Chapter 442 Speculation
No matter how calm Jiang Yan was, she was still just a little girl after all. When she heard that she could go out and play, she immediately became happy.
Dou Zhao asked her, "Where do you want to go hiking? The leaves of Xiangshan Mountain have turned red these days, and it's a good time to enjoy the scenery, but it's a bit far; Tuer Mountain and Xuanmo Mountain are also good, but I'm afraid that the emperor will go there, so we have to be strict."
Jiang Yan had never been there, so there was no way he could say where he wanted to go or where he didn't want to go.
She hugged Dou Zhao's arm and said with a smile: "I'll follow my sister-in-law!"
That tone of complete trust softened Dou Zhao's heart.
She told Ruotong to go to the sewing room to see if the new clothes for her and Jiang Yan were ready. She also told Ruodan to tell the kitchen to start preparing chestnut cakes and brewing chrysanthemum wine. She discussed with Jiang Yan which maids and servants to take with them.
Yizhitang suddenly became lively.
The wife of the Crown Prince, Mrs. An, from the Marquis of Yan'an's Mansion, came to visit.
Dou Zhaoti was a little surprised.
Yesterday, when Song Han came to recognize his relatives, no one from the Marquis of Yan'an's residence came. Logically, they should have avoided each other for a few days, so why did they rush to visit her?
She invited An to sit in the banquet room.
An didn't beat around the bush. After having some tea and asking Yuan Ge'er about it, she went straight to the point and stated her purpose: "I heard that the wife of Hu Zhubo of the Five Military Command has arranged a marriage for your cousin. Are you interested in meeting him? I wonder if the marriage has been finalized?"
Dou Zhao's heart skipped a beat and he said with a smile, "It was just a brief mention. I haven't had a chance to tell the prince yet. How can it be settled so quickly?"
Mrs. An sighed for a long time and said with a smile, "We are not just friends, so I will speak frankly. When I first met your cousin, I wanted to find a matchmaker for her, but I didn't know what kind of family you were going to find for her, so I hesitated until today. Now I heard that someone came to propose marriage to your cousin, and I became anxious again, fearing that you would marry your cousin to someone else." She smiled and said, "The other party is a cousin from my mother's family, 28 years old this year. Although he is not as old as your cousin, being older has its advantages. At least he knows how to care for people.
His first wife died of complications during childbirth, leaving behind a younger sister who is nine years old this year and will be getting married in a few years. His family owns two farms, a herbal medicine shop, a pawnshop and a grain and oil shop. Although they are not extremely wealthy, they have no worries about food and clothing. He is also an honest and loyal person. He was afraid that his sister would be wronged if he remarried, so he had delayed until now.
"Why don't you discuss this with the prince and see if he thinks highly of my cousin?"
Not only is he a little older, but he also has no achievements. This is not a good marriage.
I guess An also thought so, which is why she wanted to be a matchmaker before but was hesitant to speak up. Now that she saw that the family introduced by Mrs. Hu was interested in meeting him, she came to propose marriage without hesitation.
This is like throwing a brick to attract jade. When I accepted Mrs. Hu's paper, it worked.
As for whether Song Motong agrees or not, it's like a blind man eating glutinous rice balls. Everyone knows it's just an excuse to shirk responsibility. Dou Zhao has agreed, so would Song Hei still object?
Dou Zhao nodded with a smile.
An felt relieved, chatted with Dou Zhao for a while, then stood up and said goodbye.
Jiang Yan, who heard everything clearly in the inner room, did not show the slightest sign of shyness. Instead, his face turned pale and he remained silent.
Dou Zhao sensed something was wrong and sent a maid to ask her in a low voice: "Do you think the conditions in this house are not to your liking?"
Jiang Yan shook his head, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
Dou Zhao sighed.
Li Tiao Niang has done so much harm to people!
Such a good girl has developed such a cowardly character.
She advised her gently, "We are your closest relatives in this world. Is there anything you can't tell us? If you are afraid of trouble and blame and just keep it to yourself, we will feel distressed when we see you are sad. If you have something to say now, even if it is not what your brother and I want, we can feel relieved if we see that you are living a comfortable life!"
Jiang Yan listened thoughtfully, then held Dou Zhao's hand tightly and whispered, "I, I don't want to get married."
Is it because the past trauma still remains in her heart?
Dou Zhao said: "It's not your fault what happened in the past. You are also a victim. We will never force you to get married, but you should try to forget everything in the past and start your life anew, okay?"
Jiang Yan nodded gratefully.
When Song Mo came back in the evening, Dou Zhao couldn't help but sigh a few words to him.
Song Mo said nothing. When he went to the study to practice calligraphy, he called Lu Ming over and said, "You must take good care of Wei and He. Don't let anything happen to them."
Lu Ming shuddered, responded respectfully, and retreated.
Song Mo finished writing three sheets of paper in silence before returning to the inner room.
It was like opening a window and everyone discovered a different world inside. For several days in a row, people came to propose marriage to Jiang Yan.
Dou Zhao was in a dilemma and complained to Jiang Lizhu who came to visit him, "If I disagree with either of them, it would seem that I am hypocritical and look down on both of them. But if I agree to meet her, Sister Yan will not be in the mood for the time being. If I had known this, I should not have agreed to Mrs. Hu so quickly."
Jiang Lizhu smiled and said, "You didn't expect there would be so many speculators, did you?"
Speculation?
If you think about it carefully, it is indeed the case!
Dou Zhao laughed dumbly and said, "You are really smart. You enlightened me with just one word."
