Chapter 392 — Feminine Charms
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
Dou Yan installed Song Shize in Chen Yanzhou's small courtyard and said to him, "If anyone asks, say you are a friend of Old Chen."
Song Shize hesitated. "And if someone recognizes me?"
"That hardly matters," said Dou Yan. "You are an old hand in this household. You have traveled north and south, you served as chief steward of the Ying estate — a man of no small experience. Read what the other party is after and improvise as the moment demands. I have every confidence Steward Song can manage."
Song Shize muttered to himself.
So this was the thanks for scurrying over to the Ying estate in such haste — he had been given a second function: bait!
But matters had come to this. He had already made his choice between the Duke of Ying and the Heir, and there was no room left for wavering. From now on he would follow Yizhi Hall with a single heart. And if by this the Heir's knot of bitterness could be loosened, then bait or no, he would accept it.
His mind made up, Song Shize's resentment drained away.
He bowed respectfully to Dou Yan and withdrew with Chen Yanzhou.
Dou Yan went out at once to find Song Yan.
The Jinwu Guard's office was housed in the Five Chief Military Commissions, but it kept a duty room in the inner palace. Song Yan was on duty today, sitting at that duty room. She waited in a small teahouse beside the commissions.
Perhaps because it stood among the offices of the Six Ministries, the teahouse had a modest front, yet within, a winding path led to hidden splendors. Had Zi Aifeng not been with them, they could never have found such a place.
After pressing the teahouse's brew-master to serve Dou Yan tea and sweets, Zi Aifeng withdrew with Wu Yi and the others to the covered walk outside.
Seated alone in the quiet private room, Dou Yan felt that she had come rather rashly.
Before Song Yan and Song Cen turned against each other, Song Yan had never doubted his father, and so his knowledge of Song Cen's affairs had stayed on the surface. But once father and son stood opposed, Song Yan had investigated Song Cen at length, and Song Cen had investigated Song Yan no less. If Song Cen had kept up any ties with that Tiaoniang afterward, he could not have left no trace at all. So it seemed Song Cen was indeed as Song Shize said: after that, he never strayed again.
It was a matter of more than ten years past, from before Song Yan was even born. Why was she clutching at it so eagerly?
Dou Yan laughed at herself.
Yet she could not deny it: she was curious what sort of woman that Tiaoniang had been, to have drawn Song Cen into such a scandalous affair.
She told Ruo Tong to pour her another cup of tea.
Song Yan came hurrying over.
"What has happened?" He knew of Song Shize's quiet entry into the estate, but for her to seek him out so abruptly — he was alarmed, and gave no thought even to Dong Qi, who was on duty with him; he asked Dong Qi to cover for him and rushed out of the palace. "If anything were wrong, you had only to send word to me. Why come yourself? In your condition, you cannot bear the jolting of a carriage."
Dou Yan touched her belly. "Don't worry, I came by sedan chair." Then, seeing the fine sweat on his brow, she knew how fast he had hurried. She told Ruo Tong to bring water for Song Yan to wash, and said over her shoulder, "I met with Song Shize. He told me some old stories, and what I heard stirred me deeply, so I came to find you."
She sat down beside Song Yan and recounted, point by point, everything that had passed between her and Song Shize.
Song Yan's eyes grew wider and wider. When Dou Yan finished, he was silent a long while before saying, "Is what you say true?" He looked somewhat dazed.
No one could take it well, hearing that his own father had once done such a thing.