Chapter 303: Stripping

Dou Zhao just hugged Song Mo gently.

In her previous life, the death of Duke Ding was an unsolved case for her. In this life, she knew no more than in her previous life. Instead of making random guesses and leading Song Mo astray, it would be better to believe that Song Mo could find the answer himself.

She just needed to hold him and comfort him when he was vulnerable.

Song Mo calmed down.

Dou Zhao continued to stroke his forehead gently.

I don't know how long it was before I heard the soft footsteps of maids outside.

The big red lanterns under the eaves were lit one by one.

It is bright red, exuding warmth in this late autumn, warming people's hearts as well.

Song Mo suddenly sat up from her arms.

"Shou Gu, do you still remember the incident at Risheng Silver House?"

The soft and warm light could not hide the solemnity in his expression.

Dou Zhao was slightly stunned, then nodded and said, "It was Gu Yu who came forward to get Dad's signed deeds back."

"Shougu!" Song Mo leaned against Dou Zhao and whispered to her, "Emperor Taizong reigned for nineteen years, and Emperor Renzong reigned for thirty-two years. If the emperor is in good health, do you think Prince Liao would dare to make money in Kyoto?"

In the previous life, the coup in the 20th year of Chengping was because the news that the emperor was dying was announced, and facts also proved that the emperor was indeed terminally ill. Even if there was no coup, he would not have lived long.

This was Dou Zhaoneng's affirmative answer to Song Mo.

"He shouldn't be that stupid." The matter was of great importance. Even if there was no one in the inner room, it was always better to be careful. Dou Zhao whispered to him and took the opportunity to tell Song Mo what he knew. "I have a feeling that the emperor's illness is more serious than you know. It may only take two or three years at most!"

Song Mo always believed in Dou Zhao's judgment. Not only did he not doubt Dou Zhao's words, he also showed a little excitement: "You think so too?"

What does "You think so too" mean?

Dou Zhao looked at Song Mo and couldn't help but blink.

Could it be possible that Song Mo could predict what would happen in the future based on just a few words?

She knew Song Mo was scheming, but this was too outrageous, right? !

Dou Zhao asked with a somewhat dull expression: "What did you find?"

Being able to surprise Dou Zhao made Song Mo feel more real and pleasing than any encouragement or praise.

He kissed Dou Zhao's cheek affectionately and whispered, "When I read history books, I found that the wise rulers throughout history were more likely to become suspicious when they were old and weak. The emperor has been ill from time to time in recent years. I am afraid that as you said, the end is coming, so his suspicion is growing.

This is one of the reasons why the King of Liao is so eager to make a move, after all, the Queen Mother is the one who rules the country."

Song Mo paused and continued, "Maybe it was not a big deal to the emperor and my uncle before, but now that the emperor is ill, he will think about it. Look at the people the emperor has used in recent years, all of them are old veterans, like Yao Shizhong, Dai Jian, and your fifth uncle, who are young and strong, he didn't use any of them; he also gave the post of chief minister to Liang Jifen, who is two years older than the emperor himself, and reused He Wendao. I guess, could it be that my uncle did something to make the emperor unhappy, and the emperor originally I just wanted to give a small punishment, but Ding Yu intervened and made my uncle fall into danger and was killed on the way; another villain played tricks and deceived the emperor for a while. Fortunately, we listened to your advice and showed weakness. Although the emperor was furious, he took my uncle's contribution into consideration and finally let the Jiang family go. Afterwards, the emperor came to his senses and regretted it. He decided to quietly execute all the Jinyiwei who participated in the escort of my uncle. This led to the absurd incident of Ding Yu killing people and Wang Yuan silencing them..."

Dou Zhao listened carefully to Song Mo's words, pondered for a long time, and said in deep thought: "I think your inference makes sense. I remember that when my uncle got into trouble, Zeng Yifen had just passed away, and there was no one in charge of the inner cabinet. Maybe someone took advantage of that time and broke in." She felt a little headache, "My uncle has offended too many people. I'm afraid it will be difficult to find who this person is."

Song Mo's eyes sparkled, and his expression was full of confidence that everything was under control: "My uncle has offended many people, but there are not many people who can flatter the emperor without making a sound. I will find a way to find out the truth about this matter." He sneered, "When the time comes, I will kill him and Ding Yu at the same time!"

Dou Zhao believed that Song Mo could do it.

But she still felt very lost in her heart.

She sighed: "The political world is so treacherous!"

Song Moshen thought so, but laughed and said, "So only those with high intelligence can get it!"

What a guy who only wants to cause chaos in the world!

Dou Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The slight sadness he felt in the past disappeared instantly.

Song Mo called Yan Chaoqing in to ask about Chen Jia.

Yan Chaoqing said, "Du Wei has already investigated everything. What Chen Jia said is true." He was a little worried that Song Mo was young and could not match the cunning Wang Yuan. He would not be able to find out anything, so he asked tactfully, "Is there any progress on Chen Jia's case?"

Song Mo told Yan Chaoqing about his trip to Qudeng Hutong and his speculation about the unjust case of Duke Dingguo.

Yan Chaoqing's expression changed drastically.

Before he could say anything, Song Mo said, "Wang Yuan likes to listen to operas. Ask Du Wei to find out if there are any famous opera singers that Wang Yuan particularly likes. Then we can find a way to buy them and send them to Wang Yuan. I can also take this opportunity to visit Wang Yuan and see if I can learn something from him."

