Chapter 407 — Settling In
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 2 of 4
Song Yan said, "You think that just because we have found Li Tiaoniang, Yigui can return to the Ying family's Zhenguo estate with her name justified? Do not forget — Li Tiaoniang is nothing but a fickle, loose woman. Even if the case were brought before the Emperor himself, so long as Father clenches his teeth and denies it, would the Emperor believe Li Tiaoniang? Yigui might instead be branded with the crime of 'falsely claiming kinship with an official family,' and it could cost her her life. You must know that in this world there are plenty of people who look alike yet share not a drop of blood! My only regret is that Li Tiaoniang died so easily. Far too cheap for her!"
Dou Chiyou said, "Who killed Li Tiaoniang?"
She suspected it was either Song Cen or Song Han.
Song Sui said coldly, "Whoever it was, they cannot be free of connection to the affairs of those years. Before this I could not be certain that Yigui was my sister, but with Li Tiaoniang dead, it has instead shown me a clear road."
Dou Yan nodded and said, "Then Song Han..."
At these words Song Yan's expression dimmed, and he said, "Whatever is said, he was my brother for fourteen years. When Mother was alive, she was so afraid of melting him in her mouth or dropping him from her hands that she doted on him utterly. I cannot, because of the elders' faults, lay all the blame at his feet. For now, let us keep this from him. When he is older, we will tell him the whole thing, point by point, and how he chooses then will be his own affair." So he said, yet a note of bleakness remained in his tone, and his warmth toward Song Han was no longer what it had been. "As for Yigui, Father will never acknowledge her no matter what — otherwise he would not have dumped her on Li Tiaoniang back then and washed his hands of her. Let Yigui live in Yizhi Hall under the identity of a distant relative of the Jiang family!" Here he raised an eyebrow, a trace of coldness showing. "And that name of hers must be changed as well. Yigui, Yigui — it turns my stomach to hear it... Let her take a name from mine." He lowered his head in thought. "Brush, ink, paper, inkstone — take a homophone of inkstone. Let her be called Yan, hoping that from now on she may be reborn, and think no more of the past."
"Jiang Yan!" Dou Yan murmured, then praised, "A fine name! 'Cherishing the jade of virtue within one's breast, breathing out gems from the tip of one's brush.' I will tell her — from now on her name will be Jiang Yan!"
"Jiang?" Song Yan was slightly taken aback.
Dou Yan felt that Song Yan was somewhat muddled.
Yet a Song Yan like this struck her as very familiar and very real.
"Did you not say she is to live in Yizhi Hall as a distant relative of the Jiang family?" Dou Xin said. "If not Jiang, would she still be Song?"
Song Yan sighed at this and said, "Jiang is fine. There is nothing so remarkable about being a Song. Bearing Mother's surname — if Mother knows in the underworld, she will be glad, and there will be no need to watch his face."
"His" meant Song Cen.
Dou Yan thought of how coldly her father had treated her in her past life, while she had set her heart on pleasing him, and she told Song Yan what she had thought when she heard Yigui speak of paying respects to Li Tiaoniang: "...Better to tell her the whole truth of those years, point by point, so that she does not come to feel filial affection for the Lord of Zhenguo. If she merely became a foolishly filial child, that would still be manageable. What I fear is that the Lord of Zhenguo feels not the slightest affection for her and instead uses her to do things that harm both her and you."
Song Yan thought of his delicate, tender sister and could not help rubbing his brow. "Then let us wait until we are back at the estate and tell her slowly!"