Chapter 390 — Old Matters

"But the Duke fell to his knees before the old Duke and swore an oath, declaring that he had never laid a finger on the business in Fujian, and that he had known nothing of the bank drafts the Count of Guang'en had sent him.

"Lady Jiang pleaded for the Duke as well, saying he was not that sort of man. She added that anyone else who came by so many bank drafts would surely have found some place to hide them — who would be so careless as to tuck them into a letter? Plainly this was all the Count of Guang'en's doing.

"The old Duke cursed the Duke again and again as a wicked, worthless son, and summoned his advisors and his chief steward to clean up the mess for him.

"Lady Jiang helped the Duke back to his rooms.

"But who would have guessed that halfway there, the Duke suddenly wrenched free of Lady Jiang's hand and ran to the outer courtyard, taking a few guards with him to confront the Count of Guang'en.

"Naturally the Count would not admit a thing.

"Not only that — the Duke's confrontation had tipped the Count off, giving him time to cover his tracks. By the time the Duke of Dingguo made his formal report to the court, only a few great households in Fujian were implicated. In the capital, everything was spotless and clean, with no connection at all.

"From that day on, the Count of Guang'en and the Duke never had dealings again.

"The old Duke then began to teach the Duke the practical affairs of the household, hand over hand.

"But at the time the Duke's heart was set on nothing but the books of the sages. He could not muster the least interest in such trifling matters, and his progress was slow. It was Lady Jiang instead who helped the Duke with ideas, showing her talents and drawing from the old Duke endless sighs of admiration.

"Such things were quite ordinary, really. Who is not fond of play in his youth? As one grows older, it passes.

"But the old Duke was advanced in years and his strength was failing. After catching a chill, he took to his bed and never rose again.

"The old Duke saw that his days were numbered, yet the Duke still carried on in his careless, idle way. Having no other choice, the old Duke entrusted the family estate to Lady Jiang."

As he spoke, his voice gradually sank.

"The old Duke saw that the Dingguo Estate was at its zenith, and he feared Lady Jiang would be wholly partial to her natal family; and the Duke was soft-eared, easily swayed. He dreaded that in time the Ying Estate would be reduced to a mere appendage of the Dingguo Estate. That was why he held something in reserve, hoping that when the Heir came of age he might support the household and stand as an equal to the Dingguo Estate."

When Song Shize reached this point, his voice began to choke.

"Those men — the old Duke looked them over again and again, tested them again and again; they were the finest in the household at the time. Such excellent guardians for the orphan, and now they are gone..."

Which meant the old Duke had never thought well of Song Cen, and had long since planned to skip over Song Cen and hand the family estate to Song Yan?

Dou Yan said, "The Duke surely did more than one thing of this sort?"

After all, he was his own son; the old Duke could not have given up on him so easily.

Song Shize's sob caught in his throat.

Dou Yan quietly sipped her tea, patiently waiting for him to speak.

Song Shize heaved a long sigh, looking quite helpless, and said softly, "The Duke was spoiled, and Lady Jiang is a woman of considerable cunning. The Duke is no match for Lady Jiang at all. What the old Duke did was a last resort..."

It was, in effect, an indirect admission of Dou Zhiwei's conjecture.

She could not help asking in wonder, "Did the old Duke never fear that the Heir, under Lady Jiang's influence, would grow closer to the Jiang family?"

"How could he not have thought of it?" Song Shize smiled bitterly. "But the Duke was incapable of shouldering the heavy burden of the Ying Estate — surely he could not let the Duke raise the Heir to know nothing of sowing and reaping? So long as the Heir was raised into a man able to support the family estate, the Ying Estate could never defer to the Dingguo Estate in every matter. Rather than leave some handle for gossip that would make the Duke of Dingguo wary, better to let the Heir receive the Duke of Dingguo's instruction. However you put it, the Heir was still carried ten months in Lady Jiang's womb and born of her labor and pain. A woman may side with her natal family when her man is good for nothing, but she is all the more likely to turn her back on her natal family for the sake of her son's prospects. Since ancient times, that truth has never been overturned!"

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Brothers and sisters, here is today's update!

o(n_n)o~