Chapter 388 — The Candidate

"Even granting it was because the Marquis holds office in the Five Wards Command, afterward—never mind the Jing house's chief steward, they might at least have sent an ordinary retainer to pass along a word.

"But the Jing house, for its part, behaves as though nothing had happened.

"Later I made inquiries and learned that this Wang fellow's aunt had once been wet nurse to the heir of the Duke of Jing—only the aunt died long ago, and the heir has no notion that such a person ever existed. Yet the Marquis of Jining not only acknowledged him, but accepted two tenths of the shares for nothing; and now this Wang, trading under the Marquis's name, has set himself up in business in the eastern quarter of the city. The silk shops there must all yield him precedence, and his trade flourishes past all telling." He stole a glance at Song Yan's face. "What do you make of it? The fellow is cunning—I fear the Marquis will be the loser!"

What was Hao Dayong after?

Song Yan smiled faintly and made his position plain: "The Marquis of Jining and I are co-brothers-in-law, but even so I can hardly reach into his household. In such a matter he must look to himself."

So His Heirship would not touch it!

Hao Dayong, having gotten what he came for, was in high spirits at once.

Smiling, he clasped his hands and bowed to Song Yan: "You speak the truth. Some things a man can only manage for himself. No one else can help."

Song Yan smiled faintly.

Hao Dayong rose to take his leave: "When the list is posted, some households will rejoice and others will grieve. Those whose names are on it will drink themselves senseless, and those who failed will drink themselves even sillier—some even throw themselves into the lake in their cups. I had best get back to the yamen and keep an eye on things, so I shall not stay for the banquet. Another day I shall celebrate the new Metropolitan Graduate on his own."

A Metropolitan Graduate is, to be sure, praised the world over elsewhere, a rare prize beyond compare. But in the capital, where the list goes up once in three years and the names are packed close as ants, who remembers which few scholars passed, unless it touches himself?

A man like Hao Dayong, who reckoned he would never in his life have dealings with those sour scholars of the Hanlin Academy, remembered them even less, and could only follow Dou Bingheng's lead in addressing Dou Yan as "Graduate Dou."

Song Yan laughed despite himself, and saw Hao Dayong out through the side gate with his own hands.

Hao Dayong was exceedingly pleased with himself.

His personal attendant said, puzzled, "But I did not hear the heir say anything just now? Is it fitting to move against the Jining Marquis?"

"You fool. If the heir had meant to protect the Jining Marquis, then when I spoke as I did, all he had to do was answer me with a single sentence: 'The Jining Marquis has not been at the Five Wards Military Command long and does not yet understand such matters; you need only give him the benefit of your guidance.' Then not only could I not have trodden the Jining Marquis down, I would have had to contrive some opportunity to see him promoted." He was rather pleased with himself. "Once this business is well handled, the heir will have no choice but to thank me!"

For a moment he actually felt impatient to get back to his office.

Song Ke returned to the study betraying nothing in his face.

Dou Huaiying, Dou Heng, and Yu Li and the rest were talking merrily together; when they saw Song Yan come in, the younger ones smiled and greeted him, while old hands of Yu Li's standing sat with studied reserve, waiting for Song Yan to come and greet them.

They no longer moved in the same circles, after all.

Song Yan, ranking himself by Dou Huaiying's generation, made his courtesies to them all with an easy liberality, at which Yu Li and several other old scholars nodded faintly.

Someone asked Dou Huaiying, "How is it we have not seen your second son-in-law?"

The Dou family had for generations tilled the soil and read the classics; Dou Huaiying, who had married both his daughters into houses of titled nobility, was to date the only one of his kind, and so people were tolerably well acquainted with his family affairs.

At this Dou Huaiying's face darkened.

Word had long since been sent to the Jining Marquis's household, yet Wei Fan had still not come.

Song Yan came to Dou Huaiying's rescue with a smile. "He was here just now, but the Old Madam called him in to be questioned; I fear he will not be back for some while."

Everyone burst out laughing, and they all teased Dou Yan. "How did you manage to get yourself out? Give your Fifth Uncle-in-law a few pointers too!"

"What could I do?" Dou Yan laughed, and cast a thoughtful glance at Song Chu. "I was fished out by my Seventh Great-uncle and my Fourth Uncle-in-law as it was. If I go in again, I fear even my Seventh Great-uncle and my Fourth Uncle-in-law will not be able to get out."

Another round of laughter.

From this time on Dou Yanjun felt a shade closer to Song Sui; and when the congratulatory feast had ended, he went of his own accord to fetch the keys and moved into the house on Yuqiao Lane. (To be continued)