Chapter 98 — Sowing Discord

Song Yan went to study at the Dou clan school as an attached pupil. Song Yumin was responsible for teaching Dou Yan and Dou Ming, with one day of rest on the first and fifteenth of each month. He first finished instructing Dou Yan in the various philosophers, then taught Dou Ming the Analects.

Dou Ming did apply herself honestly to Song Yumin's lessons. But her foundation was thin; beyond the morning coursework, she had to practice five hundred large characters every afternoon once she returned home, and within a few days she was complaining bitterly.

Granny Zhou kept encouraging her. "Only by enduring the bitterest hardship can one rise above others. Just look at the Fourth Miss—while the stewardesses are still working the abacus, the Fourth Miss has already figured out how much money it comes to..."

Dou Ming stared at Granny Zhou. "What does reckoning accounts have to do with writing characters?"

Granny Zhou hurried to soothe her. "Nothing at all, nothing at all. I just feel the Fourth Miss can do anything, and since the Fifth Miss is so clever, she ought to be able to do anything too, just like the Fourth Miss."

Dou Ming said nothing, but she stopped complaining that writing was hard.

Because of the Pang Kunbai affair, Chen Yanzhou had come out into the open. He moved into the Dou residence, helping Dou Yan manage business matters and the newly recruited guards. Gao Xing managed the affairs of the West Dou and the stewardesses of the inner court, while Du Ning had sunk to the point of serving as Granny Zhou's assistant. Gao Xing considered himself one of Dou Zhiwei's people and soon threw in his lot with Chen Yanzhou. As for Du Ning, after Du An was sent to the authorities for theft and died unable to withstand the beating, he had long since become a frightened bird and paid no mind to any business at all; and Granny Zhou, newly arrived, could not hold things up alone. Though the West Dou had split into three, everyone still had to act according to Dou Zhiwei's moods. Dou Yan now also had an annual allowance of ten thousand taels; with money and people in hand, she actually found it easier to act than before. Her gaze, too, had shifted from the East and West Dou to the political affairs of the capital.

"Old Master Zeng must be nearly seventy this year?" she asked Chen Yanzhou. "I wonder how many more years he can hold on?"

In her last life she had never paid attention to such things, and did not know in which year Zeng Yifen had actually passed away.

"The Fourth Miss's prediction is truly accurate!" Chen Yanzhou said. "I just received word yesterday that talk has spread in the capital—'Zeng Yifen is unwell and may retire from office.'"

"It remains to be seen whether my Fifth Uncle can seize this opportunity."

In her previous life, Wang Xingyi had already returned to the capital before Zeng Yifen's death. He seemed to have been serving as Vice Minister of War. In this life, because of Wang Shuying, he had been kept in place as Grand Coordinator of Shaanxi.

Dou Yan mused, "Who is the current Vice Minister of War?"

"Gu Yanjing," Chen Yanzhou said.

Dou Yan considered this. "Could we pass a word to the Wang family? Say that Old Master Zeng had originally intended to promote Wang Xingyi to Vice Minister of War. But because the Wang clan's affair gave Ye Shipei a hold over him, Old Master Zeng had no choice but to compromise and support Gu Yanjing for the post..."

In her memory, Ye Shipei and Zeng Yifen had been old rivals. Zeng Yifen's retirement back then had been Ye Shipei's doing. If not for the fact that Ye Shipei had died not long after Zeng Yifen's death, and that Ye Shipei had no particularly formidable disciples, it would have been hard to say whether Wang Xingyi and Dou Bingheng could have entered the Grand Secretariat at all.

The ban on the horse markets had been a struggle between civil officials and military officers, so Ye Shipei would not have dragged his feet against Zeng Yifen. But now, with a contest over a third-rank post between the disciples of two Grand Secretaries, Wang Xingyi's affair could be brought up.

Chen Yanzhou pondered. "That is not something to say carelessly. One misstep, and it could backfire..."

"Then let us try inquiring along those lines," Dou Yan said. "We should be able to find some talk connected to the matter." And she smiled. "Even if there is none, we can make sure there is!"

"That is true enough," Chen Yanzhou said with a smile. "If the Wang family comes to believe that Wang Shuying blocked Wang Xingyi's prospects, I imagine even Lady Wang Xu would feel a measure of resentment toward her daughter. And besides, since Wang Shuying married into the Dou family, she has never managed to gain a firm footing there, and has stirred up no end of trouble."

"Take the firewood from under the cauldron—I think that is the cleaner, neater way." Dou Ming nodded with a smile and asked about the shops.

"Only the shop in the capital roughly breaks even," Chen Yanzhou said. "The other shops all show slight losses, two hundred taels or so in total."

"That is not bad at all," Dou Xin said. "Come September, Boyan's business should be finished, and you will need to prepare some silver for Cui Min to lend out at interest."

"It has long been ready." Chen Yanzhou began explaining his plans to Dou Yan, when Suxin reported from beyond the curtain: "Fourth Miss, Young Master Ji has come."

Ji Yong?

What was he doing here?

Dou Yan finished her discussion with Chen Yanzhou, then went to the flower hall to see Ji Yong.

Ji Yong asked her, "I am going to Baoding Prefecture—is there anything you would like me to bring you?"

She had never been to Baoding Prefecture. How would she know what there was to bring?

But Dou Yan still thanked him with a smile. "There is nothing I need. I wish Cousin Ji a smooth journey!"

Hearing this, Ji Yong smiled. "Then I shall just bring you something at random!"

His smile was gentle and courteous, yet for some reason Dou Yan always felt he was plotting something, and it left her uneasy.

"No need, no need," Dou Yan declined repeatedly.

Ji Yong smiled without answering and rose to take his leave.

Dou Yan saw him to the door of the flower hall, yet felt a gaze fixed intently upon her.

She turned and saw Dou Ming standing beneath the willow tree.

Dou Ming turned and walked away without expression, vanishing with the great cluster of maids and old women attending her into the winding, secluded path shaded by willows.

Dou Chi let out a deep sigh. After spending half the day tending the flowers and plants in the conservatory, he saw that the several epiphyllums he had planted were all in bud, and invited the Sixth Aunt over to admire them.

The Sixth Aunt suggested, "Why not hold a flower-viewing banquet?"

Grandmother chimed in. "Yes, yes, yes! The epiphyllum blooms so rarely—invite the several madams and young madams over. There is plenty of room in the house anyway. We cannot always let the East Manor play host to us; we must return the courtesy!"

Ever since Dou Yan's betrothal to the Wu family had quietly fallen through, Dou Zhiwei's marriage prospects had become a constant worry gnawing at her heart. She feared Dou Yan would be delayed because of it, and seeing a chance to put Dou Yan on display, she was eager to bring it about.

Seeing her grandmother so full of enthusiasm, and thinking that she had nowhere to go in her daily life, Dou Yan smiled. "Very well, then let us hold a night banquet!"