Chapter 264 — Sudden

Before the carriages and beside the sedans of officials of the third rank and above, attendants carried windproof lanterns bearing the family surname; officials below the third rank carried bare windproof lanterns. At a glance all knew whose carriage or sedan it was, and each yielded according to rank—order prevailed throughout.

Dou Yan found it diverting, and her spirits rose greatly. She looked among the crowd for her uncle's or her father's carriage, but saw neither.

Only upon entering the palace did they learn that the Emperor had already gone to the morning court.

Song Yan said, "We will wait here a while."

If they did not wait, could they turn back?

Dou Yan smiled, lips pressed together.

Song Yan saw that her mood was still good, and his heart was somewhat set at ease.

With palace maids all around, there was little the two could say; they sat in dry silence and drank a few cups of tea, and only when the sky had grown fully bright did an inner attendant come running in haste.

"Heir, the Empress has gone to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility and bids you attend her there to pay your respects."

Dou Yan and Song Yan set off once more for the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.

In her previous life, though she had entered the palace for every grand and minor audience, she had always gone in the company of the other titled ladies, wives of officials within and without the court. They would glance at one another, steal the odd whispered word when no one was looking, and the journey seemed to pass in no time. Not like now, with towering walls on every side and long, silent corridors, identical whichever way one looked, where nothing could be heard but the sound of one's own footsteps, as though the way would never end.

Only now did she truly understand what a bitter lot it was to serve within the palace. No wonder Wei Wan was unwilling to let Wei Fan take up a post here.

Song Yan saw beads of sweat on Dou Yan's brow, drew out a handkerchief, and handed it to her. "Wipe your brow. We are almost there."

The eunuch leading them to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility could not help glancing back at Dou Yan.

Dou Yan was smiling at Song Yan and did not notice.

The eunuch led them into the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility and straight on to the rear side hall.

Dou Yan knew that this was where the Empress Dowager's bedchamber lay.

In her previous life she had never gone beyond the main hall, so she could not help looking about her as they went.

A palace maid of delicate features and a fresh, blooming youth stood waiting before the side hall.

Song Yan cupped his hands to her and addressed her as "Aunt Lan."

Dou Yan stepped forward, bent her knee in salute, and echoed, "Aunt Lan."

Aunt Lan nodded with a smile, sizing Dou Yan up from head to toe. Her gaze was gentle, her manner toward Dou Yan quite friendly, and she turned and led them into the side hall.

Within the side hall were only the Empress Dowager and the Empress.

The Empress Dowager sat on a luohan bed in a plain lilac brocade jacket, her black hair neatly coiled into a bun, wearing only a single emerald ring the size of a pigeon's egg on her hand. She looked no more than a woman just past forty, though in truth she had celebrated her sixtieth birthday five years before.

The Empress sat below the Empress Dowager, her skin fair and fine, her face long and elegant, her eyes bright and piercing, exceedingly luminous. Though fine lines had already gathered at the corners of her eyes, they did not make her seem worn; rather, they lent her an air of great warmth and amiability.

Dou Yan had seen both of these women more than once in her previous life, yet the impressions they had left on her then were utterly at odds with what she felt now.

The Empress Dowager had been amiable then, the Empress solemn and dignified.

The Empress Dowager especially: the last time Dou Yan had seen her, the Emperor had already passed away, and the Prince of Liao had named the Empress Dowager Grand Empress Dowager. She and the other titled ladies had been summoned to court to offer congratulations. The Empress Dowager was withered and gaunt, like a crone of eighty, and propped up by attendants, she had fainted before the investiture ceremony could be completed. Within two days she was dead of illness.

She still remembered that skull-like, rigid face.

Dou Yan lowered her head and, together with Song Yan, performed the full kowtow to the two ladies.

Then she heard the Empress say to the Empress Dowager in a gentle voice, "Though she was raised in the countryside, her manners are quite proper. One can see she is a clever, quick-witted child."

Dou Yan recalled how this Empress, after being elevated to Empress Dowager, had dared to have the Prince of Liao's favored consort beaten to death with rods, and how the Prince of Liao, by then Emperor, had not dared so much as to breathe a word of protest. The thought made her somewhat nervous.

She kept her eyes lowered, standing respectfully to one side with hands at her sides, and heard the Empress Dowager say with a touch of displeasure, "The Dou clan of the Northern Tower is a house that has passed down letters and rites for generations. A girl raised by them will hardly be found wanting."

Dou Yan heard the Empress hurry to answer with a smile, "Yes," her voice sounding especially meek.

This Empress was not the Empress she had known in her former life.

The Empress Dowager beckoned to Dou Yan. "Come here, let me have a closer look at you."

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Brothers and sisters, I have made a great blunder.

There was a YY voice interview, and the microphone at home was faulty, so I went out specially to buy one, then used scheduled posting, but clicked the wrong time. My deepest apologies~~~~(_

ps: The second update is here, please vote for me with pink tickets!

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