Chapter 168 — River Works

A great house like the Dou family—fine enough in name, but with so many sons and nephews, the silver that could be divided to any one person was very limited. And Dou Yan's mother was of ordinary birth; Dou Zhiwei's stepmother, Madam Wang, would hardly exert herself wholeheartedly on Dou Yan's behalf...

At this thought, she sighed deeply once more.

Before the exchange of betrothal cards with the Dou family, her father should have discussed it properly with her.

The Wei family could not be called a house of ringing bells and brimming cauldrons, but it had the advantage of simple affairs. Her brother had smoothly inherited the title; to find a match of outstanding birth and looks would not necessarily have been difficult.

When all was said and done, the only fault lay in her father's having shown himself too eager in this matter.

Wei Wan sighed rather helplessly, and just then her husband Zhang Yuanming's voice came from within the room: "What is it? Such a worried face." He had already heard that Wei Fan had come, and so he smiled and said, "Is there some trouble with Tingyu?"

"What trouble could he have?" Wei Wan said with a smile, fobbing him off. "I was only fretting over what is to become of him once his mourning is over."

There was nothing Zhang Yuanming could do about that either.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Why not ask Song Yan to lend a hand? I see that Song Yan sets great store by your brother."

Wei Wan told Zhang Yuanming of Wei Fan's misgivings about Song Yan, and added, "The child is just a little muddled."

Zhang Yuanming laughed at this. "Your brother is indeed oversuspicious—think about it: if the Duke of Yingguo had right on his side, and Song Yan had killed his own guard and then struck such an attitude, the Duke would long since have brought the matter before the Emperor. Why would he swallow his anger like this? Tell your brother not to think too much of it. Song Yan is a man well worth knowing."

Wei Wan listened, her eyes darting this way and that.

By the look of it, this river works business could be done after all!

She seemed to see silver flowing like water into her purse.

Wei Wan could not suppress a broad smile as he personally poured Zhang Yuanming a cup of tea.

In the Yizhi Hall of the Yingzhenguo Mansion, Gu Yu likewise poured Song Yan a cup of tea with his own hands.

Song Yan thanked him teasingly: "Much obliged."

"No need for thanks!" Gu Yu grinned dismissively, then said, "Are you really going to let this Wei Fan fellow stick his hand in? We're not short of silver, and Wei Fan isn't the sort who gets things done..."

"Hogging everything for yourself is a bad habit!" Song Yan said. "Besides, how could anyone ever earn all the silver under heaven?"

Gu Yu was puzzled. "But you're right at the point where you need silver..."

It was like two armies going to war: provisions must move first.

For Song Yan to contend with Song Cen, silver was indispensable.

And that was precisely why Song Yan had decided to involve himself in the river works.

"Let him take a small share," Song Yan said. "We may as well treat it as extra grease for the palms of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue."

Gu Yu said no more.

Song Yan asked him, "I killed my own guard. Do your crowd of playmates all think I'm a man of savage, reckless cruelty?"

Gu Yu was taken aback.

Song Yan said, "Just speak plainly. I only want to hear the truth."

Gu Yu had always regarded Song Yan as a strong man.

He nodded and said, "Not all of them. Some were simply astonished."

Song Yan gave a faint "oh" and lapsed into a moment of blank abstraction.

Gu Yu asked him, "What is it?"

"Nothing," Song Yan said vaguely, while Dou Yan's face—composed to the point of seeming reserved and steady—rose again in his mind. "Just asking!" Yet something strange kept growing in his heart, beyond all checking.

Dou Zhiwei's guard had been involved in that affair; Dou Yan must long since have known the scene as it had unfolded.

Yet from first to last she had shown not the slightest trace of shock or terror.

What had she been thinking?

And what did she make of the matter?

Song Yan very much wanted to ask Dou Yan.

Gu Yu, meanwhile, once he had formally secured the commission for those four stretches of river works, said a word to Wei Fan, had him put up a token sum of silver, and then went off to Jining himself, where he spent several days wining and dining the prefect and the county magistrates before the river works were finally settled. Then he hurried on to Xuzhou... By the time Gu Yu returned from Jiangnan, he had already eaten the Laba porridge.

He washed and changed, then went to the Yingzhenguo Mansion.

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Today's update!

o(n_n)o~

Typos will have to wait; I'll fix them later.

ps: There's been another earthquake in the Sichuan area... I hope everyone stays safe and sound, and treasures what is right before their eyes.

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