Chapter 262 Entering the Palace

We are talking about the small garden. The small garden of Yizhitang also covers an area of ​​about five or six acres. It is surrounded by corridors and shaded by green trees. In the middle are two connected lakes, one large and one small. The large one is like a full moon, and the small one is like a crescent moon. There is an octagonal glazed pavilion in the large lake, and a water pavilion next to the small lake. On the left and right of the water pavilion are camphor trees that are as thick as a man's embrace. It is a scene of a Jiangnan garden, very elegant.

Dou Zhao smiled and asked Song Mo: "Where should we build the flower shed?"

Because this is the residence of the prince, the layout is rather tough and lacks some softness. It is unlike the garden with a small Buddhist temple behind the upper house of the Duke of England's mansion. This is the residence of the Duke of England's wife. It not only has a greenhouse, but also a rockery made of Taihu stones, a nine-curve bridge made of white marble, and a stage built by the lake, all of which show exquisite elegance.

Song Mo pointed to a bed of peonies beside the waterside pavilion and said, "How about that?"

Dou Zhao took a careful look and found that only by building the house there would the beautiful scenery not be ruined. This was definitely not something he thought of on a whim. He must have looked at it a long time ago and made up his mind.

It is particularly touching when a cold and aloof person shows thoughtfulness and gentleness.

"It's better not to touch that bed of peonies." Dou Zhao's voice was unconsciously full of joy. "Wait until spring tomorrow, I will plant some peonies and camellias, and the flowers will bloom all year round. It would be a pity to build a flower shed there."

Song Mo said worriedly, "Where should I put it?"

Only now did he realize that Yizhitang was a little small.

Dou Zhao smiled and said, "Isn't there a small step behind the kitchen? I was thinking about turning it into a flower shed. If we grow radishes and cucumbers, we can send them directly to the kitchen, so we don't have to run so far to pick them." She was joking.

Song Mo thought about it seriously and said with a smile, "That's a good idea. Let's do it this way!" He called Chen He loudly and told him to buy stones and find craftsmen. He also asked him to find out where to buy radish and cucumber seedlings. He said, "It doesn't matter if it's more expensive, as long as we can catch up with the planting season."

In Chen He's opinion, this is pure trouble-making.

A basket of carrots costs 500 wen, and a basket of cucumbers costs 150 wen. Whenever you want to eat them, you can just ask the melon farmers in Fengtai to deliver them. Why bother to build a shed and find seedlings? And you don’t even know if they can grow... I’m afraid I’ll have to hire a few maids to take care of the shed...

But he still said "yes" respectfully and stepped back.

Song Mo discussed with Dou Zhao: "How about we buy a house in Shichahai? You can stay there every now and then." In this way, they could build a bigger flower shed there.

"Let's talk about it later." Dou Zhao whispered, "I just got married, and we bought a house outside. There will definitely be people who will gossip about it. And I have another idea - mother-in-law only has you and the second master as her children. Logically, we should be very close. Father-in-law has been away from home late these days, but Tian'en dared not come to see me, and only dared to send me some things in private. It can be seen that father-in-law is very strict with him. He was spoiled by mother-in-law and you when he grew up, and he can't stand the hardship. As time goes on, I'm afraid his character will become more timid and shrinking. . I think that before I am officially conferred the title, it is best to remain calm and not get involved in anything. Once I am officially conferred the title of "Madam", I will try to get the power of housekeeper back from my father-in-law. First, I can take care of the daily life of the second master with a legitimate reason, and second, I can know what my father-in-law is doing and what he has done through some minor things - these two things, you can leave them to me. You can just free up your energy to pay attention to the important events in the court. The emperor's illness is a major event that can affect the country!"

Dou Zhao is really different from other women!

Song Mo nodded and looked at her with undisguised admiration, which made Dou Zhao feel a little uncomfortable. Fortunately, Chen He ran over breathlessly.

"My Lord, Eunuch Wanggewang is here," he wiped the sweat off his forehead, "and said that he is following the Emperor's orders and wants you to bring your wife to pay respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress tomorrow morning."

This is to let her meet the Empress Dowager and the Empress!

In her previous life, she had been a marquis’ wife for more than ten years, but she had never had such an honor.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but let out an "ah".

Song Mo frowned and said, "Why did you suddenly think of letting us enter the palace?"

"I don't know." Chen He whispered, "It is said that the emperor asked about you right after you left the palace. When he knew you were back home, the emperor didn't say anything, but the empress said that you have been worried about the emperor, so you entered the palace three days after the wedding, and only left the palace when you knew the emperor was safe." At this point, he glanced at Dou Zhao secretly and lowered his voice. "The empress also said that you left the bride at home like this, and after you came back, you didn't know if you would be locked out by the bride. After hearing this, the emperor asked Eunuch Wang to pass on the message."

It shouldn't be a bad thing.

Dou Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.

Song Mo asked: "Should I send one person to receive the decree? Or should I send my wife to receive the decree together?"

Although Dou Zhao had not yet been officially conferred the title of Madam, Song Mo had submitted a petition requesting the title a few days ago. According to custom, the people in the mansion had already changed their way of addressing Dou Zhao to "Madam".

