Chapter 366 — Confidence
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 2 of 4
"I see you've left the office so early, and you talked with Mr. Yan in the study for ages, then came back and teased me," Dou Yan said. "I've thought it over, and these days there's nothing else that would weigh on your mind except the Kuang family..."
Song Dan said, "You really are the worm in my belly!"
Dou Yan's expression tightened. "What exactly has happened?"
Song Yan had always thought Dou Ming exceptionally clever. Better to tell her the truth than to hide it and let her guess wildly—with her intelligence, in a crisis she could at least contrive some way to protect herself. So he said frankly, "I sent Mr. Yan to see Wang Ge. Wang Ge refused to let the Kuang family stay out of it!"
Dou Yan was utterly astonished.
She raised her brows. "Where does he get such nerve, to dare refuse you? Even Wang Yuan would not offend you over twenty or thirty thousand taels of income a year. Does he fancy he has more face than Wang Yuan?"
As she spoke, she sensed something strange in it.
On what grounds could Wang Ge refuse Song Yan?
In her former life, he had been purged.
Could it be that in her former life he had not been purged as an unrelated party, but because he had done too much and known too much, and was silenced?
Her mind reeled. She asked Song Yan, "Have you found out how Jiang Jie leaked the Kuang family's affair to Wang Ge?"
"We have," Song Yan said, finding it both absurd and hard to laugh or cry. "Jiang Jie resented the Kuang family's arrogance and wanted to give them a lesson. But the Kuang family are a century-old clan of standing in Panyu and elsewhere, deep-rooted—no ordinary matter could move them. At the Mid-Autumn Festival, his secretary was sent to deliver gifts to Dai Jian and happened to run into Wang Ge coming out of Elder Dai's house. After he returned, when the secretary spoke of Dai Jian's affairs, he told Jiang Jie that Wang Ge had come in person to Dai Jian's door to offer festival greetings. Hearing this, Jiang Jie took the idea. At the winter solstice, when the New Year gifts were sent, his secretary went under Dai Jian's name to call on Wang Ge and poured out his grievances at length, begging Wang Ge to help Jiang Jie teach the Kuang family a lesson, for Dai Jian's sake..."
Dou Yan mused, "That still doesn't add up! Jiang Jie is only a seventh-rank county magistrate. Even if he were Jiang Jie's in-law, Wang Ge could not offend you over him and twenty or thirty thousand taels." She spoke with a solemn face: "Yantang, you had better take this matter to heart and investigate it thoroughly. It's not that I want to take up the Kuang family's cause—it's that this business is far too unreasonable. Wang Ge has always seemed quite respectful to you. His sudden turn—I fear the problem lies with you. Consider whether you should go see Wang Yuan. Matters concerning the Emperor admit no carelessness. As for the Kuang family, I will speak to Kuang Zhuoran myself. Since Wang Ge has set his mind on backing Jiang Jie, they should stop clinging to hope and seeking this patron and that advocate. They had best make up their minds at once as to what to do."
Song Yan had arrived at the same conclusion.
He smiled. "It's not as grave as you make it. If the Emperor bore me any rift, he would not have permitted you to rest at home in childbed over the New Year, nor bestowed gifts on us. Whatever Wang Ge's business is, a visit to Wang Yuan is in order. As for the Kuang family, since the problem began with Elder Zeng, let Elder Zeng help that Jiang Jie clean up the mess. I don't believe he'll relish having someone borrow his banner to play the fox in the tiger's shadow!" As he finished, the corner of his mouth drew up in a cold smile.
At that look on Song Yan's face, Dou Ji knew Dai Jian was in for a headache.
Whether Dai Jian got a headache or not was no concern of hers, though. She was now certain this affair had to do with the Prince of Liao.