Chapter 379 Heart-to-heart

The next morning, Song Mo went to court, and Dou Zhao heard that there was a commotion in the Osmanthus Courtyard the previous night. Chuan'er was scratched on the face by Bai Zhi, and although a doctor was called in overnight, the wound was too deep, and even if it healed, it would still be disfigured. The upper court could not use a disfigured woman as a maid; and Bai Zhi was tied up by Song Yichun, who ordered her to be sold out as soon as a human trafficker was found.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but frown and asked Ruozhu: "Does this matter have anything to do with Qixia?"

"I don't know if it has anything to do with her." Ruo Zhu's face turned pale. "However, after Chuan Er knew that her face was disfigured, she scolded Qi Xia for being a vicious person and cursed her to die a miserable death... I think, even if she didn't do it, it must have something to do with her."

She didn't expect things to turn out like this.

Not only was Chuan'er ruined, but Baizhi was also kicked out of the house.

She felt a little uneasy.

Dou Zhaoze felt upset.

They were just fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls, but they would kill people easily when they fought. And these girls were all personally selected by Song Yichun to serve him closely, which also shows Song Yichun's character and mentality.

She counseled Ruozhu: "Although we handed her a knife, it is up to her to decide whether to use it to threaten others or stab them when they are least prepared. But when dealing with Qixia, you must be more careful."

"Thank you, ma'am, for your advice. I'll keep it in mind." Ruozhu bowed to Dou Zhao gratefully and retreated thoughtfully.

Song Han came to visit Dou Zhao.

"I'm sure sister-in-law has heard about the matter in the Fragrant Courtyard." He looked embarrassed and said, "Father has no mood to care about my affairs now, but the three maids in my room have already been engaged and can't wait. Please help me put in a few good words in front of father and let these maids go first."

Quite interesting.

Dou Zhao smiled slightly.

The Qixia around him was vicious, but he was compassionate to those who served him.

She smiled and said, "These things are customary in the mansion. It's just that the replacement for your room has not been selected yet, so it has been delayed. This is my sister-in-law's fault. I will send someone to do this now."

Perhaps he had not expected Dou Zhao to apologize to him. A trace of surprise flashed across his face, and he said, "Sister-in-law, you are too kind. I was too impatient. Fortunately, there is not much to do in my house, so it is not a big deal to be without them for the time being, so I came to ask for a favor from you, sister-in-law."

The two chatted for a while before Song Han stood up and said goodbye.

Dou Zhao ordered Ruo Zhu: "Go and find out why the Second Master was in such a hurry to release these three people."

Zhu Yingnuo did not leave immediately, but hesitated and asked: "Madam, is it appropriate for you to let them go like this?"

Dou Zhao smiled and said, "Did anyone of them tell me in advance not to release the person? As long as I follow the rules of our ancestors, I will be fine."

Not to mention releasing the maids of appropriate age in the mansion, even if she arranged a maid for Song Han without Song Yichun's approval, it was her duty. She just wanted to see how Song Yichun and Song Han would react to this, so she went with the flow.

What surprised her was that the people in Song Yichun's house were so fragile that they were easily tricked.

She released the three maids in the afternoon.

By the time Song Yichun found out, a day had passed.

He was furious and asked Nanny Tang to tell Dou Zhao why she released the three maids without his consent.

Dou Zhao said calmly, "Didn't the Duke ask me to be in charge of the reward for the Duke of Ying's Mansion? Why, do we have to report to the Duke of Ying's Mansion before releasing a few maids from the inner courtyard? Is it possible that the rules of the Duke of Ying's Mansion are different from others? I wonder, why did the chief steward of the outer courtyard come to ask me to calm down the incident when there was a commotion in the Fragrant Courtyard? It seems that the people in this mansion need to be properly disciplined!"

How dare Nanny Tang mention Huang Qing? She picked out what she could say and replied to Song Yichun.

Song Yichun felt a breath stuck in his chest and didn't say anything for a long time.

Since Dou Zhao was determined not to let him feel comfortable, as soon as Nanny Tang left, she sent Gao Xing's wife to tell Song Yichun: "Second Master is still young and full of vigor. When the Crown Prince was as old as Second Master, there were only a few maids in the house, and his daily life was served by servants. Madam's opinion is that the maids in Second Master's house are all in their prime. Since they have been released, there is no need to add more maids. It would be better to add a few servants. In the future, when Second Master goes out, he will have someone to run errands with him, so as not to make the girls in the Fragrant Courtyard feel uneasy. Madam asked the Duke what he thought?"

Song Yichun was so angry that the corners of his mouth twitched.

Gao Xing's family was so frightened that they saluted hastily, turned around and ran away.

Song Yichun scolded Dou Zhao for being unfilial in the house.

After Song Mo found out, he said in a low voice, "How disrespectful to the elderly" with a sullen face, and went to Zuixianlou.

He made an appointment with Ma Youming to have a drink.

Ma Youming saw that the small elegant room only had two sets of cups and chopsticks. He knew that Song Mo might want to ask him about the drunken incident that day. He felt a little bit of anticipation and fear in his heart. It was not until three rounds of drinks and the two of them were talking that he had the courage to ask Song Mo: "What do you think of Prince Liao and the Crown Prince?"

