Chapter 482: One Year Old

Chen Jia thought that Jiang Yan was Song Han's younger sister after all, and he was entertaining Song Han at home, so Jiang Yan should come out and say hello to Song Han. He was afraid that Song Han would be resentful and give Jiang Yan a bad look, so on the day of the dinner, he simply urged Jiang Yan to visit Yizhi Hall. But he never expected that Song Han was not only resentful, but also wanted to humiliate Jiang Yan. So when he went to the Duke of Ying's Mansion to pick up Jiang Yan, he did not wait in the small flower hall in the outer courtyard as usual, but asked the servant who brought him in: "Is the prince back?"

When Jiang Yan got married, the Duke of Ying did not show up, and Song Mo often looked down on Chen Jia. Chen Jia used to be Song Mo's disciple, so the servants of the Duke of Ying's mansion couldn't help but look down on Chen Jia. Fortunately, Chen Jia was very considerate and generous. He was also the Duke of Ying's mansion's proper cousin, so those people didn't neglect Chen Jia, but they were inevitably less reserved in front of Chen Jia. When he asked about Song Mo, the servant said with a smile: "The prince hasn't come back yet! What's the matter? Do you want me to say hello to Wuyi brother who serves in the study and let him help you keep an eye on it?"

Chen Jia smiled and said, "Thank you for your help!" Then he stuffed a handful of copper coins into his hand.

"No trouble, no trouble!" The servant smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits and hurried outside to watch.

As soon as Song Mo got out of the carriage, he heard that Chen Jia was waiting for him in the flower hall. He asked curiously, "When did the eldest aunt come?"

Although Chen Jia married Jiang Yan, their relationship did not change from before.

When the servant heard Song Mo call Chen Jia "eldest aunt", his heart skipped a beat and he said hurriedly, "eldest aunt has been here for half an hour, saying that he is here to take my cousin home. He heard that you haven't come back yet, so he has been waiting in the flower hall."

Song Mo nodded and said, "When the eldest aunt comes in the future, please ask him to serve tea in the study room in the outer courtyard."

The servant responded "yes" repeatedly and led the way cautiously.

Song Mo and Chen Jia went to the study to talk.

Chen Jia did not dare to repeat Song Han's words to Song Mo verbatim, and only said: "Song Han was recommended by the Empress to join the Jinyiwei. Although he has just joined the job, he is very popular. I specially invited him to my house for a drink today. He looks very proud. If it were someone else, he would inevitably suffer a loss, but he has the Empress's golden signboard. I am afraid that Lord Shi will also consider his affairs."

This is to accuse Song Han of something bad.

Song Mo just smiled slightly after hearing this, but after seeing Chen Jia and Jiang Yan off, his face immediately turned gloomy.

The Queen wants to use my father and Song Han to deal with him.

I'm afraid she has made a wrong calculation!

Song Mo called Chen He in and said, "Please keep an eye on Song Han for me."

Chen He used to be his personal attendant, and was known to all his relatives and friends. After Chen He got married, he sent him to work in the Huichu. Because Chen He was familiar with all the government offices, he did a great job in his job.

"Yes!" Chen He responded respectfully and stepped back.

Song Mo returned to the inner room of Yizhi Hall.

Dou Zhaozheng and several maids opened the boxes and selected the ruler.

She raised her head when she heard the noise and saw it was him. She smiled and said, "You're finally back! I noticed that you always had a sullen face every time you saw Chen Jia, and I felt so tired for you. It was your idea to invite Sister Yan home as a guest, and you couldn't help but give Chen Jia a cold look. Look at Sister Yan, she almost wanted to apologize to Chen Jia on your behalf."

"He dares!" Song Mo shouted coldly, but in his heart he had to agree that Dou Zhao's words made sense. He suddenly felt a little confused and didn't want to continue talking about this topic. He pulled the cloth in Dou Zhao's hand and said, "What are you doing? The color is a bit dark."

It was a piece of lilac-colored embroidered vase makeup material.

Dou Zhao smiled and said, "Will Yuan Ge'er be turning 18 in a few days? I want to take Yuan Ge to visit Old An and bring him some good fabric to make autumn clothes for him."

She discussed with Song Mo a few days ago that they would not invite their grandmother to attend Yuan Ge'er's first birthday celebration, but would visit her the next day.

Song Mo smiled and said, "Pick up some good leather while you're at it. When the autumn wind blows, we can make leather headbands and leather vests."

Old people like both of these things.

Dou Zhao replied "yes" with a smile, and the two of them discussed for a long time under the lamp about which guests to invite before they rested.

On June 26th, the Song family hung lanterns and decorated the house, and guests flocked to the house. The emperor, the empress dowager, the empress, the crown prince, the crown princess, as well as the Liao prince who was far away in Liaoning and several princes who had set up their own palaces all sent gifts. Yuan Ge'er's first birthday ceremony was lively and dignified.

Dou Dechang, as Dou Zhao's adopted brother and the successor of Xidou, accompanied Dou Shiying to the wedding.

Song Mo solemnly introduced Dou Dechang to his relatives and friends.

Dou Shiying was relieved to see Song Mo's friends politely stand up to toast Dou Dechang. He glanced into the flower hall and saw Wei Tingyu sitting quietly in a corner drinking. When the banquet was over and everyone moved to the veranda to watch the show, he called out to Wei Tingyu, who was walking last, "Is Ming Jie'er here?"

Wei Tingyu looked unhappy, as if he had not slept well, and was a little listless.

