Chapter 266 — A Look at Each Other

Song Sui was instructing Yan Che: "...over at the Jiading Earl's place..."

The Jiading Earl was Wan Cheng, courtesy name Pengji—brother of Empress Wan and uncle to Gu Yu.

Yan Che understood at once. He rose and said, "I'll go make the preparations."

Song Yan nodded.

A young servant came in to report: "Young Master, the Tenth Young Mistress from the Locust Tree Alley residence has arrived."

Song Yan asked, "Is she here to see me?"

The servant hurriedly said, "No, she's here to see the Madam..."

Song Yan said mildly, "If she's here to see the Madam, why report it to me?" Then, to Yan Che: "Find him a different post."

Yan Che glanced at the servant and answered, "Yes."

The servant, however, was frightened into dropping to his knees before Song Yan with a thud, knocking his head on the ground again and again.

Song Luo hastily motioned to a few men to haul the servant out.

Song Yan instructed Yan Che: "I never want to hear such poisonous words again."

Yan Che said, "Yes," and withdrew.

Song Luo then asked worriedly, "Truly, there's no need to report to the Young Master?"

Yan Che glanced at him and said, half in warning, half with feeling, "If he can't even trust the Madam, the Young Master would sooner be betrayed."

Song Luo was utterly bewildered, scratching his head in a daze.

Yan Che laughed. "If you don't understand, don't think about it. Just remember: honor the Madam as you honor the Young Master."

Mr. Yan was the Young Master's strategist; surely there could be no mistake in heeding the strategist.

Song Luo cheerfully answered, "I'll do as you say, elder," and went off to deal with the servant.

Yan Che, however, was frowning.

That Chen Yanzhou—why had he still not come?

Surely he had not put his words out of his mind?

Chen Yanzhou, racing toward the capital day and night, sneezed.

*****

Dou Yan received the Tenth Sister-in-law, Madam Cai, in the flower hall.

Beaming, Madam Cai congratulated Dou Yan: "...and as luck would have it, I was the one to run into it. The Yunqi Temple Alley household surely doesn't know yet, do they? Shall I go carry word to Uncle Seven?"

Perhaps because she trusted Song Yan, Dou Yan was calm about having received the title of Madam in advance. Only hearing Madam Cai say so did she realize with a start that her early receipt of the patent of nobility was itself a grace from the imperial house, and that her father would surely be overjoyed to learn of it.

She smiled and said, "I'll have Suxin carry word to Father, that will do." With that, she turned to Suxin with a smile. "Go and carry the news to both the Yunqi Temple Alley and the Mao'er Alley households."

Her Sixth Aunt must be told as well.

Suxin accepted the errand with a smile and departed.

Dou Yan then asked Madam Cai, "Tenth Sister-in-law, was there some matter you wished to see me about?"

Now that she had been enfeoffed as the Young Heir's wife, besides having the ceremonial robes of her rank made and jewelry fashioned, she also had to tip the serving women, inform the Dou clan's relatives and friends, and probe Song Cen's reaction... There was a great deal to do, and truly no time to spar with Madam Cai.

Madam Cai could well imagine how busy Dou Zhiwei must be. Fearing Dou Yan's impatience, she smiled and told her the purpose of the visit that the Fifth Madam had sent her on.

Though Song Yan had said there was nothing amiss, Dou Yan thought it would be well to let her Fifth Uncle analyze the Emperor's intentions from another angle—perhaps she might gain some new insight; and if her Fifth Uncle could uncover something connected to the Prince of Liao, so much the better.

She told Madam Cai the whole course of events.

Yet Madam Cai's eyes lit up as she listened. One moment she was asking, "Did the Empress Dowager really say the Young Heir was a boy she watched grow up, and that now you've married him you're one of the family?" The next she was asking, "Those things the Empress Dowager bestowed—were they really gifts from the Emperor as a mark of filial respect?" And the next, "When the Empress Dowager asked about your family, why didn't you tell her in detail?" Dou Yan grew so annoyed that her face darkened, and she said, "Tenth Sister-in-law, these questions you're asking—are they Fifth Uncle's and Fifth Aunt's meaning, or your own?"

Madam Cai's face flushed crimson.

Dou Yan took up her tea.

Madam Cai was both mortified and furious, yet dared not show it. Her face swelled up like a pig's liver, and even after she returned to Locust Tree Alley, the unconcealed anger still lingered on her features.

Madam Cai's personal old nurse was badly startled at the sight. She hurried to ask, "Whatever has happened to you, madam?"

Madam Cai drew a deep breath before grinding out between her teeth, "Nothing." Then she asked, "Has any word come from my mother's side?"

The old nurse leaned close to her ear and said, "The mistress says that whatever happens, you must wait on the Fourth Young Mistress hand and foot. The Marquis of Jining wishes to petition for the Fifth Young Mistress to be enfeoffed as a Marchioness, and submitted it to the Ministry of Personnel, but the Ministry gave no reply for the longest time—it was only after the Fifth Madam personally spoke to the wife of the Ministry's Director of the Bureau of Enfeoffment that they finally sent the memorial up. And even so, there's been no word to this day."

Madam Cai gasped, then drew several deep breaths to calm herself. Only then did she compose her features into a joyous expression and make her way to the upper courtyard where the Fifth Madam resided.

*****

One could have scraped a layer of frost off Song Cen's face.

When Song Yan and Dou Yan entered the palace, whatever Empress Dowager Yi and Empress Yi asked them, Yingzhenguo Manor had been managed for generations, and he had his own ways of finding out. That Dou Yan had received her title in advance, and at such a critical juncture, left him unable to keep from suspecting Song Yan.

"Keep your eye on Yan Che, the one at the heir's side," Song Cen said to Guard Chang, his expression dark. "Some things he won't handle himself, but he'll surely hand them to Yan Che."

Guard Chang cupped his hands and answered, "Yes."

A servant came in and announced, "Master Tao is back!"

Song Cen's spirits lifted at once. "Quick, invite Master Tao in."

Guard Chang's mouth twisted; he withdrew.

Tao Jun looked somewhat bedraggled, and at the sight of Song Cen he called out repeatedly, "Master."

Song Cen stepped forward two paces, looked Tao Jun up and down, and sighed. "It's good that you're back, good that you're back!" Then he pointed to the grand armchair beside him. "Let's sit down and talk... You said someone was hunting you—what exactly happened? Could it have anything to do with the heir?"

Tao Jun lowered his head, wearing the look of a man ashamed before Song Cen. "It was my carelessness, underestimating the enemy!"

Song Cen raised an eyebrow.

Tao Jun said, "The Dou family are the local lords in Zhending. We asked a few too many questions about the Dou family's fourth young lady and drew the attention of Dou Juan's people. Fearing we'd ruin the friendship between the Dou and Song families, and not daring to say we were from Yingzhenguo Manor, we had no choice but to flee to the garrison for help!"

"That doesn't add up!" Song Cen frowned. "If you ran to the garrison for help, how did Dou Juan's people dare keep hunting you?"

Tao Jun said quickly, "The Dou family indeed stopped hunting us after that. But I had uncovered something important and was in a hurry to bring word back to you, so I simply never explained things clearly to the garrison."

Song Cen's irritation over the Zhending garrison's claim to credit was dispelled.