Chapter 263 Madam

Although she knew that Song Mo was just trying to make her happy, Dou Zhao still couldn't help but burst out laughing, and instructed Su Xin: "Write down what the Crown Prince said. From now on, you must count every word that Princess Ningde says to the Crown Prince. See how many sentences Princess Ningde has said to the Crown Prince, so that the Crown Prince won't try to fool people here!" But she was sighing in her heart. No wonder her close friend in her previous life, the Lady of Xuanning Marquis, said that there was no trick to being a daughter-in-law. It was just a matter of giving instructions in the morning and reporting in the evening. She acted like a daughter-in-law to make friends with Princess Ningde, but she didn't expect to get such a sincere and candid words from her. This could be considered an unexpected gain!

Su Xin just smiled.

The young lady also knows that the prince is just coaxing her, and the days of the two of them living in harmony will not be long!

She followed Ganlu in and helped Dou Zhao prepare clothes for entering the palace tomorrow.

Song Mo originally wanted to ask Dou Zhao about the interest-bearing loan, but when he saw several women rummaging through the drawers in the inner room, he swallowed his words and ran to the study to practice calligraphy.

When he returned to the house, Dou Zhao was already ready.

A bright red full-sleeved jacket was hung on the clothes rack, a set of jeweled headwear inlaid with pearls the size of lotus seeds was placed on the mirror table, a pair of brand new dark green Zhangjiang velvet embroidered shoes were placed on the embroidery cushion, and a few colorful undergarments were draped on the screen beside her. Dou Zhao was sitting cross-legged on the nanmu bed, wrapped in Fenghong. The room seemed a little messy, but there was an atmosphere that made him feel peaceful, as if he had lived with Dou Zhao for many years. No matter how smart and capable Dou Zhao was, and how well-organized she was, he could still see her confused and lazy side that no one else knew.

This kind of Dou Zhao makes Song Mo feel real and... close.

He washed up hastily and went to bed contentedly.

Dou Zhao asked him, "Five taels of silver for a seal, isn't that a little?"

Seeing a pile of red envelopes beside her, Song Mo was surprised and asked, "How come you have so many small-denomination banknotes?"

Dou Zhao glanced at him with a smile and said, "Can't I have some private money?"

Song Mo smiled awkwardly and said, "How much silver did you pack? I'll ask Chen He to give it to you tomorrow."

"That's not necessary." Dou Zhao lowered his head and continued to wrap the banknotes. "If you can't fill your own pockets, who would be willing to take charge of the donation and do such a thankless job?"

Song Mo couldn't help but laugh.

He had just handed over the inner courtyard of Yizhitang to Dou Zhao to manage.

I didn't expect Dou Zhao to speak so interestingly.

He lay on the kang and talked to Dou Zhao: "How can you fill your own pocket with only a few thousand taels of silver a year?"

"You don't understand this." The man in front of him had such delicate and beautiful eyebrows and eyes that even talking became something pleasing to the eye. Dou Zhao continued to talk nonsense with him, "Silver has always accumulated little by little. The same hawthorn candy, the one produced in Nanjing tastes better than the one produced in Kyoto, but it is also eight cents more expensive; the same fortune cake, the one produced in Fujian is just bigger than the one produced in Shandong, although the taste is similar, but it is more than twenty cents more expensive... Aren't these all silver?"

Song Mo was shocked: "You won't even deduct these few coins, right?"

"Am I such a person without manners?" Dou Zhao glared at Song Mo. "How many people have saved tens of millions of dollars by saving money? Not to mention saving money from one's own mouth - isn't that just cutting yourself off? Herrings are available in April, but they are sold online in March, and the price is more than double that in April; the rice in Liaoning is soft and sticky, and costs 900 coins per stone, while the indica rice in Jiangnan is hard and costs 700 coins per stone. When making porridge, use two bowls of Liaoning rice and one bowl of indica rice, and when making rice, use two bowls of rice and one bowl of indica rice. A bowl of indica rice plus a bowl of Liaodong rice makes delicious porridge and rice... In a year, there is an income of five or six hundred taels of silver. Half of it is deposited in a silver shop, and there is an interest of six cents a year. The other half is lent to cotton and tea vendors, but the interest is 15 cents. In two years, there is one or two thousand taels of silver... How can it not be money? "As she said this, she looked a little dazed, and remembered the scene when she just married into the Jining Marquis's mansion.

Song Mo felt sad when he heard this.

Dou Zhao, a rich lady who lives in a secluded house, eats porridge and rice mixed with two kinds of rice. What kind of life can force her to do such a thing...

He decided never to ask about the loan sharking again.

If this can make Dou Zhao feel at ease and make him happy, why not do it?

Who among the noble families in Kyoto doesn't do something to supplement the family income? His wife is just lending money at a loan shark, what's the big deal?

He slipped on his shoes, got off the kang, and half-knelt on the footstool of the nanmu bed.

"Shou Gu," Song Mo said solemnly, "I will give you an additional 5,000 taels of silver every year. You can use it however you want. Okay?"

He tilted his head slightly and stared at Dou Zhao. His black jade eyes seemed to be soaked in water, like the clear surface of a lake, reflecting her shadow.

Dou Zhao was stunned, then he understood what he meant.

Her eyes suddenly became moist.

She has never been afraid of giving, but sometimes, when you give, others take it for granted. Even if she is open-minded, there are times when she feels unhappy, not to mention that she is not an open-minded person.

She also has the vanity of wanting to be praised and admired.

