The teacher Dou Shiying hired for his daughter was named Jiang Li, with the courtesy name Yougong. He was an old man in his sixties and had worked as a teacher for fifteen years in the house of He Wendao, a senior scholar of the inner chamber and Dou Shiying's teacher. Due to his old age and poor health, he asked to resign and return home, but was persuaded by Dou Shiying to teach in the Dou family for three years.
"…Dou Xiuzhuan said that since she is a girl, it doesn't matter what she learns, as long as she knows some great principles." Jiang Yougong's words were polite, but his tone was full of arrogance. "And Minister Dou also said so. I had to come here for the sake of face, even though I knew I was not very talented and learned."
There were three officials in the Dou family who were officials in Beijing, so he had to address them by their official positions.
Dou Shibang thanked him repeatedly, asked Master Du to accompany him, and personally arranged for Jiang Yougong to stay in the outer study of the West Dou. He assigned two servants, two maids, and two old women to serve him. He asked Dou Zhao to come out and greet Jiang Yougong, set a date for the class, and then returned to the East Dou.
The second lady asked her son, "What do you think of this man?"
Dou Shibang smiled bitterly: "His knowledge is first-rate, but his temper... I don't know if I can keep him."
The second lady frowned.
Dou Zhao was so angry that he wanted to curse.
Why can't father just stay put? This guy named Jiang is not here to be her teacher. He is obviously here to do the job perfunctorily!
Although he was already a man who could listen to others, he still kept strict rules about sex. He would put up a screen to separate himself from Dou Zhao during lectures, and he would talk about his hometown in Hege from time to time. He didn't care whether Dou Zhao could understand him or not during lectures. He would just sit there and talk, and then leave after the lecture, as if Dou Zhao was a blockhead. No matter how well he talked, Dou Zhao couldn't understand. No matter how badly he talked, Dou Zhao didn't understand. Therefore, he taught the lectures very reluctantly. But Dou Shiying promised him a salary of 100 taels of silver a year, and two sets of clothes for each season.
But he just bullied her because she is a girl.
Dou Qijun happened to be at home that day, and Jiang Yougong was explaining "Mencius: Teng Wengong Part 2" to Dou Zhao. Dou Zhao called Cui Shisan over and asked Dou Qijun to write a piece of writing based on "Duke Zhou conquered the barbarians, drove away the beasts, and the people were at peace". The next morning, he put it on Jiang Yougong's desk. Jiang Yougong first glanced at it hastily, then exclaimed "Huh", picked it up and read it carefully for a while, and asked Dou Zhao: "Who wrote this?"
Dou Zhao said calmly, "It was a student play."
Jiang Yougong snorted, threw the article aside, and then used "Duke Wen of Teng" to explain to her the ways of being a concubine.
Dou Zhao said nothing and went to and from school every day without wasting a moment.
When Chen Qushui heard that the seventh master of the Dou family had hired a teacher from Kyoto for his daughter, he couldn't help laughing. He wrote a letter to Dou Zhao, saying that he was grateful for her liking for him and that he would go to Zhending County and become a teacher at the Dou family from that day on.
Dou Zhao settled Chen Qushui in Tianzhuang.
Chen Qushui watched the carriage go around Zhending County and head toward the farmland in the suburbs. He could not hide his surprise and asked Zhao Liangbi who came to pick him up, "Where are we going?"
Zhao Liangbi smiled and said, "Of course it's Aunt Cui's farm!" Fearing that Chen Qushui didn't understand, he explained, "Aunt Cui has already said that this farm is to be left to the Fourth Miss, and the Seventh Master has also agreed. From now on, this farm belongs to the Fourth Miss."
Chen Qushui remained silent.
No wonder Miss Dou Si asked him to be her tutor.
Could it be that Fourth Miss Dou already knew that Seventh Master Dou would invite a teacher from Kyoto for her?
He originally just wanted to embarrass Dou Zhao a little bit, to let her know that it might not be her turn to have a say in the Dou family, and that promises must be backed by real power!
