Chapter 228 — One by One (Double Update, Begging for Pink Tickets)
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 2 of 4
Dou Yan gave a vague "oh," came back to herself, and could not help feeling a little abashed.
She had said she would make a headband for her grandmother for the New Year, yet in these days she had sewn only a few stitches, spending most of her time staring into space.
But gazing at the fruit before her, she began to wander again.
That night. Song Yan's words—"At least Chen Yanzhou and Duan Bing can openly follow at your side"—had struck straight at her heart.
In her last life. Those women who had been given to him as gifts could still follow him if they wished and marry another if they wished; with the bond between herself and him, what was there to fear in living as she pleased!
Marrying Song Yan, at least, would spare her the need to bow and scrape before a husband as she would with any other man.
The mere thought of it set her heart racing!
But if she truly did marry Song Yan, then Song Cen's inexplicable attempts on Song Yan's life, the hidden secrets of the Ying Duke's Estate, the palace coup four years hence—all of them stood before her like impassable chasms.
Could she cross them?
Did she have the strength to help Song Yan cross them?
And even if she did at last surmount the trials, what price would she have to pay?
If she did not marry Song Yan, and the match with the Ji family fell through, the Dou family would have broken its word and would surely have to pay a heavy price in compensation. The Eastern Dou could not simply let the matter rest; they would suppress her, hem her in, scheme against her.
She was not afraid, but to think of living such days for a long while to come could not but weary her.
Now Song Yan had given her a chance to escape it all. Should she take this step?
Dou Yan was caught in a dilemma.
Thinking back to her last life, wolves before her and tigers behind, she had shut her eyes and married Wei Fan—and yet she had not hesitated so then.
In this life, with choices before her, she found she knew even less how to decide.
Is it that the more choices one has, the more easily one loses one's way?
Or is it that her ability still falls short of reading the times and seeing the whole from the height of a rooftop?
Dou Yan asked Suxin: "Has Old Chen not come looking for me?"
"No!" Suxin set before Dou Yan a cup of Cloud-Mist tea, its fragrance curling upward.
She wished Dou Yan would consult Uncle Chen, so that the young lady need not sit here alone, racking her brains without ever finding an answer.
But for some reason, Old Chen had never come to see the young lady.
Dou Yan said: "Go and ask Old Chen to come to the house."
Suxin nodded happily.
A young maid came in to announce: "Fourth Miss, His Honor Ji requests an audience!"
Dou Yan was rather surprised. "Which His Honor Ji is asking for me?"
Since her marriage had been settled, her father's health had recovered quickly. Every day he went off to his post at the yamen in high spirits, and once he was off duty he would happily pay calls in person, delivering invitations to those friends with whom he was on close terms and to his superiors, and would not return until late.
The little maid smiled. "Why, the young master from the Ji family, of course!" Then, cleverly drawing her own conclusions, she added, "The Yuqiao Lane household must have received the master's invitation. The young master knows you're to be married and has come specially to congratulate you."
Dou Chiyou nodded to himself.
Ji Yong knew she was about to be married—and rather than brooding over how to make Song Yan look a fool and wipe away his old shame, he had come to see her. Whatever his reason, it was at least far more sensible than before.
She instructed the maid: "Ask Cousin Ji to wait in the flower hall and serve him tea."
The maid answered and went off.
Suxin said worriedly, "Miss, shouldn't we tell the Sixth Madam?"