Chapter 305 — Cannot
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
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"A father cannot control his son." The Marquis of Changxing had said something of the sort when he first broached the match — half in jest, half as a probe. He had not wished to ally himself with a mere staff captain, but to refuse again would make it seem as though he feared his own son.
Song Yi's face was pale, tinged with a sickly green, and he ground out through clenched teeth, "As for the Marquis of Changxing — you had best prepare a handsome gift and go thank him properly."
The implication was plain: the Marquis of Changxing, long famed for his recklessness, was no Marquis of Anlu. If Song Yan wished to grind him down, he had best first consider whether he had the power to do it.
Song Yan gave a cold laugh and made a casual bow toward Song Yi. "If Father summoned me only to say these things, then my wife and I will take our leave. You have raced back all this way in grief and anger — you would do well to rest." With that he shot a glance at Tao Jun. "Just as well. Mr. Tao can keep Father company and report to him all that has been discovered in the household these past days, and let Father make the decisions." Then he signaled to Dou Yan to toss the household tally to Song Cen.
He would like to see who dared take charge of the Ying Duke's household accounts without his consent.
This had been agreed between the two of them beforehand.
Dou Yan understood, and set the rosewood box holding the Ying Duke's tallies on the side table beside the armchair.
Without waiting to see whether Song Cen agreed or not, Song Yan took Dou Yan by the arm and left the main hall.
"You unfilial wretch!" Song Cen raged, bellowing for Song Yan to be dragged back.
Everyone in the household knew that Song Yan had trained in martial arts with the Jiang family since childhood. How deep his skill ran, no one could say, but whether at home or abroad, he had never once come off the worse.
If Song Cen provoked Song Yan and Song Yan killed him, could Song Cen truly demand his son's life in exchange?
The dead guards were warning enough!
Yet no one dared disobey either. They glanced at one another and shuffled slowly toward the door, their reluctance plain for all to see.
This only inflamed Song Cen further. He was about to berate the servants attending him when Tao Jun, sighing inwardly, steeled himself and stepped forward. "My Lord Duke. The important matters first! You have been away from home these days, and much has happened in the capital..."
Song Cen promptly took the excuse to climb down, and went with Tao Jun to the study.
But he had scarcely steadied himself before his face darkened and he said, "This cannot go on! We must find a way to deal with Song Yan!"
Tao Jun was greatly alarmed and reminded him in a low voice, "The heir is now a close attendant of the Emperor. I fear it would be... inadvisable."
"The more inadvisable, the more it must be done." A sinister light flickered in Song Cen's eyes. He murmured, "Only, where to strike? We must make him lose the Emperor's favor first... Without the Emperor's protection, let us see what he has left to be so arrogant about."
Song Cen proposed several schemes: "Promote him in name and demote him in fact — beg the Emperor to grant him a post and have him transferred out of the capital... Or make him lose his composure before the throne, cause a scandal and sour the Emperor on him..."
These were all stopgap measures. Even if Song Yan were restrained for a time, there was no guaranteeing that once he recovered he would not exact a crueler revenge.
Tao Jun could only smile bitterly and remind him in a whisper, "If word gets out that a father mistreats his son, that would not look well either!"
Song Cen's brows locked tight.
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