Chapter 265: Imperial Conferment

The pearl headpiece, the size of a lotus seed, radiated a gleaming luster, low-key and gorgeous, and anyone with a weaker aura could not help but be overwhelmed, as people could only see the pearls but not the person wearing them. But Dou Zhao was tall and had a heroic look between her eyebrows. The luster of the pearls not only did not blur her features, but softened her facial lines, making her look bright and dazzling.

The Queen Mother couldn't help but secretly exclaimed "good" in her heart, and said with a smile: "This child really knows how to dress up."

Dou Zhao knelt down and bowed to express his gratitude.

His behavior was graceful, neither humble nor arrogant, as if he had experienced this kind of occasion countless times, graceful and elegant.

The Queen Mother nodded continuously, making no effort to conceal her admiration.

Song Mo couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.

The Empress looked at him and smiled, then stood up and whispered a few words to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was stunned, looked at Song Mo, and then also laughed.

Dou Zhao was puzzled and glanced at Song Mo.

Song Mo was looking at the two ladies with confusion on his face.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager smiled even more happily and told Aunt Lan, "Go and bring out the orange cakes that were sent as tribute from Fujian a few days ago for Yantang and his wife to taste."

Aunt Lan was slightly surprised, then quickly replied "yes" with a smile and stepped back.

Song Mo and Dou Zhao stepped forward to express their gratitude.

The Empress Dowager pointed to Xiudun beside her and said, "Yantang grew up under our care. Now that you've married Yantang, you're one of ours. Sit down and talk!" Her tone was very cordial and easy-going.

Song Mo thanked him with a smile and sat down.

Dou Zhao followed suit.

Aunt Lan brought up some tea and snacks with a few palace maids.

In addition to the orange cakes mentioned by the Queen Mother, there are also snacks such as donkey rolls and pea yellow.

Dou Zhao thanked Aunt Lan.

The Queen Mother asked Dou Zhao, "How old are you this year? How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

Dou Zhao stood up and said respectfully, "I am seventeen years old and I have only one younger sister at home."

"Sit down and talk, sit down and talk." The Queen Mother said with a smile, "You seem to be generous, why are you acting so stingy?" As she said that, the Queen Mother looked at Song Mo with a smile and said, "You are one year older than our Yantang!"

Dou Zhao almost wiped his sweat.

In her previous life, she also looked like this and was so respectful and polite when she responded. No matter whether it was the Empress Dowager or the Empress, they never said that she was too respectful!

Dou Zhao smiled and replied concisely and clearly, "Yes."

The Queen Mother liked her frankness very much. She asked Dou Zhao what books she had read, what she did for fun at home, whether she was used to living in the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, whether she had learned how to be a housekeeper when she was in her mother's home... and so on. She asked about all the gossips about her family, and her attitude was friendly, like an elder from a neighboring family.

Dou Zhao thought about what Princess Ningde had said, and answered loudly with a smile.

The Queen Mother glanced at Song Mo, and a thoughtful expression flashed across her face.

The Empress Dowager was very satisfied with Dou Zhao's answer, and suddenly said with emotion: "Your mother-in-law was a capable person, but it's a pity that she passed away too early..."

Dou Zhao saw the Empress wipe her eyes, and Song Mo also fell silent.

She suddenly realized that Jiang must be very much favored by the Empress Dowager.

Sure enough, Aunt Lan hurried forward to comfort the Empress Dowager.

After a while, the Empress Dowager calmed down and started talking to Dou Zhao, Song Mo, and the Empress again.

A eunuch came in and reported, "The emperor has left the court and asked if Prince Ying and Lady Dou have arrived. If they have, they should go to the Qianqing Palace to meet him."

Everyone was very surprised, and the Empress asked the eunuch, "Is Dou going too?"

The waiter should answer “yes”.

The Empress glanced at the Empress Dowager.

The Queen Mother pondered and said, "Then go!"

Song Mo and Dou Zhao hurriedly stood up and said goodbye.

The Empress Dowager ordered Song Mo and Dou Zhao, "Don't keep the Emperor waiting any longer." She also ordered Aunt Lan, "Give the red agate bracelet that the Emperor gave me a few days ago to Dou - young people look good in these bright things!"

The Empress said, "If that's the case, I'll come join in the fun." She called out "Yunying," and a thirty-something palace maid with an ordinary appearance came out. The Empress said, "Give Dou a pair of jade hairpins!"

Obviously it was prepared in advance.

Song Mo and Dou Zhao knelt down to express their gratitude.

The Empress Dowager said to Song Mo, "Yantang, when you have nothing to do, bring your wife to the palace to play. I heard from Ningde that Dou is very good at playing cards. Come and join us. The concubines in the palace are afraid of losing money if they lose, and they are afraid that I will be unhappy if they win. There is really no point in playing cards..." There was a lot of complaint in her tone.

Everyone laughed.

Song Mo and Dou Zhao took the opportunity to resign from the Empress Dowager and the Empress and went to the Qianqing Palace.

Outside the study, several men in dark official uniforms were standing in the corridor waiting.

Seeing Song Mo and Dou Zhao coming over, they all looked up in surprise.

Someone exclaimed, "Huh?"

Dou Zhao couldn't help but glance over out of the corner of his eye.

He has a tall and straight figure, fair skin, bright eyes, and a smile on his face that is as warm as spring breeze.

It turned out to be my fifth uncle!

Dou Zhao was stunned and couldn't help but raise his eyelids.

The two people's eyes met in the air.

