Chapter 211 — Beating the Grass

"Whether it is the Fifth Madam of the Dou family or the Seventh Madam, they are but women of the inner chambers, and may let spite over some passing grievance breed petty ugliness between them. But a swapped marriage is no small matter—Dou Yuanji could not have been ignorant of it,"—perhaps from excitement, his words came out in a rush—"and even if he had not known beforehand, he could have made amends in good time afterward. Judging by how he conducts himself, he would never indulge his wife in a deed that stains the Dou family's honor over some trifling matter, so it is plain he knew of the Dou sisters' exchange of grooms. That is where it begins to defy reason. If the heir wishes to marry the Fourth Young Lady, he must first make clear why Dou Yuanji would do such a thing; only then can we prescribe the right remedy. Second is the Jining Marquis's household: if they acknowledge the match, well and good; if not, we must find a way to lend the Dou family a hand, and send men at once to watch every move over there. Third, the Fourth Young Lady's marriage—in whose hands does it truly rest? She has been shamed; what is the attitude of her aunt, Madam Zhao? Might we work upon Madam Zhao's attitude to sway the Fourth Young Lady's marriage?..." Here he paused, then said, "Most vital of all: how do we make the Duke Yingzhenguo agree to go and seek her hand on your behalf..." He tapped his forehead, thought of several arguments, and rejected each in turn. Then, recalling that the Marquis of Yan'an might soon consent to Song Zhi's marriage, and that a decree of betrothal from the palace might fall at any moment, his head swelled at once with the enormity of it, and he said, "No matter how it is put, this must be done quickly! What I fear is that the Dou family, to cover the matter up, may have other plans for the Fourth Young Lady..." He added, "I have always felt the substitution of brides is not so simple..." Suddenly he remembered what Dou Yan had asked of him. "There is one more thing—because the Fourth Young Lady gave no clear account of it, I have never mentioned it to you..." And he told of how Dou Yan had begged him to arrange the removal of a certain household from the bondservant registers. "Since it was the Fourth Young Lady's own affair, I did not look into what that household was about; but now it seems it may well be tied to her broken betrothal..."

Song Yan's eyes brimmed with mirth.

To give up a match with the imperial house and take a harder road—that was his choice, but not the choice of those bound to him in life and death, in honor and disgrace.

He had thought he would need to spend great effort persuading Yan Che and the others, and might even have to press Yan Che with the debt owed to the Dou family for saving their lives; and so he had opened with a tone of command rather than consultation when he spoke of the matter to Yan Che.

He had not expected Yan Che to hold Dou Zhiwei in such high regard.

For no reason he could name, Song Yan's heart filled with warmth.

It was as though he had gone back to the days when his mother lived, when high and low were of one heart and all was harmony.

He leaned forward on his elbow and said in a low voice, "You and I are of the same mind, sir. But there are several more things I would ask you to see to, and these are the pressing ones."

Yan Che straightened and said gravely, "Give your orders, Heir!"

Song Yan mused aloud, "The Fourth Young Lady's betrothal being broken off—that is a scandal, is it not?"

Yan Che was taken aback.

"My father is sure to hear of it," Song Yan said, his words heavy with suggestion. "The Fourth Young Lady is the eldest legitimate daughter, and lost her mother in childhood. Her only maternal uncle, though a metropolitan graduate of the highest honors, has served all his years in the northwest. My father married the daughter of Wang Yousheng, the Yunnan provincial governor; and she herself was raised in Zhending by a grandmother who was a concubine. And though she has an uncle who is a Grand Secretary of the court, the kinship is nearly beyond the five degrees of mourning, and on top of that the brides were swapped... My father will surely be very interested—especially now that word has it Consort Ning is about to choose a consort for Princess Jingfu."

"Just so!" Yan Che could not help clapping his hands. "All we need do is find a way to learn what the Dou family intends for the Fourth Young Lady!"

At this, Song Yan could only be grateful for the eavesdropping he had done by chance that day.

"Whatever Dou Yuanji intends for the Fourth Young Lady—marrying her out or taking a husband into the house—with the gentle temper of the Seventh Master of the Dou family, so long as my father speaks earnestly, the Seventh Master will surely not refuse." He spoke slowly, and thinking of his father's words and deeds before his mother's death, a faint sorrow rose in his heart again.

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At that moment Wei Fan sat woodenly on the warm brick platform by the window of the reception room, and what rang in his ears was now the wailing of the Dou family's nurses and maids, now his sister's shrill scolding, now his eldest cousin's indignant reproaches.

How had it come to this?

He had merely heard that his sister had fallen into a quarrel with Dou Juan, and had wanted to think carefully about what should be done; he had drunk a cup of tea in his study, and then Dou Ming had hanged herself.

Thank heaven Dou Juan's nurse had sensed something amiss and pushed the door open...

Wei Fan felt his head would split with pain.

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Sisters, brothers, here is the belated update for the nineteenth of May!

O(∩_∩)O~

※RS