Now it seems that my teasing is totally insignificant in front of the fourth young lady of the Dou family.
Why did the fourth daughter of the Dou family look for a teacher who taught classics and history?
For the first time, Chen Qushui seriously thought about Dou Zhao's purpose in looking for him.
Dou Zhao took a day off and went to meet Chen Qushui at the gate of the manor.
Chen Qushui was a little surprised that he didn't see the adults.
Dou Zhao pretended not to see it, and smiled as he invited Chen Qushui to the study room which had been prepared long ago.
The three-room house with blue bricks and tiles, one bright and two dark. The east side is the inner room, with a warm room in the back; the west side is the study, with a suite in the back. There is a crabapple tree and an apricot tree in front of the door, and a bamboo field behind the house. The floor is paved with blue bricks, the windows are covered with Korean paper, and there are blue and white porcelain teacups on the black lacquer furniture, and two red hibiscus flowers, one high and one low, are inserted in the Song Dynasty white porcelain vase. However, there is a refreshing atmosphere blowing in the face.
Chen Qushui's eyes lit up immediately. When he picked up the teacup, he saw that the tea soup was bright yellow, with a delicate fragrance. When he drank it, he found that it had a mellow taste and a long aftertaste. It turned out to be the Tieguanyin tea that had just been harvested this autumn. He was so happy that he praised loudly, "Good tea."
Dou Zhao smiled slightly.
A person without quirks is not worth making friends with, because he has no deep feelings; a person without flaws is not worth making friends with, because he has no true energy.
Chen Qushui has experienced many ups and downs in his life, but he can still be moved by a landscape or a cup of tea. This shows his true character.
She lowered her head and took a sip of tea, letting the sweet and fresh taste of Tieguanyin roll through her heart and lungs. Then she smiled and said, "I wonder what your plans are for the future, sir?"
Chen Qushui raised his eyebrows slightly, as if asking her intention.
Dou Zhao did not hide it and said frankly: "If you stay in a room full of orchids for a long time, you will not smell the fragrance. If you stay in a shop full of abalone for a long time, you will not smell the stench. There is no other owner in Dongxiang Street. I am afraid it is not a place for Mr. Chen to stay for a long time. I would like to invite you to stay in the farm and ask for advice at any time. I wonder what you think?"
Chen Qushui's eyes were slightly gloomy.
Miss Dou Si's words have deep meaning.
When he first arrived at East Lane Street, he encountered a gang of blackmailers. If it weren't for someone's tough action, he would not have been able to escape unscathed!
Chen Qushui thought of Bie Gangyi who was about to die and the Bie sisters who were about to join Dou Zhao, and he felt a little moved.
He had already accepted his fate and now wanted nothing more but to live out the rest of his life in peace and stability.
He was also somewhat worried about the Bie sisters and hoped to repay Bie Gangyi for taking care of him over the years.
Chen Qushui pondered for a long time, and then asked Dou Zhao solemnly: "A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. I wonder why Miss Dou Si insisted on inviting the master to teach classics and history at home?"
Since some things have to be entrusted to Chen Qushui, it is better to be open and honest about some things.
This is Dou Zhao’s principle in employing people.
"Mr. Chen must have found out everything about me." She pondered, "I was sure before that since Wang was already a concubine, the Dou family would never make her their legal wife for the sake of their reputation. But I was wrong. Zeng Yifen's restoration, Wang Xingyi's rise to power, and my fifth uncle's ambition, not only was Wang made their legal wife, but I also became a chess piece for both the Wang and Dou families." At this point, she picked up the teacup and took a sip slowly, her voice sounding a little sad, "I often think that when I was young, I had no power to fight, but now that I'm grown up, do I have to continue living that kind of life where others are the butchers and I am the meat? Moreover, in ten years at most, the Wang and Dou families will decide the winner, and then where will I go?"
In the previous life, it only took Wang Xingyi and Dou Shishu nine years to determine the winner.
In this life, although the situation has changed, who can guarantee that Dou Shishu will be able to change history and become the winner?
