Chapter 407 — Settling In

"Better to tell her now!" Dou Yan said. "When putting on a show, one must do it thoroughly. For the time being we will settle Jiang Yan in a separate courtyard. When I have properly made her a few decent dresses and had a few decent pieces of jewelry made, and found her a few reliable maids and matrons, then you can send people to bring her back to the Ying family's Zhenguo estate openly and honorably, so that those people can find no place to wag their tongues. She can take the opportunity to think the matter over carefully. And we can take advantage of it to investigate the affairs of those years, and see who it was that struck down Li Tiaoniang."

Song Yan nodded, and the two went their separate ways, only returning to the Ying family's Zhenguo estate without a stir by evening.

Song Han came up to meet them, and with a grin he tugged at Song Yan. "Brother, why are you only back now? Gu Yu waited for you all morning. When he heard you had gone with Sister-in-law to the Heming Temple alley, he hurried after you." As he spoke, he craned his neck to look behind them. "Where is Gu Yu? Why is he not here with you and Sister-in-law?"

Song Yan looked at Song Han and smiled. "Your sister-in-law and I did not go to the Guimeng Temple alley — we went to the temple to burn incense..."

Dou Yan sensed that Song Yan's gaze on Song Han had turned somewhat cold, no longer carrying the indulgent delight of before.

And Song Han plainly did not notice.

With a touch of excitement he cut Song Yan off and laughed. "I know! Brother and Sister-in-law must have gone to beg the Bodhisattva to grant you a safe and smooth birth of a son!"

Song Ji smiled and helped Dou Yan over to the Yizhi Hall.

Song Han trailed behind them, pouting, looking rather aggrieved.

Song Dan said, "Your sister-in-law is tired. Go back and rest as well. Once you have had supper and finished your lessons, you may come back and play."

Beaming, Song Han answered "All right" in a loud voice, and, surrounded by maids and serving women, returned to the main house.

Song Ji said quietly to Dou Yan, "Have you noticed? Song Han takes after Father. Not a bit like Mother."

When your state of mind has changed, you see things differently.

In time to come, Song Yan would surely discover many more differences in Song Han.

Dou Xin said, "When I first married in, I thought Song Han looked especially like the Lord of Zhenguo, and not particularly like you."

"Did you?" Song Yan said thoughtfully. After helping Dou Yan back into the inner chamber to wash and change, he busied himself in the study for a long while, then found a portrait of Lady Jiang and showed it to Dou Yan. "Look here — in what way does Song Han resemble Mother?"

Indeed, there was no likeness in their features; if anything, their manner was somewhat similar — perhaps because he had grown up at Lady Jiang's side. But now Song Yan was scrutinizing Song Han with a searching eye. Naturally Dou Yan would not tell him such a thing and grieve him.

"He does not much resemble her," she said, studying the scroll carefully, then added earnestly, "It is Sister Yan's features that are stamped from the same mold as our mother-in-law's."

Song Yan gazed at the portrait in silence for a good while, then rolled it up and handed it to Dou Yan. "Tomorrow, send someone to deliver the portrait to Sister Yan."

He had settled Yigui — no, she must now be called Jiang Yan — in the residence where the Fourth Lady Jiang had stayed when she came to the capital, leaving Xia Lian there with her, while Dou Yan kept Jin Gui at her side.

Dou Yan had just taken the portrait in hand when Liu Zhang came hurrying over. "Young Heir, Lu Ming and Du Wei have both arrived and are waiting for you in the study."

Song Yan said to Dou Yan, "I will be back in a moment," and went with Liu Zhang to the study.

(continued)

Dou Yan asked Chen He what the matter was.

Chen He smiled. "While I was serving tea, I only caught the Young Heir saying something about the He and Wei families. I did not hear the rest clearly."

Dou Chi teased him, "Married, and you have turned sly!"

Chen He smiled sheepishly.

Dou Yan waved him away, then, thinking that the Jiang family had suffered such a great upheaval and were now mere commoners, had Ganlu open the chests and trunks and dismiss the maids and serving women, and herself selected several bolts of stuff that were not too costly yet of fashionable pattern, along with a few gilt ornaments inlaid with pearls. Reflecting that Jiang Yan was entering the household as a daughter of the Jiang family, long a clan of a hundred years, she also sought out from her own dowry several old ornaments handed down through the generations and placed them in the mirror case. Early the next morning she summoned Su Lan, instructed her in detail, and sent her, together with the portrait, into Jiang Yan's hands.

When Su Lan returned, she told Dou Yan that Jiang Yan had wept bitterly over the portrait, and then, taking her hand, asked her about many things in the household. "…Following your instructions, madam, I told Miss Yan everything, down to the smallest detail."

"Thank you for your trouble," Dou Yan said, rewarded her with a meal, and quietly instructed her to buy Jiang Yan two older maids and two serving women. "Once she enters the household, let them be seen about for a while, then I will send them out and use the household's own maids and serving women."

*

Dear sisters and brothers, wishing you all a pleasant weekend!

Tomorrow the bonus chapter will still come at about three in the afternoon, though I will try to make it earlier.

o(n_n)o~