Chapter 296 Suggestions

The first time she went to the study with Song Mo, Dou Zhao had made up her mind to just listen and not speak. Suddenly, she was called by Song Mo, and Dou Zhao was very surprised. But she was not a stubborn person. Since the situation had changed, she would not hide it. After thinking for a moment, she openly expressed her opinion.

"Whether Chen Jia is trying to advance his career or is being instructed by someone, the prince is very tempted by the conditions he offers. In this case, why don't we listen to what he says before making any plans? If what he says is true, even if he is being instructed by someone, we may not fall into his trap; if what he says is pure fabrication, even if he is just trying to advance his career, we may not necessarily help him.

The key now is how do we judge whether what he said is true or false? "

Song Mo, Yan Chaoqing and others nodded slightly.

Liao Bifeng couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

No wonder the prince respects his wife so much. Besides being quick-witted, she is also quite good at strategy.

An idea suddenly occurred to him.

If something happens to the Crown Prince someday, under the leadership of the Madam, they will not be like a fallen tree, losing their backbone and becoming prey to others in an instant.

At this moment, he truly felt a sense of belonging to Yizhitang.

I am also full of hope for the future of Yizhitang.

If Madam could give birth to a child as soon as possible, Yizhitang would no longer have internal troubles, and they would no longer have to worry about the future.

Thinking of this, he stood up and respectfully refilled Dou Zhao's still full teacup with some water as a symbolic gesture.

Zhu Yicheng, however, did not have as many thoughts as Liao Bifeng. After hearing what Dou Zhao said, he was full of confusion. He wanted to question Dou Zhao a few questions, but due to the difference in status, he could not say anything, and a bit of anxiety was revealed between his brows.

Song Mo thought Zhu Yicheng had his own opinion on this matter, so he smiled and said, "Guardian Zhu, what do you think of this matter?"

Zhu Yicheng was not a man who was good at making plans. In the past, he only listened to the meetings in the study and never said anything. Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, his face flushed and his mouth twitched. After a while, he said, "I think what Mr. Yan and Mr. Liao said makes sense, and so does what the lady said. I just want to ask, if that Chen Jia was instructed by someone, and we go to investigate the Duke Dingguo, will the people behind him find something to hold against us and then report us to the emperor... I always feel that since he can prepare for the rainy day and leave a way out for himself, he must be no simple person. Moreover, he is also very skilled, and can be regarded as both civil and military. It is better to be careful when dealing with such a person."

Do you think your suggestion is too risky?

Dou Zhao also thinks so.

In his previous life, Song Mo was moody, but Chen Jia could still be his confidant, which showed that he was a person who should not be underestimated. But Song Mo's behavior made her feel that Chen Jia's words and deeds had aroused his great interest. Otherwise, he could have sent a note to Jinyiwei and let Jinyiwei kill Chen Jia to give him an explanation, and there was no need to invite Yan Chaoqing and others to discuss the matter.

She has always believed that it is better to open up than to block.

Moreover, the death of Duke Dingguo is not only related to the unjust case of the Jiang family, but also to the death of Mrs. Jiang, the conflict between Song Yichun and Song Mo... Prince Liao has begun to show his strength. If Song Mo can sort out the affairs of the Duke Ying's Mansion before Prince Liao completely shows his fangs, no one will be able to make a fuss about Song Mo's deceased relatives. With Song Mo's calm and rationality, they can safely survive the palace coup four years later.

Moreover, even if they make a wrong judgment at this time, they still have the opportunity to correct it.

By the time King Tu of Liao was exposed, the government and the country were in chaos, and it was no longer clear what was right or wrong. If he kept silent, he might get himself into trouble, so why bother spending energy to clear himself?

"Your Highness is in the emperor's good graces and has not yet come of age. Your father-in-law has handed over all household affairs to his personal stewards and staff since your mother-in-law passed away. Even if your Highness makes mistakes sometimes, it is normal. He can just listen to the emperor's teachings." Dou Zhao hinted, "The truth of the matter is not important. What is important is what people say, how they see it, and what they are willing to believe!"

Song Mo smiled slightly.

Yan Chaoqing, however, became excited and said to Song Mo, "My Lord, Madam has a good idea - let's tell the Emperor about the discord between you and the Duke. The Emperor always likes loving fathers and filial sons, and you are one of his favorite noble sons. If someone complains, you can use this incident to arouse the Emperor's sympathy and let the Emperor "discipline" you. For us, it can be said to kill two birds with one stone. It can not only resolve those people's criticisms against you, but also bring you closer to the Emperor... It is even possible to use the Emperor's hands to undermine the Duke..."

Liao Bifeng couldn't help but clap his hands in approval and said, "I also think Madam's plan is very feasible!"

Zhu Yicheng murmured, "Is this possible?"

Song Mo laughed: "It seems that Madam has given me a difficult problem!" He looked at Dou Zhao with unmistakable appreciation and joy in his eyes, "Then let's do this! I'll take care of the Emperor's matter; as for Chen Jia, he will most likely contact us again, so leave it to Mr. Yan!"

Everyone stood up and responded respectfully.

※※※※※

In Shuntianfu Hutong, not far from the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion, there is a Gaosheng Inn.

Hua Tang, the commander of the Weizhou Military Region, had a gloomy face and paced anxiously in the upper room of the inn with his hands behind his back.

His personal attendant stood in the corner of the upper room with his hands lowered, looking respectful and not daring to make a sound.

