Chapter 438 Funny

Dou Zhao secretly clicked her tongue, and couldn't help but be thankful that she had listened to Song Mo's arrangement and did not interfere in Song Han's marriage. Otherwise, as Song Han's sister-in-law, she would have to be one of the women who was urged to get married.

That would be really embarrassing for Daxing!

She said to Ganlu, who was directing the maids and servants to pack up, "The auspicious time for the Second Master is Youzheng. After we go back tomorrow, you should stay in Yizhi Hall and don't come out. If anyone asks, just say you are here to take care of Yuange'er."

Tomorrow is Song Han's wedding. She could barely get away with it by using the excuse that her children were too young to help, but if she didn't even have time to attend Song Han's wedding, that would be unacceptable.

After discussing with Song Mo, she decided to return home early tomorrow morning.

Ganlu smiled and agreed, directing Fufeng to put Yuange'er's two small bags into a camphorwood box carved with five blessings holding longevity.

Gu Yu came to visit Yuan Ge'er.

Dou Zhaoqi asked, "Does he know that the prince is not here?"

Ruotong smiled and said, "I know. He said he came to see Yuan Ge'er."

This is not easy to stop him.

Dou Zhao asked Ruotong to bring Gu Yu in.

Gu Yu bought a windmill, rattles and other small toys for the children. All of them were exquisitely made, especially the windmill, which was three feet high and had eighteen arhats carved on it. Each arhat held a small windmill in his hand, and when he blew, the eighteen windmills would turn, and the ears were filled with the whistling sound of the wind. It was obvious that it was not an ordinary item.

Dou Zhao thanked him again and again.

Gu Yu smiled and said, "The craftsmanship of the Imperial Household Department is OK, right?"

Dou Zhao always felt that Gu Yu was like a child who lacked love and was particularly concerned about other people's feelings towards him. So he smiled and praised: "It's more than okay. It's simply a masterpiece! Thank you for your trouble."

"I just have nothing to do, don't I?" Gu Yu said indifferently, but he could not hide his pride between his eyebrows. "It just so happened that one day I ran into someone from the Imperial Household Department delivering a booklet to my aunt, so I made these things for Yuan Ge'er on the spur of the moment. They are very crude, but I will have someone make some more interesting things for Yuan Ge'er in the future."

Dou Zhao nodded with a smile and was about to avoid the question, but was stopped by Gu Yu.

He hesitated and said, "Sister-in-law, did something happen that I don't know about? I was also at the Duke of Ying's mansion today. Feng Shao and the others were unwilling to go to Tian'en to urge her to make up. It was only after my uncle personally ordered Song Duo and a few others that we managed to get four people together. My brother also used the excuse of accompanying the uncles who came to congratulate him and stayed in the small hall in the front yard... And my sister-in-law has been living in Jing'an Temple Hutong with Yuan Ge'er... Madam Lu and Princess Ningde did not go either... It was nothing like my brother's wedding, when people came and went in red official uniforms, and the female relatives all arrived the day before the wedding. The house was decorated with lanterns and there were people everywhere, and the sound of music was endless... Now, even if the maids and servants put on smiles, there was no joy in their eyes. There were only about twenty tables for the banquet of sixty, and more than half were empty..."

Dou Zhao was very surprised.

Apparently, word had spread that Song Han might be a bastard, and some people, proud of their status, were unwilling to attend Song Han's wedding.

Some things are like this, everyone else knows about them, but the person involved doesn't know yet.

Everyone in Kyoto knew that Gu Yu and Song Mo were close friends, so no one would talk about Song Han in front of Gu Yu.

But the truth cannot be hidden, and Song Mo's attitude towards this matter is so clear that it will be spread sooner or later. Rather than letting Gu Yu hear it from others and think that Song Mo does not trust him, it is better to take this opportunity to tell the truth in person.

Dou Zhao pretended to be silent: "There is something that your brother Tianci is too embarrassed to tell you. Even if you hear it, you should pretend that you don't know it."

Is there ever a time when Song Mo feels embarrassed?

Gu Yu's eyes lit up immediately and he begged repeatedly, "Good sister-in-law, please tell me quickly! I promise to keep it to myself and never tell anyone!" Then he cursed and swore.

Dou Zhao couldn't help laughing when he saw that he was still so childish, and whispered to Gu Yu about Jiang Yan.

Gu Yu took a deep breath and said after a while: "I said I was pitiful, but I didn't expect there are people who are more pitiful than me..."

This is heartbreaking to hear.

Dou Zhao let out a long sigh.

Gu Yu suddenly jumped up, frowned and said angrily: "Brother Tianci still let Song Han, that bastard, pretend to be his brother? I'm going to beat that brat up and let Brother Tianci vent his anger first! Then I'll tell this to the palace and let the emperor remove Song Han from the royal family..."

"Don't be impulsive!" Dou Zhao was shocked by his violent reaction and said hurriedly, "Your brother Tianci has already arranged this matter, and we must not disrupt his plan." He added, "The wet nurses who helped my mother-in-law and Li Tiao Niang give birth died of illness fifteen years ago. The wet nurses and the servants around them either knew nothing or were gone or missing. We have no evidence at all, so we can only take it step by step. And your brother Tianci is the prince of the Duke of Ying after all. If the matter is exposed, you will kill one thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of your own. In the end, it is your brother Tianci who will be shamed. We can only find other excuses to avenge my mother-in-law."

Gu Yu's emotions calmed down after hearing this, and he said bitterly, "How hateful that this is not fair enough, and that boy even took the reputation of being the direct descendant of the Duke of Ying's Mansion."

