A bright full moon hung lonely in the sky, the clear moonlight poured down like mercury, and the courtyard was filled with mottled shadows of trees.

Ji sat on the kang near the window, looking at the sleeping Dou Zhao, and sighed almost inaudibly: "This child is so beautiful!" As she spoke, she brushed the few strands of black hair hanging on Dou Zhao's cheek behind his ear.

After leaving her third uncle Dou Shibang's house, she took Dou Zhao to pay respects to several nieces-in-law. When they came back, it was already late at night. After washing up, Dou Zhao fell on the bed and fell asleep.

Nanny Wang was sitting beside the bed fanning Dou Zhao. When she heard this, she couldn't help but look at Dou Zhao.

There was no light on in the room. In the moonlight, Dou Zhao's face was as delicate as a piece of jade with pink makeup. Her red lips were slightly curled up, revealing a hint of a smile, as if she had a beautiful dream, which made people feel soft at heart.

"Yes!" Nanny Wang couldn't help but say, "How could Seventh Madam be willing to abandon Fourth Miss like this!"

Ji said nothing.

Nanny Wang continued, "In the end, it's all Auntie Wang's fault. They are old friends, but she still wants to get involved with Master Qi. How can Madam Qi save her dignity? It's no wonder that Madam Qi chose this path."

"She didn't hang herself because she couldn't bear the shame." Ji listened and said sadly, "She thought too highly of Uncle Seven. Even if it wasn't Aunt Wang, if it was another woman, even a lowly prostitute, as long as she could win Uncle Seven's favor, it would be a matter of heaven and earth for her, and she would rather die than see it. But she never thought that after she left, what would happen to her children? What would happen to her brothers from her natal family who raised her up? Her behavior is simply a grief to her relatives and a joy to her enemies. Alas, I don't know what to say! If she had a mother to help her make decisions or a close friend to talk to her, things might not have come to this. 'Don't marry the eldest daughter of a widow' is not without reason. It's just hard for Shougu, I'm afraid she will have a hard time in the future!"

Nanny Wang disagreed: "Didn't they say that the fourth young lady is engaged to the prince of the Jining Marquis's mansion?"

"It's just talk." Ji sighed, "If the Wei family really wanted to recognize this marriage, they wouldn't have sent only a steward when Zhao died."

Nanny Wang was a little worried about Dou Zhao.

"Let's not discuss these things behind her back." Ji said, "Is the relationship between mother-in-law over?"

She had given the message long ago, and as soon as the Second Madam left, she was informed immediately.

Nanny Wang stood up and said, "I'll go take a look!"

Ji nodded, took the fan from Nanny Wang and started fanning Dou Zhao.

Nanny Wang got the news back and said, "They said it hasn't dispersed yet."

Ji's brows were furrowed, and she looked a little uneasy.

Nanny Wang hesitated and asked, "But...what happened?"

Ji said softly, "I'm afraid that mother-in-law is arguing with the old lady of the West Mansion about Uncle Seven's marriage!"

Nanny Wang was stunned.

Dou Zhao turned over while sleeping.

Ji patted Dou Zhao gently, and when she saw that she didn't move, she whispered, "Mr. Zeng kicked out Chen Jizhou and recommended He Wendao. What does this mean? It means that Mr. Zeng has already established a firm foothold in the court." Her voice was calm and rational, even colder than the moonlight falling on the windowsill. "Mr. Zeng is already past the age of hearing and hearing. His health and energy are not as good as before. He can only hold on for five or six years at most. Who will take over Mr. Zeng's hand by then?" She paused slightly, "If I guess correctly, Wang Xingyi should have been promoted to the six ministries in Beijing."

Nanny Wang thought for a long time, and her face suddenly changed: "You mean, Aunt Wang, you want to be promoted to the official wife?" Her voice trembled.

Ji nodded, her expression serious and stern: "My mother-in-law is a person who sees opportunities the best. This time the old lady of the West Mansion is going to have a headache."

Nanny Wang was stunned for a long while, but the shock on her face did not disappear.

