A time-travel story where I forcefully marry the leading lady in a film/TV series!

Of course, this scene could not escape Dou Zhao's eyes. She already knew exactly what her best friend was thinking.

"Ming'er has arrived!" Just as the atmosphere was getting lively, Wang Yingxue finally led Dou Ming, who had freshened up and washed up, slowly through the main entrance.

It must be said that the sight of this mother and daughter together was indeed quite pleasing to the eye! The male guests present all had their eyes light up upon seeing them!

As a man, Wei Tingyu was no exception. When the elegant Wang Yingxue and the youthful and radiant Dou Ming entered side by side, the scene appeared so harmonious and beautiful!

The young guests present, regardless of gender, all stood up and bowed to Wang Yingxue. After all, she was the hostess who was hosting the dinner, and it was not difficult for her to bow and bend over when she was eating.

However, as someone who had been through it all, Wang Yingxue noticed the somewhat ardent gazes directed at her and felt a surge of pride.

As expected, I still have all the charm I need! It's just a pity that you little brats can only look on, and there's absolutely no chance of you getting any of it!

"Your stepmother... is quite generous!" Wei Tingyu said in a low voice as Dou Zhao leaned over to pour her wine.

“That’s just how she is! Husband, there’s no need to be surprised!” Upon hearing this, Dou Zhao raised his eyes and glanced at Wang Yingxue, who was walking towards him with a smile. A disdainful smile also appeared on his lips.

After all, Wang Yingxue, as a stepmother, was indeed beautiful and had a good temperament. She was even considered one of the best among the female scholars in the capital. Dou Zhao could not deny this, no matter how much he disliked her!

However, at a young age, she had an affair with her father, Dou Shiying, behind her mother's back, and even insisted on marrying him while pregnant.

Just from this behavior, you can tell she's definitely not a virtuous woman!

With so many men watching her right now, she's probably feeling quite smug!

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Chapter 19 Dou Ming, the sister-in-law, is in a dilemma.

"Now that the main attraction is here, shouldn't we just play the supporting role?" Miao Ansu blinked as she watched Wang Yingxue lead Dou Ming through the door, then looked down at Zhao Zhangru beside her and asked.

“Okay! Let’s just eat and drink!” Zhao Zhangru glanced at Dou Zhao sitting at the head of the table and saw that he nodded at her. She immediately understood what he meant and then whispered to Miao Ansu.

Hearing Zhao Zhangru say this, Miao Ansu finally felt relieved.

After all, she really didn't want to be in the limelight right now! Not to mention that she never had any intention of getting married in the first place, even if she had some thoughts now, these so-called sons and daughters of officials were completely beneath her notice.

"Sister!" Before entering his seat, Dou Ming nodded and bowed slightly to Dou Zhao from a distance.

Seeing this, Dou Zhao also displayed the demeanor of an elder sister and responded with a smile.

Meanwhile, Wang Yingxue, who had returned to her seat under everyone's gaze, became somewhat unhappy.

Because this family banquet was originally prepared by her to make her daughter Dou Ming shine, but right now the most valued woman at the table is clearly Dou Zhao!

Although she was already a Marquis and would never be a rival to Dou Ming, Wang Yingxue was getting anxious as she watched Wei Tingyu seem to have no interest in Dou Ming at all.

After all, in her eyes, her daughter Dou Ming was far superior to Dou Zhao in every way! There was no reason for such a good marriage to fall into the hands of this wild girl!

That's right! It must be that Wei Tingyu didn't understand his daughter's intelligence, so he only sought marriage with Dou Zhao from the beginning! Once he understands Ming'er's excellence, this man will definitely like her!

Thinking of this, Wang Yingxue forced a smile, then winked at Dou Shiying and Dou Shishu from afar.

Dou Shiying didn't react yet, but Dou Shishu, who was obsessed with officialdom, immediately realized what was going on.

He had always enjoyed showing off, and had just been humiliated by Wei Tingyu in the courtyard. He was now thinking about how to get his revenge. Seeing that his chance had come, he immediately sat up straight.

"Gentlemen, you are all learned men! I have a suggestion..." Dou Shishu cleared his throat and began, "Gentlemen, please compose a couplet and the ladies will then compose one. Whoever is lucky enough to provide the best answer will receive a cup of wine!"

This was clearly an opportunity for the young men and women present to interact, and everyone cheered immediately upon hearing it!

However, Dou Zhao rolled his eyes at this situation, feeling utterly disdainful.

These people? Which of them is qualified to be called learned scholars? It's utterly absurd!

My fifth uncle, in order to curry favor with these young masters and ladies' families, actually has to flatter even the younger generation? How utterly shameful!

"Since it is Lord Dou who has spoken, it is a great honor for us to witness the literary talent of young ladies!" At this moment, a rather handsome young man spoke first, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

Wei Tingyu recognized him at a glance—it was the third male lead from the original storyline! Wu Shan, the grandson of Grand Secretary Wu!

In the original storyline, Wu Shan was one of Dou Zhao's suitors, and he was madly in love with her.

However, Dou Zhao had now become a marquis's wife, and Wu Shan hadn't paid much attention to her from the beginning. Instead, he seemed rather bored, making him quite an oddity at the banquet.

Wei Tingyu wasn't surprised, because Wu Shan was probably the only one among the young men present who could be considered relatively learned. Moreover, for the son of a high-ranking official to attend a banquet hosted by a low-ranking official in the Ministry of Revenue clearly showed that he was just someone who loved to join in the fun.

Of course, his status also earned him special treatment from Dou Shishu and Dou Shiying, placing him at the head of the male guests' table.

