Chapter 250 — A Reminder
Purple Streets of Chang'an Page 2 of 2
Song Ke felt as though a great weight had been lifted.
Dou Yan surely had not noticed anything unusual about him!
"If you wish to know, you can have Master Yan look into it for you," he said, quickly composing himself and smiling as though nothing had happened. "I never paid attention to what the two old ladies are fond of. The Grand Princess Ninghuai especially, having grown up in the inner palace—her tastes are hard to fathom."
Dou Ji then asked Song Yan, "I've heard that when the Emperor eats, no matter whether he likes a dish or not, he takes only three chopsticks' worth of each, all to guard against poison. Is that true?"
She gazed at Dou Yan, her eyes bright and sparkling with curiosity.
Song Yan couldn't help laughing, yet his heart felt immensely warm. "Who told you that? That's utter nonsense! His Majesty and the consorts of rank in the inner court all have their own small kitchens. Everyone eats from the small kitchens day to day; the dishes from the imperial kitchen are nothing but decoration, as far as anyone's concerned."
"I read it in some unofficial history." Dou Yan lay sprawled on the large backrest cushion, as much at ease as she was when chatting with Suxin and the others. "So it's not entirely made up, then? Because the author said the emperor generally goes hungry and secretly eats from the small kitchen."
Head tilted, lying on the pillow with one cheek flushed red from the pressure, this Dou Yan had shed some of her usual brisk valor and gained a playfulness he had never seen in her before, which Song Yan found utterly delightful.
He lay on his side, pillowing his head on his arm, and looked at Dou Yan with a smile. "That's what you said. I never said a word of it."
"You really are no fun at all." Dou Yan teased him. "Have you never once slipped up and said something you shouldn't?"
The atmosphere in the room grew very warm and tender.
Song Yan's heart softened along with it.
"Hmm..." he said, feigning deep thought. "I don't know whether I talk in my sleep or not..."
Dou Yan couldn't hold back her laughter.
Suddenly, a tremendous crash—*kudang*.
Dou Yan was badly startled.
Song Yan had already leaped to his feet, his movements exceptionally nimble.
Both of them held their breath and listened.
Outside the window came a rushing gust of wind, accompanied by the clatter and bang of the wind battering the window frames.
The two of them exchanged a glance and smiled.
"It's the wind picking up!" Song Yan threw on his outer robe. "I'll go take a look."
"Be careful," Dou Yan said. "With wind this strong, the weather will likely turn tomorrow. Tell them to keep an eye out—mind that the trees don't snap and crush the roofs."
The Ying Estate of the Duke Who Guards the Realm was planted thick with great trees.
"All right!" Song Yan said, then went out and called for Suxin, who was on duty, to come keep Dou Yan company, while he himself summoned Chen He, and off they went, to somewhere unknown.
Dou Yan lay on the bed, listening to the wind outside growing fiercer by the moment, and felt as though she were hiding aboard a sturdy great ship; let the wind blow and the rain beat down, someone would still wake her if the ship were sinking, and she need not fear going down with it.
Drowsily, she fell asleep.
Half dreaming, half awake, she seemed to hear someone beside her say, "...Don't wake her. Let her get a good sleep!"
When she woke the next day, the wind was indeed raging and the rain falling in sheets outside.
Song Yan was already awake, sitting on the kang and looking at something. Seeing her wake, he smiled. "Good thing you reminded me yesterday—a century-old parasol tree over by the flower hall snapped clean through." He clicked his tongue. "The whole middle of the trunk was hollow."
Dou Yan said, "It's trees like that, a hundred years old, that I fear most—they look thick and sturdy, but the middle's all hollow, and there's no telling when they'll come down." She sighed. "A pity we have to make the home visit today. I wonder if the roads will be passable?"
"I've already sent men to scout the way," Song Yan said. "Hurry and get dressed. Once we've paid our respects to Father, we'll head for the Longhua Temple Lane."
※
To my dear sisters and brothers reading this: posting the draft first, will hunt for bugs in a bit.
o(n_n)o~
ps: Let me recommend a book by Yun Ni, *The Auspicious Hour Brings the Doctor*. Book number 2689522. Synopsis: Yang Mo, a modern internal medicine doctor, returns to her former life, where a fate of bitter hardship is destined to become radiant, dazzling, and full of color; with her unparalleled modern experience, wealth and glory will be hers for the taking.
※