Chapter 478 Gift Giving

Because the matter was of great importance, Song Mo asked Lu Ming to go to Liaoning in person.

Lu Ming was stunned by the news. It took him a while to come back to his senses and he left silently.

Song Mo stood alone in the study for a long time, then called Wu Yi in: "The warehouse has been opened, I want to pick out a few things to give away."

The warehouse was suddenly brightly lit.

Song Mo picked and chose for a long time, and asked Wuyi to take a few things to Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao saw that what was brought over was a box of gilded fans, a pot, and several sets of tangram puzzles. He asked curiously, "What is this?"

Song Mo said calmly, "Please take some time out in the next two days to go to the palace and give the gifts to the Crown Princess."

It would be perfect if it was given to the Crown Princess.

Dou Zhao hesitated and asked, "Are you planning to make friends with the prince?"

"No!" Song Mo grinned, "I'm just trying to scare the snake out of its wits!"

Dou Zhao was puzzled.

Song Mo said softly: "I originally wanted to play the mediator between Prince Liao and the Crown Prince - no matter who ascends the throne, can the salary of the Duke of Ying be reduced? But now, if I don't separate the Queen and Prince Liao, I will never be able to get rid of the hatred in my heart!

If we surrender to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince now, we will not have any achievements and it is difficult for us to become His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's confidant. It is better to wait until the Liao King starts a rebellion, and then we can help His Royal Highness the Crown Prince capture the rebels. This is the great merit that can be rewarded to his wife and son.

The fifth uncle and the cousins ​​of the Jiang family are still in the hands of the Liao prince. We cannot openly turn against the queen at this time. Moreover, I believe that after the fifth uncle knows who framed the Jiang family, he will never continue to help the Liao prince succeed. Rather than letting the fifth uncle and the Liao prince turn against each other, it is better to let the fifth uncle and the Liao prince be hypocritical and act as an insider at a critical moment. After His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he can not only wash away the grievances of the Jiang family, but also make achievements and revive the reputation of the Jiang family.

I have thought about it carefully. The emperor is still alive, and the crown prince is legitimate as the heir. It is impossible for the Liao prince to attack the capital openly. In this way, even if he succeeds, it will be difficult for him to sit on the throne. If he wants to achieve his goal, he can only do it through a palace coup. But if he wants to coup, he can't get around the Jinwu Guard.

We have become close to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and we are unwilling to submit to Prince Liao. How can the Queen tolerate me being in charge of the Jinwu Guard? The Emperor has always trusted the Queen. If the Queen wants to deal with us, we can say that we are overwhelmed. In this case, we might as well take the initiative and let the Queen take action first. The Emperor has been ill for the past few years and has little energy. Usually, people with little energy prefer to be quiet and do not like to move. As long as the Emperor believes that I am the best candidate to be in charge of the Jinwu Guard, no matter how much the Queen struggles, she will not be able to touch me at all. Maybe if she moves too much, it will arouse the Emperor's suspicion.

As long as the Jinwu Guards are in my hands, the Liao prince's rebellion will not be hidden from my eyes."

Dou Zhao smiled and said, "So you want me to give a gift to the Crown Princess, so that the Queen will think that we want to curry favor with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, thereby causing her to be anxious and uneasy, and take action against you first? It seems that I will have to go to the East Palace more often in the future."

"Not bad." Song Mo smiled slightly. He knew that his wife was the one who understood him best. "It's best to bring Yuan Ge'er with you. When the prince ascends the throne, Yuan Ge'er will already be familiar with the emperor's grandsons. It will always be beneficial."

Dou Zhao smiled and nodded, and submitted the invitation to the palace the next day.

The Crown Prince and his wife would naturally be happy to get close to such a noble family as the Duke of England.

On the third day, eunuchs from the Eastern Palace brought Dou Zhao and his mother into the palace.

The Crown Princess was a little surprised when she received the gift from Dou Zhao, but she was more pleased.

A box of gold-painted folding fans is not rare, but the fan surfaces are of the twelve seasons of the year: peonies in spring, lotus flowers in summer, chrysanthemums in autumn, plum blossoms in winter...all are hollow-carved and colored with piled gauze, which is very exquisite and unique.

The pitcher is made of neither gold nor wood, and it is impossible to tell what material it is made of. The body of the pitcher is carved with a circle of kneeling beauties in dark clothing. The shapes are graceful, simple and elegant, and it is obvious that it is an antique from the previous dynasty.

Several sets of tangram puzzles are made of sandalwood and agarwood. Holding them in your hands, the subtle fragrance floats around, making you feel calm.

"I'm sorry to have let the Crown Prince and his wife spend the money." The Crown Princess smiled and asked the female official beside her to accept the gift.

Dou Zhao said respectfully, "I have always been grateful for your care and I have no way to repay you. I hope this small gift will please you."

"You don't have to be polite to me." The Crown Princess exchanged greetings with Dou Zhao, and had someone bring the Third Grandson over. She let the Third Grandson and Yuan Ge'er play on the big kang in the East Hall while she talked with Dou Zhao in the warm room.

From the weather this spring to the hair and clothes that might be popular, these are all necessary skills for noble ladies. The Crown Princess was very interested, and Dou Zhao, who had lived two lives, had "foresight". The two of them talked more and more, and finally Dou Zhao drew a few clothing styles before leaving with Yuan Ge'er in his arms.

The Crown Princess asked the needlework bureau to make two pieces of clothing according to the instructions, and the Empress Dowager saw them and praised them.

She was a smart person. Since Dou Zhao wanted to get close to her, she would naturally return the favor and support Dou Zhao.

The Crown Princess praised Dou Zhao highly.

