Chapter 126 — The Song Family

She pulled herself together, took the handkerchief her elder son handed her, and hastily wiped away her tears.

Song Yan straightened his posture as well.

By the time Song Han came running over with a bow in his hands, his mother and elder brother were sitting gracefully at the stone table beneath the grape arbor, drinking tea.

He seized his mother's hand and wheedled, "Mother, Mother, look, look!"

The servant who had followed him knelt on the ground and raised the crimson-lacquered tray high above his head.

On the tray lay a plump golden pheasant, an arrow lodged slantwise in its back, its snow-white fletching exposed.

"I'm even better than Elder Brother, aren't I?" Song Han looked at his brother smugly. "When Elder Brother was ten, he went hunting with Fifth Uncle, and he didn't bag a single thing!"

He was ten this year, three years younger than Song Yan.

Jiang Shi forced a smile of delight and praised her younger son: "Yes, our Tian'en is ever so much better than his brother!"

Tian'en was Song Han's childhood name.

Despite the grief in his heart, Song Han's somewhat innocent prattle lightened Song Yan's spirits considerably.

This must be the golden pheasant kept in the back garden at home.

His little brother could not even draw the bow specially made for him to full stretch—how could he have shot it so deep?

Most likely the servants had driven it right in front of him, and then he had loosed his arrow at the pheasant.

Or perhaps the servants had already killed the pheasant, and after his little brother had fired wildly into the bushes, they had scurried over to haul out the pheasant they had hidden there in advance...

Either way, he had no intention of disappointing his brother.

"Quite impressive!" Song Dan said. "The pupil surpasses the master."

Song Han grew even more pleased with himself. Pointing at the pheasant on the lacquered tray, he loudly instructed the servant: "Take it to the kitchen and have the cooks add a dish tonight."

The servant bobbed and scraped, carried the tray off, and withdrew.

He sat down close beside his mother and stretched like a little grown-up: "I'm really tired today!"

Jiang Shi and Song Yan both smiled faintly.

Song Han's eyes darted about, and he suddenly hopped down from the stone stool. "Mother, I'm going back to change my clothes."

"Go on, then!" Jiang Shi still had important matters to discuss with her elder son. Smiling, she gave a few instructions to the maids and serving women attending Song Han. Once her younger son's figure had vanished past the doorway, her smile slowly faded.

"Tianci!" The moment she spoke, a sheen of tears glimmered in her eyes. "Does Mr. Min know? In a little while I'll come to your rooms, and we'll discuss with Mr. Min, Mr. Luo, and Mr. Yan what is to be done!" Her voice was calm and even; she had already regained her composure.

Mr. Min was their eldest uncle's advisor; after their uncle's trouble, he had hurried over from Fujian.

Mr. Luo, by contrast, was an advisor their eldest uncle had left at home, helping their fifth uncle manage the household's affairs.

Though Mr. Yan had once served as their eldest uncle's advisor, he had followed him from early on and counted as a man of the Yingzhenguo estate; in matters concerning their eldest uncle, Mr. Min and Mr. Luo still took precedence.

His mother had not fallen apart, and Song Yan was proud of her.

He answered respectfully, agreed with his mother on the hour for their discussion, and withdrew.

Jiang Shi sat there, her hands and feet weak and trembling, her mind a complete blank.

Song Sui saw his younger brother hiding by the door beneath the great juniper, its trunk as thick as a man's embrace, beckoning to him.

He walked over with a smile.

"Elder Brother," Song Han said, looking at Song Yan with concern, his voice low, "is Eldest Uncle going to be thrown into the imperial prison?"

Though he and his mother had both kept it from his brother, the affair of their eldest uncle had set the whole city abuzz, and his brother was clever; he must already know. To keep hiding it would only make the boy feel he was being played for a fool—better to tell him the truth.

"Don't listen to idle gossip," Song Yan said after a moment's thought. "Eldest Uncle has merely been called to account; once matters are made clear, all will be well." Then he smiled. "After all, not just anyone is worthy of the imperial prison!" He meant to lighten the mood.

Song Han studied his brother's expression closely.

His brother raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Song Han could not help blushing, and he ran off like a shot: "I understand!"

The clear, crisp voice drifted through the air, drawing a faint smile from Song Yan.

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Sisters, brothers, it is a little late, my apologies; I have been stuck on the text, hesitating over how to write it... Here is the make-up update for the 20th, and then I shall go down and push on to write today's bonus chapter... o(n_n)o~

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