Chapter 298 — Seeking Refuge

There were no end of rumors about Song Shi abroad, but he was a proud man. Even face to face with Dou Yan, he disdained to explain himself.

Yet deep down he worried that repeated repetition would make the lie truth. The only course was to lay his own affairs bare before Dou Zhiwei, to let Dou Yan know him better. With Dou Zhiwei's keen intelligence, there could be no better method.

But that did not mean he wished Dou Yan to witness scenes of blood. The moment Lu Ming produced Chen Jia's calling card, he had already made up his mind: if Chen Jia failed to give him a satisfactory account, he would not scruple to cut off Chen Jia's head and

deliver it to the Embroidered Uniform Guard under the charge of "surreptitiously surveying an imperially bestowed estate"—and seize the chance to overawe those petty knaves, lest, having glimpsed a scale or a claw, they imagine they have him by the throat.

"It is nothing!" Song Dan regarded Dou Yan and let her wipe his fingers for him. "Only that for several days running I have received letters from my father by six-hundred-li express courier, and there are certain details to be entrusted to Lu Ming and Du Wei."

Dou Yan's hand paused in its motion. She murmured, "You have already begun sending word into the palace?"

Song Ran nodded.

Dou Yan could not help admonishing him, "Do not be careless. Look at Gu Yu and you will see—His Majesty is sharp as a blade these days!" So saying, she turned and took the robe from Su Xin's hands, helping Song Yan put it on again.

Song Yan sat down on the broad kang by the window, drank his tea with relish, and only then smiled and said, "That is precisely why this matter cannot be left to another's hand. I must go out myself."

Dou Yan washed her hands and came to sit beside him. "So the marriage between the Song and Hua families—is it finished?"

"Yes!" Song Dan said. "Hua Tang is a figure and no mistake. When my father sent men to ask the reason, he insisted stubbornly that the two families' horoscopes were incompatible, and no matter what the messengers said, he would not loosen his tongue. I do not know who informed my father, but only then did he learn that I had a hand in it." He added, "Hua Tang keeps his word, and I will not cast him aside once he has served his purpose. I have already sent word to him that one of the three places in my personal guard I will keep for his eldest son. Let those people know, too: whoever follows me, I will not treat shabbily."

In the days to come, when they stood opposed to Song Cen, there would be many more such occasions. This too was a case of spending a thousand pieces of gold on a horse's bones.

Dou Yan nodded repeatedly.

Lu Ming requested an audience.

Dou Yan would have withdrawn, but Song Sui smiled and said, "It is likely just these tangled matters. You may as well hear them too." Then he teased her, "So that you will not lie awake half the night fretting over me, and have to hold to that gentle, modest, all-things-yielding manner of yours, refusing to ask a single question, and tormenting yourself all alone."

"When have I ever tormented myself?" Dou Yan did not know whether to laugh or cry. "You come back so late—if I drag you into a conversation then, are you to get any rest at all? I do not question you, and it turns out to be my fault! Very well, next time, no matter what hour you return, I will hold you and question you thoroughly. And then you had better not change your tune and complain that I talk too much."

"If you cannot sleep, we can do something else!" Song Yan whispered suggestively at her ear. "Who was it that slept that night without even turning over? My whole arm went numb under your head..."

Dou Yan's ears grew hot at once. She knew this fellow had grown more and more unrestrained lately and would say anything at all. Contending with him on such ground, she could only beat a retreat. She pushed him. "Lu Ming is still waiting—what are you doing dawdling here?"

Song Yan laughed heartily.

He thought of how these days, relying on Dou Zhiwei's tender heart, he had spoken and behaved with ever greater license; and Dou no longer blushed helplessly at a loss as she had at the beginning. It seemed to him that life grew more interesting by the day.

He must think of some way to make Dou Yan never have the heart to refuse him again.

Perhaps one day he might manage to live a few days of dissolute, unbridled indulgence with Dou Yan after all...

Song Yan took Dou Zhiwei by the hand and drew her toward the study.

Dou Shi knew Song Yan always kept his measure, and let him lead her to the study.

Sure enough, at the study door, Song Ji released her hand, and the two entered one after the other.

Lu Ming stepped forward at once and made his bow.

The three sat down according to rank.

"That Chen Jia slipped a card in at the estate in Daxing." As he spoke, Lu Ming drew a calling card from his sleeve. "By the look of it, he already knows the true nature of the Daxing estate." A chilling light flickered in his eyes, and his voice turned cold and merciless. "Young Lord, shall I take a few men and clean Chen Jia up for you?"

Dou Yan was badly startled.

She had not expected that Lu Ming, who usually seemed so mild and deferential, had this side to him.

She thought of Xia Lian, so courteous before her; of Zhu Yicheng, honest and true; of Wu Yi and Songluo, so careful and cautious... To be of use to Song Yan, none of them could be simple. Did they too have a fierce aspect she knew nothing of?

As she pondered, Dou Yan saw Song Yan shake his head slightly. Unfolding the card, he said, "He wishes to attach himself to me—how can he do so without showing some ability I find worthy of notice? Sliding a card in at the Daxing estate is merely his way of displaying his methods. It is not yet time to deal with him..." As he spoke, he had already scanned the card twice or thrice, then with a flip of his hand tossed it onto the kang table. "Since he swears he has matters of importance to see me about, arrange to meet him at the Daxing estate."

The Daxing estate housed Song's retainers and men of death. Unless Chen Jia brought a dozen muskets to shoot his way out, without Song's consent he would never leave those gates.

This too was a test of whether Chen Jia was sincere.

Lu Ming answered and went out.

Dou Yan rose to her feet. "I want to go too!"

She wanted to hear what Chen Jia would say, and to judge by her experience from her former life whether Chen Jia's words could be believed.

There were no end of rumors about Song Shi abroad, but he was a proud man; even face to face with Dou Yan, he disdained to explain. Yet deep down he worried that repeated repetition would make the lie truth. The only course was to lay his own affairs bare before Dou Zhiwei, to let Dou Yan know him better. With Dou Zhiwei's keen intelligence, there could be no better method. But that did not mean he wished Dou Yan to witness scenes of blood. The moment Lu Ming produced Chen Jia's calling card, he had already made up his mind: if Chen Jia failed to give him a satisfactory account, he would not scruple to cut off Chen Jia's head and deliver it to the Embroidered Uniform Guard under the charge of "surreptitiously surveying an imperially bestowed estate"—and seize the chance to overawe those petty knaves, lest, having glimpsed a scale or a claw, they imagine they have him by the throat.

"That fellow is too dangerous. I fear I will not be able to look after you when the time comes." He tried to persuade Dou Yan to abandon the idea. "Whatever he says, I will report to you faithfully, every word."

"Anywhere else, I would of course be afraid," Dou Xin said. "But at the Daxing estate, I am not afraid!"

Song Yan was at a loss for words.

For the first time, the thought took root in him that "sometimes a woman being too clever is not necessarily a good thing."