Chapter 335 Ventilation

Dou Zhao got off the kang and said to Su Xin, "Let's go to the small flower hall! The people from Daxing Farm have sent several young girls over. Let's pick out a few smart ones to stay."

Because of the attack on the way, Su Xin turned back halfway, and the matter of selecting a maid was naturally delayed.

Daxing Farm didn't know what had happened. But the original plan had suddenly changed, and the farm owner was very nervous. A few days later, Yizhitang sent a letter asking her to bring the girls directly to Yizhitang, and she became even more nervous.

She was afraid that Dou Zhao would not be satisfied with the people she had chosen, so she sent them all back; she was afraid that the girls had never seen the world and would say or do the wrong things and be laughed at... She kept reminding the girls over and over again to stand up straight, not to look around, and not to speak too loudly or too softly. These girls, who had lived on the estate since childhood and listened to their ancestors talk about how the Duke of England's mansion was so glorious when they grew up, were so frightened that they didn't know what to do with their hands and feet.

When Dou Zhao and Su Xin entered, several little girls with pale faces were standing in the middle of the hall like wooden statues.

She couldn't help but smile slightly, recalling the scene when she first met Ganlu and Sujin in her previous life.

"Which estates sent these from?" She spoke gently to the estate owners, and the expressions of the little girls relaxed a little.

"These two are from our farm." The farm owner pointed at the girls and introduced them to Dou Zhao one by one, "This one is from the Wanping farm, and those two are from the farm in Langfang..."

There were twelve little girls in total, all between eight and nine years old. They all came from farms near Kyoto, and their ancestors had been tenants of the Song family for generations. Some of the elders in their families had even worked in the Duke of England's mansion.

Dou Zhao was very satisfied and kept all the girls. He said, "Although there is a fixed number of maids and servants, when I came to Kyoto from Zhending, only Su Xin and a few others came with me to serve me. They can be regarded as my dowry maids!"

Since she was a maidservant brought as a dowry, the monthly allowance and clothes for the four seasons had to come from Dou Zhao's dowry.

The head of the village was overjoyed and quickly knelt down to express his gratitude.

Originally, only six people were wanted, but now all of them stayed. Others would not think that these girls were favored by the lady, but would only say that she was so respectable in front of the lady.

The head of the village couldn't help but sigh in his heart: This woman's dowry is generous, which makes her different. If you want to keep her, you can keep her.

Dou Zhao handed the children over to Su Xin to take care of them, called Gao Xing's family in, and took the village head family to handle the paperwork for selling the children.

Just as things were settled here, Song Mo came back from the Wucheng Bingmasi Yamen.

Dou Zhao asked him, "Will you be on duty at the Wucheng Bingmasi Yamen in the future?"

"It's just temporary." Song Mo took the clothes from Dou Zhao's hand and said with a smile, "Let's focus on the Jinwu Guard." Then he asked about the maid: "I heard that Daxing has sent people over. Do you have any suitable candidates?"

"I think they're all good," Dou Zhao smiled as Song Mo led her to sit on the big kang by the window, "so just keep them all." As for where the expenses would come from, Dou Zhao thought it was a trivial matter and didn't say much.

Since Song Mo had handed over the inner courtyard of Yizhi Hall to Dou Zhao, Dou Zhao had the final say on these matters. He would not ask about them. What he was most concerned about now was Dou Zhao's health: "Did you vomit again after I left?"

When she woke up this morning, she was vomiting so much that she even vomited bitter bile. Song Mo was so frightened that it took him a long time to react. He hugged Dou Zhao and kept stroking her back to comfort her.

"No." Dou Zhao smiled, "I have been fine since you left. I asked Gao Xing's family, and she said it was normal and told me not to worry. It might get worse in the next few days, but it will be fine after three months."

Song Mo pondered and said, "I think we should bring my aunt over! I'll feel more at ease with her around."

Dou Zhao had experience and felt that there was nothing to worry about, but since Song Mo insisted, she had no choice but to agree.

Early the next morning, Song Mo went to Jing'an Temple Hutong.

Fortunately, Dou Shiying went to the government office. Song Mo only said that Dou Zhao was not feeling well and there was no elder at home, so he wanted to invite his aunt to stay for a few days. When his aunt heard this and calculated the date, she was overjoyed and stood up before Song Mo finished speaking: "I know. I will take her cousin to your house to bother you for a few days. You are busy with official duties, so don't worry about it, just leave it to me."

Song Mo had been worried that his aunt would be wary and unwilling to live in the Duke of Ying's mansion. But now that his aunt agreed to his request without saying a word, and thinking of what Dou Zhao had said about how well the Zhao family treated her, he couldn't help but feel very grateful and became even more respectful to his aunt.

When Dou Shiying returned home, he was shocked to hear that his aunt was going to stay at the Duke of Ying's mansion for a few days. He kept asking his aunt what had happened.

My aunt smiled and told Dou Shiying some information.

Dou Shiying was stunned, and didn't come back to his senses for a long time, but after coming back to his senses, he kept smiling foolishly. When Song Mo came to pick up his aunt, Dou Shiying pulled Song Mo up and down and looked him up and down, and finally said: "I still have some good things in my hand, which are specially reserved for my grandson. You must do your best."

Song Mo was instantly covered in sweat.

Is this something he can achieve by just trying his best?

But his father-in-law had already spoken, so he could only grit his teeth and say "yes" meekly.

Dou Shiying then let go of Song Mo with a smile on his face, and sent Song Mo, his aunt, and Zhao Zhangru to the gate.

Over there, Dou Zhao had already prepared the guest room and was waiting for his aunt and cousin. The two met, talked and laughed, and did not leave until midnight.

