Chapter 81 — Wu Shan (Pink Vote 660 Bonus Chapter)
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
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That his son had taken first place in the examination was due, first, to the boy's own intelligence and hard study, and second, to the fact that the Dou family had not mistreated him, but treated him and the other Dou sons alike. For that breadth of heart alone, as Wu Songnian put it, "the two families ought to be joined in friendship for generations to come."
The Dou clan was overjoyed as well.
Over the years many had come to study at the Dou family school, yet those who ranked at the top had always been Dou sons. The exceptionally gifted boys from poor families could not help muttering among themselves. Now that a Wu Shan had emerged, more people would surely come seeking instruction, and the Dou family school would be able to choose and cultivate more young talent—a fortune beyond measure in gold for the Dou family.
For this, Dou Bingheng dispatched a retainer to discuss the matter with the Second Old Madam and Dou Zhen: "...move out the several households living around the school, double its size, and invite several renowned scholars to teach. But there is no hurry to enroll more students; we must ensure that most of those who come out of the Dou family school can pass the xiucai examination."
The Second Old Madam nodded again and again. Dou Zhen handled the details, while the Second Old Madam had a stage erected at the gate of the Dou residence and invited a troupe from the capital to perform ten plays in a row. All through the sixth month, Zhending County was like a town celebrating the New Year, bustling beyond measure.
Yet the rear courtyard of the Dou residence lay deep in green shade. The faint strains of gongs and drums and the bursts of cheers only made this corner of the world seem quieter still.
Dou Yan, tanned as black as charcoal, raged in Dou Yong's study: "...simply ruining the court! A nest of maggots! Drawing pay and doing nothing!"
His voice startled the mynah bird beneath the covered walkway, which flapped its wings in fright.
Dou Huaide, meanwhile, blinked and handed Dou Yan a bowl of iced sour plum drink. "Cool yourself down!"
Dou Yan took the sour plum drink and drained it in one go.
The icy liquid at once banked his anger.
He sat down in the armchair opposite Dou Huaide, leaned forward, and said, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. Over at Nangou, more than six hundred unregistered households have been hiding out there clearing wasteland—most of them grown men in their prime. Six hundred and more! Thank goodness the weather's been kind these past few years. In a lean year, with nothing to eat, those people would be capable of anything. They could even stir up a rebellion!"
As he spoke, Dou Yan shivered.
Then he looked at his friends, each of them staring at him dumbstruck, as though looking at some strange creature.
Dou Yan could not help but give a long sigh.
What was the point of telling them all this? They didn't understand. And even if they did, they might not feel it as he did.
A sudden gloom came over him, and listlessly he asked them, "What do you all plan to do from here?"
The prefectural examination was over; they could relax a little now.
Dou Yong, Dou Huaide, Dou Qiguang, and Dou Qitai, seated in the room, all sensed Dou Yan's mood. But Dou Yan had just rejected the suggestion of reporting the matter to the county magistrate, and no one knew quite how to comfort him. Now that he had changed the subject, Dou Yong hastily picked it up: "Father wrote back. He wants us to rest for the summer, then go to the capital after the Mid-Autumn Festival to see something of the world, and pay a few calls on our elders while we're there." Then he asked Dou Qiguang, "Would you like to come with us?"
This was preparation for the metropolitan examination.
Dou Yan nodded to himself.