Jiang Lizhu smiled and asked, "Why didn't I see my cousin? Is he very busy these days?"
Dou Zhao was very surprised and said with a smile, "Do you have something to ask your cousin? He is on night duty in the palace today and can only leave the palace at 4 p.m. tomorrow. How about you come back after 4 p.m. tomorrow?"
Jiang Lizhu hesitated for a while and said, "I do have something to ask my cousin... I shouldn't have kept it a secret from my sister-in-law, but I didn't know how to tell her..."
Dou Zhao was not a stingy person. Moreover, although she and Jiang Lizhu had only known each other for a few months, Jiang Lizhu was a frank person. Since she didn't know what to say, Dou Zhao naturally would not force her.
"I'm not as petty as you think." She smiled and joked, "Why don't you come over early tomorrow morning and spend the day with me, talk to your cousin, have dinner, and then go back."
Jiang Lizhu thought about it and agreed with a smile.
The next day, Dou Zhao arranged a banquet to entertain her.
Jiang Yan enthusiastically accompanied her to view the flowers and enjoy the scenery.
The two met Miao Ansu in the pavilion in the back garden.
Ruotong, who was serving Jiang Yan and Jiang Lizhu, said hurriedly, "This is the second wife in our house." She introduced the two to Miao Ansu, "This is my cousin Jiang, and this is the thirteenth aunt of the Jiang family, Madam Wu."
Both parties knelt in greeting.
Only then did Miao Ansu realize who Jiang Yan was.
She couldn't help but look at Jiang Yan a few more times.
Jiang Yan hid away from Jiang Lizhu somewhat uncomfortably.
Miao Ansu looked at him with a flash of eyes, exchanged a few words with Jiang Yan and Jiang Lizhu, and returned to his new room.
Jiang Yan took a long breath.
Jiang Lizhu couldn't help shaking her head and said, "You are the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Yingguo, and she is a concubine's daughter-in-law. What do you have to be afraid of?"
Jiang Yan murmured, "I, I'm just not used to it." He begged her, "Sister, please don't tell my sister-in-law! If my sister-in-law and brother knew, they would worry about me again."
Jiang Lizhu patted her hands and said, "Don't worry, I'm not the one who stirs up trouble."
Jiang Yan curled up the corners of her mouth to smile, her little face was like a blooming pear blossom, gentle and delicate.
Jiang Lizhu sighed.
When the two returned to Yizhi Hall, the nanny in charge was holding out a pot of newly brewed chrysanthemum wine for Dou Zhao to taste.
Dou Zhao just sniffed it, then asked the maid to pour a small cup for each of them, and said with a smile: "You guys try it too!"
It is brewed with top-quality thick wine and tastes mellow and sweet.
Jiang Lizhu praised it highly.
Dou Zhao asked her to take the two altars back: "Give them to your parents-in-law to taste. It's also a token of our appreciation."
Jiang Lizhu knew that Dou Zhao was doing this to give her face, so she agreed with a smile. Although she said nothing, she kept this kindness in her heart, thinking that if she had the chance in the future, she would definitely repay Dou Zhao for his help.
The three of them spent a very happy day in the inner room eating, drinking, chatting and laughing, or teasing Yuan Ge'er who had just woken up.
Song Mo is back.
Jiang Lizhu and Song Mo went to the study to talk.
Dou Zhao and Jiang Yan tried on the new clothes and jewelry they had made for the mountain climbing on the Double Ninth Festival in the inner room.
When Song Mo returned to the room, he saw clothes and jewelry scattered all over the kang, table and chairs in the inner room. Yuan Ge'er was holding a big red handkerchief in his hand and would not let go. He would pout and cry if anyone touched him.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Song Mo teased, "Will this kid be a playboy when he grows up?"
Dou Zhao laughed and said, "When Bo Yan was holding his first birthday celebration, he even got a box of rouge. When he grew up, he passed the imperial examination and entered the Imperial Academy!"
"Oh, there is such a thing?" Song Mo was very interested and asked, "Why did he have a box of rouge during his one-year-old birthday celebration?"
Most families expect their children and grandchildren to achieve great success, so they will not give these things during the one-year-old ceremony.
Dou Zhao smiled and said, "My father put it there. When my eleventh brother's son Qi Jin was holding his first birthday celebration, my father put a pearl flower on it. By the time my sixth uncle found it, everyone from the Han family had arrived. My sixth aunt said that my sixth uncle had to secretly pray that Qi Jin would not grab the pearl flower."
Jiang Yan and a few others laughed so hard that they fell over.
Song Mo thought of the deserted Jing'an Temple Hutong and said with a smile, "On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, we should also make an appointment with father-in-law to go hiking together, right?"
Dou Zhao had never thought of inviting his father to go on a trip with him.
She was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay! I'll have someone ask Dad to see if he has an appointment with someone else that day."
Song Mo nodded and went to the study.
Dou Zhao and Jiang Yan accompanied Jiang Lizhu for dinner, and then sent Jiang Lizhu to the Chuihua Gate. They returned to their rooms to rest only after the sedan chair left.
On the bed, Song Mo told Dou Zhao the purpose of Jiang Lizhu's visit: "The news that my fifth uncle had an affair with me for money has spread. My eldest aunt has heard about it in Haozhou. She asked my thirteenth cousin to ask me what happened and told me not to argue with my fifth uncle. She said she would write a letter to reprimand him. She also asked my thirteenth cousin to tell me that the things are mine after they are given to me. This is also my eldest uncle's wish. If my fifth uncle is dissatisfied, let him go to her to reason..."