"Nothing is perfect in this world." Dou Zhao advised him, "You can only look for another opportunity in the future."

Gu Yu nodded and laughed twice, which surprised Dou Zhao. He asked, "What's wrong?"

"Such an interesting thing happened when Song Han got married," he raised his eyebrows, his face full of schadenfreude, "How could the nobles in the palace not know about it? I will go to the palace now and tell my aunt about it. It would be even better if the Empress Dowager is here too, so that I don't have to find someone to inform the Cining Palace." After saying that, he ran away excitedly without waiting for Dou Zhao to say anything.

It's really like a gust of wind coming and going.

Dou Zhao shook his head, and thinking of Gu Yu's look just now, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

That night, Song Mo came over very late.

Dou Zhao thought he would not come, so he went to bed with the child early.

Song Mo washed up, chewed a few leaves of tea to get rid of the taste of alcohol in his mouth, and then went to the inner room to see Dou Zhao and Yuan Ge'er.

Both of their faces were rosy and puffy after sleeping, Dou Zhao's was like a blooming kapok flower, and Yuan Ge'er's face was like an apple.

Song Mo felt soft in his heart. He sat beside the bed and gently stroked Dou Zhao's temples, then went over and kissed Yuan Ge'er.

Dou Zhao was awakened and sat up with a smile: "You're back! There's some hangover soup on the stove, would you like to drink some?"

Song Mo nodded.

Dou Zhao ordered the maid on duty to bring some sobering soup.

The couple talked, one sitting on the edge of the bed and the other leaning against the headboard.

"Gu Yu came to see Yuan Ge'er today and brought him several exquisite toys." Dou Zhao told Song Mo everything he had said to Gu Yu.

Song Mo smiled bitterly and said, "We should have told him about this a long time ago. I really can't say it out loud. You might as well take this opportunity to tell him." After saying that, he let out a long sigh.

Dou Zhao changed the subject and said, "Gu Yu said that the house is very quiet."

Song Mo nodded and said, "This should be the most deserted wedding or funeral in the Duke of Ying's Mansion in all these years. Not only was my father unable to invite a decent master of ceremonies, but the makeup urgency was also of very low character. Even Song Duo was dragged in to make up the numbers, not to mention the others."

"Some things are just like this." Dou Zhao said, "If the host is of low rank, those distinguished guests will think twice before deciding whether to attend the wedding."

As she was speaking, the maid brought in some sobering soup.

Yuan Ge'er woke up and placed his little hands on his cheek with his fingers clenched into an orchid shape.

Song Mo drank the soup in no time, clapped his hands and amused Yuan Ge'er.

Dou Zhao pushed him: "Be careful not to wake him up. No one will be able to touch the pillow tonight."

"Then just play with him!" Song Mo disagreed, "There are so many people at home, aren't they all here to play with him?" He held Yuan Ge'er upright and talked to him, "Did you wake up because you knew daddy is back? What did you do today? Did you listen to mom? Uncle Gu came to see you, and brought you a big windmill..." He asked someone to bring the windmill in, and blew it to amuse Yuan Ge'er with great patience.

Song Mo will be a good father!

Dou Zhao looked at the father and son, his eyes slightly moist.

The next day, Dou Zhao got on the carriage yawning.

Yuan Ge'er, however, slept well all the way back to the Duke of Ying's Mansion.

There were not many guests staying overnight at the Duke of England's Mansion, and most of them were Song Yichun's classmates when he took the imperial examination.

The stewards, maids, servants and old women of the Duke of Ying's mansion all gathered at the gate to greet them.

Dou Zhao smiled and nodded to several stewards and stewardesses, then sat in a sedan chair and returned to Yizhi Hall.

I haven't been home for almost a month, and the air in the house has become cold.

Ganlu and others quickly and methodically took out the things that Dou Zhao and Yuan Ge'er usually used and put them in order.

Jiang Yan came over with his personal maid Yinghong.

She looked at Dou Zhao, her eyes sparkling: "Sister-in-law, you are finally back!"

Dou Zhao originally wanted to take Jiang Yan back to Jing'an Temple Hutong, but Jiang Yan was unwilling, so Dou Zhao left Jin Gui in the mansion.

Seeing Jiang Yan's rosy face, she nodded secretly, smiled and asked Ruotong to open the box and take out the ruler she bought for Jiang Yan, saying, "I heard that it is the latest one in Jiangnan. Although it is not as good as the ones bought in the palace, it is better in terms of fresh patterns and colors. You can use it to make a few autumn clothes, and when the Double Ninth Festival comes, we will go mountain climbing together."

Several pieces of fabric have base colors such as bean green and madder red, decorated with cherries or small flowers, which look more lively and fresh than the ten-color brocade ones.

Jiang Yan knew that this was chosen for her by Dou Zhao with great care. She murmured, not knowing what to say. After a long pause, she finally uttered, "Sister-in-law, let me help take care of your nephew."

Dou Zhao couldn't help laughing and found Jiang Yan even more adorable. He asked Ganlu to take Jiang Yan to the small room where Yuan Ge'er rested.

Suxin and Sulan led the women from the East Courtyard to pay their respects to Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao chatted with them for a while.

By the time the room had quieted down, it was time for lunch.

There was no movement at the Osmanthus Courtyard.

Ruozhu, who stayed in the mansion, whispered, "There are only a dozen guests coming to the ceremony, even fewer than yesterday. The Duke is in a bad mood!"

Dou Zhao said: "What about the female relatives?"

"They are just some scholars' wives and the wives of several chief clerks of the Five Armies Commandery."

Dou Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Then let's have lunch at Yizhi Hall!"