She muttered to herself, "After Zeng Ge Lao was forced to retire, all his students were neglected. Only the Fifth Elder could protect himself. Before Zeng Ge Lao was reinstated, they all depended on the Fifth Elder... Now that Wang Xingyi has been reinstated, if he was just a small county magistrate, it would not be a big deal, but he was promoted to an official in the six ministries within half a year, which means he was also highly regarded by Zeng Ge Lao... No matter how powerful the Fifth Elder is, he does not have the reputation of Lord Wang. If things go on like this, he will inevitably suffer... If Concubine Wang is made the legitimate wife, then the Wang family will be in trouble. Lord Wang is definitely too embarrassed to compete with the Fifth Elder for the position of party leader because he owes the Dou family a favor. He might even help the Fifth Elder for the position... But Aunt Wang’s character is too bad. Even if such a person can give birth to a son, she probably won’t be able to educate him well... Then the West Mansion will be ruined... The old mansion will never agree to it no matter what..." She said, shaking her head violently, "No, no, even I can figure it out, the lady and the old man must know it too. How can the lady convince the old mansion to agree to make Aunt Wang his wife?" She couldn't figure it out.

"That's why I'm worried!" Ji sighed and fixed her eyes on Dou Zhao. "I'm afraid that Sixth Master might have done something bad with good intentions!"

Nanny Wang was puzzled.

"It's true that things are a bit chaotic in the West Mansion right now. Shougu lost her mother at such a young age. It breaks my heart to see that." Ji said slowly, "Sixth Master asked me to take care of Shougu, and I agreed without thinking. It was originally a good thing, but now the situation has changed drastically. If Madam uses this as an excuse to ask me to help educate the eldest grandson of the West Mansion... the Dou family's property was divided equally back then, and then they were managed together. Seventh Uncle can get half of the Dou family's property by himself. How many people can look at it without being tempted? Not to mention the people of the Wang family, even the people of the Dou family might be jealous. By then, we will be in trouble and there will be no peace at home!"

"What should I do?" Nanny Wang said anxiously, "If you are really allowed to take care of the eldest son of the West Mansion, then Aunt Wang is the biological mother. You can't not let her see him all year round, right? I feel sick when I think about dealing with such a despicable and shameless villain like her. Besides, a dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, and a mouse gives birth to a son who can dig holes. What kind of good thing can she raise! Don't let our Hui'er and Zhi'er be bad. Sixth Madam, if the Madam Dowager tells you about this, you must not agree! Even if it is the Fourth Miss," she looked at Dou Zhao, "I don't think you can keep her - just say that the weather is too hot and she is not feeling well, and send her to the Madam Dowager. Whoever is willing to take her can go, anyway, she will not lack food and clothing."

Hui'er and Zhi'er are the eldest and second sons of the sixth wife.

"Don't say such things again!" Ji said unhappily, "She is not a kitten or a puppy. You can keep her when you like her and throw her away when you don't like her. She is a living child!"

"But..." Nanny Wang hesitated.

"This is just my guess." Ji interrupted her and said, "Even if I guessed right, this matter cannot be accomplished overnight - the marriage of the various families needs to be explained, right? Uncle Zhao needs to ask for a letter of consent, right? And Wang Xingyi needs to find a way to make him accept the favor, right?"

"That's right!" Nanny Wang calmed down slowly. "Besides other things, your family is also a well-known family in Zhending County. If the Dou family doesn't tell you the truth, they will definitely not agree to cancel the engagement."