He looked full of energy. Where was the weakness he showed just now?

Dou Zhao couldn't help but mutter to himself and stood up to refill Song Mo and Yan Chaoqing's tea.

Yan Chaoqing quickly stood up and thanked him, then turned around and talked to Song Mo: "Wang Yuan is not easy to deal with. I think it's better to start with Wang Ge..."

"No!" Song Mo said, his solemn expression made him feel calm and confident, "At Wang Yuan's position, money is no longer an impress to him. He can tell me such an important thing, which shows that in his heart, I am still worth making friends with, which also proves that the emperor does have some sympathy for me." At this point, he pulled the corners of his mouth, revealing a half-smile, and said lightly, "Tell me, if the emperor knew at this time that the inside story of our father-son discord was because after Duke Dingguo was stripped of his title, my father was afraid of being implicated and wanted to put me to death... What would the emperor think?"

I'm afraid the Emperor will never favor the Duke of England again.

But wouldn’t this be too harsh?

After all, Song Yichun and Song Mo are father and son. What if Song Yichun gets Song Mo involved?

Yan Chaoqing hesitated for a moment.

Dou Zhao, however, clapped his hands and praised the "good idea".

Anyway, it is still unclear whether the emperor will be alive or dead in four years. With Song Mo's intelligence, even if he is implicated by Song Yichun, his life will not be in danger. With the new emperor ascending the throne, maybe he can turn a disaster into a blessing!

Song Mo smiled at Dou Zhao, served him tea and said, "Then this matter is settled." He instructed Yan Chaoqing, "Check Wang Yuan's matter quickly."

Yan Chaoqing couldn't help but sigh.

The Crown Prince is now indeed even more powerful, but I wonder if these wings will make him even more cruel and ruthless?

He bowed respectfully and retreated.

Dou Zhao told Su Xin to prepare dinner and called the maid to help Song Mo change his clothes: "Wash your hands and face so you can come out to eat!"

Song Mo was unwilling to move and said, "Just help me wipe my face. I use my brain every day and I'm tired!"

"You use your brain, not your hands and feet!" Dou Zhao pushed him to the clean room.

Song Mo refused to let Dou Zhao leave: "I'm not planning on taking in a concubine, why are you sending those little maids over here?"

Dou Zhao saw that the two maids almost lowered their heads to their chests when they heard this, their pretty faces looking delicate and shy, like peach blossoms in March. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he had to send the maids away and help him wash and dress himself.

After washing up, Song Mo wanted to have dinner with her at the kang table in the inner room: "There's no one else at home anyway, so we can just eat casually between the two of us. You don't need anyone to serve you, I'll help you serve the food." He said with an expectant look.

Dou Zhao would not refute Song Mo for such a small matter. As a result, although the two of them had dinner on the kang table in the inner room, it was Dou Zhao who served the dishes... After dinner, he brewed his favorite Xinyang Maojian tea for Song Mo...

※※※※※

Wang Yuan from Qudeng Hutong was also having dinner.

The one serving him was his other adopted son, the young eunuch Wang Ji.

Wang Yuan likes to chat while eating.

Wang Ji catered to Wang Yuan's wishes and chatted with him: "Everyone says that the Prince of England is cold and arrogant, but when he saw my father, he was still polite. But when he saw my father..."

"You idiot!" Before he could finish his sentence, Wang Yuan scolded him. "You think you have the right to criticize the Prince of England? Do you know why Wang Ge can serve in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, but you can only run errands for me? You have no sense at all, and you even want to go to the Imperial Household Department. I think you will end up in the Wine and Vinegar Bureau!"

Wang Ji was scolded so much that he just kept silent.

Wang Yuan ordered him: "Go and tell them what I said. Don't worry about Chen Jia anymore."

The Prince of England just came to beg for mercy, and you let him go?

This has never happened before!

It seems I have to be more polite to the British prince from now on!

Wang Ji was surprised and quickly responded "yes".

Wang Yuan's face brightened slightly, and he murmured, "I can't believe that such a little guy, whom I don't even remember, could actually ask Song Mo to speak for him. How did he impress Song Mo?"

The thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly wanted to meet Chen Jia.

※※※※※

Mrs. Wang was talking to Wang Qinghuai about their visit to her aunt Wang Qingyuan's house today.

Wang Qinghuai was very pleased to hear that Wang Qingyuan's parents-in-law were kind and her husband was considerate.

Madam Wang Shao talked about her visit to the Duke of Ying's mansion: "... From the looks of it, the Duke of Ying's wife and the Marquis of Jining's wife are not joking. They both seem to have made up their minds not to associate with each other!"

Wang Qinghuai was very surprised and asked doubtfully, "Could it be that he was just saying it out of anger?"

"It doesn't seem like something said in anger." Mrs. Wang told Wang Qinghuai everything Dou Zhao said at that time.

Wang Qinghuai's brows were tightly knitted together. He was silent for a long time before he whispered to his wife, "In the future, you should seldom go to the Jining Marquis's Mansion."

Madam Wang nodded and hesitated, "What about Fourth Uncle?"

"Just give Fourth Brother's wife a heads-up," Wang Qinghuai said. "Dahe and Peijin are one thing, but if she gets too close to the inner court of Marquis Jining's mansion, that's another matter."

"I understand!" Mrs. Wang got up and helped Wang Qinghuai make the bed.