Chapter 98 — Sowing Discord

The Sixth Aunt was intrigued as well, and the three of them whispered and conferred for a long while, until at last the matter of the flower-viewing banquet was settled. Confirming the guest list, sending out invitations, clearing the furnishings from the storehouses, arranging the menu and the serving maids and old women—the West Dou had not seen such liveliness in a long time. From the stewardesses down to the senior maids, no one had any confidence, yet Dou Yan handled it all with ease, plucking solutions as if from thin air. Item by item, matter by matter, she arranged everything in perfect order without the slightest strain, leaving Lady Ji, who had come intending to help in person, staring dumbfounded, and asking her outright, "Who helped you come up with these ideas?"

"I may never have eaten pork, but surely I have seen a pig run!" Dou Chi said dismissively. "The New Year is such a grand affair every year—one would learn just from watching."

Some people are simply born clever.

Ji Guan nodded, beaming. "It's good that you attend to everything so diligently—it saves me from worrying about you." Then, feeling this had come out rather too grave, she teased, "I'm going to tell your Third Aunt that you called her a running pig!" She meant to laugh the matter off.

Dou Shi knew her mind and joined in the fun. "If Third Aunt asks, I certainly won't admit to it."

Lady Ji laughed heartily.

On the day of the flower-viewing banquet, she could not resist slipping over early anyway, and only when she saw that everything had been arranged did she heave a long sigh of relief.

That evening the flowers were lovely, the wine mellow, the dishes exquisite; the hired players sang the "Reunion of the Hairpin" scene from *The Bramble Hairpin*, and even Dou Ming, who had attended the banquet so reluctantly, listened with tears in her eyes, now and again whispering with Yi and Shu.

And Chen Yanzhou, listening to the strains of strings and flutes drifting from afar and pondering the news that had come from the capital, did not fall into a fitful sleep until the sky began to pale.

When he woke, the sun was already high.

He scrambled up and asked the young servant who attended him, "Has the Fourth Miss arrived at the flower hall?"

After her lessons, Dou Yan would spend half an hour in the flower hall, dealing with household affairs.

The servant brought in water for washing and said with a smile, "The Fourth Miss has been in the flower hall for some time!"

Chen Yanzhou's heart eased.

But the next moment he was startled.

In his early years he had served as a private secretary under Zhang Kai, governor of Fujian—and even before Zhang Kai he had never known such nervousness as this... Could it be because of the news he had heard yesterday?

He sat blankly in his room for a while, then, guessing that Dou Yan would be returning to the inner courtyard, hurried to the flower hall.

Weeping willows had been planted all around the flower hall; in the depths of summer they flourished, thousands of jade-green branches swaying in the wind, and the sight of them gave one a cool feeling. Through the four open windows, Chen Yanzhou saw Dou Yan, dressed in a moon-white striped cotton-gauze gown, talking with Gao Xing.

Her bearing was upright, her gaze calm; her smooth forehead and the long brows sweeping toward her temples gave an impression of wisdom. To look at her from this distance was to know that she was a highly intelligent person of strong will.

Even boys much older than she could not compare with her, could they?

With this thought, Chen Yanzhou entered the flower hall.

Gao Xing was cheerfully describing how splendidly yesterday's flower-viewing banquet had gone and how warmly the people of the Eastern Estate had praised it.

Dou Yan smiled and responded, commending Gao Xing a few times for "handling matters capably," and Gao Xing went off beaming.

Chen Yanzhou composed his expression and said gravely, "Fourth Miss, it may indeed be as you said. Zeng Yifen originally intended to secure Wang Xingyi the post of Vice Minister of War, but because Wang Xingyi was incapable of cultivating himself or regulating his household, Zeng Yifen had no choice but to agree to Ye Shipei's proposal and let Gu Yanjing take the post of Vice Minister of War."

"Oh!" Dou Yan's interest was roused. "I asked you to pass a message to the Wang family—did you get it through?"

The matter had gone somewhat awry, but on the whole it would not stray too far.

Dou Yan felt all the more confident about the future.

"The message has been passed," Chen Yanzhou said. "Lady Wang née Xu summoned Madam Wang and berated her severely; it's said Madam Wang left the Wang household in tears. What's more, the old matter involving Madam Pang was dredged up again, and Lady Wang née Xu confined her to the house."

Dou Yan's face broke into a smile.

Chen Yanzhou could not help saying, "Fourth Miss, did you hear some rumor from somewhere? Otherwise, how could you have known there was more to the matter of Gu Yanjing..."

"No, I didn't know," Dou Xin said. "I merely found it odd that Wang Xingyi, for all his distinguished battle record, should remain fixed in the post of Shaanxi governor, while Gu Yanjing, whose reputation and seniority were both inferior to his, should have gone ahead of him."

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Sisters and brothers, I was delayed hunting down sources, and it dragged on until now...

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