After a while, there were a few cautious knocks on the door.

The personal attendant breathed a sigh of relief, hurried forward and opened the door.

A thirty-year-old scholar in blue walked in.

Seeing the person coming, Hua Tang couldn't wait to greet him: "How is it? What did the Wang family say?"

The scholar in blue hurriedly whispered, "I didn't meet the Marquis of Yan'an, but the prince of the Marquis of Yan'an sent a personal attendant to tell me to tell you something. He hopes to visit you at the inn later." As he spoke, he took out a note from his sleeve, "This is a note from the prince of the Marquis of Yan'an." Then he paused and lowered his voice a little, "The things we sent were not accepted by the Wang family!"

Huatang couldn't help but frown.

The eldest son's lawsuit came at an odd time. For this matter, he had entrusted the case to no less than seven or eight people, including Marquis Changxing and Marquis Anlu, and had spent tens of thousands of taels of silver. However, the other party countered his moves and was not at all intimidated. Only then did he feel that this lawsuit was not simple. He also vaguely heard that the old woman was instructed by someone, but he had no foundation in Kyoto. Marquis Anlu was also in a state of panic because his close and loyal servant was involved in the fire in the Duke of Ying's mansion. He wrote to the Duke of Ying, but has not received a reply so far. How could he bother Marquis Anlu for his own lawsuit at this time?

After much thought, he thought of the Yan'an Marquis's Mansion, which was almost married to his own family, and the Yan'an Marquis's son, who had a wide circle of friends. He hurriedly sent his aides to visit with generous gifts, hoping to ask the Wang family to help find out who was trying to make things difficult for him.

"What does the Wang family mean by this?" he couldn't help but ask, "Marquis Yan'an avoided us, the Wang family returned the gifts we sent, and yet the son of Marquis Yan'an wanted to visit me at the inn..."

The aide of Huatang, the scholar in blue, pondered after hearing this and said, "Look, could it be that the Prince of Yan'an is avoiding someone?"

Hua Tang was shocked when he heard this, and his expression became serious: "It is indeed possible..." He hurriedly ordered his close attendant, "Keep your eyes open, don't let anyone notice our movements!"

The followers responded with fear and trepidation.

A servant ran in and whispered, "The Marquis of Yan'an is here."

It's here so quickly!

Hua Tang couldn't help but exchange a glance with his staff, and hurriedly ordered the servant: "Hurry up and invite the prince in."

The servant responded and left.

Huatang thought about it and greeted him at the door.

Wang Qinghuai was wearing a very ordinary green Songjiang cotton robe and walked in with only one follower.

Huatang was shocked.

Wang Qinghuai really came here to avoid suspicion.

Who made the eldest son of the Marquis of Yan'an Mansion so cautious?

At the same time, it also proved that there was a secret behind the eldest son's lawsuit...

Huatang hurriedly invited Wang Qinghuai into the inner room.

Wang Qinghuai was not polite either. He and Hua Tang sat down as guests. When the servants served tea, everyone in the room left. Without much greeting, he quickly got to the point: "...My mother was reluctant to let my younger sister marry far away, so our two families could not become in-laws. As for your family's lawsuit, most people in Kyoto don't know the inside story. Only our family got some clues by chance. Seeing that my uncle was running around but couldn't find a way, I was thinking about finding an opportunity to tell him, but I didn't expect that my uncle would send someone to visit me. Based on the friendship between our two families, I dare not accept this gift. Please take it back. As for the Hua brothers' lawsuit, I will tell you a little bit, please consider it."

Huatang couldn't help but smile bitterly.

No wonder everyone praises the Prince of Yan'an for his good conduct.

He wants to take this opportunity to settle the grudge with the Hua family!

But when you are under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

He endured it again and again, and finally made his voice sound without any resentment.

"Nephew, what you said is wrong! This only proves that our two families are not destined to be together." Hua Tang bowed to Wang Qinghuai, "Nephew, I will remember your help. If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely thank you!" His tone was very sincere.

Wang Qinghuai didn't care.

If he didn't come out to mediate this dispute, Huatang would probably continue to jump around.

Telling Hua Tang the whole story now would not only help Song Mo, but also repay the favor of the Hua family. It would kill two birds with one stone. Why not do it?

"Uncle, you're too polite." Wang Qinghuai was humble for a few words before asking in a low voice, "I heard that Uncle wants to marry into the Duke of Ying's family?"

Hua Tang suddenly smiled with some pride: "My nephew has also heard about it?" As soon as he said this, he immediately realized that Wang Qinghuai's question was abrupt, and his smile froze slightly, and he asked suspiciously, "Is there something wrong with this matter?"

"It's more than inappropriate!" Wang Qinghuai looked distressed, "Brother Hua's lawsuit is caused by this!"

Huatang's expression changed drastically.

Wang Qinghuai whispered, "Song Yantang, the son of the Duke of Ying, wants his wife to be in charge of the Duke of Ying's mansion, and does not want the Duke of Ying to remarry for the time being...but your uncle barged in at this time..." He shook his head, "otherwise, with so many famous ladies in Kyoto, why is no one willing to marry into the Duke of Ying's mansion?"

Huatang was stunned and somewhat unbelieving.

Wang Qinghuai thought that he had already conveyed his words, and if Huatang didn't know whether to live or die, there was nothing he could do, so he stood up and said goodbye, leaving Huatang some time to think.