Chapter 398 — Searching

Or had something happened in the previous life that she knew nothing about, something that had brought that girl and Song Zhi closer together?

But she was a child raised by a concubine of the outer household, and her birth mother was of such a character. Song Zhi's circumstances were extremely difficult—what could possibly have improved the girl's relationship with him?

.

She poured it all out to Chen Yanzhou.

Chen Yanzhou was aghast, then scolded her: "Why didn't you tell me earlier, madam? Whether the child is the Duke of Yingguo's or not, we could have schemed a little, made the Duke swallow his bitterness without being able to speak of it. And if we could have seized the chance to force the Duke to hand over the affairs of the Yingzhen residence to the heir, so much the better."

Dou Yan truly had not thought along those lines.

She said tactfully, "Using a girl to coerce the Duke of Yingguo is hardly honorable. If it can be avoided, it is better avoided."

Chen Yanzhou nodded in relieved approval and said, "Even if the child is the Duke's, and the Duke wished to bring her back, she is already married—at most he would add a dowry. Why else would he want the heir and you to treat her like a sister? Besides, whether the Duke will even acknowledge the child is still uncertain. What is there for you to worry about?"

Yes!

What was there for her to worry about?

Given Song Cen's temperament—even in taking a chambermaid he insisted on a girl of clean, reputable family—even if the child were his, he might not acknowledge her. And whether the child was Song Cen's could not yet be certain; it was far too early to say anything. Better to wait until word came from Chen Jia.

Dou Yan's anxious heart eased somewhat, and she turned her energies to Jiang Ling's wedding.

Every afternoon she went to sit with Fourth Madam Jiang, seeing whether there was anything she could help with.

Fourth Madam Jiang and Dou Yan gradually grew familiar. Seeing Dou Yan's easygoing, generous nature, she occasionally introduced to Dou Yan the ladies who came to add to Jiang Ling's trousseau.

Those ladies greeted Dou Yan with respect, praising Song Yan's noble character and righteousness for not disdaining the Jiang family's decline and still coming to give the Jiangs face.

Every day Dou Yan had to say countless polite things like "It is only proper, madam flatters me," yet at the same time, it made her draw a deep breath.

No wonder, in the previous life, the Emperor had wiped out the entire Jiang family.

The Jiang family was so beloved among the lower and middle ranks of officers and men. When the Duke of Dingguo was wrongly accused, Madam Jiang had her relatives and old friends cry out for justice on his behalf, a mighty clamor—how could they not have ended in the destruction of their house and the death of their people!

She could not help secretly counting herself lucky.

Had she not lived two lives, she would never in her wildest dreams have guessed that the Emperor would kill the Duke of Dingguo for such a reason.

Truly, every peck and every sip is fated.

As she pondered, a sudden inspiration struck Dou Yan.

In the previous life, could it be that the Prince of Liao had taken Song Zhi in for precisely this reason?

If he wished to win over the men of the Shenji Camp and the Jinwu Guard, how could he do without such middle-ranking officers who held real power in their hands? And without the Jiang family, Song Yan—who had grown up at the Duke of Dingguo's side—represented the Jiang family to a certain degree, represented the Jiang family's will. The Emperor was gravely ill. When the Prince of Liao, as a grown vassal prince, entered the palace to visit the Emperor, there were strict limits on the status and number of his attendants. Yet he had risked grave impropriety to bring into the palace Song Yan—who had been struck from the rolls of the Yingzhen residence for unfilial conduct and reduced to a man whom everyone denounced. It could not have been merely because of Song Yan's superior background or extraordinary wit; after all, Song Zhi's identity was far too sensitive, and Song Yan had gone in and out of the forbidden palace since childhood, so many people must have known him. The risk of discovery was great, and a single misstep could have harmed the Prince of Liao's grand enterprise. Song Yan's role in all this, seen now, was self-evident.

Having realized this, Dou Yan grew all the more firm in her resolve to keep Song Yan far from the Prince of Liao.

She began to pay attention to the identities of these people.

Those who came to offer congratulations were all ladies. The higher their status, the more they apologized to Fourth Madam Jiang on leaving, saying they had other engagements on the day of Jiang Ling's wedding and could not drink to the happy occasion, begging Fourth Madam Jiang's pardon. The lower their status, the fewer scruples they had—some even brought their daughters and daughters-in-law to add to Jiang Ling's trousseau.

Fourth Madam Jiang could not help sighing.

Dou Yan consoled her: "They have their own little lives to live. That they can come to add to Twelfth Cousin's trousseau is already the height of kindness. When Eldest Uncle's wrongful case is redressed, it will not be too late for us to celebrate properly for Twelfth Cousin!"

"It is good of you to think of everything." Fourth Madam Jiang patted Dou Zhiwei's hand in comfort and said, "It is not for that I sigh. In the Jiang family's present state, any hope of returning to court in the short term is impossible. That they came to congratulate us at Lizhu's wedding may be counted as giving the Jiang family an explanation. In future, if the Jiang family meets trouble, and it is great, they will be powerless; if it is small, they are in the capital and trouble will not find its way to their doors. Seeing everyone come so promptly, I thought there would likely never again be such a lively gathering, and my heart felt some emotion."

She was grieving for the unwed young ladies of the Jiang family, was she not?

Not only were their marriages unsettled, but in future, should they appear, there could never be an occasion like Jiang Ling's!

As Dou Yan mused, Jiang Xiexiu and Jiang Xieying came in carrying a pair of plum vases for Jiang Ling's dowry.

Hearing this, Jiang Xieying laughed: "This too is Twelfth Sister's good fortune. Do you not often say that every blade of grass has its drop of dew? Who knows—perhaps our good fortune lies elsewhere!"

Fourth Madam Jiang nodded repeatedly at this, her expression much eased.

Dou Yan nodded to herself as well.

She had not expected Jiang Xieying to be so forthright!

She glanced at Jiang Xiexiu.

Jiang Xiexiu was smiling with pursed lips, yet the faint sorrow between her brows had only grown deeper.

Dou Yan lowered her head and drank her tea.

A clamor rose from outside.

Everyone was startled.

Then a voice was heard calling merrily "Fourth Aunt" all the way as it entered the main hall.

Dou Yan looked closely—it was Song Han.

He wore a silver-red brocade robe with a bamboo-joint pattern, his black hair bound with a white jade pin. Because he had walked quickly, his fair face was faintly flushed, but his eyes were bright and sparkling with joy.

"Tian'en!" Fourth Madam Jiang cried out in delighted surprise, and she had scarcely risen to her feet before Song Han threw himself into her arms.

"Fourth Aunt, why haven't you come to the residence to see me?" he wheedled, complaining, "Brother didn't tell me either. I only found out by accident, passing by the accounting office and catching a word or two—that you had come to the capital with Cousin Lizhu, Cousin Xiexiu, and Cousin Xieying." As he spoke, he glared at Dou Yan, puffing with indignation. "Sister-in-law is the same. You're in league with Brother, keeping it from me alone."