Chapter 392 — Feminine Charms

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.

Dou Yan sighed softly and nodded. "The affair is many years past, and the young woman is dead; it has nothing to do with us now. I only thought — your mother was carrying you at the time, and for such a thing to happen then, her heart must have been in great turmoil. So I wanted to tell you, if only to let you know what your mother once endured..."

Perhaps in some corner of her mind, the more coldly Song Yan regarded Song Cen, the safer Song Yan would be when father and son came to blows — and that was why she had told him.

Song Yan's spirits did indeed sink. "So you are saying my father cleared out every man my grandfather left to me?"

He passed over the matter of the mistress and spoke of those stewards.

"Yes." Since the words were already out, to say more would be to rub salt in the wound. Dou Yan said, "From what Song Shize said, it was for precisely that reason that when the Duke of Ying moved against you, no one sent you warning."

Song Yan was silent a while, then said, "I will get to the bottom of this." His usual calm composure had returned.

Dou Yan was relieved, and her heart ached for him besides. She smiled. "Who keeps this teahouse? Clever taste — everything laid out as little pavilions and courtyards, and besides tea and sweets they serve proper dishes. I so rarely get out; shall we take our evening meal here today?"

When she came in she had seen wooden boards on the screen wall bearing the names of dishes, and knew the place served wine and food as well.

Song Yan occasionally used the teahouse to entertain friends and discuss business with subordinates, and knew the tea was passable but the food nothing to boast of. Yet seeing Dou Yan so eager, he fell in with her mood and sent Zi Aifeng to fetch a menu from the brew-master, ordering a few of the dishes this place did well.

While they waited for the tea, Dou Yan told Song Yan about eating vegetarian fare at Yuquan Temple in Zhending with Dou Yen and the others.

Song Yan listened with relish.

Then Dou Yan thought of Wu Shan.

She had heard no news of him for a long time, and wondered how he was faring.

But the thought flickered and was gone; she was caught instead by the rare, open smile on Song Yan's face, and Wu Shan slipped from her mind.

Wu Shan stood before a pomegranate tree, watching a man of noble, imposing bearing, his smile gentle, help a familiar figure up into a carriage. For a long moment he stood frozen.

Dou Yen shook his head slightly.

Wu Shan came back to himself.

He smiled awkwardly at Dou Yong and Dou Huaide. "Shall we go in? Lest we run into more acquaintances and have to spend half the day greeting them."

Wu Shan had heard that Dou Yen had passed the imperial examination and had made a point of inviting him to dine. Of all the places he might have chosen, he had picked the very teahouse where Dou Yan sat, and come face to face with someone he had thought never to see again.

Nor had the Dou uncle and nephew expected Dou Yan to appear here.

They all smiled at one another, and the matter was quietly let pass.

Dou Huaide brought up the matter of Wu Shan's marriage. "You and your cousin have been betrothed for three years now — when are you going to let us drink to your wedding?"

Wu Shan flushed with embarrassment. "The wedding will be held after the provincial examination in the ninth month," he said.

"Excellent," said Dou Yong. "We sit for the examination this year as well. When the time comes, we shall all go to your house to drink to your wedding!"

Wu Shan smiled and said "Good."

These past few days he had been somewhat remiss in his studies. He had failed the last provincial examination; this time, if he applied himself to his lessons and managed to pass and become a juren, and if he obeyed his mother and married his cousin, then surely his mother would no longer oppose his association with Dou Juanren?

Smiling, he invited the Dou uncle and nephew into a private room, though for some inexplicable reason his heart was filled with a nameless sorrow.