"How dare Ming'er compare herself to older sister!" Dou Ming quickly shook her head and said, "As long as I can often be by brother-in-law's side in the future, Ming'er will be content! I truly dare not harbor any extravagant thoughts..."
As soon as Dou Ming said this, Wang Yingxue next to her rolled her eyes again and again! At the same time, she felt helpless about her daughter's compliant personality.
"What nonsense is Ming'er saying?" However, Wei Tingzhen, seeing Dou Ming's appearance, first glanced at Wang Yingxue in surprise. Seeing her also with a helpless expression, she immediately understood. She quickly walked forward, gently took Dou Ming's hand, and said, "I truly don't like that Dou Zhao! If my brother hadn't insisted on marrying her, I wouldn't have come to propose marriage for him!"
"It's also my fault for not inquiring thoroughly back then, not knowing that the Dou family had such a good girl as Ming'er! Otherwise, the current lady of this Marquis's residence would definitely be you!"
"But Ming'er, don't worry! My heart is with you!"
"Sooner or later, I'll make that Dou Zhao willingly vacate the position of principal wife for you!"
Wei Tingzhen had already discussed the subsequent matters with Wang Yingxue, and of course, Wang Yingxue had also painted many grand visions for her. For example, after divorcing Dou Zhao from the Marquis's residence and taking over her dowry, she could share half of it with Wei Tingzhen. This kind of blatant lie, which even ghosts wouldn't believe, Wei Tingzhen, this foolish woman, believed without a shred of doubt! This was the main reason why she was so eagerly trying to help Dou Ming replace Dou Zhao's position now. As for who her brother Wei Tingyu actually liked? Wei Tingzhen didn't care at all!
"Me, the lady of the Marquis's residence?" Dou Ming was stunned, then quickly shook her head! She had never harbored such extravagant hopes before, and hearing it now scared her even more. "No, no! If brother-in-law knew, he would definitely detest me!" This young girl Dou Ming was still quite intelligent. She probably understood Wei Tingyu's character and knew that his affection for her sister Dou Zhao meant he would absolutely not divorce her. If she pushed too hard, it would only lead to disdain, so her little head immediately shook like a rattle-drum! "Besides, older sister treats me very well! I can't do such a thing!" Of course, the most important thing was that Dou Ming's conscience would not allow her to do such a thing!
"Oh my! My silly girl, why are you..." Wang Yingxue walked over, even more speechless, and pulled Dou Ming, wanting to scold her. However, before she could finish speaking, a flurry of squawking and quacking sounds came from ahead. Then, she surprisingly saw Zhao Zhangru, accompanied by two maids, chasing several chickens and ducks that were flapping wildly, rushing towards them. For a moment, feathers flew everywhere, and many even stuck to Wang Yingxue and Wei Tingzhen... causing them to shriek as well!
Zhao Zhangru and the two maids, with their many hands, managed to catch all the chickens and ducks, then looked up at Wang Yingxue. "Madam! Esteemed sister-in-law!" Zhao Zhangru blinked, still holding a vegetable knife that clearly looked like it was used for slaughtering chickens and ducks, and chuckled as she stared at Wang Yingxue and Wei Tingzhen.
"Sister Ru'er? What are you..." Wang Yingxue was completely dumbfounded. She had originally thought that besides Wei Tingyu, who would arrive later for the banquet, and themselves, there would be no one else in this courtyard today. She never expected Zhao Zhangru to be here!
"I'm catching a few more chickens and ducks for everyone to have an extra meal tonight!" Zhao Zhangru smiled triumphantly and said, "Since today is to welcome the Marquis back and cleanse him of his travels, it must be sincere if I personally cook! Esteemed sister-in-law, please stay for dinner later; don't leave early!" After speaking, she waved her hand imperiously and walked towards the kitchen with the two maids, carrying the chickens and ducks. Wang Yingxue and the other women stood frozen for several seconds after seeing this scene before they reacted.
"That's not right! How could she be here?" Wang Yingxue turned to Wei Tingzhen and asked, "When you went to Marquis Jining's residence this morning to ask the Marquis to come over, wasn't he still not up?"
"I only heard the servants of the Marquis's residence say so, and I didn't see any of my brother's wives or concubines! Who knew they would arrive at this garden even before us?" Wei Tingzhen was also completely bewildered.
"Ming'er, do you know?" Wang Yingxue, hearing this, knew that Wei Tingzhen was not lying, so she turned to Dou Ming and asked. After all, she had been waiting in the courtyard to greet them and Wei Tingzhen earlier.
"I don't know either! I only arrived a step earlier than Mother and Lady Jingguo!" Dou Ming also shrank her neck, then carefully replied.
"It seems the Marquis's household won't let you manipulate them so easily!" Wang Yingxue now completely understood. It turned out that her scheme was a bit too obvious! Apart from anything else, Dou Zhao and the other women must have noticed it, so they had arranged contingencies beforehand.
"Ah?" Wei Tingzhen blinked, looking at Wang Yingxue, and after a long pause, asked, "You mean not just Lady Zhao... but the others too..."
