Chapter 317 Integration

Dou Zhao naturally had no idea what happened in the Tan family estate. When Chen Qushui returned to Zhending, she had instructed him to meet with his third uncle Dou Shibang to mention the businesses under his name and see what reaction Dong Dou would have.

"I met with the Third Elder as we agreed." Chen Qushui looked solemn, and it was obvious that he was not satisfied with the result of the meeting. "The Third Elder spoke very straightforwardly, saying that the Madam could send someone to take over at any time. The Third Elder is an upright person, and the accounts are always clear. He never mentioned anything else. I was going to follow your instructions and bring Zhao Liangbi to Kyoto, but seeing the Third Elder's attitude, I decided to let Zhao Liangbi stay in Zhending. In case of any changes, we won't be like blind men groping in the dark, unable to find the direction."

Dou Zhao nodded slightly and said thoughtfully, "I was in a hurry to arrange my marriage. Third uncle probably didn't expect me to send someone to tell him about this so soon. He will most likely wait for the word from Huaishu Hutong before he can make a decision. Let's put this matter aside for now. I guess Third uncle will send someone to contact us by the end of the month at the latest." He added, "I'll have to ask you to keep a close eye on this matter."

"Don't worry, Madam. I know what I'm doing." Chen Qushui said, showing some hesitation, "If Zhao Liangbi takes over the Third Master's job, I'm afraid those big shopkeepers will be dissatisfied..."

"Isn't it rumored that Zhao Liangbi is my relative?" Dou Zhao smiled disapprovingly, "Isn't it okay for me to promote my own relative?"

"That's true." Chen Qushui said with a smile, "I think Zhao Liangbi has made great progress after these years of training. Whether he is a mule or a horse, he should be taken out for a walk. It depends on whether he has the blessing to handle such a big occasion."

Dou Zhao pursed his lips and smiled.

She has great confidence in Zhao Liangbi.

Even if it's not enough for the time being, don't we still have Song Mo?

Seeing that Dou Zhao was very calm, Chen Qushui knew that she must have a backup plan. His anxious heart finally settled down, his expression relaxed, and his mood relaxed. He smiled and said, "As for your flowers and plants, I'm afraid they might get lost if we rush on the road, so let them follow us and walk slowly. I estimate that they will arrive in two or three days."

Dou Zhao was a little surprised.

She did not ask Chen Qushui to bring the flowers and plants she planted.

Zhending is her root.

The flowers and plants that accompanied her through the beautiful years, like those beautiful years, she left them together in Zhending. Whenever she thought of them, her heart would be filled with infinite warmth.

She didn't want to destroy this warmth.

Chen Qushui smiled and explained, "That was Aunt Cui's idea. She said that you should take good care of these flowers and plants so that they can take root, sprout, bloom and bear fruit in Kyoto."

Is this what your grandmother expects of herself?

Dou Zhao's eyes were slightly moist, and he was even more determined to find a suitable opportunity to return to Zhending to visit his grandmother.

She talked about Yizhitang. "Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. Since we have entered Yizhitang, some things cannot be separated too clearly. The guards of Yizhitang, in addition to those who follow the prince or me when I go out, there are also patrols and night guards. We have more than 30 people here. The prince was present at the welcoming banquet just now, so I guess you didn't enjoy it. Mr. Yan will definitely hold a private banquet for you later. You can discuss with Mr. Yan and see what arrangements he has - just leave Master Duan and Chen Xiaofeng with me, and the rest of you can follow the arrangements of Yizhitang."

Chen Qushui thought so too.

The two men agreed on the people who would stay with Dou Zhao. Yan Chaoqing's servant had already been waiting outside the house. Chen Qushui left the main house and followed the servant to Yan Chaoqing's residence.

It was still the same people, but without Song Mo, the atmosphere was very different.

Everyone was drinking wine and eating meat, and it was very lively.

Chen Qushui, Yan Chaoqing and Liao Bifeng, three scholars, held their wine cups and smiled as they looked at the guards who were drinking and eating meat in high spirits in front of them, and discussed the future matters in a low voice.

Song Mo had dinner at the Yunyang Earl's Mansion before returning.

Dou Zhao personally helped him change his clothes and asked him, "How is Gu Yu?"

"He is not a quiet person!" Song Mo washed up and sat on the big kang by the window. He took a sip of tea from Dou Zhaochen, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "He was grounded, but others were not. He is now a banker and gambles at home every day! When I went there, Yunyang Bo got angry with me and told me to discipline Gu Yu, otherwise, he would stop Gu Yu's monthly allowance."

Dou Zhao was shocked: "Is Yunyang Bo... old? How much is Gu Yu's monthly allowance? He can already earn money and spend it on his own. Stopping his monthly allowance is like scratching an itch through a shoe. Will it be useful? However, Gu Yu plays so recklessly. If the emperor knew about it, he might be unhappy. You should persuade him!"

Song Mo smiled bitterly: "All the dandies in Kyoto have gathered with him, and Earl Yunyang can do nothing about it."

Dou Zhao sat down next to him, brought him a cup of tea, and asked with concern: "How is his marriage going? If he gets married, maybe he can settle down."

"The Empress herself intervened, and the marriage proposal that the wife of the prince of Yunyang proposed has fallen through," Song Mo said rather unhappily, "but that woman won't stop. If someone comes to propose marriage to Gu Yu, she will say something ambiguous like 'You have to ask the Empress for the final say on this matter, or why don't you go to the palace and ask for the Empress's opinion?' Tell me, who in a good family would dare to marry their daughter to Gu Yu? This woman is too much of a troublemaker!"

