Chapter 2 — The Divergence
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 4 of 4
Dou Yan had a sudden inspiration at the time and thought of a reason to persuade her husband and mother-in-law, but she had never found the opportunity to sit down and discuss it fully with her husband.
Now, deep in the night with all quiet, was just the time for talk.
So when she saw her husband dumbstruck, she smiled slightly and told Wei Fan what the eldest married daughter of the Jingzhen Ducal Estate had said, adding, "The eldest married daughter of the Jingzhen Ducal Estate would not say such things to me for no reason. I fear that on the matter of Cai Ping's marriage, she and her husband are at odds. Over the years she has helped us a great deal. Though she is the wife of the Duke of Jingzhen's heir, the one who actually heads the Jingzhen Ducal Estate now is the Duke of Jingzhen. If our Wei's match with Cai Ping should cause her to fall out of favor with the Duke, then we would be hard put to escape blame!"
Filial piety comes before all else.
If a daughter-in-law should fall out of favor with her father-in-law, what good days could she hope for? She might even be divorced and sent back.
Wei Fan's expression changed drastically, and he blamed her: "If you had agreed to this match earlier, things would never have come to such a pass! What are we to do now?"
She helped Wei Fan think of a plan: "Why not discuss it with your mother, my lord? See what she thinks best?"
"Of course!" Wei Fan's eyes lit up. "Why didn't I think of that!" Without caring that dawn had not yet broken, he loudly summoned Cuileng to help him dress. "I'll go to Mother at once."
Her mother-in-law was advanced in years and slept little; at this hour she should long since be awake.
Dou Yan did not stop him. She called a young maid to carry a lantern for Wei Fan and see him to her mother-in-law's quarters.
If her calculations were right, once her mother-in-law heard the news, she should come with Wei Fan at once to seek her counsel.
She dozed a little, then was woken by Cuileng.
Her mother-in-law and Wei Fan had arrived.
Before she could speak, her mother-in-law said anxiously, "Is what you said true?" Then, puzzled, "Why has Tingzhen never mentioned it to me?"
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The new book is still a little thin, and so all the more in need of your support.
O(∩_∩)O~
Please do add it to your collection and recommend it.
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