Chapter 317 — Blending In (Bonus chapter, begging for pink votes)

Naturally, Dou Yan knew nothing of what had happened at Tan Family Manor. When Chen Yanzhou returned to Zhending, she had instructed him to meet with her third uncle, Dou Zhen, and bring up the properties registered under her name, to see how the Eastern Dou would react.

"I did as we agreed and met with the Third Master." Chen Yanzhou's expression was grave; clearly the meeting had not gone well. "The Third Master was all affability—said the madam might send someone to take over at any time, that the Third Young Master was a man of upright character and his accounts had always been kept crystal clear. Of everything else, not a word. I had meant, per your instructions, to bring Zhao Liangbi with me to the capital, but seeing how the Third Master was, I took it upon myself to leave Zhao Liangbi in Zhending. That way, whatever changes come, we won't be like blind men groping at an elephant, unable to tell east from west."

Dou Yan nodded slightly and mused, "My marriage was settled rather hastily. Third Uncle likely never expected me to send someone to speak with him about this so soon. Ten to one he's waiting to hear what the Huai Shu Alley side has to say before he makes up his mind. We'll set this aside for now. I'd guess that by the end of the month at the latest, Third Uncle will send someone to contact us." She added, "In this matter, I must ask you to keep a close watch."

"The madam needn't worry; I know what's what," Chen Yanzhou said. Then, with a hint of hesitation, he went on, "If Zhao Liangbi takes over the Third Young Master's duties, I fear the head stewards won't take it well..."

"Isn't it all over town that Zhao Liangbi is my kinsman?" Dou Yan laughed, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Promoting my own kinsman—surely that's no great sin?"

"That's true enough," Chen Yanzhou said with a smile. "I've watched Zhao Liangbi these past few years, and he's come along nicely. Whether it's a donkey or a horse, sooner or later you have to lead it out and let it trot. We'll just have to see whether he has the good fortune to hold up under such a grand occasion."

Dou Yan pressed her lips together and smiled.

She had great confidence in Zhao Liangbi.

And even if he fell short for the moment—wasn't there still Song Yan?

Seeing how calm and composed Dou Yan was, Chen Yanzhou knew she must have further tricks up her sleeve, and his anxious heart finally settled. His expression eased, his mood lightened, and he smiled. "And then there are your flowers and plants. I was afraid something might happen to them on the road with us, so I had them follow behind at a slower pace. They should arrive in two or three days."

Dou Yan was rather surprised.

She had not asked Chen Yanzhou to bring the flowers and plants she had cultivated.

Zhending was her root.

Those flowers and plants that had accompanied her through her finest years—like those fine years themselves, she had left them behind in Zhending. So that whenever she thought of them, her heart would fill with boundless warmth.

She did not wish to shatter that warmth.

Chen Yanzhou explained with a smile, "It was Aunt Cui's idea. The old lady said you were to tend these flowers and plants well, so that they too might take root and sprout in the capital, bloom and bear fruit."

Was this her grandmother's hope for her?

Dou Yan's eyes grew slightly moist. All the more did she resolve to find a fitting opportunity to return to Zhending and visit her grandmother.

She turned to the matter of the Yi Hall. "Marry a rooster, follow the rooster; marry a dog, follow the dog. Now that we've entered the Yi Zhi Hall, some things shouldn't be divided too neatly. The hall's guards—apart from those who accompany the heir or myself when we go out, there are also patrols and night watches. We've brought thirty-odd people with us in one great crowd. At the welcome feast just now, with the heir present, you surely couldn't enjoy yourselves freely. In a little while, Mr. Yan will certainly host a private dinner to wash the dust from your feet. That will be a good chance for you to discuss things with him and see what arrangements he has in mind. Keep Master Duan and Chen Lanxu and a few others with me—the rest can follow the Yi Zhi Hall's dispositions."

Chen Yanzhou had been thinking the same thing.

The two settled on who would remain at Dou Yan's side. Yan Che's servant had long since been waiting outside the door. Chen Yanzhou left the main house and followed the servant to Yan Che's quarters.

It was the same few people as before, but without Song Yan, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Everyone drank deep from great bowls and ate meat in huge mouthfuls—a merry din.

Chen Yanzhou, Yan Che, and Zi Aifeng—three scholars all—held their wine cups and watched with smiling faces as the guards before them drank and feasted, while they themselves discussed the days to come in soft, unhurried voices.

Song Yan did not return until after he had dined at the Yunyang Earl's residence.

Dou Yan waited on him herself as he changed clothes, and asked, "How is Gu Yu?"

"When has he ever been the sort to sit still?" Song Yan washed up and settled onto the large kang by the window. He took the tea Dou Yan handed him, sipped, and let out a comfortable sigh. "He's been confined to the house, true enough—but no one else has. These days he's the banker, gambling at home every day for sport! When I got there, the Yunyang Earl hauled me over and gave me a thorough scolding, telling me to discipline Gu Yu properly—or else he'd cut off Gu Yu's monthly allowance."

Dou Yan was aghast. "Has the Yunyang Earl... grown senile? How much is Gu Yu's monthly allowance? He can already earn and spend his own money—cutting his allowance is like scratching an itch through a boot. What good would it do? Still, Gu Yu carrying on so recklessly—if the Emperor hears of it, he may not be pleased. You'd better talk some sense into him."

Song Yan smiled bitterly. "Every prodigal son in the capital is gathered at his place. The Yunyang Earl is at his wit's end."

Dou Yan sat down beside him, took up a cup of tea herself, and asked with concern, "What of his marriage? If he were to wed, perhaps he'd settle down?"

"The Empress has taken the matter into her own hands—the match the Yunyang Earl's heir's wife proposed is as good as dead," Song Yan said, rather displeased. "But that woman won't let it rest. Whenever someone comes to propose a match for Gu Yu, she makes these sour, snide remarks—'This matter must be put to the Empress before it can count; otherwise, perhaps you'd best go into the palace and ask the Empress for her word.' Tell me, what respectable family would dare marry their daughter to Gu Yu now? That woman stirs up trouble better than anyone!"

The Yunyang Earl's heir's wife was Gu Yu's stepmother.

Dou Yan mused, "In any case, Gu Yu has grown up safe and sound this far. Marrying a little later may be all for the better. By then, when Gu Yu has the means to support the household, even if the Yunyang Earl's heir's wife is sour and snide, everyone's eyes are sharp—a good match will still come his way."

"That's just what I told Gu Yu," Song Yan said. "This time I gave him a proper dressing-down and threw all his gambling gear into the river. I've also put out the word: anyone who carries on with Gu Yu again, I'll break his legs."

Dou Yan broke out in a sweat.

This was hardly an elder brother speaking to a younger—it was plainly a father speaking to a son.

No wonder Song Yan and Gu Yu had been so close in her past life.

She sat down beside Song Yan. "I'd like to discuss something with you."

Song Yan shrank back toward the inside of the kang in feigned alarm. "Tell me what it is first. You're so terribly solemn about it, and using the beauty trap too—I'll wager this is no simple matter. I'm not falling for it."

Dou Yan was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing.