Chapter 112 — The Enigma

Dou Zhiwei's words were like riddles, and Chen Yanzhou could not fathom her intent; his pride would not permit him to ask Dou Yan outright without first thinking it through carefully, so the matter was simply let drop.

After seeing Chen Yanzhou off, Dou Fan stood for a while in the covered corridor of the main hall, lost in thought.

In her previous life, the Marquis of Jining had suddenly fallen gravely ill and died on the ninth day of the fifth month in the thirteenth year of Chengping.

It was on the nineteenth day of the eighth month in the fifteenth year of Chengping—after the Marquis of Jining's mourning period had ended, while Lady Tian was at Qixia Temple holding rites for her husband—that she had "chanced upon" Lady Tian.

It was now the third month of the thirteenth year of Chengping. Barring any unforeseen turn, in little more than a month the Marquis of Jining would die of illness, and Wei Fan would have to observe three years of mourning; the marriage would naturally be put off.

And three years hence, who could say what the world would look like then!

She was not worried.

The following days brought a steady drizzle of spring rain, and Dou Qu busied herself tending her few peony plants.

Chen Yanzhou brought her news: Zeng Yifen had passed away.

"At last the Grand Secretariat has an opening." Dou Xin invited Chen Yanzhou to sit at the stone table in the flower hall, brewed Biluochun tea himself, and said with a smile, "I wonder who will become Chief Grand Secretary? And which Vice Minister will enter the Secretariat? There will be those in the capital who cannot sleep these next few nights!"

Chen Yanzhou took the tea Dou Yan handed him with a smile and offered his analysis: "Ye Shipei and Yao Shizhong are the more likely candidates, though Dai Jian has the support of Wang Yuan, the eunuch scribe of the Directorate of Ceremonial—so he is possible as well."

Dou Yan said in surprise, "So that Dai Jian has the backing of Eunuch Wang..."

Hearing Dou Yan call Wang Yuan "Eunuch Wang," Chen Yanzhou was even more surprised than she was. "How do you know of Wang Yuan?"

How could she not know Wang Yuan?

In her previous life, when the Prince of Liao seized the palace, Wang Yuan had been a trusted eunuch of the late emperor, and in the end he had come through unscathed. After the Prince of Liao ascended the throne, Wang Yuan no longer served as eunuch scribe, but he became the chief steward of the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility. It was said that the emperor's most beloved consort, Lady Jiang, fell out of favor because she had offended Wang Yuan, and in the end Lady Jiang's two sons were raised under the name of her bitter rival, Consort Xian of the Qi clan. Wang Yuan most disliked being called "gonggong." So whether palace ladies of the inner court or titled ladies of the outer court, whenever they met him they would respectfully address him as "Eunuch Wang."

Dou Yi had simply grown used to saying it.

She had no choice but to feign ignorance. "I read in books that such men are called 'inner attendants,' so I used that title." Afraid that Chen Yanzhou would press further, she hastily changed the subject. "Isn't Ye Shipei the Junior Grand Secretary? Now that Zeng Yifen has died, he ought to succeed as Chief Grand Secretary—why do you say he is only a possibility? And who are this Yao Shizhong and Dai Jian?"

These were subjects that greatly interested Chen Yanzhou, and Dou Zhiwei's explanation was plausible enough. He thought no more of it and said with a smile, "By rights, yes. But while Zeng Yifen was alive, he suppressed Ye Shipei most harshly, so on several rather important matters of state Ye Shipei was made to take the blame; his prestige suffered, and with his advanced years his energies are not what they were. Any of these could cost him the post of Chief Grand Secretary.

"Yao Shizhong rose from Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue and is a renowned financial administrator. These past few years the emperor has been building his mausoleum on a grand scale, borrowing no small sum from the Ministry of Revenue, and the south has twice suffered great fires. Taxes have shrunk and been reduced, yet the pay and provisions for the southern campaign against the Japanese pirates cannot be cut by a single coin. The treasury is strained, and perhaps the emperor will name Yao Shizhong Chief Grand Secretary to solve the emptiness of the coffers.

"As for Dai Jian—Wang Yuan was able to drive Ding Wei, the grand eunuch who had served the emperor since his days in the princely residence, all the way to Shaanxi as military commissioner. You can imagine for yourself how formidable a man Wang Yuan is. They say Dai Jian had his nephew marry Wang Yuan's adopted daughter, making the two of them in-laws. The man has learning, ability, and no shame whatsoever—he may well spring an upset!"

Anyone else would have doubted Chen Yanzhou's deductions. But Dou Yan knew how formidable Wang Yuan was, and found Chen Yanzhou's words reasonable. The court might look dignified, but in truth the most absurd things could happen there. After the Prince of Liao became emperor, he had even made Master Yuantong, abbot of Longshan Temple, Vice Minister of Rites, charged solely with attending to his Buddhist devotions. Longshan Temple was thereupon granted the imperial title of the Great Longshan Temple of National Protection, and its incense flourished ever after; from an obscure little temple it leapt to become the foremost ancient shrine in the land... Once she had chanced to overhear the empress tactfully complaining to the empress dowager that Master Yuantong had urged the emperor to bestow the golden tiles of the Throne Hall upon the Great Longshan Temple to roof a great hall of its own—and the emperor had not objected. The empress dowager had been so furious that she cursed Master Yuantong as a "Ji thief"...

At this thought, Dou Yan's heart gave a jolt, and her face changed color.

Master Yuantong's secular surname was Ji; his courtesy name was Mingjian, and his sobriquet was Buer.

Could Ji Yong be... No, no, impossible!

She had seen Master Yuantong twice.

He was tall, fair of face, and handsome of feature; not only was his smile warm and gentle, but his speech and bearing were modest and generous, and conversing with him was like a spring breeze on one's face. How could he resemble Ji Yong, whose words were biting and mean, whose conduct was arrogant and rude, whose face fairly oozed cunning... Yet if one set all that aside... when Ji Yong put on his act, he really did resemble Master Yuantong somewhat...

Dou Yan sprang to her feet, knocking over the teacup at her elbow.

"Fourth Miss, what is it?" Chen Yanzhou's expression changed drastically; he thought Dou Yan had been pondering who might enter the Grand Secretariat. "Have you thought of something?"

Whether Dou Bingheng could enter the Grand Secretariat bore on Wang Xingyi's promotion, and thus on their plans in the capital.

"It's nothing, nothing!" Dou Yan murmured. "I was remembering some things from the past—I don't know whether they are true or false..." At this she suddenly asked Chen Yanzhou, "Do you know what Ji Jianming's sobriquet is?"

She truly could not connect Ji Yong with that monk.

Chen Yanzhou was taken aback. "I confess I never noticed. Shall I make inquiries for you?"

Ji Yong had quietly investigated him from top to bottom, while he himself knew nothing. Though he had stormed off at the time, it would have been self-deception to claim his heart was not shaken at all; he was most eager to know how a boy as young as Ji Yong had come by such chilling methods.

Dou Yan nodded repeatedly, her heart a tangle of emotions. "If you could also look into his doings in Yixing..." Perhaps some trace might be found.

Chen Yanzhou nodded.

Dou Yan thought of her sixth aunt's hesitation, and then of Ji Yong's reckless willfulness...

Could Ji Yong truly be that Master Yuantong?