Dou Zhao secretly shook his head: "I don't know how many messes I will have to clean up for her in the future!"

Su Xin naturally didn't dare to say anything about such things.

She helped Dou Zhao change his clothes, and then accompanied Dou Zhao and Dou Ming to the Second Lady's place.

When the Second Lady saw Dou Ming, she simply said "Here he comes".

Perhaps because she had been disciplined by the Second Madam when she was a child, Dou Ming behaved very well in front of the Second Madam. She called her "Great Aunt" respectfully and asked her if her backache had gotten better. This time, she brought her a kind of ointment from Kyoto, which was said to be particularly effective for backache. She managed to make the cold-faced Second Madam smile.

Dou Zhao looked at it and secretly curled his lips.

Dou Ming is still the same as in her previous life. As long as she likes, she can make cats and dogs like her. But when she gets angry, even the king and the queen will make trouble for her.

The Second Lady took Dou Ming's hand and asked her what books she had read in recent years and how her needlework and sewing were going.

"I read "Nu Yi", "Lie Nu Zhuan" and "Xiao Jing" with my aunt." Dou Ming smiled sweetly, "I haven't started to learn needlework yet, but I like to play the pipa, so my aunt hired a teacher to teach me. This time she also followed me back to Zhending."

She was smart not to mention her grandmother.

If she dared to mention Wang Xu, the Second Lady would probably turn hostile on the spot.

It was said that the Second Lady had been the head of the Dou family for a long time, and her jealousy grew day by day. She could not listen to other voices and could not tolerate other people.

As Dou Zhao was thinking, she heard the Second Lady say to her, "Shou Gu, you are good at needlework. Now that Ming Jie'er is back, you have to give her some guidance on needlework." She then praised the good selection of those books and talked about the importance of women's virtues. The haze in Dou Ming's eyes became darker and darker. Just when a trace of impatience flashed across her face, Ji Yong came.

Ji Yong was a little surprised to see the Dou sisters.

Seeing Ji Yong, the Dou sisters were also a little surprised.

Only the Second Lady showed joy on her face. She waved to Ji Yong repeatedly and said, "Why are you coming here with me at this time, instead of resting in the house with Hui'er and Zhi'er? Come, sit next to me." Not only did she pick up a round fan and fan Ji Yong herself, she also urged the maid to bring in a bowl of iced mung bean soup. She was so warm and enthusiastic as if her own grandson had come. Dou Ming couldn't help but feel pity, and he forced himself not to ask who this was.

The Ji Yong family is actually quite good at pleasing old ladies.

When he came back from Mount Tai, he brought a stone for the Second Lady. At first glance, the texture on the stone looked like a God of Longevity leading a sika deer. The Second Lady was so happy that she asked someone to make a stand out of rosewood and placed the stone in her own small Buddhist temple.

Dou Zhao glanced in the direction of the small Buddhist temple. The Second Lady pointed at Dou Ming and said, "Jianming, you haven't met Sister Ming yet, right? This is the second daughter of our seventh son. She has been with him in Kyoto and just came back today." She then said to Dou Ming, "This is your sixth aunt's nephew. You should follow Aunt Shou and call her cousin Ji!"

Ji Yong bowed to Dou Ming graciously, elegant and modest, like a handsome young man.

Dou Ming knelt down and saluted, looking a little surprised.

Ji Yong came to say goodbye: "... my great-grandfather had a good friend in Baoding Prefecture. This time when I was away, my great-grandfather asked me to visit him."

The Second Lady hurriedly asked, "Why don't you go after a few days? These days are the hottest time of the year." Her tone was full of concern.

"I plan to go to Kyoto with Hui and Zhi after the Mid-Autumn Festival." He said with a smile, "I haven't seen my uncle and father for a few years, and it's a good opportunity for me to go with Hui and Zhi to visit my uncle."

Dou Zhao had heard from Ji that there were currently six people in the Ji family who were in government service. In addition to Ji Yong's uncle being the vice minister of the Ministry of Works and his father being the right minister of the Ministry of Public Administration, several of his cousins ​​were sent to various places, either as prefects, censors, or governors, and all had good prospects. This should have been the biggest boost for the Dou family, but because the Ji and Dou families had different political views and Ji Yong's uncle also intended to be a prime minister, the two families were not very close. However, with such in-laws who were on the same side, they could not help but look up to each other, and it did not affect the private interactions between the two families.

"It would be nice to go to Kyoto." The Second Lady said with a smile, and ordered her personal nanny to get some Huoxiang Pills, Rendan Pills and other pills for Ji Yong: "The weather is too hot, take them with you on the road."

Ji Yong thanked him repeatedly.

The Second Lady was still worried, so she held his hand and gave him instructions for a long time.

When they returned, Dou Zhao discovered that Dou Ming quietly asked the maidservant beside the Second Lady: "It seems that the cousin of the Ji family is very favored by the great-aunt?"

"Of course." The maid's face was full of envy. "Don't look at the young age of the Ji family cousin, but he is a top scholar in Nanzhili! How can the lady not like him?"

Dou Zhao noticed that Dou Ming's eyes flashed.

Whenever she wants something, she'll have this look in her eyes.

After living a new life, would Dou Ming's target shift from Wang Nan to Ji Yong?

She always thought that Dou Ming might not like Wang Nan very much, but she was just unwilling to accept that Wang Nan, a young talent praised by everyone, had a bright future and was the most valued by the Wang family, fell in love with the elegant Gao Mingzhu.

