Chapter 306: Lifting

Song Mo and his wife sat down on the big kang next to the window.

Dou Zhao shouted loudly, "Ganlu, serve tea!" The maids came in one after another, and only then did Su Xin come in with a red face.

"Madam, I have already told Steward Wang what you asked. He immediately sent someone to the Imperial Hospital and said that there will be accurate news soon."

Song Mo was surprised and asked, "Who is feeling unwell?"

"No one." Dou Zhao said with a smile, "Don't worry about it."

Seeing that Dou Zhao was fine, Song Mo thought that perhaps one of the maids or servants in the house was unwell and Dou Zhao wanted to show some mercy, so he put the matter behind him.

Dou Zhao asked him, "How could the Marquis of Changxing give up so easily?"

Song Mo smiled and said, "I asked Wang the eunuch to inform the Ministry of Revenue and delayed the payment of military pay to the Datong General's Mansion."

Dou Zhao stared and said, "Is this a good idea? If the emperor knew about this..."

Song Mo didn't care: "Which general's office has never been in arrears of military pay? Why is it that it's the turn of the Datong General's Office? It's not that they won't pay, but they just paid the Datong General's Office a little later than others! There is a first come first served rule when writing official documents. Even if he reports it to the emperor, he is not in the right! The Marquis of Changxing can't go to Kyoto every month to treat those petty officials of the Ministry of Revenue to dinner and drinks for such a small matter!"

This is a typical example of "It is easy to see King Yan, but difficult to deal with the little devil"!

Dou Zhao wiped his sweat and asked, "Why would Wang the eunuch come out to greet you?"

"Is it so easy to take advantage?" Song Mo joked, "How can you always take advantage without suffering some losses?"

OK! She didn't ask.

However, Song Mo is really amazing to be able to get Wang Yuan to come forward and make Changxing Hou bow his head!

Not to mention the Wang family.

Someone passed the message over, and he was a little suspicious at first. But when the Marquis of Changxing ordered the preparation of expensive gifts and sent close attendants to escort him back to the capital, he was suddenly frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. With a tearful face, he begged for confirmation from the Marquis of Changxing and politely rejected the Song family's proposal on the grounds that "they were not compatible."

Dou Zhao couldn't help but sneer: "The horoscopes are not compatible, but it's a panacea that can be used at any time!"

What Song Mo cared about was Song Yichun's attitude towards Dou Zhao.

He apologized to Dou Zhao sincerely.

Dou Zhao smiled, blinked at Song Mo, and said, "Don't worry, I won't argue with the Duke. He has suffered such a great injustice, you have to let him have a place to vent!"

Song Mo laughed.

Dou Zhao smiled and said, "What were you doing just now? There's nothing to do at home, go and do your own thing! Don't worry about me."

"I had an appointment to drink with Ma Youming, but I heard something happened at home, so I made an excuse to meet him another day," Song Mo said with a bitter face, "How can I go back to see him now?" Then he looked at Dou Zhao with burning eyes, "Shou Gu, how about you cook something delicious for me today?"

This guy just likes to order me around!

Dou Zhao hadn't cooked for some time. After hearing what he said, he became interested and told Ganlu to inform the maid at the stove.

Song Mo said gruffly, "Let me go with you! I haven't seen how other people cook yet!"

Dou Zhao didn't know what to say.

She took Song Mo to the kitchen.

The old woman on the stove ran to the small courtyard in front of the kitchen to greet them respectfully, and then tremblingly helped to light the fire and serve the dishes.

Song Mo sat on the stool in front of the kitchen chopping board and watched Dou Zhao's every move.

Wherever she went, her eyes followed.

After a while, Dou Zhao couldn't take it anymore, his hands started shaking, and he almost spilled a spoonful of salt.

She had no choice but to shoo Song Mo away: "Go outside. It's so smoky here. Be careful or you'll smell like smoke."

Song Mo said "Oh" and moved to the kitchen door, only three steps away from the chopping board.

Dou Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He finally cooked a few of his signature dishes and ordered the maid to bring them to the banquet room in the main house.

However, a servant came to report that someone from the palace had come and asked Song Mo to enter the palace early the next morning.

Early the next morning after Song Yichun returned, he went to the palace to kowtow and express his gratitude, and then handed in his assignment.

When he came back, he was in high spirits. Dou Zhao was worried that he had said something about Song Mo in front of the emperor. Hearing this, he pondered and said, "Should we try to find out what the visitor in the palace has to say?"

"It shouldn't be a big deal." Song Mo said with a smile, "If there was anything, Eunuch Wang would definitely let me know in advance."

Eunuch Wang refers to Wang Ge.

Song Mo went to meet the people in the palace, said a few polite words, and was rewarded with two thick red envelopes. The next morning, Ling Chen and Song Yichun entered the palace one after the other.

Before Song Mo left the palace, the messenger came running in: "Congratulations, Madam! Congratulations, Madam! The Crown Prince has been promoted to the position of Associate Magistrate of the Jinwu Guard, and is also in charge of the affairs of the Five Cities Military Department."

Dou Zhao was shocked.

Song Mo is only sixteen years old this year.

"Are you serious?" She leaned forward and asked, "Who told you that?"

The servant who brought the good news could not hide his joy in his eyes and eyebrows, and said in a vivid voice: "It was the eunuch beside Eunuch Wang in the Qianqing Palace who said that the emperor has issued an edict. You will be able to see the imperial edict when the prince returns."

This divine grace came too suddenly!

But no matter how much more he asked, the boy didn't know the answer.

Dou Zhao had no choice but to wait patiently for Song Mo to come back.

Dou Shishu witnessed the whole process.

When it was time to leave the government office, he turned down social engagements and went straight back to Huaishu Hutong.

The fifth wife changed his clothes herself.