Dou Shishu's expression suddenly looked a little dull.

Dou Zhao was just wondering whether he should smile at him and say hello when a eunuch came out and said with a smile, "The emperor was just asking why the prince hasn't come yet. Let us urge him... I'll go and report now." After saying that, he went back into the study.

She had no choice but to blink at Dou Shishu, and stood there waiting with her eyes and nose in her eyes and her nose and her heart in hers.

All around was silent.

A tall, white and plump minister wearing a fairy crane patch came out of the study with a frown on his face.

When he saw Dou Zhao, he looked dazed and seemed a little at a loss.

Song Mo whispered to Dou Zhao: "He is Mu Chuan." Then he smiled at Mu Chuan.

Dou Zhao’s eyes widened.

It turns out that Mu Chuan looks like this.

Mu Chuan opened his mouth wide, pointed at Dou Zhao, then slowly put down his hand, restrained the surprise on his face, nodded dignifiedly, and walked past them with his head held high.

Now it was Dou Zhao's turn to be surprised.

Someone else came out of the study.

"Your Highness, Madam," he said to Song Mo and Dou Zhao with a smile, "Your Majesty, please come in and talk."

Dou Zhao looked carefully and found that it was Wang Ge.

She didn't care about the mistake in addressing with Wang Ge, and Duanrong and Song Mo went into the study room.

The emperor was over forty years old, of medium build, and like all middle-aged men, he had begun to gain weight, but his eyes and brows still retained the handsomeness of his youth.

He looked at Dou Zhao for a few times, and said to Song Mo: "Now that you are married, you are an adult. You have to support the Duke of Ying's Mansion. You should think more and act more carefully. Don't ruin the Duke of Ying's Mansion's century-old reputation."

Song Mogong replied politely, "Yes."

The emperor nodded and said, "Go down!"

Dou Zhao was secretly surprised.

Is that it?

Were they called into the palace early in the morning just to say these few words?

She followed Song Mo in kowtow and thanked him, then left the study room.

Dou Shishu was waiting outside. When he saw them appear, he hurriedly whispered, "Why did the emperor ask you to come here?" His voice was hurried and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Nothing much." Song Mo said briefly, "He just told us to live a good life since we are married."

Dou Shishu was shocked.

The emperor left behind all his loyal ministers in the courtyard and called Song Mo to the upper study, just to instruct him to live a good life?

He was full of suspicion and wanted to ask again, but Wang Ge smiled and said, "Master Dou Ge, the emperor wants you to come in."

Dou Shishu glanced at Dou Zhao, then hurriedly followed Wang Ge into the study.

The emperor leaned on the big kang by the window, watched Dou Shishu bow to him, and said, "Your niece looks quite like you."

Dou Shishu was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't know what the emperor meant by this, so he said hurriedly, "My brothers and I look very similar."

The emperor hummed, and the eunuch beside him handed a memorial to Dou Shiheng.

"Take a look," said the emperor, "a memorial was sent from Huai'an. It said that there was a scholar named Wusheng who seduced a woman from a decent family to be his concubine. He was imprisoned three years ago and died of a sudden illness in prison. As a result, at the beginning of this year, Wusheng's concubine was involved in another case, and it was found that Wusheng's concubine was not a woman from a decent family. You send someone to review the case together with the Dali Temple..." and then he got down to business.

Dou Shishu quickly gathered his thoughts and answered the question seriously.

But once he left the palace, he had no choice but to return to Huaishu Hutong.

"Go see Shougu," he told his wife, "and ask her what the emperor asked her when he summoned her to the Qianqing Palace."

The Fifth Madam was shocked when she heard this and asked hurriedly, "Did Shougu go to the Qianqing Palace?"

Dou Shishu told the Fifth Madam about his encounter with Dou Zhao outside the upper study.

The Fifth Madam was stunned, and after a while she said, "But Shou-gu just got married, and it was only the ninth day of the first lunar month yesterday..."

As an elder, how could she visit her niece at this time without any reason?

Dou Shishu frowned.

The Fifth Madam said, "How about letting Cai go over and take a look?" Although this was somewhat against the rules and might seem like an attempt to curry favor with the Song family, it was much better than having her, as the elder, go.

Dou Shishu said, "Let her find out what the emperor said to them. Children don't know the depth of things. The emperor's ordinary words sometimes have deep meanings that they may not be able to understand."

"I understand." The fifth wife went to Cai and asked her to visit Dou Zhao.

When Cai heard that Dou Zhao had entered the palace today and was called to the Qianqing Palace, she was shocked and then full of envy. She nodded repeatedly, but as soon as the Fifth Madam left, she put on powder and tied her hair into a bun and sent someone to report the matter to her mother, Madam Cai. After everything was packed, she went to the Duke of Ying's Mansion.

The British Mansion was setting off firecrackers with a crackling sound.

Song Mo and Dou Zhao left the palace at noon. At 3 p.m., an imperial edict arrived, conferring the title of "Crown Prince's Wife" on Dou Zhao, a rank higher than the first.

"The power of heaven is really unpredictable!" Su Xin, who knew the whole story of Dou Zhao's entry into the palace, clasped her hands together, bowed towards the west, and said gratefully, "You said that the emperor only looked at you a few times but didn't ask you a single question. I was still worried about what the emperor was thinking, but I didn't expect that he would issue an imperial decree in the blink of an eye. This is really the blessing of the Bodhisattva!" She bowed again.

Dou Zhao was thinking about Wang Ge's word "Madam".

Did he do it intentionally or unintentionally?