Chapter 196 — A Wish
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
When Dou Ming and Wang Shuying returned, they caught sight of the gifts piled in the main hall and asked casually, "Who sent these?"
Gao Sheng answered respectfully, "The..." Then, thinking such a reply did not show enough respect for Wei Fan, he added, "The eldest son-in-law brought them himself."
Wang Shuying was taken aback.
On this visit to Willow Leaf Alley, besides congratulating her eldest brother on his hereditary appointment as a chiliarch, her chief purpose was that her mother had sent word for her: her father had asked the father of her eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. Gao—Gao Yuanzheng, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy—to propose a match for Dou Ming, and she was wanted to discuss it.
The prospective groom's surname was Liu, given name Bi, courtesy name Qingzhuo. He was twenty-two this year and a provincial graduate. Not only was he eight years older than Dou Ming, but he had lost his father in childhood and his family was poor, his studies sustained only by the patronage of his maternal uncle.
Old Mr. Gao sang the praises of this Liu Qingzhuo—his outstanding talent, his upright conduct, his boundless future—but who could say for certain in such matters? Her own father had passed the examinations in his youth; and what had come of that? Her mother had followed him through half a lifetime of upheaval, and her children had nearly been lost. Only with great difficulty had her father risen again to become a frontier governor, yet one was in the south and one in the north, and they might not see each other for years at a stretch... Even thinking of it made her grieve for her mother. How could she bear to let Ming-jie live such a life? And besides, how many men were there like her father, who could forget a first wife's hardships and remember his wife of lean years after coming into wealth? Of those scholars who endure ten years of bitter study, once their names appear on the golden roll, which of them does not race to take a concubine? Was Ming-jie to support that fellow Liu in his studies while she was young, and then, when Liu Qingzhuo had achieved his ambition and Ming-jie's beauty had faded, watch helplessly while he lived a life of ease and pleasure?
There was not a single thing about this match that satisfied Wang Shuying, but seeing her mother's delight, she could not bring herself to oppose it outright. She only said vaguely, "Ming-jie's marriage will have to be discussed with her father," and let the matter pass for the time being.
At this thought she could not help resenting her eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. Gao.
Was it not merely that the old gentleman of her natal family had helped propose a match for Ming-jie? Yet she carried on as though she herself were taking a wife, praising Liu Qingzhuo to the skies and coaxing her mother into beaming with joy. Had Wang Shuying not headed her off with a few words, her mother would have wished her to write out Ming-jie's horoscope on the spot. Was there any need for such zeal?
Now, seeing the things Wei Fan had sent, and hearing that Wei Fan had brought them in person, she felt a surge of anger and for a long while could only say, "Our eldest son-in-law is certainly thoughtful!"
But Dou Ming gave a cold snort, turned, and passed through the central hall to her own courtyard.
Wang Shuying did not understand. She hurried after her.
"What is the matter with you?" she asked, gazing at her daughter, who sat stiff-faced before the mirror stand removing her makeup. "Has your eldest sister been bullying you again? Tell me, what exactly happened? Shall I go to your father?"
"What good would going to Father do!" Dou Ming tossed her ivory comb onto the mirror stand with a cold laugh. "All you ever do is quarrel with him. When have you ever once spoken clearly and settled a matter properly?"
Wang Shuying's face flushed red and paled by turns.