At sixteen, Dou Ying followed the rebel Li for the sake of the greater good. She spent four years away from home and only returned to her homeland this July to reunite with her family. Reuniting with loved ones should have been a heartwarming blessing; however, as time passed, inevitable whispers and rumors began to circulate among the neighbors.
Dou Ying did not particularly care about such talk, but her parents, desperate to make amends for her suffering, were hell-bent on finding her a respectable marriage. She had once surrendered herself as a concubine to the rebel, only to eventually use her wits to eliminate him. While her actions were praised by many, families of equal status were hesitant to take her as a bride.
The court encouraged widows to remarry not out of concern for women, but to ensure they remained productive in childbearing. Similarly, parents hoped their widowed daughters would remarry and bear children, ensuring they had support for their later years. Dou Ying was undoubtedly beautiful, but the fact that she remained childless during her four years with the rebel Li led many to suspect she was infertile. This hesitation made the high-ranking families who prized the continuation of their lineage above all else quite wary. Consequently, the men who came to seek her hand were primarily those who already had heirs but had lost their wives and were looking to marry again; Dou Ying would be relegated to the role of a secondary wife.
Some were simply infatuated with her fame and wished to take her as a concubine, though these were mere delusions; they dared not make such a proposal to the Dou family. No matter how “tainted” Dou Liang’s daughter might be, she would never be reduced to a concubine for men of their ilk!
To many, marrying into a family of equal standing as a secondary wife was considered a good outcome at least she would be a legal spouse, and by raising her stepchildren well, she would surely enjoy peace in her old age. But Dou Liang worried that Dou Ying would be bullied by her stepchildren. His daughter had suffered enough grievances; why should she have to endure more? And so, the marriage negotiations stalled.
Facing parents who cared for her so deeply, Dou Ying could not bring herself to say she did not wish to remarry. Moreover, her elder brother had already married and started a family of his own, meaning the Dou household was no longer fully her home. Some time ago, her parents had inadvertently discussed in front of her brother and sister-in-law the fact that Cui Yuanfeng was arranging a marriage for Cui Yun. Her sister-in-law had suddenly remarked, “Xiao Xiao’s marriage should also be settled soon; there is no reason for an elder sister to be married off after a younger sister.” She then turned to Dou Ying and added, “There is no need for you to be so picky.”
Was this truly a matter of Dou Ying being “picky”? Her sister-in-law’s words had effectively trampled the dignity of Dou Liang and his wife into the dirt. And her sister-in-law was not a woman to be trifled with. Born into the imperial clan, the daughter of the Shaoqing of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Li Ji, she was not one to keep a low profile, nor did she show much respect for her parents-in-law. Not wanting to put her parents and brother in a difficult position, Dou Ying took advantage of Cui Yun’s letter mentioning her stay at Zhaoping Villa for the New Year to come here under the guise of accompanying her.
Zhang Zhaoge fell silent. After the rebel Li was killed, while Huaixi had changed hands several times and ultimately failed to fall under court control, Dou Ying’s contribution remained undeniable. Was it true that a woman of such courage and intellect could not escape the fate of having her life confined to the inner courtyard?
She suddenly asked, “You haven’t mentioned this to Seventh Miss Cui, have you?”
Dou Ying replied with a smile, “What makes you say that?”
“If she knew, she wouldn’t be in the mood to accompany you to the Eight Precepts Festival.”
Dou Ying gave her an intriguing look. “Dalao understands Seventh Miss quite well.”
Zhang Zhaoge said, “It’s not that I understand her; I understand you. She is just like you, someone who suppresses her emotions and never wears her true worries on her sleeve. I suspect that while she looks bright and sunny, inside, she is agonizing over how to deal with Wang Hecheng, who has followed her all the way from Xiangzhou.”
“You guessed that in such detail?”
Zhang Zhaoge lifted her chin, signaling her to look behind them. Dou Ying turned and saw Cui Yun walking toward them on the crowded path a hundred meters away. Beside her was a man dressed in opulent attire, with servants clearing the way so that, despite the heavy crowd, they walked in a vacuum of space.
Cui Yun reached them and called out, “Sister, Deputy General Zhang.” She then produced two amulets, handed one to Dou Ying, and said, “I prayed for two peace amulets; this one is for you.”
Dou Ying smiled as she accepted it, her eyes falling on the gray rabbit held by Xilan, which had a red string tied around its neck. She chuckled, “Even it has a share?”
“A New Year’s gift for it.”
Only then did Dou Ying look at Wang Hecheng, asking a question to which she already knew the answer: “And this is…”
“Wang Hecheng of the Wang family in Xiangzhou. You must be Seventh Miss Cui’s cousin, right? I have long heard of your beauty; to see you today, you are indeed stunning.”