"You are exactly wrong." Ji smiled and said, "Among these three things, the easiest and simplest one is the marriage with the Zhu family. Think about it, the Zhu family heard the news from somewhere that some things between the seventh uncle and the concubine were not going well. The third sister-in-law asked so many people to speak up for it, but the Zhu family just didn't agree to get married in May. It can be seen that the Zhu family is a family that loves their daughter. If they knew that the Wang family was so fierce, they would definitely not want to let their darling daughter who grew up in the palm of their hands suffer such a crime. "If the Dou family brings it up, the other families will take the initiative to cancel the engagement." She said, taking a sip of tea, "The most difficult thing is to get Uncle Zhao to agree to make Concubine Wang the legal wife." Her voice lowered, "I'm afraid Uncle Zhao hates the Dou family so much now. If he wasn't concerned about Shougu, I'm afraid he would have wanted to kill Dou Shiying. The Dou family doesn't ask for the consent letter for the legalization, but if they do, they will definitely not get it. Not to mention that they won't get it, I'm afraid they will take the opportunity to do something that will embarrass the Dou family."

"What's the matter with the old lady?" Nanny Wang said with a smile, "When the time comes, just say that Uncle Zhao does not agree to make Concubine Wang his wife and remarry. Can the old lady force Uncle Zhao to write a letter of consent?"

"Perhaps this is exactly what the Madam wants!" Ji said, her eyes fell on Dou Zhao again, "The Madam can't force Uncle Zhao to write a letter of consent, but she can make Uncle Zhao stay in the northwest forever. Mountains are high and rivers are long. Unless Uncle Zhao resigns from his official position and comes back to sue the Dou family, otherwise, with the support of the Dou family, Aunt Wang can openly bear children with the title of a successor. But if Uncle Zhao resigns from his official position and comes back to sue the Dou family... Do you think a person without an official position can beat the Dou family? Not only will he not win, he will most likely lose all his property and become penniless. Even if his descendants are smart, they will not be able to support him to study and become officials..."

Nanny Wang shuddered: "Madam, this is too, too cruel!"

"This may not be entirely the Madam's idea," Ji said with a sigh, "Our fifth uncle always likes to say half of what he says and keep the other half."

Nanny Wang sympathized with Dou Zhao: "You are the same as me. Fortunately, the fourth young lady is not sensible and doesn't have to be caught in the middle."

"Do you think Shougu has a good life?" Ji touched Dou Zhao's head lovingly. "If you were Shougu, and one day someone told you that Aunt Wang was the murderer of Zhao, what would you do?"

"I must seek justice for my biological mother." Nanny Wang said without thinking.

"That's right." Ji's voice was long and low, like playing an old huqin, sad and desolate. "Uncle Zhao refused to write a letter of consent and is in confrontation with the Dou family. If Wang Xingyi follows Uncle Wu wholeheartedly, then forget it. If Wang Xingyi is indecisive, when Shougu grows up, the Dou family will just tell her the truth. If Shougu marries a rich man, she can persuade him to help her out and file a complaint with the government. Aunt Wang will be in trouble and can be thrown into the mud immediately. If Shougu marries... An ordinary family, with so many children in the Dou family, there must be someone who will stand on Shougu's side, right? She can also make Aunt Wang a concubine... If Shougu hands over this petition, Uncle Qi will be charged with "taking a concubine as his wife". If she doesn't hand over this petition, I'm afraid Shougu will be upset... If it really comes to that, the Wang family will be heartbroken and the Dou family will be scabby. Others will only say that the Dou family considers the feelings of their colleagues, but the Wang family adopts a daughter without educating her... Besides, Uncle Qi is not Dongdou's person after all..."

"How could our old lady marry you to such a family!" Nanny Wang's face turned pale. In the hot summer, she actually felt a chill in her bones. "There is no such thing in our Ji family."

"Which wealthy family doesn't look prosperous on the outside, but is actually full of problems on the inside?" Ji said, "You just don't know the Ji family's affairs."

Nanny Wang was silent.

A little maidservant reported: "Sixth Master is back!"

Ji winked at Nanny Wang and said, "Don't tell Sixth Master about this. Let him go to the provincial examination happily first."

"That's enough for this old servant." Nanny Wang said in a deep voice and followed Ji out of the door.

The inner room was silent and peaceful.

The moonlight shone on Dou Zhao's face, and the water drops in the corners of his eyes were like night dew rolling on the petals of Epiphyllum, crystal clear and dreamy.