Chapter 401 — Coming and Going

The Yingzhen residence was like a sieve these days: the more a thing was called a "secret," the faster it spread.

Song Han's clamor to marry Jiang Xiexiu could hardly be kept from Song Cen.

Yet Song Cen kept a strange and telling silence.

Song Yan was perplexed: "Does Father truly not object to Tian'en taking Cousin Xiexiu as his wife?"

To him, so long as his cousins found a secure place in the world, whether they married into their own household or another, he would be glad of it.

His one fear was that his father thought as Song Han did, and would end by ruining Jiang Xiexiu.

Dou Yan did not believe it.

Song Cen's attitude was plain enough by now: he would never let Song Yan have an easy time of it, but neither did he wish the Yingzhen line to die out. Of his two sons he must keep one in his grasp; and so finding Song Han a powerful affinal family had become inevitable.

She said, "If the Second Lord wishes to marry Cousin Xiexiu, that still depends on whether the Jiangs consent. Why should Lord Zhenguo leap out and play the villain? And if word of this gets about, people will only say that Lord Zhenguo honors his late wife, and for her family's sake would rather seek a convicted official's daughter for his second son. Face and substance both — why would he not?"

Song Yan nodded.

He understood the Jiang family.

Had the Jiangs still been at their height, and his father sought the match for Song Han, then even if they were not greatly pleased with Song Han, they would have grudgingly consented. But now the Jiangs had fallen, and to accept such a match would smack of currying favor with the great; the Jiangs would never agree.

Dou Yan had another worry.

In the previous life, the reason the Prince of Liao had made use of Song Yan was in large part that Song Yan was the Duke of Dingguo's own nephew, and could command the network the Dingguo household had built over generations, could set in motion the retainers the Duke of Dingguo had kept. In this life, Song Yan was destined never to throw his full strength behind the Prince of Liao's rebellion. Would the prince then turn to Song Han, who was equally the Duke of Dingguo's nephew?

If Song Han married Jiang Xiexiu, then in the eyes of all those who had once received the Duke of Dingguo's favors, Song Han would feel the nearer kin of the two.

Of course. And if Jiang Xiexiu truly married in, to face her day after day — there would surely be a knot in her heart.

So the next day she pressed Song Yan to go early to Fourth Madam Jiang: "We slept soundly enough, but who knows how Fourth Aunt passed the night? And there is so much to do today. Let us go over early — first, we can lend a hand; second, we can give Fourth Aunt a word, so the old lady may send Lizhu off with an easy mind."

Song Yan thought Dou Yan's reasoning sound. Though the wedding was set for the hour of Si, they arrived at Fourth Madam Jiang's before the hour of Mao.

Dou Yan told Fourth Madam Jiang of Song Cen's attitude, then delicately sounded her out: "Song Han is young. These years he has studied and written at Lord Zhenguo's side, and his heart toward you is utterly sincere. Some things he does not think through, and I beg you not to hold it against him. The goodness of his intent is what matters, and Fourth Aunt should take comfort in that."

Fourth Madam Jiang pondered a moment, then smiled. "I take your good intentions to heart. But precisely for that reason, the sooner we return to Haozhou the better. Some years ago Commander Liu of the Liuzhou Guard sought Xiexiu for his eldest son. Only because our Second Master had once done him a kindness, the Xuanming Sect feared people would say our family was trading on favors owed, and the match was refused. Then the head of the Xuanming Sect fell ill and died, and the children's marriages were left hanging. A few days ago, when I came to the capital, your First Aunt told me that Commander Liu has again asked for Xiexiu for his eldest son. She thought the Liu family too far from us, and feared Xiexiu would never grow used to it there, so she consulted me. At the time my whole mind was on Lizhu, and I had no leisure for it. Now that Lizhu is married, I have time to discuss the children's marriages properly with your First Aunt. I fear we must disappoint Lord Zhenguo's good intentions." Then, as though afraid Dou Yan might suffer for it, she added with pointed meaning, "I know a daughter-in-law must think of her father-in-law as well as her husband. But your father-in-law is a widower; at his age, if he does not take another wife now, he will later. You need only look after Yantang; where Lord Zhenguo is concerned, so long as appearances are kept up, that is enough."

Dou Yan was caught between laughter and tears.

Fourth Madam Jiang must have been certain she had come at Song Cen's bidding, to sound out the marriage.

And amid that helpless amusement, she felt a swell of gratitude toward Fourth Madam Jiang.

Had the older woman regarded her as even slightly an outsider, she would never have spoken so frankly, so wholly without reserve.

From this it was clear that Song Cen's treatment of Song Yan made the Jiangs deeply uncomfortable as well.

Smiling, she nodded and reminded Fourth Madam Jiang, "As for the Second Lord, Guiyuan has set someone to watch him. But after all, Lord Zhenguo is still master of the Yingzhen residence, and some things are hard to say. My fear now is that if this gets out, Lord Zhenguo will be made out a man of feeling and honor, while the Jiangs are said to be too fastidious to bear a speck of dust in their eyes — a stepping-stone for Lord Zhenguo."

A moment's thought and Fourth Madam Jiang understood her meaning. She smiled. "I understand. Some things I will guard against before they happen."

If the Jiangs could send Fourth Madam to escort the bride, then Fourth Madam was plainly a woman who could stand on her own. Dou Yan set her mind at ease, chatted a while with her, smiling, and went out to the main hall.

The curtain to the back veranda was lifted, and Jiang Xiexiu came in.

She looked boldly at Fourth Madam Jiang and said outright, "Aunt, are you going to marry me off to Liuzhou?"

"How could I?" Fourth Madam Jiang said softly, taking Jiang Xiexiu's hand with a sigh. "Who knows how many girls of the Jiang family have married into military households and been widowed while still young — are such cases so few? But we were kept by the Dingguo household, and it was only right that we give the Dingguo household our strength; we had no grounds to complain or blame. Now the Jiang family has died once already. We have done our utmost for our ancestors' wishes. From now on, we must live for ourselves. Those whose matches were already settled, we say nothing of; but as for you few, your First Aunt and I are of one mind — we mean to keep you all near us."

Jiang Xiexiu's eyes went wide, and then tears came pattering down, and not knowing whether from grievance or from relief, she cried, "Fourth Aunt!"

"Silly child!" Fourth Madam Jiang stepped forward and took Jiang Xiexiu by the shoulders, saying low, "When you gave me that thing, I knew what was in your heart. Our family may have fallen, but so long as your First Aunt is here, we will not let you be wronged."

Jiang Xiexiu nodded, and smiled through her tears. "And Fourth Aunt too!"

Fourth Madam Jiang laughed. "I am not so brave and resourceful as your First Aunt," she said, drawing out a handkerchief for Jiang Xiexiu to dry her tears. "There are many guests today; do not let anyone see that anything is amiss."

Jiang Xiexiu nodded. Seeing that no trace remained on her face, she left the reception room.

Jiang Xieying was leaning against a pillar beneath the eaves of the back veranda, staring blankly at the blue sky.

At the sound, she lifted her head and nodded to Jiang Xiexiu.