Chapter 301 — Drawing Out the Threads

Dou Yan was badly startled.

How could Song Yan know...

Before the thought had even flashed through her mind, Song Yan's voice of heartfelt relief reached her ear: "If we had done as Mother and Mr. Yan and the others discussed before—mobilizing the relatives and old connections of the Jiang and Song families to petition on my eldest uncle's behalf and cry out against his injustice—the Emperor, seeing the Jiang family's power, would only have grown more wary, and would have resorted to thunderous measures to tear the Jiangs up by the roots and rid himself of future trouble. But precisely because Mother took your advice and showed weakness, the Emperor felt a measure of pity for us. That is what left the Jiang family a few embers to carry on the line!" As he spoke, he could not contain the surge of emotion in his heart. Forgetful of Yan Che's presence, he stepped forward and embraced Dou Yan. "Shouyuan, you are truly the lucky star of our house!" The words had barely left his lips when he felt the phrase fell short, and he said, "No—you are my lucky star!"

Dou Yan's face flushed crimson. She hurriedly said in a low voice, "Let me go at once!"

Song Yan paid her no heed, only holding her tighter—as though she were a piece of driftwood, or a treasure of his; as though another's glance in her direction would set him on edge.

Dou Yan was mortified beyond measure and smiled at Yan Che in apology.

But she found Yan Che gazing at them with a look of deep satisfaction, a profound smile glimmering in the depths of his eyes.

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Song Yan carried on a while longer, and at last his feelings calmed. He turned to Yan Che to discuss serious matters: "...As for what Chen Jia said, I must trouble you, sir, to verify it. As for Wang Yuan, I will pay him a visit myself."

Yan Che assented respectfully.

Song Yan, unable to keep the emotion from his voice, said, "Tell me—is it possible that the Emperor meant only to discipline my eldest uncle, and never to take his life?"

Yan Che was much surprised. After pondering for a long while, he had to admit that Song Yan's conjecture was not made out of thin air.

"Then the only course is to find some way to discover why the Emperor is displeased with the Duke of Dingguo?" he said, somewhat at a loss. "Only I wonder whether now is the time to be looking into such things?"

"Then let us first get to the bottom of what Chen Jia has said, and take it from there!" Once Song Yan and Yan Che had agreed on the next step, Yan Che rose and took his leave.

Song Yan and Dou Yan spent the night at the country estate, and only the next day did they return to the Yingguo Duke's residence.

To their surprise, the previous afternoon Madam Wang the younger, Madam Zhang the Third, and Madam Cai had all sent their cards of courtesy.

Ganlu, who had stayed behind at the residence, said with a smile, "They all asked what has become of the Madam—whether she is unwell."

They must have meant to ask why she had not attended Dou Ming's banquet, surely?

Dou Yan smiled.

A young maid came in to announce, "The Tenth Madam from the Huai Shu Alley has arrived."

She came quickly enough!

"Show her into the flower hall to talk!" Dou Yan went to change her clothes.

When Madam Cai saw Dou Zhiwei, she all but flung herself upon her. "Why did the Fourth Young Madam not go to the Jining Marquis's residence? You had us all so worried." She spoke with a pointed air about the occasion. "Without you, the gathering was simply not lively. Not only did the Sixth Aunt and the Eleventh Sister-in-law stay away, but my mother-in-law and I returned to the Huai Shu Alley early as well..."

She was still speaking when Lady Wang and Lady Zhang the Third arrived together.

Lady Wang could not help explaining to Dou Yan, "I never expected to run into them at the gate."

Dou Xin said, "The Third Lady and the heir are cousins, so there are no outsiders here. Let us all sit down and have some tea!"

Perhaps because outsiders were present, Lady Cai reined herself in considerably.

Lady Zhang the Third was plainly a cut above Lady Cai; she only inquired with concern after Dou Zhiwei's health, while Lady Wang sat quietly to one side drinking her tea.

Dou Yan smiled faintly and decided to come straight to the point: "My health is very good. Dou Ming and I have never gotten along since we were children. When I hosted a banquet for the first time, I sent her an invitation, and she neither came nor sent anyone with a word of excuse. I take it she does not wish to see me. This is her first time hosting a banquet, and she will surely want everything to be perfect, so I shall not go and spoil her mood."

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I revised it again and again, and I still do not know whether I have actually written out what I wanted to express... ~~~~(_

I have already revised it until my head is spinning and my eyes are blurred today. I will wait until tomorrow morning to look over the text carefully once more, and if there are any changes, I will notify everyone.