Chapter 260: The Ninth Day

Dou Zhao told Su Xin: "If Mr. Tao comes back, please let me know."

When ordinary people encounter such a thing, they will have two reactions. One is to get angry and fight to the death to wash away the shame; the other is to be terrified and avoid it from now on, like a blind man eating glutinous rice balls, knowing what is going on.

She had to judge what choice Tao Qizhong would make.

Su Xin smiled and replied “yes”.

A maid came in and said, "The eldest uncle's grandmother, the sixth uncle's grandmother, the tenth uncle's grandmother, and the eleventh uncle's grandmother are here to see you."

Dou Zhao then remembered that today was the ninth day since her marriage. According to etiquette, her parents would visit the married girl with food to show their concern.

"Please ask them to sit in the flower hall." Dou Zhao instructed the maid. While Ganlu helped her change into clothes for the reception, he asked Su Xin, "Is there any news from the prince yet?"

Song Mo entered the palace on the afternoon of August 27th, and said he would come back after working two nights, but he has not left the palace until today.

Dou Zhao was very worried at that time.

Song Mo marrying herself was indeed a slap in the face of the royal family. Although Song Mo cleverly shifted the blame to Song Yichun, who could guarantee that the emperor would not be angry?

She immediately ordered Wuyi to find out the news.

Wuyi came back and reported: "The palace is heavily guarded inside and outside. I saw Bao Liu, the servant who often follows Prince Dong in Guangenbo's mansion. He was also asking about Prince Dong's news, but he was stopped outside the gate. Bao Liu used the title of Deputy Commander of Jinwu Guard of Prince Dong to no avail, so he had to ask for the title of Shao Wenji, the commander of Jinwu Guard. The military officer on duty sneered and said that they were from the Divine Shuying and didn't know who Shao was, only who Wang was. He also asked Bao Liu, do you want to take him to see the commander of the Divine Base Camp, Lord Wang? Bao Liu was so angry that his face turned red, but he had to retreat awkwardly. Seeing this, I was afraid of humiliating the reputation of the prince, so I didn't dare to go up and ask. I turned an alley and rushed to Bao Liu, pretending to meet Bao Liu by chance. Then I found out that since the prince entered the palace, not only the people of the Jinwu Guard, but also the people of the Flag Bearer Guard have not been on duty, and they are all guarding the palace. "

Dou Zhao heaved a sigh of relief and asked Wu Yi, "Does the prince often encounter such things?"

Wuyi touched his head and said, "I was transferred to serve the prince three years ago. I don't know what it was like before, but this is the second time since I followed the prince."

After hearing this, Dou Zhao felt distressed again.

This happened twice in three years, which means it is not the norm.

She asked Wuyi: "When was the last time?"

Wuyi said, "It was before the prince got married." He recalled, "It was in mid-August, after the emperor returned from the summer palace."

Dou Zhao realized it immediately.

The emperor may be sick!

In her previous life, she was far away from the center of power and nobility, and suddenly heard the news that the emperor was ill. The prince of Liao was very filial, and asked to return to the capital to take care of the emperor, but was rejected by Liang Jifen. The prince helped to intercede, and the prince of Liao was able to return to the capital. Then came the palace coup... They were all stunned, trembling with fear and dared not breathe. The whole wealthy district closed its doors to welcome guests, and there were few carriages and horses, and no one came. It was like an empty city with no people, which was terrifying.

After Prince Liao ascended the throne, there were rumors in Fuguifang that the emperor had only caught a cold and was not seriously ill, and that he was killed by Prince Liao.

It now appears that the rumor is untrue.

The emperor is already ill.

Could this be one of the reasons why King Liao dared to seize the throne?

What disease does the emperor have?

In the previous life, the emperor passed away ten months after Prince Liao ascended the throne.

Dou Zhao frowned.

Since Yan Chaoqing is Song Mo's top aide, he must know something.

Should she wait for Song Mo to come back and ask him about the emperor's condition? Or should she go to Yan Chaoqing to find out the truth?

Dou Zhao was hesitating.

A servant came in and reported, "An official, who said he was from the Divine Army, sent a letter to Madam on the orders of the Crown Prince."

Dou Zhao hurriedly said, "Please ask Mr. Yan to help us meet the guests."

The servant responded and left.

About an incense stick of time later, Yan Chaoqing came in with the letter.

Dou Zhao opened the letter hurriedly.

It turned out to be a letter to announce safety.

He said that something happened in the palace and he might not be able to come back for a few days, so she should not worry and take good care of herself. If there was anything, she should discuss it with Mr. Yan.

He was even able to ask someone to bring letters out, which showed that Song Mo was very free.

A huge stone in Dou Zhao's heart finally fell to the ground.

Seeing Yan Chaoqing waiting with his hands hanging down, she knew that he was waiting for her instructions. After thinking for a while, she smiled and told him a few important sentences from the letter.

Yan Chaoqing's expression relaxed, and he smiled and comforted Dou Zhao: "It may be that the emperor's illness has recurred. The empress is afraid that some news will leak out, so all the imperial guards are not allowed to change guards or take turns."

Dou Zhao couldn't help but wipe his forehead.

Is the Duke of Ying too close to the imperial power? Or is the Duke of Jining too far away from the imperial power? Even Yan Chaoqing knows that the emperor is ill...

I had only heard of the Song family's prominence before, but I never thought they were so prominent.

Do I need to re-evaluate some things?

The reason why Duke Zhongyi was given such a posthumous title was because he had taught the prince with great care and effort. Since Song Mo had studied with Duke Zhongyi since he was young, he should be very familiar with the prince.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but stand in front of the long desk in the hall.

Come forward and offer a pair of sandalwood ruyi.

