Chapter 241 — Offspring (Bonus Chapter — Please Vote Pink)

Any difficult matter became simple in her hands.

He rolled up his sleeve and called to the servant with gusto, "Bring us the chess set!"

Dou Yan pursed her lips and smiled.

* * * * *

Song Cen felt as though those four golden ruyi scepters were four great mouths, leering at him in savage mockery.

What on earth had happened?

Was it not said that the Dou family's Fourth Miss was unloved by her mother and unwanted by her father?

How had such an enormous dowry suddenly appeared out of nowhere?

A chest dowry. A chest dowry was supposed to be quietly tucked away in chests and trunks and brought over without fanfare.

How could anyone carry a chest dowry over so shamelessly in open presentation trays?

And as though afraid no one would notice, weighted down with foot-long ruyi of pure gold...

Why was there no great wind today?

It should have blown every last silver draft in those chests clear away, so Song Yan could give chase howling and wailing and never catch up! So Song Yan could feel a little pang of the same loss!

He could not help looking toward Tao Jun.

Tao Jun's face was blank with bewilderment; he too had no idea what had happened.

And Song Zhixin, just as Song Cen could have wished, was twitching and shuddering.

This father-in-law of his... truly, one could not judge a man by his looks!

Even such a thing as this, he could bring himself to do.

Was it that he feared his daughter might be bullied and meant to give the Song family a show of force? Or had his money grown so far beyond their station that forty thousand taels was to him what four hundred was to them, of no more consequence than four thousand?

It was easy to foresee. For a long while to come, the capital would chatter about his marriage, and for an even longer stretch thereafter, most of his household's manpower would likely have to be spent guarding against thieves.

Song Yan glanced at the wedding guests, whose spirits had been whipped to fever pitch by the silver drafts, and sighed to himself in secret.

Yan Che came over without a sound and said in a low voice, "Young Lord, what shall we do?"

"What shall we do?" Song Yan saw that Zi Aifeng was still somewhat dazed, and sighed. "What we ought to do, of course! Is the Ying Duke's Residence incapable of keeping so much as forty thousand taels of silver drafts safe?"

Only then did Yan Che recover his composure.

It was not that he had never seen so many silver drafts. In his days serving under the Duke of Ding, he had been in charge of household affairs, and had even laid eyes on a million taels of gleaming military pay. But the Dou family was a clan of scholars who for generations had tilled the fields and studied the books; such a flamboyant display was utterly beyond anything he had expected.

Yan Che hurriedly summoned Xia Lian. "Set men to guard this place. If anything goes missing, we'll be a laughingstock!"

By custom, the bride's dowry must first be set out in the courtyard of the bridal chamber for all to view.

Xia Lian assented respectfully.

Song Yan turned and headed for the study.

He thought of the splendid expressions on everyone's faces just now.

Especially his father's—mouth agape as though he had seen a ghost, yet forced to squeeze out a smile uglier than weeping in the face of others' envious congratulations—and his own mood, for no reason at all, turned exceedingly cheerful.

He and Dou Yan had not even held their wedding, and already such an amusing thing had happened.

Perhaps more surprises yet awaited him!

At the thought, Song Yan could not help smiling.

* * * * *

However strange the atmosphere in the Song household, however grave the mood among the Dou clan, the day of Dou Yan's departure as a bride arrived as scheduled.

At first light, Gao Sheng, who had been rushing about and had scarcely slept all night, directed the servants to open the great gate.

The tea room, the pastry room, the gift room, and the accounts room were all soon bustling.

Dou Yan was shaken awake by Su Lan. "Miss, miss, do get up—it is already the mao hour."

She yawned and said unhurriedly, "The auspicious hour is set for the start of the xu hour. What is your hurry? Washing and dressing will take two hours at most. We will see to it after the noon meal."

The one invited to dress her hair was a retired palace maid who had once done the hair of the noble ladies in the palace; she had been fetched over by the Dou household's sedan chair long before, and hearing this she laughed. "I have dressed the hair of ever so many brides, but never have I met one as composed as you, miss. No wonder you are to marry into the Ying Duke's Residence—it is plain you were born with good fortune, born to be a lady of rank!" Yet her eyes could not stop stealing glances at her.

So it was the effect of that one tray of silver drafts!

How fast news travels!

Dou Chi showed nothing on his face and had two fine red envelopes given to the hair-dressing woman; then he lay on the bed reading for a while before rising to dress.

*

Happy Dragon Boat Festival to everyone!

Here is an extra chapter—please vote with your pink tickets!

o(n_n)o~

There was no need for him to go on; every man of us understood. Song Yuxing's face drained of blood and turned ashen. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, then opened it once more, yet in the end not a word came out.