Chapter 243 — The Bride Sets Out

Dou Yan took Sixth Aunt's arm and went back to the side room with her aunt and Zhao Zhangru, paying no heed to Wang Shuying's commotion—today was the day Dou Yan was to leave home, and the bride was mistress of all.

After a quiet midday meal, Mrs. Zhao, the "bride's companion of good fortune," arrived.

Once the greetings were done, Mrs. Zhao began directing the servants to help Dou Yan bathe, dress, and make ready for her marriage.

Zhao Zhangru had been present through both her elder sisters' weddings and now, full of experience, directed Ganlu to check the personal effects Dou Yan would take with her, while her aunt and Sixth Aunt sat in the main hall drinking tea.

"Fifth Aunt still hasn't come over—sounds like quite a row over there!" her aunt said quietly to Sixth Aunt.

Sixth Aunt, who got on well with her, was happy to trade such household gossip.

"All these years Seventh Uncle never stinted her in money, but he never gave her any warmth or care either," she said in a low voice. "She's grown old now, not like when she was young and thought she had all the time in the world to wait for Seventh Uncle to come around. With no son at her knee, thinking of the years ahead, she can't help but grow fretful and lose her head. Otherwise she'd never have thought up that fool scheme of swapping one sister for another! And another thing—my mother-in-law was to set out for Zhending on the sixth of the ninth month, but then came the business of Ming substituting as bride, and Shouyuan was soon betrothed to the Song family, so the journey was put off to the tenth of the tenth month. She'll be leaving for Zhending with my mother-in-law any day now, and today is Shouyuan's happy day—however displeased Seventh Uncle may be, he'll hold his tongue. If she doesn't make a scene now, when will she?"

Her aunt nodded slightly. "I wonder whether anyone from the Wang family will come?"

By rights the Wangs were also Dou Zhiwei's maternal kin, and relatives on such terms, if they cared at all for closeness, would have arrived days early to offer congratulations and eat and drink at the house for days on end. The Wangs had sent their congratulatory gifts first thing, but on the pretext of Wang Xu-shi's poor health no one had come to the feast. Not even at yesterday's trousseau procession had they appeared.

Ji-shi had long held that the Wang family bore the chief blame for Wang Shuying's ever more outrageous conduct. And because Pang Kunbai had once set his sights on Dou Zhiwei, she loathed the Wangs thoroughly, and at these words could not help but give a cold laugh. "Better they don't come. On a happy day like this, it spares Shouyuan any discomfort."

As the two were talking, Dou Huaiying came straight in.

His hair was disheveled, his clothes crumpled, his face grim—he cut a sorry figure. He asked her aunt and Ji-shi, "Where is Shouyuan?"

Her aunt and Ji-shi exchanged a glance and smiled. "What does the bridegroom want with Shouyuan? She's inside dressing."

At that Dou Huaiying seemed to breathe easier. "Please, the two of you stay here with Shouyuan. I've already told Gao Sheng that no idlers are to be let into the upper courtyard."

The two agreed with a smile, and only then did Dou Huaiying leave with an easy mind.

Sul an, whom her aunt had sent to gather news, came darting out at once.

"Madam, Sixth Madam," she said hurriedly, "Seventh Master came over too fast—I didn't have time to run back and report to you..."

At a moment like this, who had time to find fault with that?

"No one blames you!" Her aunt cut her off urgently. "What on earth happened over there? How did your master get away so quickly? And why hasn't Fifth Aunt come over?"

"Seventh Aunt wept and railed without stopping, and Fifth Aunt couldn't quiet her no matter how she tried, so the master lost his temper and told the eldest young master to fetch the eldest Wang young master, saying he meant to have the Wangs take Seventh Aunt home, and he wouldn't relent for anyone. He even pressed the young master: 'If you feel your Seventh Uncle can't give you orders, just say so, and I'll find someone else to carry word to the Wangs.' Seeing that Fifth Aunt didn't so much as lift an eyelid, the young master had no choice but to go to the Wang house." Sul an spoke clearly and glibly. "When Seventh Aunt heard, she made to kill herself, and when Fifth Aunt went to stop her, Seventh Aunt nearly clawed her face to ribbons. Fifth Aunt was furious and said, 'By now the guests for the congratulations must all have arrived—go and receive them at once, or people will start to wonder and spoil the festive mood. As for Seventh Aunt, keep her shut in her room for now and deal with her after Fourth Miss has left the house.' Just then a little maid came in to report that Fifth Miss and the Marquis of Jining had arrived. Fifth Aunt told her own attendant to invite Fifth Miss in, and said to the master, 'A mother and daughter share one heart—Seventh Aunt is in a poor state just now, so let Fifth Miss talk her round.' So the master came over here, and Fifth Aunt stayed behind in the rear rooms waiting for Fifth Miss."

Her aunt and Ji-shi saw it all clearly now. Then they fell to discussing it in low voices. "I wonder how the Wangs will handle this?"

"However they do, she's shamed herself past saving this time. She'll never hold her head up before the younger generation again!"

"Who'd have thought a man of such clay-soft temper as the bridegroom could thunder like that?"

"The milder a man is day to day, the harder he is to talk round once he digs in his heels!"

From the inner room came Zhao Zhangru's delighted voice: "Shouyuan, you look magnificent in that phoenix crown and rosy mantle! I can just picture you in your ceremonial dress once you're the heir's wife."

It seemed Dou Yan had changed into her wedding garments.

Her aunt and Ji-shi broke off their talk as one and went smiling into the inner room.

Tall and slender, Dou Yan sat on the large kang by the window in her true-red wedding dress, radiant and dazzling.

Her aunt and Ji-shi could not keep back tears.

Fifth Aunt came in with Cai-shi, looking worn and weary.

"Shouyuan, you're so beautiful today!" She forced a smile and took Dou Yan's hand, asking one thing after another, while Cai-shi chimed in to lighten the mood.

Dou Yan listened with a smile.

Her aunt and Ji-shi said nothing, letting Fifth Aunt play her solitary scene, and asked nothing about Wang Shuying.

Soon the auspicious hour came. Mrs. Zhao ritually combed her hair three times, she drank the lotus-seed and lily soup, and the sky gradually darkened.

Dou Juan's kinsfolk, one after another, gathered in Dou Zhiwei's room.

Everyone praised the bride's stately grace, saying she was plainly born to be a lady of rank.

From somewhere far off came the faint crackle of firecrackers.

Someone hollered at the top of their lungs: "The bridal sedan's here! The bridal sedan's here!"

The many women in Dou Yan's room rushed out pell-mell to watch the excitement.

Her aunt and Ji-shi stayed inside, hurriedly helping Dou Yan with the last touches.

Dou Zhiwei was perfectly calm, with the same composure she had felt when they moved from Zhending to the little house in Yunqi Temple Lane, which set her aunt laughing. "Truly, the emperor isn't anxious but the eunuch is dying of worry."

Ji-shi gave a spluttering laugh, and the sorrow in her heart suddenly cleared like mist.

Dou Yi could not help laughing too.

A little maid came running in, all excitement: "Fourth Young Master is so generous—he's scattering silver ingots of eight-tenths purity and heaven-scattered star flowers, two whole baskets of them!"

Her aunt and the others couldn't help smiling.

Suxin tipped her with a red packet.

From outside came the sound of drums and pipes playing "Joyous Meeting."

A little maid came running in, beaming: "The Fourth Young Master's bridal sedan has reached the gate!"