Dou Zhao was a little excited, and his heart was filled with shame that had long disappeared. He was a little embarrassed, and said half to cover up, half to show concern: "You have so many people, and you are short of money. Five thousand taels of silver can support ten highly skilled guards. You should keep it for yourself. If I am short of money, I will ask you for it."

Song Mo is a smart man, and he is good at observing people's expressions. He puts all his heart on Dou Zhao, so he can tell her emotions. He thought of the tension when they first met, her decisiveness when she saved him, and her calmness and rationality when she agreed to his proposal... He suddenly realized that Dou Zhao was a person who would become stronger when facing a strong person, but what if she met a weak person... He couldn't help but feel his heart beating like a drum.

"Now that I'm married and have my own little family, the affairs of the inner court must naturally be separated from those of the outer court." He looked at Dou Zhao with a smile. Although his expression was somewhat casual, Dou Zhao somehow felt as if he was examining him, and was a little nervous. "You are good at managing the household, I will give you more silver, just as our private money." He smiled, "I have always wanted Master Ou, a famous iron smelter in Henan, to help me forge a spear in imitation of the famous generals of the Sui and Tang dynasties. Unfortunately, my mother thought it was too dangerous and did not agree, and I never had the opportunity to do it afterwards. I will give you the silver, you keep it for me, and then you can make a spear for me."

Boys seem to like these things very much.

For example, a famous sword, or a good horse.

Dou Zhao always thought this was a good thing.

Compared with hiring actors in opera theaters and spending huge sums of money in the Eight Great Hutongs, this hobby is a world of difference, and it can also strengthen the body and prolong life.

She agreed without hesitation, but then she realized that since Jiang did not agree, it was obvious that learning to fight with a spear was not something that could be accomplished overnight, and there might be some difficulties.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but ask: "What are the conditions for fighting with a spear?"

"It's just very time-consuming and costly." The moment Dou Zhao agreed to his request, he knew that he had found the right way. Dou Zhao was generous and would not care about material things. Only genuine care could move her. Song Mo suppressed his excitement and said with a smile, "For example, if a spear is three feet long, it needs the best poplar wood. Unfortunately, this poplar wood grows in the border areas and grows slowly. It grows less than two centimeters a year. And the trunk needs to be straight, so it's not easy to find... This is all the first time. Yes, I have loved wielding swords and spears since I was a child, but my uncle thought it would be easy to leave scars on my hands, and experts would be wary of me, so he asked me to practice internal martial arts." As he said this, he showed Dou Zhao his palms, which were crystal clear, like jade carvings, without scars or even a single scar. Dou Zhao felt that they were more delicate and soft than his own hands. "My mother was afraid that I would get a spear and practice spear techniques instead, which would ruin my internal skills, so she didn't agree to let me practice spearing."

Since Dou Zhao had promised Song Mo, he would naturally help him do it. She found out whether this was true or not once she asked around.

She didn't want to put Song Mo in danger.

He was the one she had worked so hard to keep.

She looked at his thin clothes and couldn't help asking, "Is the mattress on the kang soft? Do you want to sleep on the bed?"

"Great!" Song Mo jumped up, his face showing an unconcealable joy.

Dou Zhao was embarrassed.

She just cared about him and didn't have any other intentions... But to explain it now would not only seem like she was trying to cover up her mistake, but also seem a little hypocritical.

Dou Zhao's face was burning. Just as he was about to make room for Song Mo, Su Xin's voice came from outside the door: "Master, Madam, the Duke has returned and sent someone to tell you two to go over."

Song Mo and Dou Zhao were both surprised, and a hint of displeasure flashed across Song Mo's brows. He said "I know", and told Su Xin to come in and help Dou Zhao change clothes.

Dou Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As she got out of bed and changed her clothes, she asked Song Mo, "Do you know what it is?"

Song Mo thought for a moment and said, "Maybe he heard the news that the emperor asked me to bring you to the palace tomorrow - pottery is heavy and he won't come back so soon."

Dou Zhao nodded.

If the emperor was angry with Song Mo, he could just punish him. Since he let Song Mo bring her into the palace, it was probably a favor.

Once she gained the approval of the Queen Mother or the Empress, the Duke of England would never be able to force Song Mo to divorce him unless she brought disgrace upon the family. Song Yichun should be very clear about this and should be very worried.

Dou Zhao and Song Mo went to Xixiangyuan.

Although the fragrance of osmanthus no longer fills the entire courtyard in September, the osmanthus trees are still lush and green.

Song Yichun had come back from somewhere after drinking, and even though he had washed up, he still couldn't hide the drunkenness.

After Song Mo and Dou Zhao paid their respects to him, his eyes flickered and his expression looked a little weird. He said slowly, "I have decided to marry the eldest daughter of Hua Tang, the commander of Weizhou Wei, as my second wife. The decision will be made in a few days. If you have nothing to do, you can help with the arrangements at home." The last sentence was said to Song Mo.

Song Mo and Dou Zhao were both very shocked, but neither of them showed any strange expressions. They responded respectfully in unison and asked Song Yichun if he had any other instructions. If not, they would take their leave first.

Song Yichun was a little disappointed.

My son always looks calm and composed even when faced with a huge crisis. I don't know what could surprise him.

He felt a little embarrassed.

But he was surprised by the calmness of his daughter-in-law Dou.

Judging from her appearance, she should be a smart person. Doesn't she know the purpose of marrying Hua?

Thinking of this, a little hope arose in his heart.

If his daughter-in-law dared to interfere in his affairs, he could deprive her of her position as wife on the grounds of unfilial piety.

A prince's wife who doesn't have the title of consort lacks confidence. What can she do?

Song Yichun smiled complacently again.