Chapter 217 — Matchmaking (Bonus Chapter: Begging for Pink Votes)
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 2 of 4
Song Yan was the Duke of Ding's own nephew through his mother, and his pedigree was unquestionably distinguished.
Dou Huaiying was immediately tempted; if Dou Yan could be married out, that was naturally better than keeping her at home.
He could not help asking: "Is this true?"
"How would I dare deceive Lord Dou!" Tao Jun said with a solemn countenance. "I have served in the Yingzhenguo Estate for over ten years and am a man whose word carries weight with His Grace. I would never dare speak wildly of such a matter."
It was true that in many great households, young masters and young ladies had their matches made by trusted old servants. But Tao Jun's air of complete certainty, as though the matter would be settled the moment he raised it, only made Dou Huaiying suspicious.
If the heir of the Duke of Ying was truly so fine, why would he set his sights on Shouyuan?
It was not that he thought too little of himself. Rather, the titled nobility and the civil officials were two different circles altogether. The Yingzhenguo Estate's fame was so dazzling that even someone like him, who seldom went out to socialize, knew of it—and he was merely a fourth-rank Hanlin official. His cousin might sit in the Grand Secretariat, but his roots were still shallow, and the two families had nothing to offer each other. A house of tasseled caps and official robes that had stood for a hundred years, like the Yingzhenguo Estate, might not think them worth a glance.
As though he had read Dou Huaiying's thoughts, Tao Jun smiled and said: "To be frank with you, since Lady Jiang's death from illness, the Yingzhenguo Estate has had no mistress to manage the household. His Grace has no intention of remarrying, and wishes to find the heir a wife who can oversee the family's affairs—ideally a few years older than the young master, dignified and generous, virtuous and sensible, gentle and sincere. But after much searching, no suitable family could be found. I heard that the unwed daughter of your household is the eldest, a daughter you meant to keep at home to look after you in your old age, and she must therefore be very capable. That is what put the thought of matchmaking into my head. Had the unwed daughter of your house been the second, I might not have dared say such a thing..."
Dou Huaiying was reassured, and could not help saying: "It is not a father's vanity to say so, but this daughter of mine is indeed exceedingly capable. There is no matter in the household, great or small, that she cannot handle..."
Tao Jun listened with a most earnest face, though inwardly he disagreed.
If she was so capable, why had she not dared utter a word when her younger sister swapped the match onto her?
Even if capable, she must be one of those who only bows her head and keeps silent, dull and wooden.
He waited patiently until Dou Huaiying had finished praising his daughter, then smiled and said: "Just now, with Lord Xu present, I could not say which family I was proposing for the young lady of your house, nor could I fail to put in a good word with the Duke of Ying. I will come back in a few days to hear Lord Dou's reply."
Dou Huaiying nodded in satisfaction.
Now this was how matchmaking ought to be done!
Both families were people of standing; if the match came off, all would be delighted, and if it did not, would it not make them a laughingstock? Dou Yan especially—the business of the sisters swapping matches could not be hidden forever, and if the match with the Song family also fell through, she would truly become the joke of the capital. Being a laughingstock was one thing; one could endure it and it would pass in time. But if rumors spread that Dou Yan had some hidden illness or defect, that would be truly disastrous.