Chapter 478 — Gifts

The Empress Dowager Yi was highly pleased with her answer, and rewarded Dou Yan with two gold hairpins inlaid with Hetian jade, and Song Yan with two inkstones, and Yuan Heng with several bolts of cloth.

When the day of the Empress's birthday came, the Empress Dowager Yi's gown of sapphire blue and rose made her radiant yet dignified and elegant, while the Crown Princess, deliberately playing the foil, let the Empress Dowager's splendor outshine the Empress whose day it was.

The Emperor took no particular notice of such things, but Empress Yi could not help finding it odd. She sent someone to inquire and learned that Dou Yan had cut the gowns for the Empress Dowager. She merely smiled a broad, gracious smile and said, "This Lady Dou—I never thought she had such skill."

The Crown Princess, reflecting that the Empress Dowager Yi's birthday would come in a few days, urged the Empress Dowager to have another set of gowns made. In the days when the Empress Dowager had been Empress, she had been obliged to be meek and virtuous, and had never dared dress too brightly. Now that no one restrained her, and the palace nights were long and lonely, the Empress Dowager Yi was at once taken with the idea. Every few days she summoned Dou Yan into the palace, and later, learning that Dou Yan nursed Yuan Heng herself, she simply had her bring Yuan Heng along. "Just the thing to keep the third imperial grandson company," she said. The Crown Princess accordingly brought the third imperial grandson to play at the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility and helped the Empress Dowager devise ideas. Several times they encountered the Emperor coming to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. Seeing the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility full of laughter and talk mingled with the babbling of children, a scene of warmth and liveliness, and seeing that the Empress Dowager's complexion had improved greatly from before, he was delighted. He teased Yuan Heng and the third imperial grandson for a while before having the eunuchs carry them away.

From then on it was even easier for Dou Yan to enter the palace.

The Crown Princess and Dou Yan grew closer still.

The Empress paid this no mind. Occasionally, when she happened to meet Dou Yan coming into the palace, she would take her hand and speak with her affectionately.

Dou Yan said to Song Dan, "The Empress is far more magnanimous than you imagine. Your scheme came to nothing."

Song Ke agreed. "If even you can read the Empress's moods," he said, "how could she have survived in the palace at all?"

Dou Yan thought this over and decided he was right. She pursed her lips and smiled.

Lu Ming had returned from Liaodong.

Song Yan went to see Lu Ming.

Within a few days, word came from Lady Jiang the Elder in Haozhou: "It is not that the Heir Apparent refuses to return what the late Lord left behind to the Jiang family. Rather, when the Lord entrusted those things to the Heir Apparent, he said that all things under heaven belong to those who are worthy of them. Fifth Master Jiang is no man to uphold the family gate; even if the Heir Apparent did return the goods to him, they would only be squandered. Better they remain with the Heir Apparent."

Song Yan put out word of his own: "It is not that I wish to seize what my late uncle left behind. The truth is that the Jiang family has only widows and children left. With no one to take charge of the whole, I am merely keeping these things in trust for the Jiang family. When the Jiang descendants come of age, they shall naturally be returned."

Jiang Baisun's old accounts were dredged up.

Everyone could not help sighing "spendthrift," and regarded the quarrel between Jiang Baisun and Song Yan over the property with considerable disdain.

Dou Yan asked Song Yan, "Are you trying to force the Empress to make her move?"

Song Yan winked at her. "That is not all," he said.

Not long after these words, they welcomed the birthday of the Empress Dowager Yi.

The whole court came to offer congratulations.

The Duke of Yingguo's household was invited to the family banquet held in the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility.

Miao Ruosu was very nervous, while Song Han was somewhat resentful.

Both were sons of the Duke of Yingguo's house, yet Song Yan entered the palace as though walking on flat ground, while for him it was as hard as climbing to heaven. Nor was that all: along the way, people greeted Song Cen, Song Yan, and even Dou Yan, while few so much as glanced at him and his wife. The pair might as well have been servants attending Song Cen and Song Zhi. His feelings reached their peak when Gu Yu appeared.

Gu Yu did not even look at the faces of the princes; why would he look at Song Han's?

He ignored Song Han entirely, drew close to Song Yan, and whispered excitedly, "I have sold two more great ships. Why not take some time and come see the docks at Tianjin? The weather has been fine these days — you could bring my sister-in-law and Yuanheng along."

Song Yan was rather tempted. He thought it over and said, "I had better not go." Then he glanced about and lowered his voice: "These days I am looking into the cause of my uncle's death. I cannot get away."

"Oh!" Gu Yu was somewhat disappointed.

The Empress had not seen Gu Yu for some days and quickly summoned him over, scolding fondly, "Are you still at the Tianjin docks these days? Is trade really so amusing? I think you had better do something proper! If you are truly bored, go to Liaodong and amuse yourself with your cousin." She added, "Sort out the affairs in your hands and hand them over to Yantang to be done with."

Gu Yu said nothing.

The death of the Duke of Dingguo was a forbidden subject. Song Yan's investigation into it could only displease the Emperor and Empress. He decided to keep silent.

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Sisters and brothers, here is today's update.

o(n_n)o~