Dou Zhao had just finished nursing Yuan before coming out. She never imagined the Empress Dowager would be playing cards with Consort Shi so early in the morning, let alone keep her to join the game. It was nearly noon now, and her breasts were full again, making her feel uncomfortable.
Hearing the Empress Dowager invite her to continue playing cards in the afternoon, she glanced at the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess immediately understood Dou Zhao’s predicament.
After a brief thought, she smiled and asked, “Lady Dou, have you arranged everything at home?”
Dou Zhao hurriedly replied, “I’m nursing the child myself, but we also have wet nurses at home… I’ll just have someone instruct them to take good care of the child.”
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager exclaimed in surprise, “You’re nursing the child yourself? Be careful not to harm your health.”
Dou Zhao smiled and said, “You know the situation at home best, Your Majesty. The young master values the child greatly and doesn’t trust others.”
The Empress Dowager chuckled and waved her hand, dismissing Dou Zhao, “Go take care of the child. When he’s a bit older, bring him to the palace for me to see. I remember he’s only a day younger than Prince Xun.”
Dou Zhao respectfully thanked her and, seeing that the Crown Princess had no intention of leaving, withdrew alone.
The Crown Princess curtsied to the Empress Dowager, “Grandmother is truly compassionate like a Bodhisattva.”
The Empress Dowager playfully scolded the Crown Princess, “Your silver tongue, always knowing how to please me.” She added, “I’m showing you favor, what does it have to do with Bodhisattvas?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” The Crown Princess smiled brightly as she stepped forward to massage the Empress Dowager’s shoulders. “Your granddaughter-in-law knows, that’s why I stayed behind to thank you!”
The Empress Dowager chuckled, looking at the Crown Princess with great affection.
Meanwhile, Dou Zhao sighed in relief as she left the palace, instructing Ganlu, “Let’s hurry back!”
Ganlu thought something had happened and turned pale with fright, hastily giving orders.
Dou Zhao felt embarrassed but let Ganlu continue to misunderstand as they rushed back to Jing’an Temple Hutong.
Little Yuan was crying.
He had grown accustomed to his mother’s scent and refused to take milk from the wet nurse.
Dou Zhao quickly took the child.
The baby began to suckle ravenously.
Dou Zhao trembled with heartache.
At this rate, it seemed best for her not to go anywhere until the child was weaned.
She now realized the importance of wet nurses.
But seeing the peaceful, satisfied expression on the child’s face as he nursed, Dou Zhao’s heart melted, feeling that any inconvenience or trouble was worth it.
As she stroked the child’s shiny black hair, she thought of the Crown Princess who had helped her out of the awkward situation.
Such a perceptive and refined woman, yet she ultimately met a tragic end. Could this be considered the fate of a beautiful woman?
She thought of the third prince, only a day older than Yuan, and suddenly felt a bit uneasy.
When Song Mo came over, she couldn’t help but ask him, “What kind of person is the Crown Prince?”
Song Mo smiled, “What’s this? Did you suffer some grievance from the Crown Princess?”
“What are you talking about!” Dou Zhao glared at him and said, “Would you not know if I had suffered any grievance in the palace? When I went to the Eastern Palace, the eunuchs there offered me just a cup of plain water.”
Nursing mothers were advised against drinking tea.
Song Mo laughed heartily, leaning down to kiss the sleeping Yuan. He smiled and said, “He was educated by the Grand Secretaries, so naturally he follows the Confucian way. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Perhaps it was in line with the saying “A gentleman deceives with righteousness” that the Crown Prince failed in his previous life.
This thought flashed through Dou Zhao’s mind.
She asked about Song Mo’s return to the mansion, “What did the Duke say about Mother’s dowry?”
“Naturally, he won’t return it,” Song Mo said with a cold smile. “He said he wanted to go to the Court of Judicial Review to sue me. But when I proposed exchanging three estates worth a total of 7,000 taels of silver for the properties under Song Han’s name, he immediately changed his tune. He wants me to add three more shops, and then he’ll return Mother’s dowry to me. I suppose it’s because Song Han is getting married, and he wants Song Han to appear more prosperous. I couldn’t be bothered to argue with him, so I agreed. I’ve asked Liao Bifeng to buy three shops in the market, and we’ll go to the Shuntian Prefecture in a couple of days to process the contracts.”
“That’s good too,” Dou Zhao said. “It’s just a matter of spending a few more taels of silver. Consider it as if you’ve rewarded someone, avoiding getting angry with them and unnecessarily harming your health.”
Song Mo nodded.
The properties had already been given to Song Han, and he was worried that Song Han might do something desperate and sell off the things Madam Jiang had left behind piecemeal. It would be more troublesome to recover them later, so it was better to get Madam Jiang’s properties in hand first.
As for the farms and shops given to Song Han, how much income they generated would depend on who was managing them. They might be worth 10,000 taels of silver now, but not necessarily in the future.
Dou Zhao then brought up the matter of tomorrow’s small engagement ceremony: “…Would it be appropriate for me not to attend?”
“What’s inappropriate about it?” Song Mo smiled. “Aren’t people allowed to have urgent matters? Besides, I’ll be there, so they won’t have time to fuss about you.”
Dou Zhao didn’t understand.
Song Mo smiled and said, “I’ll keep it a secret for now. You’ll know when the time comes.”
It seemed he had another trick up his sleeve to trouble Song Yichun.
Dou Zhao smiled quietly.
Song Mo, concerned about her physical discomfort today, said gently, “Shall I report that you’re ill for the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet on the fifteenth?”
Dou Zhao hesitated.
They conflicted with Song Yichun, and support from the palace was crucial.
Song Mo said, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this matter!”