Cui Yun frowned, her expression no longer pleasant. Plenty of people commented on Dou Ying’s beauty, and Dou Ying herself did not care much, but Wang Hecheng was different. Since he sought to marry Cui Yun, he had no business focusing on another woman in her presence, let alone praising her so brazenly. Dou Ying’s gaze also turned cold; she took Cui Yun’s hand and walked to the other side.
Wang Hecheng was bewildered and about to chase after them when Zhang Zhaoge held him back: “What are you doing? Harassing an upright woman in broad daylight are you looking for a tour of the local jail?”
“Hey, it’s you again!” Wang Hecheng broke free, thoroughly annoyed by Zhang Zhaoge repeatedly interfering. “You still claim you have no interest in Seventh Miss Cui? If you truly didn’t, why are you always popping up to meddle in my business?”
Hearing him say this reminded Zhang Zhaoge of that ridiculous rumor. Was her usual display of indifference not enough? Even Dou Ying thought she wasn’t interested in women, so why did this man insist she was interested in Cui Yun?!
“You look like a human on the outside, but you do such gossiping acts. Do your esteemed father and mother know that you are out here ruining other people’s reputations?”
Wang Hecheng asked, “Are you doing this on purpose?”
Zhang Zhaoge suspected he couldn’t understand human speech. Wang Hecheng continued to blabber: “Tell me, what will it take for you to withdraw?”
Zhang Zhaoge: “…” How can one withdraw from something one never participated in?
By now, Wang Hecheng was convinced that Zhang Zhaoge was hiding her intentions and covertly coveting Cui Yun; he felt he had to teach her a lesson! A fight? While Zhang Zhaoge looked slim, she was a martial officer surely her skills and stamina were not to be underestimated. It would be best not to look for trouble. Wang Hecheng quickly thought of chu-pu (a gambling game), something he excelled at.
“Let’s have a match of chu-pu. If you lose, stop pining after Seventh Miss Cui.”
Zhang Zhaoge reasonably suspected that his hands were just itching and he was looking for an excuse to gamble. “No bet.” Not only was she not interested in Cui Yun, but even if she were, she couldn’t gamble getting caught gambling while on duty meant a military flogging.
“You’re afraid, you coward,” Wang Hecheng jeered.
Qiu Hu, who had been standing by Zhang Zhaoge’s side for a while, laughed: “Haha, daring to challenge our boss to chu-pu? Our boss has never missed a beat in this; you’d best not bring shame upon yourself.”
This ignited Wang Hecheng’s competitive spirit; he hated nothing more than someone claiming to never lose at chu-pu in his presence. He immediately clamored: “Bet! If we don’t have a match, you’ll never know the heights of heaven and earth.”
Zhang Zhaoge said, “Just because you spend your days idling doesn’t mean I do.” With that, she pushed past him and went back to her patrol.
Wang Hecheng finally understood her meaning and shouted at her back: “Then let’s have a match next time you’re on leave!”
Cui Yun, who had not gone far, heard the conversation about chu-pu and gambling, and her brows furrowed. She knew that gambling was rampant in the military, but she had assumed Zhang Zhaoge was different. To think “he” was a master of the game? He must gamble often.
Dou Ying withdrew her gaze from Zhang Zhaoge’s retreating back, turned to Cui Yun, and asked, “Seventh Miss, do you not wish to choose between Wang Hecheng and Wei Zhao?”
“Neither of them are good matches,” Cui Yun replied, “but… I don’t know what kind of person would be.”
Dou Ying smiled slightly and said, “If Seventh Miss wants to protect the family estate, have you ever considered taking a matrilocal son-in-law (zhuixu)?”
Cui Yun was stunned. A new train of thought opened up, but she quickly dismissed it as too deviant and impossible to achieve. Dou Ying noticed her hesitation and continued, “The current Jiedushi of Jiannan Xichuan, Wei Gao, once married into the Zhang family as a son-in-law. It is only because he achieved such great success later on that few ever mention his status as such.”
Cui Yun was not as optimistic: “My eldest uncle would never agree, and there aren’t many men in this world willing to marry into a wife’s family. Even if someone were willing, they must have the ability to hold the estate for me.”
The Zhang family Dou Ying mentioned had sons of their own; their decision to take Wei Gao as a son-in-law was an investment, believing he would achieve great things, not just an act of finding a random husband for a daughter. Thus, even if she were to take a son-in-law, the conditions would be extremely harsh. She doubted any man qualified would be willing to marry in.
Dou Ying contemplated for a moment before calmly dropping a bombshell: “Perhaps you could consider Zhang Zhaoge.”