Song Mo was silent.

The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, but the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Song Mo slowly poured himself a glass of wine and said slowly: "Then why did you send your wife and children back to your hometown?"

The color on Ma Youming's face suddenly faded completely, and the hand holding the wine glass trembled a little.

Song Mo whispered quietly at this time: "Whether to establish the eldest son or the capable one has been debated from ancient times to the present. The Liao prince has a generous personality, which is similar to my personality. But the king is the king and the minister is the minister. Why should we take a look at him?"

Ma Youming was shocked.

Song Mo, this is a confession to me!

He said hurriedly, "I know what the prince said. The prince of Liao has been on good terms with the ministers in recent years and has been particularly favoring the Shenjiying. Some time ago, someone asked me the same question as you did just now. Although I had the same idea as the prince, I was reluctant to answer like that. I was prepared to be vague and perfunctory, but who knew that the other party would insist that I explain it clearly. You also know that our Shenjiying has always followed the prince's lead. I wanted to test his mind. I was so angry that the topic of conversation kept coming back to this issue, and Lord Wang kept saying it back to me. I was so anxious that I had to resort to this last resort and send my wife and children back home..." As he spoke, he threw away the exquisite blue-and-white porcelain wine cup, picked up the wine jar beside him, broke the seal, gulped down a big gulp, and said, "My Lord, I was right about you. You are a straightforward person. I won't say anything else. I'll follow you."

At least, you won't be plotted against by your companions.

He had changed from the gloomy look of the past few days and looked more energetic.

Song Mo smiled and said, "You come with me? What if I go the wrong way?"

Ma Youming smiled heartily and said, "I chose it myself. I am a man of integrity and I accept defeat with all my heart."

The conversation with Dou Zhao last night opened Song Mo's eyes.

He should not have been obsessed with how to extract himself from this quagmire, but should have taken the initiative and considered the deployment of Liaodong from the perspective of the King of Liao, so as to avoid being involved in the fight for the throne.

Since Shenjiying is a place that King Liao cannot avoid, why not start from Shenjiying?

Song Mo smiled and raised the wine cup in his hand, saying, "I'll drink, you can do whatever you want!" He drank it all in one gulp.

Ma Youming was stunned for a moment, then he burst into laughter, grabbed the wine jar and poured the wine into his mouth.

Song Mo smiled as he finished drinking the whole bottle of wine, then said leisurely, "Why don't you bring your wife and children back home in a few days? Your reaction is too direct. Be careful not to alarm them and they will rearrange the place."

Since no one has evidence to prove King Liao's ambition, we can only plan carefully before taking action.

Ma Youming's actions will only make the other side more vigilant, and they might even put Ma Youming in an unjust position for the position of Lieutenant General of the Shenji Camp.

Ma Youming readily agreed, and said with an embarrassed smile: "I also know that this is not right - if the other party wants to deal with me, they will definitely not let my family go, but I can't help but feel a little lucky."

"This is human nature." Song Mo smiled gently and sighed a few times with Ma Youming, then talked about Jiang Yi, "Don't you think it's a bit against common sense for him to leave the Shenjiying?"

Ma Youming frowned.

Song Mo said in a deep voice: "As far as I know, he once worked as a clerk for Wang Xu, and Wang Xu promoted him to be the general flag. Logically, they should have a good personal relationship, and Jiang Yi should visit Wang Xu often. Tell me, could it be that Jiang Yi knew something, and in order to avoid suspicion, he would rather give up his bright future and ask you to come forward to find me and transfer to the Wucheng Bingmasi?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Youming slapped his thigh and said angrily and regretfully, "This little bastard, I treated him so well, but when he heard such important news, he got rid of himself without saying a word!"

Song Mo smiled and said, "How many people can dare to speak out like you and me?"

"That's right!" Ma Youming thought for a moment and sighed, "Fortunately I'm brave, otherwise I'd still be torturing myself!"

Song Mo smiled and said, "I think we should talk to Jiang Yi."

Ma Youming hesitated and said, "If a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. We have no choice but to go. He is of low status, so I think we should not drag him into this."

Song Mo nodded secretly and said with a smile: "I'm afraid this is beyond our control - we have to know what Wang Xu's attitude is, right?"

Ma Youming blushed and said, "I'll go get Jiang Yi right away."

"No need." Song Mo smiled and said meaningfully, "I'll send someone to call him."

Ma Youming was puzzled.

Jiang Yi was quickly brought in by Chen He.

Seeing him coming so quickly, Ma Youming couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you on duty tonight? Are you going to leave like this?"

Jiang Yi was a little embarrassed.

He smiled and poured wine for Song Mo and Ma Youming, and said respectfully: "Our Wucheng Bingma Division takes turns every five days, and today is my turn to rest."

Ma Youming saw that he was not on duty and that he looked cold. He could not help but ask curiously, "If you were not on duty, where were you just now? Why was your hair so wet?"

Although it is mid-spring, the temperature difference between morning and night in Kyoto is still very large. In high-end restaurants like Zuixianlou, the floor dragons are still on, and people who have been outside for a long time will have their body stained with water after entering.

Jiang Yi looked a little flustered, but did not make any excuses. She just pursed her lips, glanced at Song Mo, and stood there with a somewhat miserable face, not saying a word.