Chapter 255 — Status

This Dou Yan was a stranger to Song Yan, and yet she stirred in him an inexplicable quickening of the heart—like the feeling he had known as a child when his lessons went well and he won his mother's unstinting praise, mingled with a touch of gladness. The feeling came so swiftly, so hard to name, that for a moment he knew not what to do with it; he could only cover it over with a joke: "If there is ever anything you need, you may give your orders to Du Wei as well. Better that than groping at an elephant in the dark and getting yourself crushed in the process, so that I must go drag you out—this too is for my own good..."

This beautiful youth before her was so good to her, and yet he always seemed afraid she would not accept it, afraid she would feel her pride wounded, doing all he could to play down his own kindness... Was she so poor a showing, then, that he had no confidence in her?

It suddenly occurred to Dou Yan that there was no need to carry her old forbearance into the Yingzhen State Duke's household. The thought had no sooner crossed her mind than her heart eased at once, and a brimming gladness welled up in her breast. She could not help bursting into laughter. "Rest assured," she said, "I am a great coward. When it comes to groping at elephants, I will be sure to shove you out in front, so there will be precious few chances of my getting crushed—you will likely have no chance to exert yourself at all!"

Song Yan recalled that she had once saved his life, and had once driven him to a point where he had no way out; his face reddened slightly, but he did not refute her words.

Though Du Wei was charged with gathering intelligence for Song Yan, there were some things that happened to Song Yan himself that he would hardly lay bare before others. Du Wei did not know why Song Yan had acquiesced to that remark, but he could sense Song Yan's trust in Dou Zhiwei—and not an ordinary trust, but the kind that lets another stand guard at one's back.

He could not help casting a surprised glance at Dou Chu, then bowed his head low.

Coming out from the manor, Dou Xin said, "It is getting late; we had best hurry to the Drunken Immortal Tower. If the Second Lord arrives first, there will be trouble!"

"What Second Lord is he? Just call him by his childhood name," Song Dan said. "If anything comes up, Chen He will deal with it. Nothing will go wrong."

Dou Shi knew that addressing Song Han thus was a little too familiar, but whenever she thought that one day Song Yan and Song Han might fall out, she could not, for reasons she did not understand, feel any closeness toward Song Han.

Perhaps, once she had found out why Song Cen treated Song Yan as he did, she might come to see Song Han differently?

Dou Yan mused on this as she went with Song Yan to the Drunken Immortal Tower.

Song Yan told her, "I have reserved a private room at the Drunken Immortal Tower; we will take our midday meal there before going back."

"Is that all right?" Dou Chu asked, taken aback.

Song Yan smiled slyly. "It is rare enough that we get out of doors. If we cannot have our amusements, surely we can at least eat and drink our fill?"

Just as when he had taken her through the alleys of Jiangmi Lane, where she could see the offices of the Six Ministries.

Today he was taking her to dine at the Drunken Immortal Tower.

"Very well," Dou Xin said. Turning away, she quietly wiped the corner of her eye and straightened her toilet, and only then did she descend from the carriage with Song Yan.

In her former life she had only heard of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, but had never once set foot inside.

Song Han had not yet arrived.

The private room Song Yan had reserved was called the Canghai Pavilion, at the very top of the Drunken Immortal Tower: a full suite of redwood furniture, porcelain from the Ru and Ding kilns, genuine calligraphy and paintings by masters of the previous dynasty, gauze hangings of the kind the Jiangnan weaving workshops sent up as tribute. Throw open the window lattices, and half the capital lay spread before the eye.

With such a situation and such furnishings of no small price, Dou Yan, though this was her first visit, could already foresee how sumptuous a meal here would be.

Song Yan pointed out to her a street faintly visible in the distance. "Whenever the Emperor leaves the forbidden palace for the Western Park to escape the summer heat, he passes along that way. Many people reserve the Canghai Pavilion especially to watch the imperial procession..."

"Can one really see clearly from here?" Dou Xin asked, though her gaze had fallen on a roasted-seed shop across from the Drunken Immortal Tower, packed shoulder to shoulder with customers.

Sisters, brothers, the second watch is here—I beg for your pink tickets!

O(∩_∩)O~