Chapter 34 — Chaos
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 2 of 4
This whole side of the street belonged to the Western Dou household. Who would be passing through at such an hour?
The thought had scarcely crossed her mind when she heard Gao Sheng say, "Seventh Master, that looks like the Wang family's carriage."
Dou Huaiying was startled for a moment, then relaxed. "They may have some matter to discuss with Wang Zhibing. We need only pretend we saw nothing."
Gao Sheng grinned and answered "Yes," and the carriage did not stop until it had entered the inner gate.
Stewards and menservants crowded forward, and the chief steward said with a smile, "Seventh Master, the Sixth Master came at the hour of you and has been waiting for you in the study ever since."
Dou Huaiying carried Dou Ji and went to the study.
Dou Heng was sitting at his ease in a reclining chair, reading, with tea and fruit set out on the small table beside him.
Hearing the stir, he looked up and said to his father, "You're back," then, "Been fishing again?" His tone was so natural that a stranger would have taken him for the master of the study.
Father smiled and said nothing.
Sixth Uncle seemed about to speak, and thought better of it.
Father said quietly, "I know what I am doing!"
"So long as you know."
The two of them, like men trading riddles, soon changed the subject.
"What did you want with me?" Father asked. "Waiting all this while, and you could not even leave a note?"
"I only wanted to ask whether you mean to sit for this year's provincial examination." Sixth Uncle poured Father a cup of tea. "If you are going, it is time to set out." Then he tugged at the tip of Dou Zhiwei's hair and said with a smile, "Little tail, did you go fishing with your father? Was Uncle Feng's cooking good?" And he casually handed her a cup of tea.
It seemed Sixth Uncle not only knew that Father had secretly gone to visit Grandmother, but was fully aware that after seeing Grandmother, Father would go have a heart-to-heart with Feng Baoshan!
Dou Yan politely called him "Sixth Uncle," answered "It was good," and sat quietly sipping her tea.
Father hesitated. "If I go, what becomes of Shouyuan? With no one to manage the inner quarters, I am uneasy."
Sixth Uncle was unconcerned. "Send her to my house and let your Sixth Sister-in-law look after her."
"We shall see when the time comes!" Father was still reluctant.
Sixth Uncle did not press him. He pointed to several large bundles of books on the desk. "This year's new examination essays, brought back by Fifth Brother—one set for every degree-holder in the family."
Father said, "So Fifth Brother has made up his mind that every one of us who has passed the provincial examination is to sit for the metropolitan examination?"
Sixth Uncle laughed. "Zijun says he will not go. He is afraid of coming back with only the lesser degree!"
Zijun was the courtesy name of their second cousin Dou Yuchang. In the end he did indeed earn only the lesser degree, and for fear of being mocked, he refused on any account to take office, and at last stayed home to help Third Uncle manage the Dou family's affairs.
Father roared with laughter and told a maid to fetch Tuo Niang, so that Tuo Niang might put Dou Yan to bed, while he and Sixth Uncle fell to reading the examination essays.
Dou Yan tried hard to recall the events of her former life.
Father and Sixth Uncle went together to the capital for the provincial examination, both passed as juren, and then stayed on in the capital, not returning until the sixth month of the following year. In the metropolitan examination, Father placed thirteenth in the second class, while Sixth Uncle failed outright.