Chapter 359 — Her Family
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
Dai Jian and Wang Yuan were close friends in private, yet Mu Chuan belonged to the Empress's circle. These two men—
who exactly were they?
Song Yan thought it over, then said, "I'll go ask Wang Ge directly. First, let's get the Kuang family out of this."
For a matter of only twenty or thirty thousand taels a year, Wang Ge would surely grant him that much face.
Dou Yan, however, was thinking along different lines.
In her past life, after the Prince of Liao ascended the throne, Dai Jian had served for a time as Senior Grand Secretary. Unlike the peaceful reign of the present Emperor, the political situation after the Prince of Liao took the throne had been rather tangled; his abilities were limited, and in the end he was forced to retire. Later he became entangled in a case of embezzled military pay, had his property confiscated and was exiled, dying along the way.
Both of these men were bound to the Prince of Liao by countless threads.
She cautioned Song Yan: "The eunuchs never forget a grudge. Be careful, and don't offend Eunuch Wang over this."
"I know," Song Yan said, kissing her cheek and urging her, "Hurry and get dressed. I'll go with you to pay New Year's calls on the old lady and Princess Ninghuai."
Today was the second day of the New Year, the day for visiting the maternal uncles.
Song Yan's uncles were all away from the capital, so they would visit the old maternal grand-uncle's household, the Lu family.
Dou Yan laughed merrily and put on a festive robe of bright red silk with a lantern pattern worked in kesi, its sleeves cut in the full-width style, and a hair ornament of clustered pearls and filigree. Because of her pregnancy, her skin—already so delicate it seemed it might bruise at a touch—was not only white as frost and snow but glowing with a rosy warmth; she looked radiant and dazzling, and the sight of her lifted anyone's spirits.
Princess Ninghuai beamed at the sight of her. Taking her hand, the Princess said to the roomful of relatives who had come to pay New Year's calls, "This child—no wonder even the Empress's circle has to praise her for 'looking so lovely.'"
Everyone burst out laughing.
Princess Ninghuai's granddaughter, the Third Madam Feng of the Jing Founding Duke's household, chimed in playfully, "When has Grandmother ever looked at our cousin's wife without beaming? It rather makes the rest of us look like so many roof tiles."
The Lu family's Third Young Madam had always dreaded her sister-in-law's sharp tongue. She quickly tugged at her: "The Empress's circle sent over two baskets of tribute tangerines from Fujian. Come help me peel a few for the elders."
Princess Ninghuai liked people who were neat and brisk, and those who attended her could not be the slightest bit dilatory either. Peeling tangerines was the sort of task that ordinary people were never allowed to take up.
Third Madam Zhang knew her own grandmother's temperament well. Rising to follow the Lu family's Third Young Madam toward the tea room, she pretended to complain with a wounded air, "You only ever set me to work. Have you no thought that I'm a married daughter here? Is this how a married daughter is treated when she comes home?"
The Lu family's Second Young Madam retorted, "Today is your brother and sister-in-law's day. If you will tag along, what can we do about it?"
This set them all laughing.
The younger members of the Lu family seized the chance to step forward and pay New Year's calls to Princess Ninghuai and the Lu matriarch, angling for red envelopes.
Third Madam Zhang's sister-in-law—that is, Feng Shao's wife—fell to chatting quietly with Dou Yan: "I heard your younger sister miscarried because the Dowager of the Jining Marquis household was setting rules for her. Is it true?"
Dou Ming's miscarriage—
She was startled.
Fortunately she had lived two lives and seen a great deal; the surprise merely flickered across her face before she recovered her composure.