"Taking a concubine is common, but I certainly don't want just any ordinary woman!" Wei Tingyu nodded after realizing this and spoke straightforwardly.
"Of course! If she were a woman of low status, I wouldn't have brought her into the Marquis's household to serve the Marquis!" At this moment, Dou Zhao had completely embraced her identity as the rightful wife of the Marquis of Jining.
Especially after managing the household these past few days, she had become increasingly adept at it, to the point where even her words and actions now carried the poise of a legitimate wife. This included the matter of taking a concubine!
"So, has the wife already selected someone?" Wei Tingyu blinked, looking at Dou Zhao's serious expression and asked.
"Tomorrow, my husband and I will visit my family. My family is holding a banquet, and I've already written a letter inviting my cousin and friends to join us!" Dou Zhao blinked, gazing at Wei Tingyu and added, "Tomorrow, my uncle's students from the court, along with some other young masters from noble families, will also attend."
"I see. This banquet was originally meant to introduce your younger sister and other young masters from noble families, right?" Wei Tingyu immediately recalled the plot.
Originally, Dou Zhao was one of the women being introduced for a potential marriage, but she had already been married to him in advance, becoming the Marquis's wife.
So, this visit was essentially to help her younger sister find a match!
But Dou Zhao was clearly not up to any good here! Was she trying to cause a commotion? Or was she genuinely planning to bring her cousin, friends, or even her sister into the Marquis's household as concubines for herself?
Or was this some kind of revenge against her stepmother?
Looking at it this way, it seemed that the idea of taking a concubine was part of Dou Zhao's plot!
Well, no wonder she's the big heroine Dou Zhao! I had thought she would easily humble herself, but I was clearly underestimating her!
In any case, Wei Tingyu was going to join in the fun regardless. Whether or not a concubine would be taken was another matter. With that thought, he nodded.
Seeing that Wei Tingyu had agreed, Dou Zhao sweetly kissed his cheek and then closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. The two of them embraced and fell into a peaceful sleep.
The next evening, as nightfall descended, the Marquis of Jining's carriage arrived at the Dou family's main gate.
What greeted Dou Zhao, however, was a scene that left her stunned!
At the entrance of the Dou family, there were people coming and going, with young masters and young ladies, accompanied by their elders, continuously arriving.
The scene… completely caught her off guard!
She had initially thought it would be a typical family banquet, with only a few sons and daughters from families with good ties to her uncle attending. How could there be so many people?
"Marquis! Something seems off!" Dou Zhao blinked and then turned to look at Wei Tingyu, who was sitting next to her, saying, "My uncle is just a department official; we've never had so many guests at home before!"
"Times have changed," Wei Tingyu replied, opening his eyes briefly to glance at the scene before closing them again and adding, "After all, you and I are here too!"
Wei Tingyu was somewhat surprised at first, but quickly realized the reason. In the original story, the family banquet was small because it was just an ordinary matchmaking event for a government official's family.
But now, it was different! Since Dou Zhao had married him, she was now the official Marquis's wife!
Moreover, her younger sister, Dou Ming, was among the women being introduced!
Naturally, many young masters from government families would attend, hoping to form connections with the Marquis of Jining's family. And as more young masters arrived, the unmarried young ladies from these families wouldn't miss the chance to show themselves off.
Once Wei Tingyu spoke, Dou Zhao immediately understood and thoughtfully nodded.
As the Marquis of Jining's carriage slowly approached, the previously noisy scene suddenly quieted down. Those who had been greeting and flattering each other all turned in unison to look in their direction.
Dou Zhao immediately understood: today, she and her husband were the protagonists of this grand scene!
Wei Tingyu was the first to open the carriage curtain and step out, followed closely by Dou Zhao.
As soon as the two appeared, the previously quiet crowd buzzed with excitement.
"Is this the eldest daughter of the Dou family? I heard she's a merchant, but she doesn't seem to carry any of the usual merchant's airs."
"Yeah! Just look at her noble and elegant appearance; she clearly looks like a lady from a noble family!"
"Hah! It's all because she was lucky enough to become the wife of the Marquis of Jining! If I were sitting in that carriage wearing that fine gown, I'd look just as good!"
"Such a pity! Who knew that the Marquis of Jining didn't care about background? If I had known, I would have asked my father to propose earlier!"
"That's fate for you! Let's see if any of the other talented young men here catch our eye today."
... The whispers of the young ladies around them naturally reached the ears of Wei Tingyu and Dou Zhao. They exchanged a glance, sharing a smile, yet feeling a bit speechless.
Wei Tingyu was the first to jump down from the carriage and then extended his hand to Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao froze for a moment, then sweetly smiled and placed her delicate hand in his. She leaned on him and elegantly descended from the carriage.
This scene caused a stir among the crowd.
"Heavens! The Marquis of Jining dotes on his wife this much?"
"Why can't I meet such a man?"
"I wonder if the Marquis of Jining is considering taking a concubine. If he is, I wouldn't mind considering!"
"Don't get your hopes up! Just look at the appearance and elegance of the Marquis's wife, then look at yourself. Do you really think you can compete for the Marquis's favor?"
"I can dream, can't I?"
... As the crowd gossiped, Wei Tingyu did not let go of Dou Zhao's hand, leading her toward the Dou family's main gate.
"Dou Zhao!" Just as they were about to enter, two bright, sweet voices called out from behind.
Both Wei Tingyu and Dou Zhao stopped and turned to look, seeing two young women, around Dou Zhao's age, running toward them while holding their skirts.