"It's an oral order." Chen He said, "Eunuch Wang is here to deliver a sign."

Song Mo turned around and nodded to Dou Zhao, saying, "I'll be back soon!"

"Let's go together!" Dou Zhao said with a smile, "After all, he is a eunuch from the palace, so I should at least go and say hello. Besides, I will inevitably go in and out of the inner palace in the future. The more people I know, the more good relationships I will have."

Wangge Wang Gonggong is Wang Yuan's adopted son. In his previous life, after the Liao King ascended the throne, he became the chief steward of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Although he is not as powerful as the eunuch Bingbi, he is also one of the Liao King's confidants. Moreover, he is notoriously narrow-minded and vindictive.

Most officials looked down on eunuchs, thinking that they were incompetent and liked to disrupt state affairs. However, they never imagined that to the emperor and empress living in the Forbidden Palace, these eunuchs who depended on them like vines were closer to them than the great scholars in the inner cabinet.

Song Mo thought Dou Zhao's words made sense, and went to the main hall of Yizhitang with her.

Wang Ge is about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a handsome appearance and a pair of very lively eyes. He looks like a smart and clever person.

After the two exchanged greetings, Wang Ge repeated what Chen He had said and said with a smile, "Don't worry, my Lord. With the Empress' help, the Emperor will definitely not make things difficult for you and the Lady."

People in the mansion could call Dou Zhao "Madam", but Dou Zhao didn't want Wang Ge to catch her, so she said hurriedly, "I am too embarrassed to be called 'Madam'." Then she stuffed a red envelope to Wang Ge and said, "I come from the countryside and have little knowledge. I will meet you in the palace tomorrow, so I will trouble you to give me more guidance."

Wang Ge said hurriedly, "Madam, what are you talking about? The prince and I have a very special relationship." Then he wanted to return the seal to Dou Zhao, "You are embarrassing me by doing this."

Dou Zhao said, "It is because you and the prince have a special relationship, and you have taken the trouble to come to us to deliver a message. I should have invited you to have a cup of tea before leaving, but I was afraid that you had the emperor's order and I should have delayed your mission. It's just some tea money!" He pushed the red letter away.

Song Mo also smiled and said, "It's just a request for a cup of tea, please don't refuse."

Wang Ge then put away Feng Hong, said a few polite words, and left Yizhitang.

Dou Zhao felt slightly relieved.

Song Mo comforted her: "Don't be nervous. He is just a small seventh-rank eunuch. If he is disrespectful to you, I will have a way to deal with him."

Dou Zhao glanced at him and thought, you don't know what kind of person he will become in the future, so you dare to stand and talk like this without any pain in your waist.

Song Mo was very surprised by her rare little girl-like coquettish look, and he even smiled and joked, "Why? You don't believe me?"

"Of course I believe you!" Dou Zhao was so happy to see Song Mo fighting for candy that she urged him, "Hurry up and have dinner! I have to go to the palace early tomorrow morning. After dinner, I have to pack my luggage." At this point, she remembered that she didn't know what to wear when she went to the palace tomorrow. She said to Song Mo, "Send someone to take Su Xin to the Ningde Princess's mansion! I want to ask the Ningde Princess what I should wear when I go to the palace tomorrow."

According to etiquette, she was still a bride and could wear the long sleeves that wives of officials wore when entering the palace. However, the palace had strict rules and she was afraid that this would violate taboos and give her a handle.

Song Moqi asked, "Do we need to ask the princess about this?" But he still asked Chen He to accompany Su Xin to visit Princess Ningde's mansion.

Dou Zhao and Song Mo went back to their room for dinner, then moved to the inner room, where they drank tea while waiting for Su Xin.

Song Mo took this opportunity to tell Dou Zhao about the personalities of several concubines in the palace, their backgrounds, and the grievances between them. But he was afraid that Dou Zhao might have heard what he said, so he said, "After all, this is a palace matter, and some of it is just hearsay. You have to figure out what is going on yourself. I'm telling you all this just so that you won't be left in the dark when the time comes."

"I understand." Dou Zhao smiled, "I will take this opportunity to enter the palace and observe the concubines carefully."

The palace was lonely. Sometimes, the concubines loved gossip more than the women in the market. And nine out of ten times, those gossips were finally proven to be true, and they were better informed than the ministers in the cabinet.

As the two were talking, Su Xin came back from Princess Ningde's mansion.

"Princess Ningde said that you should wear a red full-sleeved jacket when you enter the palace." She knelt and saluted Dou Zhao and Song Mo. "The emperor has been more and more fond of young people in recent years. You are a bride, and it is just right for you to wear this dress when you enter the palace. She also said that you don't need to be nervous when speaking. Whatever the emperor asks, just answer it as if you were answering your uncle, respectful but not losing intimacy. As for the Empress, she is the easiest person to talk to. As long as you are respectful, it doesn't matter if you answer wrong. As for the Empress Dowager, she asked you to be more careful when speaking. The Empress Dowager is old and her ears are not very good. But she hates to let others know that she is hard of hearing. When you answer her questions, remember to speak louder."

Song Mo couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, and said, "I didn't expect you to win the favor of Princess Ningde! In my entire life, the amount of words she has spoken to me combined is not as much as what she has said to you today!"