A faint smile flickered at the corner of Dou Xueci’s lips. Of everyone in the household, the one she liked most was Sister Zhuyin. Though born of a concubine, she was educated, courteous, and carried within her a sense of justice.
The reason Dou Xueci had chosen Dou Zhuyin to help manage affairs was precisely because, in her previous life, she knew this was her temperament. It was only a pity that she had been born a woman, unable to go out and achieve merit in the world. Otherwise, she would have been no less than the men.
Yuxuan returned after making her inquiries outside and reported: “Young Lady, this Nanny Zhang was originally the wife of Si Xi, a steward under Madam Yao. Now she oversees the flowers and trees of our household. I also searched her quarters and found several items that don’t seem like things Nanny Zhang should possess. I don’t recognize them, so I brought them back for you to see.”
Liu Yun stepped forward, received the items, and handed them to Dou Xueci. She lowered her head to look, but she too did not recognize them.
“What is this…”
Only Jin Yudian immediately recognized them. Her gaze wavered as it fell on Dou Xueci.
“Second Sister‑in‑law, you recognize it?”
“This seems to be Madam Zou’s belonging. That hairpin — I’ve seen her wear it before.”
Dou Zhuyin also hesitated to speak. The hairpin was far too recognizable; it was Eldest Madam’s favorite. She wore it three or five days out of ten. How could such a distinctive item now be given to someone else?
“It may not necessarily be Eldest Madam. Why would she embarrass herself at her own birthday banquet? Besides, this is Sister Xueci’s first major matter after taking charge of the household. As a mother, why would she not support her, but instead hinder her?”
Jin Yudian lifted her eyes, her face openly mocking, her words clearly meant to needle Dou Xueci.
“How could it be… Mother treats me extremely well. She would never do such a thing!” Dou Xueci’s hand trembled, her sleeve nearly knocking over the teacup on the table, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Jin Yudian’s smile deepened. She had thought it was her own mother‑in‑law’s scheme, but in the end, it seemed to implicate Eldest Madam herself.
Before outsiders had even intervened, mother and daughter had already turned against each other.
But Nanny Zhang was truly detestable — she turned out to be a servant with divided loyalties! In time, she would of course report this to her mother‑in‑law and have that ungrateful family expelled from the household.
And Eldest Madam — her hand had even reached into the Second Branch!
Dou Zhuyin, however, showed genuine concern. She walked over, gently took Dou Xueci’s hand, and used a handkerchief to wipe away the tea that had spilled on it. Turning to Liu Yun, she said, “Take your young lady to change her clothes. Matters here are nearly settled. Second Young Madam and I will go report to Old Madam.”
Dou Xueci slowly lifted her head, her eyes already misted with tears.
“Thank you, Sister.” She knew well this was Dou Zhuyin’s kindness. If she, as a daughter, were to expose and question her own mother, even with reason on her side, she would still be judged harshly.
Dou Zhuyin had never seen Dou Xueci so fragile. As a child, Dou Xueci had always been spirited and bold. She would carry the little spear made for her by the Duke, running all over the household like a mischievous tyrant. Even her brothers, who among them hadn’t been beaten by her?
Thinking back to the calamity three years ago, when Dou Xueci escorted the Duke’s coffin back to Yongzhou, she was ambushed along the way.
The news reached the capital, saying her hand had been injured, and from then on, she could no longer lift heavy objects. All her martial skills were thus ruined. Now that she had returned, she was no longer the reckless girl she once was.
Dou Zhuyin also noticed that, though still so young, she carried a lifeless air about her. Even when she smiled, it never reached her eyes. Her gaze was filled with undisguised sorrow. She thought of those three years in Yongzhou — dozens, even hundreds of assassination attempts. How had she endured them? Was wealth and power truly so important? Important enough to drive one to harm their own flesh and blood…
Meanwhile, Dou Xueci returned to her inner chamber to change clothes, while Dou Zhuyin and Jin Yudian took the half‑dead Nanny Zhang and the evidence to report to Old Madam.
“Young Lady, are we truly not going to see for ourselves? If something changes again, wouldn’t all this scheming be wasted?”
Liu Yun helped Dou Xueci change her clothes, and even indoors, she still draped her in a thick cloak. Ever since they had returned to the household, the charcoal had never been supplied sufficiently. And those little maids — each one lazy and slippery, not taking the young lady seriously at all.
“What would I go for? Do you think Old Madam would punish her for such a matter? At most, it serves as a reminder to Old Madam and lets everyone see what kind of person our Eldest Madam truly is. It also lets Second Madam see — her side is already leaking like a sieve. Besides, if I really went, filial piety would come first, and I might be forced to plead for her. I have no interest in playing that charade. Let them act it out themselves.”
This Dou family’s matriarch believed herself burdened with responsibility, holding the honor and disgrace of the Duke’s household in her hands. Over the years, she had covered up countless matters, large and small, ensuring at least outward calm.
Such a thing — a mother scheming against her own daughter — if spoken aloud, would invite divine punishment. Naturally, she would suppress it. But she would not ignore Dou Xueci’s grievance entirely; instead, she would later make some compensations, showing her maternal affection.
As for today’s confrontation, Dou Xueci had simply recalled how, in her previous life, when she first took charge of the household, she had been made to suffer.
At that time, the date was much the same — just before Madam Zou’s birthday.
So she guessed that they might use the same trick to harm her, and prepared in advance.
Madam Zou was not so foolish as to give her own hairpin to Nanny Zhang. It was Dou Xueci who, the night before, had ordered Yuxuan to sneak into Madam Zou’s quarters and steal the hairpin, then plant it in Nanny Zhang’s room during the search.
If they hadn’t tried that scheme or had used another method, they might not have fallen so neatly into Dou Xueci’s trap.
In the end, one brings ruin upon oneself.
And Nanny Zhang truly was a servant with divided loyalties.
This matter bore the Second Branch’s instigation, as well as Madam Zou’s involvement. None of them was clean.
By dusk, from outside came word — it was Old Madam herself who had arrived.
“Why is this room so cold! In such icy weather, how can anyone endure it?” Zhi Ying supported Old Madam as she entered. The moment she stepped inside, she frowned — the room was as cold as an ice cellar.
Dou Xueci greeted her, then helped her sit down. “Earlier, the servants said that this winter is especially cold, and the charcoal supply cannot meet demand. They told me to wait a few days.”
Old Madam’s face darkened. She was still alive, yet her granddaughter was already being treated so harshly. If one day she were gone, wouldn’t this girl be torn apart and devoured?
Pulling her into her arms, Old Madam’s eyes held guilt. This was the only bloodline left of her most beloved eldest son. No matter how she weighed the pros and cons, her heart for this child had never lessened. Only sometimes did circumstances leave her powerless.
“Good child, I know all your grievances. Today I punished your mother. She failed to manage her people properly, allowing the hairpin to be stolen and giving villains the chance to do evil. Her birthday on the eighteenth of December need not be prepared for — she has no such blessing. I have confined her for three months to reflect on her faults.”
This handling clearly absolved Madam Zou, stating only that she had been lax in supervision and that the hairpin had been stolen, not that she had deliberately ordered Nanny Zhang to frame Dou Xueci.
Leaning against Old Madam’s embrace, Dou Xueci’s mind could not help but recall a phrase: “Neither blind nor deaf can one be the head of a household.”