He asked the Fifth Wife, "How many days are left until Shou Gu returns to her parents' home to live for the full moon?"

The Fifth Wife smiled and said, "Four more days."

He pondered and said, "When the time comes, you and your two daughters-in-law should dress up and go to Jing'an Temple Hutong to show your respect to Shougu."

The fifth wife was surprised.

Dou Shishu never cared about the affairs of the inner court.

"What happened?" she asked anxiously.

"After the morning court session today, the Emperor kept the Duke of Ying and Fourth Aunt in the Qianqing Palace to talk," Dou Shishu said, "During the conversation, the Emperor praised Fourth Aunt several times for being steady and flexible, and then suddenly asked Fourth Aunt when he would send Fourth Aunt's grandmother back to her parents' home to live for the month. Then he promoted Fourth Aunt to the position of Associate Director of Jinwu Guards, and made her in charge of the affairs of Wucheng Bingmasi, and said to Fourth Aunt, 'This way, you will be more respectable when you return to your father-in-law's house'..."

The Fifth Madam was shocked: "Did the Emperor really say that?"

This is not the way an emperor treats his subjects at all; this is simply as close as an elder treats his children or nephews.

"That's what he said." Dou Shishu's expression was solemn. "The Duke of Ying was also present at the time. He humbly wanted to decline the position, but the emperor gave him a lecture, saying, 'When the child grows up, he should be trained more, otherwise he will not be able to be of great use in the future.' He also said, 'It is because Yantang is still young that I let him serve under my nose. Even if he makes a mistake, I can correct him in time. If he is sent to Xuantong or Guangdong and Guangxi, he will be out of reach. Those officials are used to deceiving their superiors and hiding the truth from their subordinates. We don't know anything. Yantang will be raised to have a domineering temper, which will really harm him.'"

The Fifth Madam took a deep breath and said hesitantly, "What does the Emperor mean by this? Is he trying to punish the Duke of Ying? But he promoted the Fourth Aunt's official position..."

Dou Shishu didn't know about Lieutenant General Wang yet, so he told the Fifth Madam that the Song family wanted to marry the Hua family: "...mostly for the continuation of the marriage of Duke Ying."

The Fifth Wife was dumbfounded: "Could it be that the Emperor doesn't want the Princess of England to remarry? This is too unreasonable."

"You are usually so smart, how come you are so confused about this matter!" Dou Shishu said, "How can the emperor control whether the Duke of Ying continues his marriage? The emperor is hinting to the Duke of Ying that he prefers the fourth aunt to be the crown prince of the Duke of Ying's mansion, and asks the Duke of Ying to think more before doing anything!"

The Fifth Madam pondered for a long time before she understood the twists and turns. She couldn't help but exclaimed: "Fourth Aunt is really amazing! He can make the Emperor go around in circles!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Dou Shishu shouted anxiously, "How can you say such things?"

The implication is that it is enough for everyone to be clear about it.

Mrs. Wu couldn't help but perk up and said, "I don't think we need to wait four days. I will go to Jing'an Temple Hutong tomorrow. Even if there is nothing I can help with, I can go there and take a look."

Dou Shishu pondered for a moment and said, "There is one more thing - you should discuss it with Fourth Aunt. The Wang family took Wang back to her parents' home to live permanently. Jing'an Temple Hutong cannot always be managed by a housewife. It is better to pick a girl with a clean family background from your parents' home to be your Seventh Brother's concubine. On the one hand, she can help manage the household affairs of Jing'an Temple Hutong, and on the other hand, she can also take care of your daily life. If the girl is so lucky, maybe she can give you a son or a daughter, and inherit your incense."

The Fifth Madam understood and immediately said, "Don't worry, Master. I will tell Fourth Aunt about your words no matter what."

As for whether Dou Zhao agrees or not, that is her business, but now they must have a clear stance towards Wang.

Dou Shishu nodded with relief.

When Dou Zhao heard that Song Mo had returned, he couldn't help but run to the gate of Yizhi Hall to greet him.

"Were you really promoted to Tongzhi of Jinwuwei?" she asked Song Mo anxiously.

The Tongzhi of Jinwuwei was the official position second only to the Duzhishi in Jinwuwei, and because he was in charge of trivial matters such as the military pay, military merit reporting, and job verification of Jinwuwei, no one dared to sit idly by.

Song Mo smiled and nodded.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but put his hands together and chanted "Amitābha".

In other words, Song Mo's plan was successful.

The emperor heard about the discord between Song Yichun and Song Mo.

In this world, perhaps Shougu is the only one who is so smart.

See the big picture from the small details.

She could tell what was happening just by the slightest hint of what was happening.

Song Mo smiled and nodded again, and said in a very good mood: "Madam, shouldn't you reward me? After all, I have been promoted and made progress!"

The maids in Yizhitang had never seen a prince so relaxed and even a little shy before.

Everyone was stunned.

Yan Chaoqing coughed and smiled as he invited everyone in: "...This is not a good place to talk. Besides, since the Crown Prince has been promoted, the people in the palace should also congratulate him. Please have a seat in the hall so that we can congratulate him."

Thinking of his father's constipated face in the Qianqing Palace just now, Song Mo couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and felt that the sky above his head had become a little clearer.

From now on, his father's shameful means could no longer hurt him in the slightest!

"Okay!" He smiled and went to the hall, and told Dou Zhao, "Give each person a reward of two silver ingots!"

The Duke's Mansion of England would cast various kinds of silver ingots to be used as rewards or favors. Yuanbao ones were eight cents each, plum blossom ones were five cents each, square win ones were four cents each, and there were also silver beans and gold beans, which were two cents each. Two silver ingots equaled more than one or two taels of silver.

Everyone was happy.

Dou Zhao was also delighted and replied "yes" with a smile.