The Town Protector’s Office is the core department of the Jinyiwei. Although the Deputy Chief of the Jinyiwei manages its internal affairs, can someone who oversees internal matters compare to one who handles criminal cases?
Song Mo smiled slightly and said, “The Deputy Chief of the Jinyiwei seems to hold the same rank as the Town Protector of the Town Protector’s Office, both being of the fourth rank, right?”
Shi Chuan, already aware that Song Mo would not easily agree, chuckled and replied, “The Town Protector’s Office has been quite stable under Chen Zan’s leadership these past few years. I was just considering whether to grant him a hereditary position as a hundred households to commend his contributions over the years.”
A hereditary hundred households!
Shi Chuan is truly willing to invest heavily to keep the Jinyiwei under his control!
Some matters cannot be rushed.
Song Mo raised his cup with a smile, saying, “Chen Zan is fortunate to have someone like Lord Shi as his superior!”
Shi Chuan laughed heartily and clinked his cup gently with Song Mo’s.
Thus, the matter was settled.
Yet, Shi Chuan felt no relief in his heart.
What exactly does Song Yantang know?
And how much does he know?
He gazed at the elegantly smiling Song Mo, feeling uncertain.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of Aunt Cui’s house in Si Si Hutong, Yuan Ge’er had already fallen asleep. Dou Zhao was absentmindedly patting his son, but his ears perked up, fully focused on the sounds coming from the main room.
His father, Dou Shiying, spoke with a bitter tone, “…Why must you be like this? The Jing’an Temple Hutong is so spacious, and the Wang family often stays at their maternal home. If you go there, it would be just right to have someone in charge in the inner courtyard. If you stay here, how will Yantang think of me? How will our relatives and friends view me…?”
His Matriarch’s voice remained as lively as ever, “You are someone who loves those empty titles! Yantang is our family’s grandson; he shows me filial piety, so why shouldn’t I accept it? Moreover, I like how this house is arranged. I enjoy living here. If I move to your place, during the festivals, will the families of the fifth and sixth sons come to visit you to pay their respects or not? They are all in high positions now, and I won’t make things difficult for them. If I stay here, we can pretend not to know each other’s presence, and everyone can live peacefully. Why complicate simple matters? This is quite good. You don’t need to say anything; I have already decided to live here.”
“This…” Dou Shiying murmured, still wanting to persuade his Matriarch.
Dou Zhao, however, breathed a sigh of relief.
The reason Song Yantang wanted to wait until Yuan Ge’er completed his hundred-day celebration before bringing his Matriarch to the capital was to avoid having her, at her age, subjected to the half-hearted respect of the Fifth and Sixth Ladies, being treated poorly. Now, this arrangement was perfect; she could live quietly here, with all the servants being her people. They could pretend not to know she had come to the capital, so they wouldn’t have to pay their respects, and she wouldn’t need to return the courtesy. Everyone would be comfortable.
Dou Zhao entrusted Yuan Ge’er to the wet nurse and lifted the curtain to leave the inner room.
“Father, we all know you are filial,” she urged Dou Shiying, “but Aunt Cui is elderly; let her live according to her preferences!”
Her Matriarch nodded repeatedly, smiling, “Sister Shou knows me well!”
Dou Shiying could no longer insist, awkwardly saying, “If you lack anything or need to buy something, just let Hong Gu tell me.” He then nodded at Hong Gu, who had accompanied his Matriarch to the capital.
Hong Gu quickly knelt and respectfully said, “Seventh Master, please rest assured; I will take good care of Aunt Cui.”
The Matriarch waved her hand, smiling, “Alright, you all don’t need to talk about these trivial matters. Now that I am in the capital, there will be plenty of opportunities to speak! I heard from the cook that Yantang especially had someone bring a basket of crabs from the south. Sister Shou can’t eat them, and I haven’t had many of these cold foods in recent years. However, you have always liked them since you were little. I had Hong Gu find a jar of Huadiao wine; let’s have dinner here tonight!”
A flicker of surprise crossed Dou Shiying’s face.
He hadn’t expected his Matriarch to know his eating habits… He thought she was just the one who gave birth to him…
In an instant, his eyes felt a bit moist.
He quickly lowered his head and softly replied, “Yes.”
Hong Gu immediately instructed the servants to set the table.
Soon, the Eight Immortals table in the main room was filled with dishes.
The cook eagerly said, “This is a crispy pigeon, specially prepared for the old lady by the young master; this is braised pork knuckle. The young master said that the old lady was getting older and should eat less sweet food, so I made this dish. Old lady, please try it and see if it suits your taste. This is steamed double vegetables; I arranged it in a Tai Chi shape, wishing the old lady happiness as vast as the East Sea and longevity as high as the South Mountain…”
Both the Matriarch and Dou Zhao couldn’t help but laugh, with the Matriarch saying, “I’m not celebrating my birthday; why wish for happiness as vast as the East Sea and longevity as high as the South Mountain!”
The cook’s face turned bright red, and she quickly knelt, saying, “I’m illiterate and don’t know how to speak; please don’t be angry, old lady!”
The Matriarch laughed, “There are no such strict rules here; get up quickly!” She then instructed Hong Gu, who was helping the cook, “Reward her with a red envelope.” She added, “You’ve worked hard today; go eat now! You don’t need to serve here anymore.”
Seeing that the Matriarch was easygoing, the cook joyfully accepted the red envelope, thanking the Matriarch repeatedly before retreating.
Dou Shiying lowered his head, deciding not to bring up the matter of moving his biological mother to Jing’an Temple Hutong again.
How could the servants in Jing’an Temple Hutong be so fawning over her?
Who doesn’t want a comfortable and joyful life? Since she likes it this way, let it be!
Dou Shiying silently ate his meal.
Dou Zhao, however, rewarded the cook with two more high-quality red envelopes and instructed Gan Lu to convey, “If you take good care of the old lady, there will be additional rewards.”
Dou Shiying was even more generous.
Ten taels of silver!
This made the other servants in the household both envious and jealous, seizing every opportunity to get close to the Matriarch, and making her smile every day.
Of course, that was all later.
That evening, after Song Mo brought Dou Zhao and the child back to the residence, Dou Zhao, disregarding that Song Mo was changing clothes, tightly embraced him from behind.
She held him so tightly that Song Mo felt a bit breathless, and he vaguely understood that Dou Zhao was moved by his actions.
He felt somewhat proud and inexplicably satisfied, gently caressing the back of her delicate, jade-like hand, and smiled, “I’m glad you like it!”
“I like it very much!” Dou Zhao leaned against his shoulder and kissed his neck fiercely.
Song Mo inhaled sharply, his body instantly igniting with heat.