That was a gift from the prince when Song Mo married her.

Apart from this, the royal family did not receive any other rewards.

What kind of person is the prince?

In her memory, the prince was always just a vague name.

In the previous life, what was Song Mo thinking when he drew his bow and shot at the prince?

Could this incident be related to the death of Duke Dingguo?

Dou Zhao was in a state of confusion, and never had he been looking forward to Song Mo's return more than at this moment.

Thinking that they had been married for nine days, she couldn't help but ask about Song Mo's whereabouts again.

Dou Zhao never hid anything from Su Xin. Su Xin naturally knew what she was worried about. Hearing this, her eyes dimmed slightly and she whispered, "No news yet."

She was silent for a moment and went to the flower hall.

The youngest son comes out as the eldest.

Dou Wenchang's wife, the eldest grandmother of the Dou family, was 25 years older than Dou Zhao and was over 40 years old. The sixth grandmother, Guo, and the tenth grandmother, Cai, were both in their prime, while the eleventh grandmother, Han, was in her prime.

When Dou Zhao walked into the flower hall, Guo was sitting on the armchair with a smile on her face, chatting with Grandma Dou and Han, who was already pregnant. Cai, on the other hand, was admiring the calligraphy and paintings hanging in the flower hall with two maids.

"Fourth aunt is here." When Guo saw Dou Zhao, she stood up and greeted him.

Hearing the noise, Grandma Dou and Mrs. Han also stood up.

Dou Zhao hurriedly stepped forward to help Han: "You are a pregnant woman now, sit down quickly, sit down quickly! Be careful not to disturb the fetus."

Cai, who was walking over, laughed when she heard this and teased Dou Zhao, "The fourth aunt has only been married for a few days and she already knows about the term 'pregnancy'!" Her words were full of joking.

Unfortunately, the eldest grandmother was not familiar with Dou Zhao, and she was proud of being the eldest grandson's wife, so she just smiled. Guo never liked Cai's noise, so she didn't respond. Han was a quiet person, and she was a bit stubborn, so she didn't like the teasing in Cai's words, so she naturally didn't respond. For a while, the atmosphere was a bit awkward. This was the first time for Cai, who was always praised for her eloquence. Her smile was a bit awkward. But she has always been bold in what she says and does, and immediately smiled and said, "Seventh Uncle originally only invited eldest sister-in-law, sixth sister-in-law and me to come and see you, but who knew that sixth aunt asked our eleventh brother-in-law to come along as well, saying that she was worried and insisted that the eleventh brother-in-law come along to see you, as if eldest sister-in-law and I were only good at whitewashing. No wonder everyone says that fourth aunt is like sixth aunt's biological daughter. Now I believe it." She broke the previous dilemma.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The fact that Cai was able to walk freely in Huaishu Hutong was obviously not just because she gave birth to two sons.

Dou Zhao smiled and invited several sisters-in-law from his mother's family to sit down, chatted with them for a while, kept them for lunch, and then accompanied them for a walk around, until it was the You hour.

Cai praised her endlessly: "No wonder everyone says that Fourth Aunt married well. Apart from anything else, the fact that she doesn't have a mother-in-law above her is the best thing ever. She can have her own say on family affairs." She was extremely envious.

Dou Zhao looked surprised when he heard this and said, "As the saying goes, an elder in the family is like a treasure. Although I am free and nobody is watching over me, I have to make all the decisions on my own, and sometimes I can't help but feel nervous. It's better to have an elder in the family."

Mrs. Dou and Mrs. Han nodded continuously after hearing this.

Cai was grumbling in her heart.

This is really a case of flattery hitting the horse's leg... This lady is really hard to please!

But thinking that the Duke of England was one of the most distinguished people in the dynasty, she had to suppress her dissatisfaction and nodded in agreement with a smile.

Seeing that it was getting late, Grandma Dou smiled and said goodbye to Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao was not polite and sent them to the Chuihua Gate.

Just as I went back to the room, changed my clothes and sat down, Song Mo came back.

Dou Zhaoqing couldn't help but go out to greet him.

Song Mo just lifted the curtain and walked in.

The two people looked at each other and were both stunned.

Dou Zhao asked hurriedly, "Do you still want to go back to the palace?"

Song Mo said, "No need. I will take a day off tomorrow and will not enter the palace until the afternoon of the day after tomorrow."

For some reason, Dou Zhao just felt relieved.

Seeing that Song Mo was still wearing the court dress he wore when he entered the palace that day, she ordered the maid to fetch water and help Song Mo wash up, while saying, "How is the situation in the palace? Do you want me to prepare a few sets of clothes for Chen He to take with you so that you can change them at any time?"

On the way back, Song Mo kept thinking about what the scene would be like when he saw Dou Zhao again.

There are no other women in the family and she doesn't know anyone in Kyoto. Will she be bored?

He was not at home, and he didn't know if his father had made things difficult for her.

After all, Dou Zhaobi was the daughter-in-law, so even if her father made things difficult for her, Yan Chaoqing and others would not be able to intervene.

Will she regret marrying me?

What he never expected was that when he returned home, he would be faced with such a calm, cheerful, and even a little nagging Dou Zhao.

But this kind of Dou Zhao made Song Mo feel at ease.

"It's pretty good in the palace. It's the Empress who's worried that's why she kept us all in the palace." He explained with a smile, "We are the emperor's close ministers. There are special bathing rooms in the palace. Although I don't have my own duty room in the palace, I have my own closet for clothes and a blanket. There are also people who help me to dry my clothes on weekdays..."

Dou Zhao nodded, took the court robe that Song Mo had changed out of and handed it to Su Xin. He let the little maid help him wash up, and he sat on the kang thinking about what he had just said.