The Queen Mother thought that it would be Empress Wan's birthday in a few days, so she said with a smile: "Let her come to the palace and make two clothes for me." Then she thought that Dou Zhao was the wife of a superior prince, so it was unreasonable for her to be an embroiderer for others. She said in a disappointed tone: "Forget it, let the needlework bureau make it for me."

In order to avoid suspicion, the Duke of Ying's Mansion and the Eastern Palace were indifferent. If it weren't for the fact that Yuan Ge'er and the Third Grandson's birthdays were only one day apart, and the Emperor personally named the two children, they wouldn't dare to move. But the Crown Princess thought that Dou Zhao was a very knowledgeable person and would not care about these things, so she sent someone to pass the message to Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao immediately went to the palace and designed several clothes for the Empress Dowager.

The Queen Mother ordered the female official to pass the drawing to the needlework bureau, and took her hand and said with a smile: "You have worked hard!"

Dou Zhao said humbly, "I don't deserve your words. You treat our prince like an elder. I am honored to be able to represent our prince in front of you. How can it be called hard work?"

The Empress Dowager was very satisfied with her answer. She not only rewarded Dou Zhao with two red gold hairpins inlaid with Hetian jade, but also rewarded Song Mo with two inkstones and Yuan Ge'er with several pieces of ruler.

On the Empress' birthday, the Empress Dowager was wearing a royal blue and pink dress that made her look radiant and dignified. The Crown Princess also served as a foil, making the Empress Dowager even more radiant than the Empress.

The Emperor was not impressed by this, but the Empress Dowager was somewhat puzzled and sent someone to inquire about it. When she learned that it was Dou Zhao who had made the clothes for the Empress Dowager, she just smiled magnanimously and said, "I never thought that Dou had such a talent."

The Crown Princess thought that the Queen Mother's birthday would be in a few days, so she urged her to make some more clothes. When the Queen Mother was the Queen, she had to be respectful and virtuous, and never dared to wear too gorgeous clothes. Now that there was no one to supervise her, the years in the palace were lonely, and it was rare to have something new. The Queen Mother suddenly became interested, and she called Dou Zhao to the palace every now and then, and simply asked her to bring Yuan Ge'er with her when she entered the palace, saying: "It's just right for the third grandson to keep him company." The Crown Princess took the opportunity to take the third grandson to the Cining Palace to play, and helped the Queen Mother with ideas. Several times they met the Emperor who came to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. The Emperor saw the Empress Dowager laughing and talking with the children crying, which was a warm and lively scene. The Empress Dowager looked much better than before. He was very happy and played with Yuan Ge'er and the Third Prince for a long time before letting the eunuch take the child away.

From then on, it became easier for Dou Zhao to enter the palace.

The Crown Princess and Dou Zhao also got closer.

The empress did not take it to heart. Whenever she met Dou Zhao in the palace, she would pull her aside and talk to her in a friendly manner.

Dou Zhao smiled at Song Mo and said, "The Queen is much more generous than you think. Your plan didn't work."

Song Mo disagreed and said, "If you can see the Queen's emotions, how can she still stay in the palace?"

Dou Zhao thought about it and smiled.

Lu Ming returned from Liaodong.

Song Mo went to see Lu Ming.

A few days later, Mrs. Jiang in Haozhou spread the word: "It's not that the prince is unwilling to return the things left by the old man to the Jiang family, but when the old man handed these things to the prince, he said: All things in the world are obtained by those with virtue. Jiang Wuye is not a person who supports the family. Even if the prince returns the things to Jiang Wuye, Jiang Wuye will just squander them. It is better to leave them to the prince."

Song Mo also spread the word, saying: "I am not trying to occupy the things left by my uncle. It is because there are only women and children left in the Jiang family in Haozhou, and there is no one who can take charge of the overall situation. I am just keeping these things on behalf of the Jiang family. When the descendants of the Jiang family grow up, they will naturally be returned."

Jiang Boxun's old accounts were dug up.

Everyone couldn't help but sigh, "What a prodigal son!" and were quite disdainful of the dispute between Jiang Boxun and Song Mo over the inheritance.

Dou Zhao asked Song Mo: "Are you forcing the Queen to take action?"

Song Mo blinked at her and said, "There's more."

Not long after they said this, they celebrated the Queen Mother's birthday.

The whole dynasty came to congratulate.

The Duke of England was invited to attend the royal family banquet held at the Cining Palace.

Miao Ruosu was very nervous, while Song Han was a little indignant.

As the son of the Duke of Ying, Song Mo entered the palace easily, but he had a hard time. Not only that, along the way, people often greeted Song Yichun, Song Mo, and even Dou Zhao, but few people looked at them. They were just like servants to Song Yichun and Song Mo. Especially when Gu Yu appeared, his resentment reached its peak.

Gu Yu doesn't even care about the prince's expression, so how could he care about Song Han's expression?

He pulled Song Mo aside as if nothing had happened, and muttered excitedly, "I've sold two more large ships. Do you want to take some time to visit the shipyard in Tianjin? The weather is good these days, and you can bring your sister-in-law and Yuan Ge'er with you."

Song Mo was somewhat tempted. After thinking for a while, he said, "I'm still not going." Then he looked around and whispered, "I've been investigating the cause of my uncle's death these days, so I can't leave."

"Oh!" Gu Yu was a little disappointed.

The Queen hadn't seen Gu Yu for a while, so she called him over and said angrily, "You've been at the shipyard in Tianjin these days? Is business so fun? I think you should do something serious! If you really feel bored, go to Liaodong to play with your cousin." She added, "Sort out the things in your hands and return them to Yantang."

Gu Yu said nothing.

The death of Duke Dingguo was a taboo. If Song Mo investigated the death of Duke Dingguo, it would only make the emperor and the empress unhappy, so he decided to remain silent.