Chapter 185 — Indecision
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 3 of 4
Dou Ming, however, kept her face set in a scowl the whole while.
Han-shi, standing beside her, could not help urging her: "Everyone is so happy just now—if only for the Second Old Madam's sake, you cannot give way to your temper like this."
Perhaps because Dou Yan had always been on excellent terms with the sixth branch, and because the sixth branch had come to the capital—especially after Han-shi married in—Dou Ming had grown particularly affectionate toward Han-shi. When Han-shi first entered the Dou household, to have a young sister-in-law fussing over her and making merry at her side filled her with delight and no small gratitude; and so, back and forth, the two drew ever closer, their bond growing ever warmer.
"I can't help it," Dou Ming muttered, forcing a faint smile onto her face.
Han-shi shook her head to herself.
Dou Ming often spoke of Dou Yan to her without quite meaning to, and every word carried a barb; yet in Han-shi's eyes, Dou Ming was less resentful of Dou Chimin than she was jealous of Dou Yan. And having heard many of the secrets of those bygone years, she felt all the more that Dou Ming was to be pitied, and so toward her she nursed an uncommon tenderness and forbearance.
That evening, Dou Yan rested in Ji-shi's rooms.
The two leaned against the headboard, talking of intimate things, and the conversation drifted by degrees to Wang Shuying.
Ji-shi hesitated a moment. Reflecting that even if she did not tell Dou Yan, sooner or later Dou Yan would find out anyway, she told her what had happened at the Puji Temple: "...Your father flew into a towering rage and wrote to the Grand Coordinator Wang to demand an explanation. Your Fifth Uncle was furious as well—he gave your Fifth Aunt a thorough dressing-down, blaming her for failing to stop the Wang family's old lady and Wang Shuying." Here she smiled bitterly. "Your Fifth Aunt had no outlet for all her grievance and secretly wept several times over it. When your father learned of it, he made a point of calling at their door to apologize. And this time, when the Old Madam came, your father did not bring Wang Shuying along—said she was ill. Your Fifth Aunt did not ask, and it was not for me to press the matter. I have no idea what is really going on."
Dou Yan sneered inwardly and said, "When the Seventh Madam was calling me worthless, what did the Heir's wife of the Duke of Jingguo say?"
Ji-shi thought Dou Yan was afraid the Wei family might be swayed by one-sided talk and hastily said, "You needn't worry—the Heir's wife of the Duke of Jingguo said nothing at all. Though somewhat uneasy, your Fifth Aunt afterward paid a personal call on her. According to your Fifth Aunt, the Heir's wife said she had simply been too astonished at the time to react, and by the time she thought to confront Wang Shuying, Wang Shuying and her mother had already slipped away. Not only did she not believe what Wang Shuying and her mother had said, she even took the initiative to bring up the matter of your marriage, and from the tenor of her words, she will be sending someone within the next few days to discuss it."
From what Dou Yan knew of Wang Shuying and Wei Fan, she had roughly guessed what the two were planning; she was only somewhat puzzled as to why Wei Fan would turn coat at the last moment.
After all, Wei Wan was not an easy person to deal with.
She gave a vague, noncommittal response, and Ji-shi, not being in a position to say more on such matters, offered Dou Yan a few words of comfort, then asked after Aunt Cui of Zhending, thereby steering the conversation elsewhere.
Dou Yan, for her part, found an opportunity to tell Su Xin about the matter, and instructed her: "Tell Chen Sou about this as soon as you can, and say that I will find a way to obtain proof that the Seventh Madam and Wei Wan conspired to slander me. And have him keep an eye on the goings-on at the Duke of Jingguo's residence as well."