In her previous life, she was just an insignificant person who was hated by Wang Yingxue. In this life, she has half of Xidou's property under her name...
Dou Zhao put down the teacup, and the tea lid and tea bowl gently collided, making a crisp and ear-pleasing sound, which was particularly loud in this quiet study.
"Before, I only knew that the Dou family treated me badly and that the Wang family and I had an irreconcilable feud, but I never thought carefully about how things turned out like this?" She said in a clear voice, "Now I can see clearly that although the temple is far away, a small storm can turn into a raging wave and plunge me into a disaster in an instant. In the past, I only focused on the people and things around me, and I didn't know what the storm had to do with me, let alone how to avoid it..."
In her previous life, she didn't understand the relationship between the temple and the inner house until she became a marquis' wife. In this life, the feud between the Wang and Dou families gave her a deeper understanding. Restricted by her status as a lady of the imperial court, she was destined to only know everything that happened outside through other people. This gave her the idea of finding someone to be her eyes and observe for her. Chen Qushui was undoubtedly the best candidate she could find at the moment.
Chen Qushui suddenly realized, and said: "Using bronze as a mirror, we can correct our attire; using people as a mirror, we can know our gains and losses; using history as a mirror, we can know the rise and fall..."
"No, no, no." Dou Zhao smiled, "I don't have such big ambitions yet. I just want to keep everything I have now, so that no one can see me, covet me, use me, sell me out, or put me on display...that's all."
Chen Qushui was puzzled and said implicitly, "But isn't everything that Fourth Miss has today given by the Dou family?"
"Mr. Chen may not know yet," Dou Zhao looked at Chen Qushui with a smile, "Before Wang was made the legitimate wife, my uncle made the decision for me. West Dou allocated half of the property to my name as a dowry. Currently, my third cousin from the second branch of East Dou is helping me manage it." She told Chen Qushui about the agreement between the Zhao and Dou families.
Beads of sweat the size of beans dripped from Chen Qushui's forehead.
He lived in the East Lane Building, a gathering place for idle gangs, but no one had ever heard any rumors about him.
What does this mean?
His eyes widened in shock.
Some people don't want this to get out.
Who will benefit if no one knows about this?
"Miss Fourth Dou," Chen Qushui claimed to be a calm person, but he couldn't help wiping his forehead with his hand, "Your situation... is really... worrying..."
"That depends on how you look at it and how you think about it." Dou Zhao didn't take it seriously and smiled lightly, "Good fortunes are intertwined with misfortunes, and misfortunes are intertwined with good fortunes. Sometimes good things can turn into bad things, and sometimes bad things can turn into good things. With that fortune in hand and a group of people who can handle things, we can just sit back and watch the boat capsize. Whether the Wang family wins or the Dou family wins, they probably can't do anything to me, right?" She smiled at Chen Qushui, "Rather than asking Mr. Chen to be my teacher, I'd rather ask Mr. Chen to be my mentor and teach me how to avoid bad luck and pursue good luck, so that I can live a comfortable and happy life."
If Dou Zhao was a boy, Chen Qushui would have agreed without hesitation. But Dou Zhao was a girl...
He hesitated and asked, "I wonder if Miss Fourth Dou is engaged?"
Dou Zhao laughed and said, "I'm not ready to get married!"
Chen Qushui was stunned.
Dou Zhao smiled and said, "The Dou family is very prosperous. I already have eleven nephews, and there will be more in the future. Why should I get married?"
If she gets married, she will have children and become someone's wife and mother, and can only rely on her husband and son; if she does not get married, she will always be a girl of the Dou family and can rely on everyone in the Dou family, giving her more choices!
"But..." Chen Qushui couldn't agree, "You can't be alone all your life, right?"
She was married and had children, but that was it.
But Dou Zhao had no way to explain these things to anyone. She could only say: "For now, this is the best solution, right? Nothing in the world is immutable. Let's talk about it after we have established our foothold! Living with your head held high is more important than getting married."