or eight Jinshi serving as officials in Kyoto. How can the Wang family, a common family, compare to this? This is exactly in line with the saying that man proposes, God disposes, and it is right that Wang Shi can't give birth to a son."

The last sentence was spoken with great viciousness, which frightened Tao Qizhong so much that he could not help but look at the man carefully, but in his heart he was thinking about the Ji family of Yixing.

In his impression, it seemed that only six people from the Ji family entered officialdom.

Although this person's words are a bit exaggerated, they are not outrageous.

It can be seen that what he said was not entirely fabricated.

Is it really my fault?

The thoughts that had been lingering in his heart for the past few days suddenly came out. Tao Qizhong's heart trembled, and the shadow of Song Mo suddenly appeared in his mind...

Could it be that...

No, no, no!

impossible!

If this matter is related to the Crown Prince, how did the Crown Prince know the fourth lady of the Dou family?

But if this matter has nothing to do with the prince, and the Dou family has no connection with it, why would they stage this drama of sisters getting married off?

The center of the pottery is a mess.

I heard someone whispering, "The one who cursed Wang is the steward of the Lang family, right?"

"She is the companion of the fifteenth wife of the Lang family."

"so it is!"

"Have you heard? The pawnshop of the Pang family received a purple gold big-bellied Maitreya Buddha last time, but it turned out to be a fake! The Pang family lost more than 800 taels of silver and went to the county government to complain, saying that they were cheated by the fifteenth wife of the Lang family."

Everyone was laughing, and there was a hint of “you know it and I know it” in their expressions.

"Who can I blame if my own court official made a mistake?" someone asked. "What does the county magistrate say?"

"What else can the county magistrate say?" The man laughed, "The money was counted in front of me, and I didn't see it at that time. Now you come to complain about injustice. Don't say that the young master of the Zhu family has been imprisoned. Even if it is a poor family, there is no reason to arrest someone to sue. His Pang family is just relying on the Wang family to make a living. Do you really think that the Zhending County Office is opened by their family?"

Someone questioned, "Could it be a mistake? Just for eight hundred taels of silver, he went to ask the county lord to intervene?"

"Why would I lie to you? The Pang family is not what it used to be. Ever since Pang Kunbai was paralyzed by the guards of the fourth daughter of the Dou family, who mistook him for a robber, the Pang family has been unlucky. All their businesses have suffered losses, and they are getting worse year by year. Otherwise, why would the three Pang brothers be so arguing and insisting on dividing the family when the old lady of the Pang family is still alive?"

"Have you heard about it?" Someone else whispered, "I heard that the aunt of the Pang family is annoyed that the Pang family always finds trouble with her, so she spread the word that the Pang family is the Pang family and she is her, and in the future, don't involve her in the affairs of the Pang family..."

Everyone was whispering.

Tao Qizhong's mind went blank.

The Pang family and the Wang family are in-laws, but they were mistaken for robbers by the guards of the fourth daughter of the Dou family and were even beaten into paralysis... Is such a misunderstanding possible?

He couldn't help but shudder, then came to his senses, quickly signaled his followers to settle the bill, and quietly left the teahouse.

A cold wind blew, rolling up the yellow leaves and hitting his feet. He couldn't help but clasped his hands in his sleeves.

This Zhending County is not part of the Dou family, so he didn't believe it. He couldn't find out what kind of person the fourth young lady of the Dou family is.

Tao Qizhong was unwilling to give up and wandered aimlessly in the streets with his followers. He saw a grocery store that also sold tea. An old woman in her fifties with a somewhat mean face was sitting there, cracking melon seeds out of boredom.

He thought about it, walked in, threw in two taels of silver, and ordered two cups of scented tea.

The old woman knew that a distinguished customer had come. Her eyes lit up and she enthusiastically served two pieces of cake and a small dish of melon seeds.

Tao Qizhong asked the old woman, "Do you know where the hometown of Dou Ge, the current Minister of Justice and Grand Academician of Wenhua Palace, is?"

The old woman laughed and looked at Tao Qizhong as if he saw a piece of fat meat, saying: "Old sir, are you here to give gifts to the Dou family? It's a pity that the second wife is not at home, and the third master of the Dou family is in charge. Let me tell you, when it comes to Zhending County, there is nothing I don't know..."

The pottery was stuffed with a few more pieces of silver, weighing about three or four taels, and given to the old woman.