If that's the case, I must watch him closely, lest the Marquis's manor be overrun with a swarm of concubines and maids that I have to manage! That would be a nightmare, endless trouble!
So, by proactively bringing my two dear sisters, Miao Ansu and Zhao Zhangru, into the household as concubines, I've actually lightened my own burden! At least if any other scheming women try to infiltrate the manor in the future, I will have two trustworthy allies standing firmly by my side!
Thinking this, Dou Zhao felt her decision was remarkably wise — these two concubines were not just timely, but absolutely necessary!
"Hehehe! Wonderful! Now the three of us will never be separated!" Zhao Zhangru, who had been listening to the conversation between Dou Zhao and Miao Ansu, suddenly reached out, grabbing both their hands with an excited, silly smile plastered on her face.
"Yes!" Miao Ansu nodded vigorously, her face flushed with excitement. "The three of us shall be sisters forever and ever!"
"Then it's settled!" Dou Zhao was moved by the heartfelt words of her two dear friends. After all these years of sisterhood, she had once felt melancholy at the thought that after marriage, they might be scattered across the world, never to meet again.
But now, this arrangement was the best possible outcome for all three of them.
"First thing tomorrow morning, I'll personally go to your homes to plead with the Marquis to take you both in as concubines!"
"Tomorrow morning?" Miao Ansu's face immediately reddened. "Isn't that a bit too soon?"
"Better sooner than later! No time to waste, or else more dreams and troubles will arise! I agree to go first thing tomorrow!" Zhao Zhangru nodded repeatedly, enthusiastically supporting Dou Zhao's decision.
"I say, aren't you a bit too impatient? Eager to marry the Marquis so quickly?" Miao Ansu blinked her big, innocent eyes at Zhao Zhangru, teasingly.
"Yes! I simply can't wait!" Zhao Zhangru, unlike most shy maidens, boldly nodded in admission.
"I, Zhao Zhangru, refuse to be outdone by any man! If a man wants to marry into my family, it must be the greatest hero in the world!"
"The Marquis's martial skills are so formidable that even the eighteen Silver Shadow Guards cannot best him!"
"He must be the number one hero under Heaven!"
Though Zhao Zhangru usually appeared scatterbrained and carefree, she was in fact crystal clear about what she wanted. Hearing her rapid-fire declaration left both Miao Ansu and even Dou Zhao a little dumbfounded.
"Of course, if you're not in such a hurry, you can wait a few days!" Zhao Zhangru teased, watching Miao Ansu at a loss for words. "Tomorrow, Dou Zhao will come to my house to ask for me on behalf of the Marquis. If you're not willing to marry in so soon, then… we can wait a little longer!"
"Why should you get to go first?" Miao Ansu, though shy at first upon hearing Dou Zhao's plan to visit her tomorrow, quickly grew anxious at the thought of falling behind. "If you enter the manor tomorrow, then I want to enter tomorrow too..."
"Alright, alright! Tomorrow I will bring you both in grandly and openly to the Marquis's manor!" Dou Zhao sighed helplessly seeing Miao Ansu's genuine worry. Clearly, Zhao Zhangru was just teasing!
But Miao Ansu didn't catch on at all and grew genuinely anxious!
Truly, love makes one blind. Had she not truly wished to be with the Marquis, she wouldn't have lost her composure like this!
Of course, since she had resolved to bring both her dearest friends into the Marquis's household as concubines to accompany her for life, Dou Zhao knew well the importance of treating them both fairly.
Miao Ansu and Zhao Zhangru were equally important in her heart; she naturally wouldn't show favoritism.
Otherwise, these two planned allies might become sources of instability in the harem!
"But there's one thing I must clarify first!" Dou Zhao blinked at the two and said, "Tomorrow I will bring you both to formally enter the manor, but which one the Marquis visits first at night, I cannot decide — and neither of you are allowed to get jealous!"
"Of course!" Miao Ansu nodded without hesitation. "Don't worry! I've already prepared myself mentally for this!"
"I don't mind at all!" Zhao Zhangru shrugged carefree. "As long as I can start training martial arts with the Marquis, I'm satisfied. Even if he never comes to me at night, I won't care!"
"You martial arts fanatic, your words sound sweet now, but I bet you'll blame the Marquis for ignoring you later!"
"Impossible! I'm no delicate little lady who can't live without a man!"
"Alright, alright! Stop bickering! After tomorrow, you'll both be concubines of the Marquis's manor; there must be some rules!"
…
The carriage carrying the three chattering ladies rolled through the bustling streets, finally entering the humble alley where the Marquis's manor was located.
Wei Tingyu, who had been trailing behind from afar, finally relaxed, releasing the tension that had gripped his nerves.
He had an errand to attend to, but after dismounting, he recalled that originally this part of the story should have had Dou Zhao abruptly stop to window shop and then encounter Song Mo.
Though the plot had been altered due to his presence, Wei Tingyu still worried.
He knew that even if Dou Zhao met Song Mo now, no romantic feelings would develop — but he preferred the two to keep their distance.
Yet, the carriage showed no sign of stopping on the bustling street, instead driving straight to the manor, confirming that the storyline had truly been changed by him!
Throughout the ride, the voices of the three women inside the carriage reached Wei Tingyu's ears.
As a martial arts expert with sharp senses, he could easily catch whispers from a hundred paces away.
He was quite pleased that Dou Zhao had taken the initiative to promise to take Miao Ansu and Zhao Zhangru as concubines without his consent.
After all, these two key female characters had also been on Wei Tingyu's own list of potential concubines!