Hearing this, he said, "No - I was afraid she would cause trouble, so I didn't tell her that Yuan Ge'er was having his first birthday ceremony today. I'll tell her when I get back later."

Dou Shiying frowned.

Although he thought Dou Ming was rude and unreasonable, she was his daughter. He always felt that Wei Tingyu was the culprit for Dou Ming's situation, and that Dou Ming was just affected by him. Wei Tingyu was wrong for not telling Dou Ming after receiving the invitation.

"She and Shougu are sisters after all." He said calmly, "How can two sisters be so angry? In this situation, you should persuade her to go out and walk around. What will the relatives and friends of the Duke of Ying say about her if she behaves like this? If she loses her reputation, you will lose face!"

Wei Tingyu didn't agree with it in his heart, but he agreed obediently in front of Dou Shiying.

Dou Shiying didn't say much on this occasion, so the father-in-law and son-in-law went to the veranda to listen to the opera.

After returning home, Dou Shiying couldn't help but sigh to Dou Dechang: "Ming Jie'er, you really married the wrong person!"

Even if she married the wrong person, it was her own fault.

Dou Dechang complained in his heart, but smiled and comforted Dou Shiying: "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Fifth sister has a rich dowry, you don't have to worry about her." Then he smiled and said, "Tomorrow, fourth sister and fourth brother-in-law will take Yuan Ge'er to visit Lao An. I am also going to join in the fun. Why don't you leave the government office early tomorrow and have dinner there?"

He remembered clearly what Ji had said to him before he moved to Jing'an Temple Hutong: "No matter what, Ming Jie'er is your adoptive father's flesh and blood. You must not get involved in Ming Jie'er's affairs. If you have any difficulties, just push it to your fifth aunt. Ming Jie'er is a married girl and spilled water. You are an adopted son. Your fifth aunt can't blame you for her helplessness."

Dou Shiying nodded, sighed all night, and went to Housi Hutong early the next day.

Dou Zhao was standing next to the crabapple tree in front of the main house, talking to Dou Dechang. Both of them had smiles on their faces and looked very happy.

Dou Shiying looked very pleased, and quietly walked over and suddenly asked, "What are you talking about? You look so happy?"

The two of them smiled and greeted Dou Shiying. Dou Zhao said, "We were just talking about the twelfth brother's career!"

Dou Dechang is preparing to take part in this year's provincial examination.

In his previous life, he would have taken the imperial examination the following year with all his might, and together with Wu Shan, he would have been admitted as a scholar.

Then during the Dragon Boat Festival, Ji Ling would elope with him.

Although the Dou family tried their best to work for him, Dou Dechang's character was already damaged. Although he was not dismissed from his post, he could only live a life of idleness and wait for death in the Hanlin Academy for the rest of his life.

In her previous life, Dou Dechang was the son of Dong Dou and had nothing to do with Dou Zhao; in this life, Dou Dechang was her adopted brother, and Ji was like a mother and daughter to her. How could she watch Dou Dechang ruin his own future like this?

After pondering for several days, Dou Zhao asked Song Mo: "If you have a good brother who has taken a fancy to a widow from a wealthy family and is willing to sacrifice his future to marry her, what would you do?"

Song Mo was very smart. He immediately thought of Dou Dechang: "You are not talking about my eldest uncle, are you? Whose widow did he take a fancy to? Why not take her in as a concubine?" He asked again, "How did you know this? But don't tell my father-in-law, or my eldest uncle will hate you for the rest of his life."

Dou Zhao stared in amazement.

Song Mo scratched her nose affectionately and said with a smile, "There are only a few people around you who come and go. If it was Duan Gongyi and his friends, it wouldn't be a big deal for a widow to remarry. You definitely wouldn't be so entangled. As for Gu Yu, he would definitely kill first and ask for permission later... After thinking about it, it can only be my eldest uncle."

"You are such a jerk!" Dou Zhao said angrily, "You don't even give others a little surprise."

Song Mo laughed and said, "Who did my elder brother-in-law take a fancy to? I want to find a way to quietly let her in-laws know about this, and then this marriage will fall through!"

But in their previous lives, Dou Dechang and Ji Ling lived a good life.

During the Lantern Festival one year, she met Dou Dechang and Ji Lingze on the street who were watching the lanterns. Ji Lingze even bought two strings of candied haws for Wei Ge'er and Rui Ge'er.

When she recalls it now, she still remembers the happy smile on Ji Lingze's face.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but sigh softly.

Song Mo held her in his arms and said softly, "In my opinion, this is your life to live. As long as my uncle is willing, it's best for others not to interfere."

Dou Zhao was surprised and asked, "Why do you think so?"

Song Mo said solemnly, "When I see my father, I often think of my mother. The marriage between father and mother can be regarded as a match made in heaven in the eyes of the world, but you see, what happened in the end? If it weren't for Wei Tingyu's betrayal and my father's attempt to control me, how could we be together?" He hugged Dou Zhao tightly in his arms, and the strength made Dou Zhao feel a little breathless. "I feel very lucky!" He kissed her forehead and temples. "In the future, our children's marriages should not only focus on family background."

For some reason, Dou Zhao felt a surge of tenderness in his heart.

This person respects her, admires her, and cherishes her.

With a husband like this, what else could I ask for?

Dou Zhao used all his strength to hug Song Mo back.

Dou Dechang's matter suddenly seemed less important.

Since he admires Ji Lingze, let him fight for it.

At worst, we can find a way to cover it up for him in advance after the incident so that he won't be ruined.