Chapter 349 — Entangled

Song Yan felt as though he had drunk honey. He held Dou Yan in his arms and lingered a long while before letting go. That evening he did not return early, though not so late as to be unreasonable; he washed and changed thoroughly in the side chamber before coming over.

Dou Yan had not yet gone to bed. She asked him, "I know who Lord Ma is—Ma Youming, the one you're always talking about. But who is Lord Jiang?"

"He's in the Divine Machine Camp too—Jiang Yi, son of the Dengzhou Guard commander." He lifted the quilt and lay down, pressing his face to the belly of Dou Zhiwei, who was propped against the headboard reading. He laughed. "He was just promoted to company commander this year. He thinks the Divine Machine Camp is too far from the capital, and the daily drilling too hard, so he wants me to transfer him to the Five Cities Garrison."

Dou Xin said, "So he used our child as an excuse to drag you out drinking."

"Didn't he just!" Song Yan felt the whole bed awash with the fragrance of flowers, most agreeable; he drew a deep breath and laid his hand on Dou Zhiwei's lower belly. "Son, this time we'll forgive him and do him the favor. But if he dares use you as an excuse again, just watch how I'll deal with him. Still, at your full-month feast we must give your Uncle Ma a thorough fleecing—anything less would be an injustice to you!"

Dou Yan could not help laughing. "But the Divine Machine Camp is the true personal guard of the Son of Heaven," she said, wondering. "The Five Cities Garrison only runs down thieves and cutpurses in the capital. How can the two be mentioned in the same breath? Is this Jiang Yi some fop of a young lord?"

"Not at all." Song Yan said, "At the autumn hunt three years ago he placed third—no good-for-nothing. And Ma Youming is not that sort of man either. Since he's speaking up for Jiang Yi this time, I suspect Jiang Yi has offended someone in the Divine Machine Camp and can no longer stay on, and has seized on the hardship of the camp as an excuse to move elsewhere."

"Ma Youming is already a deputy general in the Divine Machine Camp, and even he can't shield him," Dou Yan said musingly. "Then who could it be?"

"At the very least, a seal-holding commander of the Five Army Command." Song Yan said, "Tomorrow I'll put the word out and find out just who Jiang Yi has offended."

Song Yan always had a clear grasp of such matters, so Dou Yan did not pester him further. She talked with him about a few household trifles, then blew out the lamp and went to bed.

But Gu Yu, newly returned from Liaodong, could not sleep at all.

He threw on his clothes, got up, and sat on the bed staring into space.

The young servant who attended him closely naturally dared not sleep either; he asked cautiously, "Eldest Young Master, what's the matter?"

"Nothing's the matter with me!" Gu Yu muttered, and felt all the more vexed.

Lady Dou was with child, and Brother Tianci was about to become a father... When Grandmother and Stepmother heard, they had both sent gifts over. Even the Crown Prince's consort in the palace had, by all accounts, sent Lady Dou several bolts of Hangzhou silk to make clothes for the unborn child.

By rights, Brother Tianci had always been so good to him, and he would be the child's uncle in time; he ought to send a gift as well to show his good will. Yet the mere thought that Lady Dou's child would forever rank ahead of him left him with an uneasy feeling in his chest.

In Liaodong he had picked up a great many fine things to give Brother Tianci, and had bought two things for Lady Dou as well. He had been all eagerness to hurry off to the Yingzhen Ducal Manor, but when he got home he found that his stepmother, instead of properly arranging a match for him, had stuffed two second-class maidservants of eighteen into his rooms. He had stamped with fury, lodged a fierce complaint against his stepmother before his grandfather, and been delayed at home two days—only to hear the glad tidings about Lady Dou, which deflated him at once. He had not even gone to the Yingzhen Ducal Manor.

The more he thought of it, the more aggrieved he felt.

He had not gone to see Brother Tianci—so why had Brother Tianci not come to see him?

Brother Tianci ought to know he was back!

Could it really be that now he had flesh and blood of his own, he no longer cared about him?

The more he thought, the worse he felt, and he could not sleep. He simply slipped on his shoes and ran off to the martial training hall.

And this was the twelfth month of winter!

The wind cut to the bone!

The young servant turned white with fright; clutching a fur coat, he shouted "Eldest Young Master!" and gave chase.

Gu Yu's stepmother had long had eyes and ears everywhere watching him, and seeing him run wild in the middle of the night, how could she let it pass? She ordered the physician summoned at once, and ordered the servants to rise and help her dress, for she meant to go and see Gu Yu. She roused the whole household, and the Yunyang Earl's Manor was thrown into another uproar. It was not until dawn that the Earl, shaking his head with a face full of helpless resignation, returned to the upper courtyard.

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This chapter is scheduled to post; I hope the journey goes smoothly.

o(∩_∩)o~

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