Chapter 332 — Pomegranates
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
The Chen who served as Assistant Commissioner in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Zhenfu Bureau?
Dou Yan thought it over for a moment.
She remembered that when Chen Jia had come to see her, he had been no more than a petty squad leader in the Guard. In the space of a few days, he had become an Assistant Commissioner of the Zhenfu Bureau... It seemed Song Yan really had put in a word for him with Shi Chuan.
Still, she had no intention of receiving Chen Jia.
Whatever his motives, the fact remained that Chen Jia had helped Suxin. Since he had had nothing to do with those who had robbed Suxin, and Song Yan had already spoken on his behalf, the debt owed to Chen Jia had been repaid.
Dou Yan instructed the little maid: "Give that old woman a tael of silver. As for the pomegranates, let her take them home for her grandchildren."
The little maid answered and went off.
The Second Young Madam of the Lu household asked in surprise, "Sister-in-law, how do you come to know someone from the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
The Guard's men had a foul reputation; princes and ministers alike turned pale at the mention of them.
Dou Qu said, "He is an acquaintance of the heir's. As for why he sent us pomegranates, we shall have to ask the heir when he returns."
The Second Young Madam of the Lu household visibly relaxed a good deal, and said to Dou Yan with a certain earnest gravity, "The heir's wife of the Yan'an Marquis household, the eldest young madam of the Jing Zhenguo household, the fourth madam of the Yunyang Count household, and the lady of the Donglin Count household are all gentle, kind-hearted women. If you are able to attend the birthday feast of the Duke of Jingguo's wife, I will introduce you to them when the time comes, so that you need not be bored."
Dou Yan could hear the sincerity in her words and thanked her again and again, yet a strange feeling could not help flickering through her heart. The lady of the Donglin Count household was the very woman who, in her previous life, had entered the Song family together with her own daughter.
At this time, she should still be in the flower of her youth, having been married to the Count of Donglin only a few years.
That evening, as Song Yan read by lamplight, Dou Yan lifted her head and studied him.
In her previous life, just how absurd had Song Yan been?
When he was with Lady Zhou and women like her, had he been as free and unrestrained as he was with her?
The images of the two of them together—scenes that made the face burn—flashed through her mind.
Dou Yan felt as though she had drunk a jar of aged vinegar, sour to the point of bitterness.
She could not help clutching at her collar.
In this life, would Song Yan still have dealings with those women?
Her face turned dead white before she was even aware of it.
Song Yan, who had noticed her furtive glances the moment she began, had been rather pleased a quarter of an hour earlier by the slightly dazed look in Dou Yan's eyes; the next moment he was badly startled by the color of her face.
"Shouyuan, Shouyuan!" Song Yan hurriedly gathered Dou Yan into his arms, calling her by the milk name they used only in their most intimate moments. "What is it? Are you unwell?"
The warmth of his embrace quickly steadied Dou Zhiwei's emotions.
She drew a deep breath and kept telling herself that it was all in the previous life, that she must on no account confuse the previous life with this one—that would only be to seek out her own sorrow.
The things of the previous life—she would not let them happen again.
"Nothing," said Dou Zhiwei. Though her face was still a little pale, her expression had softened greatly. She hedged, "I saw you staring at your book without blinking, and I wanted to see what it was you were reading..."
Song Yan said nothing, only looked straight at her, his expression grave and solemn. "Shouyuan, do you trust me?"
Dou Chu was taken aback.