"No need to ask, they're definitely here!" Wang Yingxue gently fanned herself, adopting a posture like a female Zhuge Liang.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about it anymore!" Wei Tingzhen smiled somewhat awkwardly, then said, "Anyway, didn't you want to send Ming'er into the Marquis's residence too? It's good to let her get acquainted with my brother's wives and concubines beforehand, isn't it?"
The group continued to chat as they walked forward. Just as they passed a pavilion, they heard a delicate cry from within! "I've won!" Miao Ansu was seen in the pavilion, triumphantly playing mahjong with a few maids, while several slips of paper were stuck on her pretty face. "You've lost again! Hurry and paste them on!" Miao Ansu proudly ordered the maids, then, by chance, caught sight of the approaching women.
"Madam! Esteemed sister-in-law!" Miao Ansu immediately waved happily at them and shouted, "Sister Zhao taught me this! It's so fun! Do you want to join?"
"..." Wang Yingxue and Wei Tingzhen both showed awkward expressions. On the contrary, Dou Ming looked curiously at Miao Ansu, seemingly quite interested in joining.
"Ming'er! Don't be rude!" However, Wang Yingxue would definitely not let Dou Ming go. She immediately rebuked her softly, pulling back the eager little girl's wandering heart.
"Let's go to the back courtyard and have a look!" Wang Yingxue was utterly speechless at this point. These three women putting on this act for her so early in the morning was completely to mess with her mindset! Thinking of how chaotic the Marquis's residence's backyard usually was, Wang Yingxue actually felt a little heartache. Was putting her daughter Dou Ming in there a good idea? Would Dou Ming also learn to be like them in the future? Then wouldn't her teaching of the past decade or so be all in vain?
However, in Dou Ming's eyes at this moment, she admired Sister Zhao Zhangru and Sister Miao Ansu even more! She never imagined that the Marquis would allow them such playful freedom, as long as they were happy! How rare and extravagant a wish this was for women confined to deep mansions!
"This courtyard! It's my Old Madam's favorite courtyard. The flowers and plants here are all meticulously..." Wang Yingxue led Wei Tingzhen into the backyard and began speaking voluminously, but then her words suddenly stopped again. Because she saw a woman dressed in luxurious attire, accompanied by two maids, squatting on the ground, tending to the flowers and plants. The dirty mud on her delicate face and the pearl and jade ornaments in her hair seemed so out of place!
"When did this mansion hire such a gardener?" Wang Yingxue frowned, then walked forward.
"You must be the Madam from the Head Lady's maiden home, correct?" However, the noblewoman squatting on the ground saw them first. She dropped the tools in her hand, smiled, and rose to bow to them.
"You are..." Wang Yingxue was startled, then realized that the "Head Lady" this woman spoke of must be Dou Zhao, so her identity...
"This humble woman is Marquis's co-wife, Lady He!" And this noblewoman who was personally tending to the flowers and plants was naturally He Weifang! She smiled and bowed to Wang Yingxue, then turned to Wei Tingzhen and said, "This younger sister-in-law greets her older sister-in-law!"
"Oh..." Wang Yingxue and Wei Tingzhen both paused, then muttered to themselves. They naturally knew that Wei Tingyu had brought back a co-wife after his trip, but they didn't expect this woman to personally do such dirty work that only gardeners would do. It had to be said that the eccentric women in Marquis Jining's residence now had one more!
"Since you are the Marquis's co-wife, why do you do such heavy, dirty work? It disgraces your status!" Wei Tingzhen frowned at He Weifang, immediately adopting the demeanor of an older sister-in-law and scolding her.
"This younger sister-in-law has no other hobbies; I just enjoy tending to flowers and plants on normal days!" However, He Weifang was someone who had seen much of the world and wouldn't be scared by Wei Tingzhen's few words. She simply smiled calmly and said, "And the Marquis specially permitted me to personally cultivate the flowers and plants! Even if this humble woman doesn't understand proper etiquette, I know the principle of the husband being the guide for the wife! Since my husband has allowed it, then..."
"..." This retort directly forced Wei Tingzhen's subsequent words of further admonishment back into her throat! That's right! She's now the Marquis Jining's co-wife, not yours from the Jingguo Duke's residence! Since the Marquis has spoken, how can I, an older sister who has married out, dictate affairs in the maiden family?
On the contrary, Dou Ming's eyes brightened even more at this moment. Unbelievable! Brother-in-law dotes on the women in his backyard to this extent?! He even allows He Weifang to do the work of a gardener, which is usually despised by noble families? And the only reason is because He Weifang herself likes to do such things? Oh my goodness! How can I not love such a brother-in-law! Then if I enter the Marquis's residence in the future, I naturally won't have to do all those needlework tasks that my parents force me to do every day? I can play the zither and write poetry with brother-in-law! In my free time, I can also study cooking and gardening with my other sisters? If I get bored, I can even play mahjong with Sister Miao... Oh my goodness! What kind of divine life is this? Dou Ming's heart had already flown to the backyard of the Marquis's residence!