Upon seeing that Grand Secretary Wu's grandson had spoken first, Dou Shishu, a man obsessed with officialdom, immediately brightened up: "Excellent! Then let Young Master Wu go first!"

"A willow-lined alley beside the wall, water submerging the long embankment, the narrow path for cattle and sheep seems to have no place to go!" After a moment, Wu Shan came up with his first line of the couplet and read it aloud with great confidence.

He was indeed very confident at this moment, because in his mind, none of the young men present were more knowledgeable than him.

"Excellent! His literary talent is no less than that of a Hanlin scholar!" Upon hearing this, Dou Shishu immediately began to praise him without even taking the time to savor the words.

"Yes, yes! Brother Dezhen is truly a gifted writer!"

"In my opinion, Brother Zhen is the only one who can lead the young students in the capital!"

"I doubt any of the young students present today could come up with a matching couplet!"

The other young men seized the opportunity to shower him with flattery. After all, although one of their purposes in coming here today was to look at women, they still had to flatter the only grandson of Minister Wu.

However, Dou Zhao, sitting in the main seat, curled his lip in disdain. This couplet was quite ordinary, nothing special! At least he could match it himself!

However, she had no interest in standing up and exchanging couplets with these young masters right now; serving her husband wine and food was far more important...

However, Wang Yingxue, who was sitting next to Dou Zhao, suddenly brightened up. She had originally hoped that her daughter could take Dou Zhao's place and become the wife of the Marquis of Jining.

However, given how good the relationship is between Dou Zhao and Wei Tingyu, it seems difficult to get their daughter involved.

And this Wu Shan seems to be a good candidate! At least he is the only grandson of Grand Secretary Wu, who is an important and senior minister in the court, highly valued by His Majesty, and has many protégés and former officials.

If Wu Shan succeeds in the imperial examinations and becomes an official in the court, with the help of his grandfather's disciples and colleagues, his future will surely be limitless!

Although it is difficult for a scholar to obtain a noble title without military merit, upon careful consideration... if Dou Ming could marry Wu Shan, it would not be unacceptable. At least she would not be inferior to others in front of Dou Zhao!

Thinking of this, Wang Yingxue didn't care about anything else and quickly signaled to the servants to bring paper and pen to Dou Ming.

However, Dou Ming was dumbfounded! Her mother's arrangement left her completely at a loss!

Because her literary talent is indeed quite good, it would be quite difficult for her to directly respond with a matching couplet here!

Most importantly, Dou Ming's mind was already completely occupied by her brother-in-law Wei Tingyu, so she was extremely unwilling to exchange couplets with other young masters.

If my brother-in-law misunderstands that there's something between me and this Mr. Wu, wouldn't that be terrible?

Upon realizing this, Dou Ming suddenly felt uneasy, frowning and unsure of what to do.

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Chapter 20 Brother-in-law helps sister-in-law

When the young men and women present saw that Dou Ming picked up a pen but didn't write a single word on the paper, they all craned their necks to watch what was happening.

Dou Zhao was the same way. Seeing her younger sister's current predicament, she could only glance speechlessly at her stepmother, Wang Yingxue, standing beside her.

This woman didn't even consider whether her daughter could answer the question properly before ordering the servants to bring paper and pen to her without saying a word. Wasn't this putting Dou Ming in a very difficult position?

Dou Zhao was unaware that Dou Ming actually didn't want to compete in couplets with other men in front of Wei Tingyu, and thought that he simply didn't know how!

The responsibility of being the eldest sister made her a little anxious. This couplet wasn't difficult; she could match it herself.

But the two of them are too far apart now, and I can't go over to help my sister write. What should I do?

Thinking of this, Dou Zhao subconsciously looked at Wei Tingyu beside her, hoping that her husband could think of a way to help her sister out of this predicament.

When Wei Tingyu saw the pleading look in Dou Zhao's adorable big eyes, he smiled and waved.

A female Silver Shadow Guard, dressed as a maid, who had been standing behind Dou Zhao, stepped forward and bowed slightly, adopting a posture of listening to her master's orders.

At that moment, everyone's attention was focused on Dou Ming, so apart from the five people in the chairman's seat, almost no one noticed this small action.

Wei Tingyu whispered a few words to the Silver Shadow Guard, who then nodded silently and quickly walked to Dou Ming's side.

"Second Miss! The Marquis has something to say to you!" The Silver Shadow Guard bent down and whispered in Dou Ming's ear.

Upon hearing what the other person said, Dou Ming's anxious gaze instantly cleared, and the worry on his face vanished, replaced by a relaxed expression.

Even her eyes visibly brightened.

According to the maid, her brother-in-law, Wei Tingyu, had specially come up with a couplet to help her out of this predicament!

So it seems I still hold a high position in my brother-in-law's heart!

Thinking of this, Dou Ming was genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart!

After listening to the Silver Shadow Guard's words, Dou Ming no longer hesitated and immediately picked up a pen to write his elegant handwriting on the paper.

Seeing this, Dou Shiying and Wang Yingxue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Otherwise, if the situation remains deadlocked and Dou Ming can't come up with a matching couplet, it will be too awkward.

“Outside the heart lies a paradise, amidst the clouds a narrow path, and beyond the chicken and dog grove lies another world!” Dou Shiying stood up and recited the couplet written by his daughter to everyone.

"Wonderful! A perfect match!" As soon as he finished speaking, Dou Shishu, who was standing next to him, also said with a happy expression.

"Yes, yes! I never expected the second young lady of the Dou family to be so talented in literature!"

"This is outrageous! This is utterly shameful for us scholars!"

"The Dou family truly lives up to its reputation as a scholarly family! Their daughter is so talented in literature; it's truly admirable!"