Chapter 26 — Before Departure
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
Dou Yan dodged past her aunt and went pattering off toward her third aunt.
The aunt was taken aback.
Her third aunt scooped Dou Yan up, all smiles. "Madam Zhao, the child is far too young to understand anything, and she cannot do without the maids and serving women who attend her day and night. If she were frightened, it would be a fine mess indeed. I think it best she stay somewhere familiar to her—wouldn't you agree?" She could not quite keep a note of mockery out of her voice.
The aunt's face went red, then white, while inwardly she cursed the little maids in her household up one side and down the other.
She had not even told her own mother the true reason she was going to her husband's post. Yet somehow Zhangru, that little chatterbox, had parroted it to the maid who amused her at play, and the maid had told her own cousin, and on it went—who could say who finally carried word to the Dou family? The result was that before she had even arrived, the Dou household had drawn up its battle lines.
They had never had grounds to take Shouyuan away in the first place. Now the Dou family had called in the matriarchs of several prominent Zhenading families to bear witness, and Shouyuan—heaven knew what she had been told—would not come near her. This time, it seemed, she would not get her way.
Her eyes could not help reddening, and her voice grew thick. "Shouyuan, your aunt has come to take you home to play." She made one last effort. "Do you remember your cousin Zhangru? They are all waiting at home for you to come and play!"
Dou Yan nodded, but burrowed deeper into her third aunt's embrace, staring at the aunt with wide black-and-white eyes full of fear, and stammered, "I want to play with cousin... but Aunt Ding said that if I went with you, you would sell me off to some mountain hollow..."
Uproar filled the hall.
Aunt Ding protested in a fluster, "I—when did I ever say such a thing? Children should not talk nonsense."
Her third aunt's face was a study in displeasure, but she forced out a smile. "Shouyuan, you mustn't say things you shouldn't!"
"Little children tell the truth. I was just saying—Shouyuan is usually as close to me as a daughter, so why should she hide from me today?" The aunt's face was mottled with fury. "To ruin an innocent child like this—take care you do not bring retribution on yourselves!"
A matron among them laughed and tried to smooth things over. "It is all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! Once it is explained, all will be well, all will be well! Madam Zhao, you have come a long way—do go inside and rest, have a cup of tea..."
"Misunderstanding?" The aunt retorted without a shred of courtesy. "Is this what a misunderstanding looks like? Our family's young mistress is barely cold in her grave, and already you set Shouyuan against her own uncle. Have you taken a fancy to some great family's daughter, wanting to marry her to our son-in-law as a second wife, and feared the Zhao family would spoil the match between your two houses?"
That was a remark worth hearing out.
The matrons shrank back, and not one dared step forward to answer.