Dou Zhao still remembered the scene in his previous life when Wang Nan lay on Gao Mingzhu's coffin and cried silently...

If Dou Ming shifted his attention because of Ji Yong's appearance, it might not be a bad thing!

Compared with Wang Nan, Ji Yong has many more ideas.

Dou Zhao thought about it, and she and Dou Ming parted ways at the second gate, one went to the east wing and the other went to the west wing. But just as she stepped into the yard, she saw three or four housekeepers assigned to the west wing surrounding Hong Gu and talking about something. When they saw Dou Zhao coming, they exchanged glances and surrounded her without any prior arrangement.

"Miss Fourth, would you please let us take charge of the East Cross Courtyard?"

"Yes, Fourth Miss. We all want to come to the East Cross Courtyard to work. Even if we don't take care of the work, we can just be on duty!"

Dou Zhao asked them coldly, "Did Miss Fifth show her disdain to you in front of other people? Or did she punish you without asking any questions?"

Several maids in charge lowered their heads.

"I don't want to hear such words again." Dou Zhaoxun said, "As long as you follow the rules in everything, no one can make things difficult for you. But if you don't follow the rules and are picky, it will be the same no matter where you work."

Several people responded tremblingly.

Dou Zhao walked into his grandmother's room with his head held high.

Hong Gu seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.

Dou Zhao said, "I know what you mean. But no matter what, she is also one of the masters of this family. I can deal with her if I want to, and there is no need to let these people who flatter the powerful and bully her." She paused and continued, "Besides, this will easily corrupt the atmosphere in the family."

Back then, when she was the housekeeper at the Jining Marquis's Mansion, she had a hard time changing this atmosphere.

Hong Gu thought about it and realized that this was the truth.

She smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "I was thinking left."

Dou Zhao put his arm around Hong Gu's shoulders and said, "It's not that you're thinking left, it's that your heart is with me." These words made Hong Gu burst into tears.

Several people entered grandmother's inner room with smiles on their faces.

※※※※※

Dou Ming only brought back a dozen boxes and baskets. She thought that after the storm had passed, her mother would naturally find a way to let her go back, and she didn't need to bring so many things. Therefore, the furnishings in Qixia Courtyard were all old things, and there was nothing to pack up and organize. Madam Zhou and her people decorated the courtyard in just half an hour.

After Dou Ming washed up, Nanny Zhou saw that only the afterglow of the sun was left in the sky and a cool breeze was blowing under the corridor. She moved out a brocade stool and helped Dou Ming wipe his hair under the corridor.

"The scenery at the Dou family is really beautiful." She tactfully persuaded Dou Ming, "You can live in a courtyard by yourself, which is much more spacious than when you were in Kyoto. How wonderful!"

In Kyoto, Dou Ming lived in the warm room behind Wang Xu's inner chamber.

"Living in the capital is not easy." Dou Ming would not allow anyone to say anything bad about her in-laws. "It must be a rural area, so the courtyard is naturally spacious."

Madam Zhou followed her words and said, "Yes! Just think of it as coming here to cool off. When you have nothing to do, you can play the pipa with Wan Niang, read a book, or just walk around. It's so relaxing!"

Wanniang was the teacher who taught Dou Ming to play the pipa.

Dou Ming did not refute this.

While Madam Zhou was preparing dinner for her, she quietly told her personal maid Ji Hong, "Help me find out about my cousin from the Ji family."

Ji Hong agreed with a smile.

Dou Zhao got the news immediately.

She said to Su Lan, "Just keep an eye on her and don't let her do anything messy or ridiculous."

Sulan nodded with a smile.

Dou Zhao discussed with Song Yumin and decided to set aside half an hour every morning to teach Dou Ming "The Analects of Confucius".

When he taught in other people's homes, he usually had to teach two, three, or even seven or eight students, and after teaching the younger ones he would teach the older ones. But when he taught in the Dou family's home, he only had to teach Dou Zhao, and there were no requirements for teaching. He was already bored to death, so adding another student was just the right way to kill time.

"Then let's talk to Miss Five first every morning after talking to Miss Four!" Song Yumin agreed immediately.

Dou Zhao knew that he gave Song Yan an hour-long lesson every day, so he asked, "Will it delay Song Yan's studies?"

Song Yan's parents died early, and although he had to live on the back of many families, he was studious and devoted himself to study. Song Yumin felt sorry for him for losing his parents at such a young age, and also valued his ambition despite his poor family background, so he brought him with him.

"No problem." Song Yumin said with a smile, "It's the same when I give him a lecture this afternoon." At this point, he hesitated and said, "There is something I would like to ask Miss Four..."

Dou Zhao said hurriedly, "I'm sorry, you are my teacher, just tell me what you need."

Despite this, Song Yumin thought for a moment before saying, "Song Yan is not young anymore, and he has been studying with me. I have made some achievements in poetry, calligraphy, and painting, but this eight-part essay is..." He chuckled and said, "I myself failed to pass the imperial examination, let alone Song Yan - I want Song Yan to study at the Dou Family School. I wonder if the fourth lady can help talk to the third master?"

The Dou family hoped to recruit talented people from all over the world to teach them, and Song Yan was a man of good character. This alone was enough for Master Du to agree.

"Every profession has its specialties. Mr. Song likes poetry, music, calligraphy and painting, so he doesn't put much time into his studies." Dou Zhao complimented Song Yumin a few words and promised to tell his third uncle about this early tomorrow morning.