The wife of the prince of Yunyang is Gu Yu's stepmother.

Dou Zhao pondered and said, "Anyway, Gu Yu has grown up smoothly. It might be better to get married later. By then, Gu Yu will have the ability to support the family. Even if the wife of the Yunyang Earl's son is treacherous, everyone has sharp eyes and will still have a good marriage."

"That's what I advised Gu Yu too," Song Mo said. "I gave him a good scolding this time and threw all his gambling equipment into the river. I also spread the word that if anyone messes with Gu Yu again, I'll break his legs."

Dou Zhao was sweating.

How can this be an elder brother talking to his younger brother? This is clearly a father talking to his son.

No wonder Gu Yu and Song Mo were so close in their previous life.

She sat next to Song Mo: "I want to discuss something with you."

Song Mo pretended to be afraid and shrank back, saying, "Tell me what it is first! You are so serious and you are using the beauty trap. I'm afraid this is not a simple matter. I won't be fooled!"

Dou Zhao was stunned for a moment, then he couldn't stop laughing.

"You bastard!" She hit him, "You are becoming more and more indecent!"

"That depends on who you are talking to." Song Mo raised his eyebrow, looking very arrogant, "If you want me to be indecent, I won't do it!" He said, laughing and hugged Dou Zhao, "Tell me what it is first, and then we can discuss the terms..." He touched his chin, looking like he was calculating the gains and losses, "If the terms are tempting, then everything can be discussed; if the terms don't impress me... I have to think about it carefully!"

"Think about it!" Dou Zhao laughed, "Just tell me whether you agree or not?"

"The Hedong lion roars, how dare we not respond?!" Song Mo said shamelessly.

Dou Zhao punched him with her fist and couldn't help shaking her head and laughing.

The two of them played like this for a while, then Dou Zhaocai's expression slightly withered, leaning on Song Mo's shoulder and whispering: "Do you remember that I once told you that because of my mother's death, before I got married, the Dou family gave me a part of the property as a dowry. Because our marriage was arranged in a hurry, this property was not written in the dowry list at that time. Now I have been married for more than a month, and I think that since I am married, it is better to manage these properties in my own hands. Because my third cousin has always been helping me manage things, and my third cousin can't come to Kyoto, I chose Zhao Liangbi to take over my third cousin's hand, but he is young after all, I am afraid that he can't control the situation, so I want to borrow Zhong the shopkeeper from you."

Shopkeeper Zhong is Zhong Bingxiang, the shopkeeper of Song Mo's shop in the Thirteen Hongs in Guangdong.

Song Mo smiled and said, "Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken? I am also good at accounting. I will help you!"

"That's great!" Dou Zhao smiled, took out a thick account book from behind, and slapped it in front of Song Mo, "This is the list of my businesses. Take a look at it first, so you can have an idea."

As soon as Song Mo saw such a thick account book, he felt uneasy. When Dou Zhao said that it was just a list of industries, his head buzzed and he took the account book in disbelief and started flipping through it.

Baoding Prefecture

There are seventy-six shops on South Street in Qingyuan County.

There are 62 shops on North Street in Qingyuan County.

There is a house in Guangji Lane with a total of 286 rooms.

Next to the Tennoji Temple there is a house with 200 rooms in total.

There is a house on Xiuqiu Street outside Huimin Gate, with a total of 192 rooms.

There are 4,746 acres of farmland and ponds.

…

Taiyuan Prefecture

There are 122 shops on Yonghe Street.

There are thirty-three rooms on the street outside the Loyal Minister's Temple.

There is a house on Chunhua Street with a total of seventy-nine rooms.

…

The area of ​​Tangchi Mountain is 14,462 mu.

…

Handan

…

Anyang

…

Liaocheng

…

The more Song Mo read, the wider his eyes widened. When he turned to the last page, he couldn't help but look up at Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but sigh inwardly, then nodded affirmatively: "This place is full of fields, ponds, rivers, trees, shops, houses, and some gold and silver ornaments, which are in the other two books."

Song Mo never imagined, even in his dreams, that Dou Zhao would have so many industries.

"How could this happen?" He couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, "How rich is the Dou family?" No wonder his father-in-law threw a handful of banknotes to Dou Zhao without blinking.

"This is half of Xidou's industry." Dou Zhao knew that Song Mo had misunderstood, and told Song Mo everything that happened in detail, "...My uncle and aunt were afraid that I would suffer losses, so this account book is in triplicate, and they also have a copy." She stroked the bright blue cover of the account book and whispered, "This was brought by my aunt specially from Qingyang..." She lowered her eyelids, and two crystal clear drops of water hung on her eyelashes.

Song Mo was stunned.

He thought he was the most unfortunate person in the world, but compared to Dou Zhao, he felt he was very lucky.

At least, when he was in trouble, he still had Dou Zhao.

"Shougu!" Song Mo hugged Dou Zhao tightly in his arms, "You still have me... We will be together forever... I will never let you be sad..."

His embrace was warm and his breath was fresh, like the autumn air, which lifted her spirits.

Dou Zhao took a deep breath.

"It's all in the past. I don't feel as bad as I did at the beginning." She murmured, closed her eyes, and snuggled in Song Mo's arms.