Chapter 414 — The First Clue

It was to keep Jiang Yan under her thumb that Li Tiaoniang had naturally raised her to be meek and weak-willed.

Fearing this would wound Song Yan further, she said with a smile, "Do not fix your eyes on her all day long. The more you watch her, the more nervous she becomes, and the more her speech and conduct go awry — and the angrier you get..."

As she spoke, a young servant was peeking in from outside.

The rules of Yizhi Hall were strict. When Dou Yan and Song Yan were talking, no servant dared spy on them without first announcing himself.

Dou Shi knew this meant some urgent matter requiring Song Yan's decision.

She broke off and called the servant in.

The servant ran in as though a great weight had been lifted from him. Holding a letter high, he knelt before Song Yan and Dou Zhiwei. "Young Master. My Lady. The Fifth Maternal Uncle in Liaodong has sent a letter."

Dou Yan and Song Yan were both surprised.

Song Yan opened the letter and skimmed it at a glance, then breathed a sigh of relief. To Dou Xin he said, "Uncle Five says he has saved up some fine furs in Liaodong over the past few years. In a few days he will send them along with a merchant caravan; he wants me to send a steward to bring the goods back to the house."

Dou Yan noticed that the envelope still bore a military postmark, and could not help laughing. "Uncle Five's life in Liaodong seems quite comfortable."

Song Dan said, "My Uncle Five has no other pastime but making friends. Anyone who exchanges a few words with him takes a liking to him. What a pity you have not met him — you two would surely get along." Then he said, "Will you go back to your rooms, or sit here a while longer? I will go speak to the steward."

It was taken very seriously indeed.

Dou Xin said, "I will go round the Second Young Master's rooms and see what those little maids and serving women are up to."

Song Yan said hesitantly, "Whatever you need, just tell Ganlu and the others. The upper courtyard is a quarter of an hour's walk from here — too far."

He had grown suspicious of Song Han, and some instinct made him unwilling to set foot in Song Han's domain himself, had he not?

Dou Yan coaxed and argued, and at last agreed to bring the Jin'gui and Yin'gui sisters along. Only then did Song Yan reluctantly consent, and he escorted her personally to the upper rooms.

Song Han had music theory lessons that afternoon, leaving Qixia and a few young maids to watch over the rooms.

Seeing Dou Yan arrive, Qixia was startled and delighted, and hurried with the maids to serve tea, pour water, and set out pastries and fruit.

Dou Yan had been here several times, but always in haste and amid a great crowd, and had never entered Song Han's inner chamber. Now, looking carefully around, she found that Song Han's inner room was furnished with dignity and good taste, much like the warm alcove of Song Yan's outer study.

Qixia hurried to explain with a smile, "The Second Young Master copies the Eldest Young Master in everything — even in trifles like these."

Dou Xin nodded slightly, when suddenly a cat darted out.

She jumped in fright.

Qixia turned deathly pale.

If anything happened to the lady, no one in the whole courtyard would live to tell of it.

She hurriedly barked at a young maid, "Can you not see the lady is here? Why did you not stop it? What if it had frightened the lady?"

The maid, white as paper, dropped to her knees before Dou Zhiwei with a thud and trembled like jelly.

The cat, meanwhile, leapt gracefully onto the kang and sprawled lazily beneath the kang table. Its black fur was like satin, and its emerald eyes gleamed with a mysterious, unfathomable light, like the sea beneath a clear blue sky.

Only then did Dou realize that this cat was in fact a valuable Persian.

Unfortunately she did not care for such cats, finding their looks uncanny, and so she could not help stepping back a few paces.

Qixia hastened to say, "My Lady, this is the Second Young Master's cat. It is usually kept shut in the warm alcove... I never thought you would be coming, and so the alcove was not latched tight. It — it did not frighten you, did it?"

Dou Yan thought that even Song Han would not dare use a cat to frighten her when she was so near her time. She glanced at the cat a few times, said "It is nothing," and withdrew with Qixia and the others from Song Han's inner chamber. She had scarce settled into a seat in the main hall when Song Han came hurrying in, drenched in sweat.