Chapter 2 — The Divergence

Song Yan, courtesy name Yantang, was the legitimate eldest son of the Duke of Yingguo, Song Cen. His mother, of the Jiang clan, was the younger sister of Jiang Meisun, the Duke of Dingguo. His birth was exceedingly illustrious. At five he was granted the title of heir apparent; at fourteen, during the mourning period for his mother, he was impeached by a censor because a chambermaid in his household had become pregnant, and after the Duke of Yingguo drove him from the family gates, all trace of him was lost.

In the twentieth year of Chengping, Emperor Muzong fell ill. The Fifth Prince, the Prince of Liao, enfeoffed in Liaodong, under the intercession of his birth mother, Empress Wan, returned to the capital to inquire after the emperor's health, launched a palace coup, shot dead the Crown Prince born of the former Empress Shen, placed the emperor under house arrest, and, changing heaven for earth, ascended the throne.

Song Yan, who had long become a name people recalled only over idle after-dinner talk, reappeared before the world in the guise of the new emperor's confidant.

Single-handed, sword in hand, he stormed into the Duke of Yingguo's residence. In full view of his father he hacked off the limbs of his younger brother Song Han, made his father watch as Song Han bled without cease and wailed until he died, and only then struck off his father's head. So bloody were his methods, so savage his conduct, that the capital was thrown into uproar—so much so that after all these years his name could still stop children from crying.

The censors submitted memorial after memorial, demanding the emperor arrest the murderer and set right the record.

The emperor, after a token punishment, confined Song Yan in the Western Park within the palace walls.

Six months later, Song Yan entered the Embroidered Guard as a minor standard-bearer in the Northern Judicial Commission, a rank of the seventh grade.

A year after that, Song Yan was promoted to Commander of the Embroidered Guard, the third grade.

People in the capital whispered among themselves that Song Yan had been shown such extraordinary favor only because he had shot the Crown Prince dead during the coup.

As though to prove the saying true, throughout the twelve years of the emperor's reign—whether he lined his own pockets, framed the loyal and good, secretly suppressed remonstrating officials, bought men with favors, bullied the weak, behaved with overweening arrogance, or was greedy, lecherous, and lustful—Song Yan never lost the imperial favor. Indeed, many of the censors who impeached him were reprimanded by the emperor, stripped of office, or beaten to death in the courtyard.

To run into such a man, such a matter—Dou Yan's breath caught. Yet if Wei Fan were allowed to go on like this, it would be no more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot; it would ruin the whole family, and might even drag down their kin.

She murmured: "The Zhou family has fallen, but there's still the Cao family—where does it fall to you and Fourth Master Wang to step forward? Don't set fire to yourself! If you ask me, prudence is the better part..."

Before she could finish, Wei Fan gave a cold snort and said with contempt, "I don't have your sort of scheming. I only know that a gentleman must do some things and refrain from others. This matter I am resolved to take up!"

As though she were hard-hearted, indifferent to the fate of the Zhou mother and daughter for the sake of her own safety.

Wei Fan's attitude cut Dou Yan to the quick.

She said coldly: "Song Yan is not married and has no heirs. His residence at Shichahai is a cloud of beauties, a match for the emperor's inner palace—mostly gifts from officials currying favor with him or seeking something from him. I have heard of women who hanged themselves in his house and were carried out the back gate, of women who wished to shave their heads to show their resolve and were sent by him to nunneries, of women who, because a colleague or subordinate took a fancy to them, were given away by him as wives or concubines, and of women who, unable to bear his tyranny, eloped and fled. But I have never heard of any woman he went to great lengths to drag back. Hadn't you better find out the facts before you speak?"

Wei Fan sat there as though struck by lightning, eyes vacant, not moving for a long while.

Dou Yan paid him no mind, and turned over and lay down.

The candlewick crackled a few times, and she heard Wei Fan say in a small voice behind her: "I—didn't I promise Dahe? It wouldn't do to go back on my word, would it? Besides, Dahe also invited the Earl of Yong'en and the others—it's not just me. We agreed to go into the palace together tomorrow and lodge a complaint against Song Yan before the emperor. If I'm the only one who doesn't go..."

Dou Yan said carelessly, "Aren't I ill?"

"Yes! Yes!" Wei Fan said happily. "I have to stay home and look after you!"

Dou Yan laughed despite herself, and was just about to caution Wei Fan a few more words, lest the Earl of Yong'en and the others talk him round and change his mind again, when Cuileng hurried in: "Marquis, Madam. The Marquis of Yan'an is here!"

"Ah!" Wei Fan looked uneasily at Dou Yan's expression.

The Marquis of Yan'an, Wang Yu, was the elder brother of Wang Qinghai.

"It wouldn't do to avoid him," Dou Yan said after a moment's thought. "Coming to call on you at the third watch of the night—he must have something urgent. All you have to do is insist that you must look after me. As for the rest, agree to nothing."

"Good!" Wei Fan, having got his plan, was cheered and went out to the outer court.

Dou Yan instructed Cuileng: "Go quickly and see what the Marquis of Yan'an wants with the Marquis."

Cuileng assented and withdrew.

When the fourth watch drum sounded, Wei Fan came into the inner chamber, beaming with joy.

"Madam!" he said, raising his brows. "Guess what the Marquis of Yan'an came to see me about?"

Dou Yan had already got word, but still played along and asked with a smile, "What about?"

"The Marquis of Yan'an forbade Dahe to meddle in the Zhou family's affairs and put him under house arrest. And fearing the rest of us would still go into the palace tomorrow as planned, he came in person with gifts, calling at each house to thank us one by one! We were the first household he visited. And the Marquis of Yan'an said the very same thing as you, Madam!"

Dou Yan said, "That's good. Now the Marquis can rest easy."

"No wonder they say a virtuous wife in the house is a treasure." Wei Fan flattered Dou Yan. "Thank goodness for you, Madam—otherwise I'd have made a fool of myself." Then he mumbled that he meant to squeeze Dou Yan over to the inner side of the bed, and loudly made a show of declaring, "I want to sleep in the bed! I don't want to sleep on the wooden couch!"

This counted as an apology.

Dou Yan yielded the outer side of the bed.

Before long, Wei Fan was emitting little snores.

Dou Yan had slept poorly these past days and, unable to sleep for the noise, thought for a moment and then nudged Wei Fan.

"What is it?" Wei Fan opened his eyes blearily, then closed them again.

"Marquis, I have something to say to you."

"Oh!" Wei Fan answered, and only after a good while lazily sat up, leaned against the headboard, and yawned. "What do you want to say?"

Dou Yan told Cuileng to fetch Wei Yanyu's sable cloak and drape it over him, and then said slowly, "I am thinking of settling the marriage of Wei'er."

Wei Yanyu started.

Wei'er was their eldest son, fourteen this year. Not only was he handsome in appearance, he was clever beyond the common run and mature in his conduct, and was much liked by his elder sister Wei Wan, who two years ago had begun hinting, in and out of season, that she wished to marry her eldest daughter Caiping to Wei'er as his wife.