Chapter 199 — The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

A matter of such magnitude would naturally have to be reported to the master and his two younger brothers—what business was it of Mrs. Cai's?

The thought flashed through her mind, and the Fifth Madam's heart skipped a beat.

Wait!

Wang Shuying wanted to swap the match... that is, she wanted Dou Ming to marry Dou Yan... and they themselves were just then trying to break off the engagement with the Wei family, while Wei Wan, unaware of her own place, was scheming to threaten the Dou family... and as for that Wang Shuying—she, the Fifth Madam, had treated her as a sister-in-law, yet she had not taken her, or the Dou family, seriously at all. First she had disregarded her own station to slander Shouyuan, making people think the Dou brothers were at odds; then she had devised this vicious scheme with no regard for the Dou family's reputation. If she were to let her have her way unchecked, would that not make her an object of contempt?

At this thought, the Fifth Madam pressed her lips tightly together, and a flicker of cold light passed through her eyes.

The reason the Dou family had not made a grand spectacle of breaking off the engagement was that the grounds for doing so were simply too shameful to speak aloud; and the reason the Wei family dared to defy the Dou family was that they had calculated precisely that the Dou family would not dare confront them head-on—for when two people are both guilty of moral outrage, a man's admission of fault is called a prodigal's return, but a woman's admission of fault is called shamelessness. The Dou family had been defeated by this difference between the sexes.

Since the Wei family would not agree to break off the marriage, then it would simply not be broken off.

After all, when the dust settled there would be a scapegoat—so why not?

The Fifth Madam's smile deepened.

Leaning forward, she said in a low voice to Mrs. Cai, "This matter, I'm afraid, will have to trouble Mrs. Cai..."

※※※※※

Dou Bingheng gazed at the mutton-fat jade paperweight carved in the shape of a crouching tiger on his desk and said nothing.

After more than twenty years of marriage, the Fifth Madam had long since learned to read her husband's temper.

Softly and lightly she refilled Dou Bingheng's tea, then seated herself in the armchair beside the writing desk.

Dou Bingheng was silent a while longer, then said, "But this fraudulent substitution of a bride..."

If it came to a lawsuit, the marriage would be void.

The Dou family did intend to ally itself with the Ji family, but there was no need to make a mortal enemy of the Wei family and become the laughingstock of the capital.

The Fifth Madam understood her husband's mind perfectly well, and said with a smile, "Though the person has been changed, the Wang woman was approved by both the Dou and Zhao families, and the documents were drawn up to elevate her to true wife. Ming is a legitimate daughter as well. Marriage is, by nature, a bond of goodwill between two families; for Ming to go in Shouyuan's place is not to confuse the legitimate with the base—in station she is a match for the Wei family. The law does not stand apart from human feeling: where there is no complaint, there is no inquiry. So long as the Wei family acknowledges this marriage, would the yamen officials really tear the couple apart by force? Besides, since it is a proxy marriage, Ming surely understands that, does she not? Earlier Shouyuan was clamoring that she would not marry into the Wei family—one willing to strike, the other willing to be struck. And this was the Seventh Madam's idea. We may be fond of these two children, but after all we are only their uncle and aunt—a layer removed. In matters of marriage we can only tap the drum from the sidelines; we cannot run the household. Ming will have her wish fulfilled. Shouyuan is a clever girl. I trust both children will be able to appreciate our difficulty."

"And Shouyuan and Jianming may well be called childhood sweethearts. Jianming is a man of profound learning and great future prospects, and the old master of the Ji family came in person to seek her hand—such regard for her. What is there left for her to be dissatisfied with?"

The Ji family had taken a fancy to Dou Yan precisely because Dou Yan could keep Ji Yong in check. If Dou Yan were married off with resentment in her heart, Ji Yong might well grow distant from the Huishu Alley household on that account. The reason the Dou family was willing to risk a reputation for bad faith and ally itself with the Ji family was that they had set their sights on Ji Yong's future prospects. If Ji Yong were to become estranged from the Huishu Alley household, what point would there be in the Ji-Dou alliance?

The crucial thing was that Shouyuan be satisfied.

Dou Bingheng said slowly, "Then we must find a way to make the Wei family acknowledge this marriage. Otherwise, if Wei Fan feels he has been deceived and makes a scene after the bows to Heaven and Earth and the lifting of the veil, that would be troublesome enough—but if Wei Fan plays the fool and waits until after the bridal night, until the third-day visit to the bride's home, and then raises a fuss, would Ming not have suffered for nothing?"

The Fifth Madam laughed behind her sleeve and said, "So it seems the master does not know everything, nor does he have every matter at his fingertips. In this, the master will have to beg me!" Her tone was light, with a touch of teasing.

Dou Bingheng was quite taken aback. He recalled how in earlier years, when his examiner Zeng Yifen had been forced into retirement and his own prospects had been uncertain, mired in the post of Vice Minister, he had often sat blankly in his study just as he did now, and his wife would come in, pour him a cup of tea, discuss the household's sundry affairs with him in that light tone, and now and then tease him with his own words—and he would be seized by the thought that "contentment brings lasting happiness," and the gloom in his heart would gradually disperse, and his frame of mind would turn calm. But ever since his examiner had regained power, he had been busy all day long, and it had been a long time since he had spoken with his wife like this.

Suddenly a mischievous impulse came over him. Smiling, he clasped his hands and bowed to his wife, putting on an air of great respect, and said, "I should like to hear the details!"

The Fifth Madam chuckled. It was a good while before she composed her face and said seriously, "Since this was the Wang woman's idea, even if Ming suffers a loss, could she possibly lay the blame at our door?" She added, "Besides, this is not our family's affair alone. Should the Ji family not put in some effort as well?"

Dou Bingheng looked thoughtful.

The Fifth Madam went on, "We send the girl over—but whether she can be kept there, whether the Wei family can be made to acknowledge the marriage, that is the Ji family's business. Why should we expend all our care and effort while the Ji family stands by to pluck the peach? They should show some sincerity too."

Dou Bingheng's eyes flickered.

The Fifth Madam knew her husband had already agreed to her plan, and so she smiled and said, "Let the master pretend to know nothing of this. I shall go and negotiate with the old master of the Ji family. If we cannot come to terms, it will not be too late then to ask the master to step in."

"Then let it be so!" said Dou Bingheng. "The one who profits in the end, after all, is the Ji family."

The Fifth Madam thought of the half-share of the Western Dou estate held under Dou Yan's name, and nodded heavily.

※※※※※

When Ji Yong returned from the Hanlin Academy and heard that the Fifth Madam of the Dou family had been closeted with his great-grandfather in the study for a long while and had only just left, his heart lurched, and he burst into Old Master Ji's study.