The next morning, my aunt asked the kitchen to make carrot porridge and added some vinegar to it.

Dou Zhao ate two bowls before putting it down.

The smile on Song Mo's face did not fade away even when they arrived at the Five Cities Military Headquarters.

Some people who like to gossip think it is an opportunity and say about Wei Tingyu: "...I didn't expect that he is actually the brother-in-law of the prince!"

Song Mo said gently: "In the Duke of Ying's Mansion, I am the prince; in the Five Cities Military Department, I am an official appointed by the court. You can just call me 'Sir' or 'Song Chenshi'."

The flattery hit the horse's leg.

The visitor looked embarrassed.

Someone warned him, "During the days since Lord Song came here, have you ever seen Lord Wei come to visit?"

The visitor's face changed drastically, and he bowed and saluted: "Brother, please give me some advice!"

The man looked around and saw that there were no people around, so he whispered, "I heard that Lord Song married the legitimate daughter of the Dou family, but Madam Wei was recognized as the legitimate daughter because her biological mother made her the legitimate daughter. When Madam Song was a girl, she didn't interact much with Madam Wei, so Lord Song looked down on Madam Wei's background even more. You know, Lord Song is the legitimate eldest son of the Duke of Ying's mansion."

This was the first time the visitor had heard of this matter, and he couldn't help but ask anxiously, "What else do you know? Tell me quickly!"

The man smiled and said nothing.

The visitor suddenly realized what was going on and said hurriedly, "I didn't think it through. Let's go out and have a drink after we get off the government office."

The man nodded with a smile: "Sorry to bother you today."

The two smiled at each other and went their separate ways.

※※※※※

Dou Zhao, his aunt, and Zhao Zhangru were sitting on the kang doing needlework.

Her aunt advised her, "You should find some old clothes to alter for the child's clothes, so that the rough parts can be smoothed out and the child's delicate skin will not be hurt... Giving birth is like going through the gates of hell... After three months, you should often walk around in the yard. The later the month, the more you should move. Why do the nobles in the palace often have difficult births, while the women in the fields give birth one after another? You should find a midwife and a wet nurse in advance, so that they won't be panicked when the child is born..."

Zhao Zhangru's eyes widened, and after a while he glanced at Dou Zhao's belly, and after a while he glanced at it again, which made Dou Zhao laugh and cry. While his aunt and Su Xin were opening the boxes to look for old clothes, he laughed softly and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it directly. You are making people feel uncomfortable like this!"

Zhao Zhangru leaned on Dou Zhao's shoulder and asked, "Are you really pregnant?"

"Nine out of ten," Dou Zhao said with a smile, "but we have to wait until next month for the doctor to check my pulse to confirm it."

"You are amazing!" Zhao Zhangru looked at Dou Zhao with great admiration, "My elder sister got pregnant half a year after getting married, and you have only been married for less than three months..."

Dou Zhao was both amused and confused.

A little maid walked in cautiously and said, "Madam, there is a man who calls himself Chen Zanzhi who wants to see you!"

Chen Zanzhi, Chen Jia.

What is he doing here?

Dou Zhao said bluntly: "No!"

The little maid timidly responded and retreated.

Zhao Zhangru was surprised and asked, "Who is Chen Zanzhi? Can you see a man other than yourself? Will the prince not say anything to you? Will he just let you do whatever you want?"

"What do you mean by nonsense?" Dou Zhao pinched Zhao Zhangru's cheek, "I am meeting guests openly, how can it be called nonsense?"

"Ah!" Zhao Zhangru tilted his head to avoid Dou Zhao's attack and said, "The prince treats you so well. My second brother-in-law not only lets my second sister see strange men, but even when he goes back to his mother's house, he hums and groans, making my mother sigh!"

Dou Zhao was very surprised. Just as she was about to ask carefully, the little maid came in again: "Madam, that Master Chen insisted on seeing you, and said that it was related to the prince..."

What does this Chen Jia mean?

Since it concerns Song Mo, he should go find Song Mo. At worst, he can go find Mr. Yan or Chen He. What's the point of coming to her?

Dou Zhao frowned, but thinking that he was an assistant in the town's procuratorate, she didn't dare to gamble with Song Mo's safety. After a slight hesitation, she still met Chen Jia in the small flower hall.

Chen Jia was wearing a very ordinary silk jacket, with his eyebrows lowered and his eyes humbled. With his ordinary appearance, he would be lost in a crowd immediately. He did not have the slightest bit of the prestige of the Jinyiwei. However, Dou Zhao's heart paused and he looked at Chen Jia twice more.

"Madam!" Chen Jia respectfully bowed to Dou Zhao and said in a deep voice, "The emperor will go to the West Garden in a few days, but the prince cannot go with him because the Duke is ill and has to take care of him in bed. The Jinwu Guards will most likely be led by Guangen Earl's prince Dong Qi to accompany the emperor to the West Garden for a short stay. Do you know?"

Dou Zhao was secretly shocked, and it took him a while to figure out what Chen Jia meant.

This was a world she didn't understand.

She pondered and said, "What old grudge do Dong Qi have with the prince?"

"Dong Qi and the Crown Prince have no old grudges." Chen Jia whispered, "Eighteen years ago, when the Earl of Guangen and the Duke of Ying were still Crown Princes, they had a very good relationship. Later, for some unknown reason, the two turned against each other and stopped communicating. Afterwards, Dong Qi defeated the Crown Prince in the Autumn Enemy and snatched the position of Deputy Commander of the Jinwu Guard from the Crown Prince..."

He told Dou Zhao about some of the things that happened between Song Mo and Dong Qi in Jinwuwei.

Dou Zhao listened to him quietly, said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Chen," and served him tea.