Chapter 470 — Awakening

At these words, Madame Tian flew into a rage. "Even now, you dare say such things? What was struck down was your own flesh and blood! Is your heart made of iron?" As she spoke, she pulled out a handkerchief, dabbed at the corners of her eyes, and began to weep softly.

Wei Fan's face was a study in ugliness.

The little maid Axuan wore a look of fright.

She tugged gently at Madame Tian's sleeve and murmured, "It was this servant's fault to begin with. I am already endlessly grateful that the Dowager allows me to stay. I beg you, Old Madam, do not quarrel with the Marquis on my account—I am not worthy!"

Hearing this gentle, pleading tone, Madame Tian only grew more disgusted with Dou Ming's domineering ways. She snapped softly, "Nonsense! How is this a matter of your household alone? It is plainly the Marquis failing to keep proper order in his own house..."

Wei Fan heard this and, burning with shame, called out "Mother," then hesitated, unable to go on.

Surely he could not kick up a fuss with his wedded wife over a serving maid?

If word of it got out, how could he ever hold his head up again?

But he had always been the most filial of sons, and such words truly would not come.

Watching him, Madame Tian made no effort to hide her disappointment.

She said quietly, "Since that is how it is, let us send for your elder sister to come and settle the matter." Then she instructed Matron Tian, "Go and ask the eldest young madam to return home."

Even though she was his own sister, Wei Fan did not want Wei Wan to learn of his disgrace.

In a sorry state, he said, "Mother, I will handle this myself—please do not trouble sister."

But the usually yielding Madame Tian was this time firm as iron. She shook her head and said, "I know well enough how you would handle it—keep Axuan somewhere outside the house, or find her a family to marry into. I too have been a lawful wife; would I ever tolerate serving women who seduce their masters? But search your conscience—whose fault was this trouble? If the affairs of this house were all your own doing, Mother would say nothing. Keep Axuan outside, and I would pretend not to know; marry her off, and I would have her dowry prepared at once. But are these your decisions? Since Dou Ming entered this house, how many matters in it have truly been your will? I raised you all these years—was it so you could be trampled by a woman? You have nothing more to say. We will discuss this when your sister arrives."

She turned her back and did not look at Wei Fan again.

Axuan buried her face in the corner of the quilt and wept.

Wei Fan looked helplessly at his mother and at Axuan, then hung his head and left Madame Tian's inner chamber.

In the main inner chamber of the Jining Marquisate, Dou Ming was sipping bird's nest soup.

When she heard that Wei Fan had gone straight to Madame Tian's quarters upon his return, she laughed coldly again and again. "Only now do I learn what a devoted lover he is! What—because I dealt with his little favorite, he means to turn against me? Small wonder the Jining Marquisate has fallen so low. With a daughter-in-law like my mother-in-law, three generations are surely ruined—she actually took a little maid who lost her child into her own rooms to recuperate! Is that what a mother-in-law does? And she calls herself a marchioness—I say she is worse than the illiterate old women in the street..."

Matron Zhou and the others kept their eyes lowered, like clay figurines, and not one dared make a sound.

Watching them, Dou Ming felt the flames in her heart leap higher and higher. She raised her hand and flung the bird's nest soup at the little maid's head.

Fortunately the soup was no longer very hot; though it splashed all over the maid, she was not scalded. She gritted her teeth and stood motionless, letting Dou Ming vent her temper.

The sight only stoked Dou Ming's fury further. She barked "Get out!" at the maid, who fled as though for her life.

Matron Zhou hurriedly had the chamber cleaned, then brought hot water herself to wash Dou Ming's hands.

Only then did Dou Ming's tears fall.

"How can he treat me this way?" She seized Matron Zhou's hand and, burying her face in the old woman's shoulder, burst into sobs. "She is nothing but a slip of a girl—not even fully grown! Yet he lets that old shrew exalt the little wretch. For his sake I gave up even my own family. And this is how he repays me... He comes back and does not come to me, but goes to see that little wretch. How am I ever to hold my place in this house?"

Matron Zhou patted her back gently, as she had when Dou Ming was a child, and coaxed her—though in her heart she could only sigh.

Now that Madame Tian and Wei Wan had joined forces against Dou Ming, and Wei Fan was a man whose ears bent to the softest voice, and Dou Ming had fallen out with Dou Juan—how could Dou Ming possibly have the upper hand?

She could not help saying softly, "Perhaps I should send word to the alley by Yunqi Temple? The Seventh Master has always valued you. If he ignores you now, it is only because he is angry that you would not listen before. Now that you are in difficulty, the Seventh Master will not stand idly by."

"No—you are not to go!" Dou Ming pushed Matron Zhou away with a sudden violence, her face drenched in tears, yet she bit her lip stubbornly and said, "If he will not have me, then I will not have him!"

Matron Zhou was about to urge her further, but Dou Ming cut her off: "Say nothing more. I once hoped he might come around and treat me as kindly as before, but now I see clearly—Wei Fan is an ungrateful wolf. He eats my food, spends my money, wears my clothes, and still can never be tamed. So his whole family means to fight me, do they? Then I will fight them and see who is the stronger! In this world it is always either the mother-in-law crushing the daughter-in-law or the daughter-in-law crushing the mother-in-law. How was she able to snatch that little wretch back from me? Only because she keeps a few coarse old serving women in her rooms. Matron, go open my chests at once, take out bank notes to the sum of five hundred taels, and buy me some sturdy, broad-shouldered women to serve me. I refuse to believe that with money in hand a thing cannot be done!" At this point, a thought suddenly struck her—of Dou Yan.

Dou Chu had holed herself up in Zhending.

Until now, Dou Ming had assumed Dou Yan was merely being peevish with her mother. She had even privately mocked Dou Yan for giving up the chance to see the capital—how foolish.

But in this moment she realized that the truly clever one was Dou Yan.

Though Dou Yan dwelt off in a corner, she had people, she had money, she had the protection of the Dou family, and she did whatever she pleased. She had even recruited a great many guards for her protection, and when she married into the Yingzhenguo estate, she had taken those guards with her.

How would Song Yantang dare slight Dou Yan?

At these thoughts, a stifling tightness rose in Dou Ming's breast.

So the truly foolish one had been herself all along!

She should have learned from Dou Yan long ago—spend your own money, use your own people, and who would dare disobey?

Yet no sooner had the thought arisen than an inexplicable, unnameable misery welled up in her heart.

Was she forever to run along at Dou Zhiwei's heels?

But this was still the best way out of her present straits!

Dou Ming shook her head sharply, forcing all these tangled thoughts down into the depths of her heart, and said to Matron Zhou, "Never mind what that old shrew does—I mean to replace every maid and serving woman in this house, and then let us see whom she can still order about!"

Matron Zhou thought Dou Ming should have done this long ago. She said "Yes" again and again, turned, and went to the storeroom.