Chapter 474 — Inference
Purple Streets of Chang'an Page 2 of 2
Dou Yan looked at Song Yan with admiration, then rose with a smile to take his leave.
Song Yan pressed him to stay for a bowl of Laba congee.
Dou Yan laughed. "I still have to report back to Fifth Granduncle. When I have a free day, I will pay a proper visit." He added, "If there is anything you need me to run errands for, just say the word."
Song Yan saw Dou Yan all the way to the main gate before turning back.
Chen Yanzhou had arrived at the study at some point and was chatting idly with Chen Jia.
Seeing Song Yan come in, he smiled and bowed.
By now many people knew of Song Yan's impeachment. Song Yan assumed he had come for that as well, and with a smile invited Chen Yanzhou to sit.
Seeing that Song Yan had no intention of sending Chen Jia away, Chen Yanzhou spoke bluntly: "I have been mulling over the matter of the Duke of Dingguo's household all through this New Year. I remember once, when Sixth Master of the Locust Tree Alley had been drinking, he spoke with several of the Dou clan elders about the examinations, and mentioned Elder Liang among them—said he came from humble origins, and so particularly despised the sons of great houses. In choosing men he favored scholars of poor families; in judging examination essays he favored the impassioned and forceful. If Elder Liang were appointed chief examiner of the spring examinations, everyone had best be careful not to be named top scorer by old Elder Liang, only to offend the imperial countenance at the palace examination without knowing the depths of it.
"Young Master, I remember that at the time Elder Liang had just taken charge of the Grand Secretariat, and His Majesty's old illness had flared up again. Tell me—could what he did have been simply because he could not bear the Duke of Dingguo's splendor?"
Song Yan's expression turned grave. "What do you mean?"
Chen Yanzhou said, "I mean that His Majesty may have feared a sudden death. He wished the Duke of Dingguo to support the Crown Prince, yet feared the Duke was too proud and unruly, and so sought some fault to charge him with. Ding Wei bore a grudge against the Duke, and seizing the opportunity, directed Zhong Qiao to torment him. And Liang Jifen, newly made Chief Grand Secretary, eager to show his worth before His Majesty, judged the Duke to be hoarding troops and showing disrespect to the court, and so turned a blind eye to what befell him. Zhong Qiao, after all, was only a minor commissioner; seeing the Embroidered Uniform Guard apply torture to the Duke while the accompanying censor looked on and said nothing, he may well have thought Ding Wei had already smoothed the way with those above—and so, unrestrained, he did as Ding Wei instructed and made away with the Duke..."
Chen Jia had been there himself.
Recalling the scene carefully, he found it was indeed quite possible.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Censorate belonged to two different spheres, and ordinarily kept to their own wells and rivers. The only person who could silence both the Guard and the Censorate at once was the Emperor—there was no second.
His mouth went dry. "Young Master," he said, his voice hoarse, "at the time we all truly believed it was His Majesty's will."
Song Yan felt as though he held a bitter gallbladder in his mouth.
If it was as Chen Yanzhou surmised, then his eldest uncle had died in bitter injustice indeed.
Yet what filled his heart more was grief and indignation.
Liang Jifen—a Grand Secretary of the court—how could he judge men by their birth!
Had all his reading gone into a dog's belly?
Song Yan thought of Liang Jifen's face—harsh and unapproachable, marked by two deep creases at the corners of his mouth—and his hand clenched tightly into a fist.
He called loudly for Wuyi. "Go quickly and bring Master Dou Wu back."
Wuyi dashed out like the wind and caught up with Dou Yan, who was already in his sedan chair outside the prefectural school gate.
Dou Yan returned in bewilderment.
Song Yan asked him about Liang Jifen.
Dou Yan recalled, "I too have heard Sixth Uncle speak of this."
Song Yan took hold of Dou Yan. "Come, let us go together to Locust Tree Alley."
Dou Yan had no idea what had happened, but seeing Song Yan's grim face, he assented again and again, and went with him to Locust Tree Alley.
Dou Bingheng was also taking his day of rest today. He was speaking with several young scholars from the Hanlin Academy when he heard that Song Yan and Dou Yan had come together. He thought for a moment, asked his eldest son to help entertain the guests, and went to the small study.
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Sisters and brothers, over here it is gods fighting and little devils suffering the fallout—I am barely able to look after one end without neglecting the other, and things are rather chaotic. Today's update is postponed to around 11 p.m. I ask your forgiveness for the inconvenience!
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