Chapter 451 — Pitch Black
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
Dou Yan was still fretting over the matter between Jiang Baisun and Song Zhi. When she heard that Jiang Ling had come asking to see her, she at once had her shown into the inner chamber, dismissed the maids attending there, and asked, "Is there something urgent?"
But Jiang Ling said, "Are things really going so badly with Yan-mei's marriage?"
"Badly enough." Dou Yan sighed. "Most of those who come courting have some ulterior purpose." She went on, "I know well enough that Yan-mei is marrying a second time, and that anyone who comes to propose must have turned it over and over in his mind; an ulterior purpose is only human nature, and so long as there is no ill will in it, it need not be ruled out. But those men are either too old—their eldest sons are nearly grown and wed—or else good for nothing, clinging to brothers and elders for their keep. Yan-mei has such a gentle nature; I truly cannot bring myself to marry her into a household like that."
Jiang Ling nodded.
Too old, and the match might not last. Clinging to brothers and elders, and there would be endless friction—and Yan-mei, marrying again, would suffer slights past all avoiding; and worst of all, when the slights came, her husband would have no power to stand up for his own wife.
She hesitated a moment, then said, musing, "Cousin-in-law, if I named a man, would you consider him?"
Dou Yan was rather taken aback, but she knew Jiang Ling was not one to speak without weighing her words; if she had spoken, she had most likely weighed the matter in her heart already. So she said gravely, "Tell me."
"Master Chen Jia, of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Zhenfu Division. What would you say to him?"
Dou Yan was furious.
She had never thought Chen Jia was that kind of man!
She had asked Chen Jia to take a hand in Jiang Yan's affairs because she trusted him—and now he had set his sights on Jiang Yan!
Truly, his heart deserved execution.
Dou Yan nearly sprang from her seat. But when she saw the sincere, open look on Jiang Ling's face, she calmed herself.
Even if Chen Jia had such designs and had brought them before Jiang Ling, Jiang Ling would not have run to her with such talk on the strength of a rumor.
Could this be Jiang Ling's own idea?
Or was it Jiang Yan's wish?
For a moment Dou Yan was thrown into confusion.
She feared Chen Jia had cozened Jiang Yan with sweet words... Even if she tore the mask from him, feelings once given are not so easily taken back.
Jiang Yan's life had been full of hardship. How could she bear to break the girl's heart again!
Dou Yan drew a deep breath and said, "What made you think of Master Chen?"
Jiang Ling then told Dou Yan of the two occasions on which she had seen Chen Jia and Jiang Yan together.
Hearing this, Dou Yan could not help sinking into deep thought.
Jiang Ling said, "This is none of my business, truly. For one thing, I can see that you and my cousin both love Yan-mei with all your hearts; for another, Yan-mei and I have taken to each other, and seeing the two of you wearing yourselves out over her marriage, and knowing that you neither wish to use her for an alliance nor to win a good name for yourselves, I could not keep still. I know what worries you. I can vouch that Yan-mei and Master Chen are both persons of propriety, and that there is nothing base in their thoughts; it is only because I think the two of them well suited that I wished to bring them together." And she told Dou Yan what she had said to sound Jiang Yan out.
If Dou Yan and Song Yan had wanted a good name, keeping Jiang Yan at home to guard her widow's chastity would have been easier than finding a way to marry her off—and would have won them more praise besides.
And Dou Yan had never in her dreams imagined betrothing Jiang Yan to Chen Jia.