"Where is your Head Lady?" Wang Yingxue pouted, then looked at He Weifang and asked directly. At this moment, she was absolutely certain that these three women had deliberately shown off here just to give her a warning! It was clear that they weren't afraid of her causing trouble! In that case, it was natural to just confront Dou Zhao directly!
However, as soon as Wang Yingxue's words fell, a sharp arrow flew rapidly from a distance and directly pierced the wooden pillar next to her.
"Ah!" This scared Wang Yingxue and Wei Tingzhen so much that their legs went weak! Dou Ming also instinctively clutched her wildly beating little heart! After all, in a quiet courtyard that had just been peaceful, a dangerous arrow suddenly shot out, and it was only a few steps away from them. The fact that these women didn't immediately collapse already showed their strong will!
"Shougu?!" Wang Yingxue, having recovered, looked in the direction the arrow came from and saw Dou Zhao standing there with a longbow in hand, staring back at her with an indifferent expression.
"How rude are you?" Of course, this time, Wang Yingxue finally seized the opportunity to properly scold Dou Zhao! She immediately walked quickly forward, frowning, and questioned her.
"I originally intended to use this willow-shooting tool to welcome guests! Unexpectedly, my skill was not precise enough, which startled the honored guests!" Dou Zhao, however, suppressed the smile in her heart and replied unhurriedly. Of course, her words were also a reminder to the women opposite: you are merely guests here! Not to mention that Wei Tingzhen, the Marquis's sister who has married out, is now an outsider. Even you, Wang Yingxue, are also an outsider in this courtyard now! Because this courtyard is currently still under Old Madam Cui's name and will certainly be Dou Zhao's asset in the future.
And Wang Yingxue, seeing Dou Zhao's calm demeanor, was instantly infuriated! After all, if her skill was truly not precise enough and she almost shot someone, she would have been terrified.
"Where is the Marquis? Has he not arrived yet?" And at this moment, Wei Tingzhen had also recovered from her fright. She had never liked Dou Zhao, her sister-in-law, and seeing this scene made her even more displeased. So she directly frowned, stepped forward, and looked at the other party, asking.
"The Marquis..." Dou Zhao smiled slightly, then, without many words, turned to look at a side door. Just as everyone was wondering, this side door suddenly opened slowly, and then a man dressed in silver-white luxurious clothes, but with a delicate jade-faced fox mask on his face, appeared there.
This scene instantly froze everyone present! Of course, the most shocked was definitely Wang Yingxue! The jade-faced fox-like gentleman! This man, whom she had longed for for so many days, finally appeared before her again! But why was he in Old Madam Cui's courtyard at this moment? Was he with Dou Zhao? Thinking this, a surge of sourness suddenly rose in Wang Yingxue's heart, and when she looked at Dou Zhao again, her eyes were uncontrollably filled with resentment! This was the man she had been constantly thinking about, and he was actually with Dou Zhao!
"Marquis!" However, when Dou Zhao turned and bowed to the jade-faced fox-like gentleman who was slowly walking over, Wang Yingxue was struck by lightning and froze in place. What? Dou Zhao called him "Marquis"? Could he be Wei Tingyu? Wang Yingxue's lips twitched, and she swallowed hard, somewhat incredulously, as this news was simply too shocking to her.
"Brother, you're really naughty, wearing a mask in your own courtyard? You scared your sister!" Wei Tingzhen also recognized her brother's figure at this moment. That's right! Although he was wearing a mask, she was certain that the person in front of her was Wei Tingyu. So, without a second thought, she stepped forward and teased him.
And Dou Ming had already thought of Wei Tingyu hundreds of times over, and even though he was wearing a mask, she recognized his true identity at a glance. At this moment, she even quickly ran two steps forward, almost uncontrollably lunging into his embrace! However, fortunately, she reacted in time, realizing her older sister was still behind her! Rushing into her brother-in-law's embrace like this... it didn't seem quite right! So she barely managed to stop her steps. Of course, in this situation, Dou Ming's heart was always pounding fast!
"Ming'er greets brother-in-law... Marquis!" She pursed her lips, revealing a sweet, shy smile, and bowed respectfully to Wei Tingyu.
"Jade-faced fox... you... you're really Wei Tingyu?" At this moment, Wang Yingxue was completely numb. Even in her dreams, she never imagined that her lover would be Dou Zhao's husband! And when Wei Tingyu slowly removed the mask, revealing his true face, Wang Yingxue almost couldn't stand steadily and nearly collapsed to the ground. It was fortunate that Dou Ming next to her quickly grabbed her mother, otherwise, she would have made a huge fool of herself in front of these maids and servants. Of course, everyone present was puzzled by Wang Yingxue's rather strange behavior. After all, even if Wei Tingyu came in wearing a jade-faced fox mask, it shouldn't have scared her that much, right? Looking at the other female relatives and servants, they were all women, and none of them reacted as dramatically as Wang Yingxue did!