Chapter 166 — Good and Bad

True, the thought would occasionally cross his mind—"If only Dou Yan, with an outsider's clarity, could see something in all this"—but he had never placed his hopes wholly on Dou Zhiwei. Zhuge Liang never left his thatched cottage, yet knew the affairs of the realm—because he kept company with men of insight and learning and weighed the past against the present. The internal affairs of the Yingzhèn Duke's household were hardly likely to become a topic of public gossip; Dou Yan had never even set foot in the capital. How could he possibly know?

Song Yan's visit to Dou Yan was chiefly to thank her, and to make up for missing the celebration of her coming-of-age.

Yan Che gave a bitter smile. "When the Duke of Dingguo ran into trouble, the Duke of Yingzhèn turned heaven and earth over on his behalf—there was nothing perfunctory about it..."

Song Yan turned it over and over in his mind. The only possible cause of his parents' quarrel, he concluded, could be the deaths of his maternal uncles.

Relieved by what he heard, and yet a little disappointed, he murmured, "Could it be some old matter from years past... something Mother did not know of before, dragged back into the light by my eldest uncle's death..."

In Song Yan's memory, his eldest uncle had seemed, at heart, to look down on his father—as though afraid his father would somehow ruin him. Busy as he was, he had often written to Song Yan in his own hand and meddled in his studies; even his own son had never enjoyed such intimacy. And for that, his father had harbored no small resentment toward the eldest uncle.

He mused a moment. Before Yan Che could speak, he said, "If it truly is some stale affair of years gone by, I fear there is no one to ask but Grandmother..."

Song Zhi, by beating the grass and startling the snake, had made Song Cen put to death every last person who had once had a hand in framing Song Yan—especially the old servants who had attended Lady Jiang. Of the third-rank maids, scarcely a few had survived.

When he had finished, he conferred with Yan Che. "This concerns the private secrets of the Yingguo Duke's household. I fear I must ask you to make the journey to Hao Province yourself."

"Rest easy, Young Master. I will go home and pack my things at once." Yan Che was a brisk, decisive man. "I shall set out for Hao Province tonight."

Song Yan did not dare tell his grandmother what had happened in the Yingzhèn Duke's household.

The old lady was advanced in years and had lost, one after another, a son, a daughter, a grandson, a granddaughter. How could he bear to let her fret and fear over his troubles as well?

Yet Grandmother was shrewd and capable. The only way to keep her from growing suspicious was to send Yan Che—no one was better suited.

He summoned Xia Lian and told him to arrange several highly skilled guards to escort Yan Che.

Xia Lian answered respectfully and went to carry out the order. Chen He returned to report: "Young Master, the Marquis of Jining says he is in mourning at home and it is inconvenient for him to receive guests!"

Everyone in the room darkened at the words.

Even in the days of Wei and Jin, scarce few could keep the full twenty-seven months of mourning according to the rites of Zhou; it was enough not to give oneself over to song and women. Wei Fan's conduct made plain that he meant to draw a line between himself and Song Yan.

And after all Song Yan had treated him like a brother—seeing how he loved archery and riding, he had even given him the red-jade horse from the stables.

Song Yan's expression was grim as well.

It seemed the affairs of the Yingzhèn Duke's household had already quietly leaked out.

Wei Fan, so lacking in judgment and in courage—once Dou Yan married into that house, would she not have to suffer alongside him?

He worried for Dou Yan in secret, wondering whether he ought to find an occasion to sound Wei Fan out.

Though it was all for Dou Yan's sake, the thought of Wei Fan's seeming inability to be propped up made him thoroughly vexed.

Suppressing his displeasure, Song Yan ordered Chen He, "We will deal with this later. For now, just keep an eye on Wei Fan's movements for me!"

Was the Young Master still to keep company with that good-for-nothing marquis?

Chen He and the others all changed countenance slightly; only Yan Che, gazing at the teacup in his hand, wore a thoughtful look.

And in the Marquis of Jining's residence, not far from the Yingzhèn Duke's household, Wei Fan was being taken to task by Wei Wan, who had come home to visit Lady Tian: "...The Song family's business—what concern is it of yours? Once Song Cen has killed Song Yan, do you think he will come running to kill you too? What are you afraid of? What sort of man is Song Yan? Even his own father could not best him—who do you think you are, to dare turn a cold face on him! Is your head addled? If I had not stumbled on it by chance, were you planning to cut off all dealings with Song Yan from this day forth?"

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Sisters, brothers—I am free at last.

Double update tomorrow!

But the house is in a frightful mess; I cannot even sleep until it is put to rights. Tonight I shall throw myself into cleaning, and only tomorrow can I write. Everyone, look for the chapter tomorrow afternoon!

(*^__^*) Hee hee...

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