Chapter 192 — Panic

Song Yan's clear, resonant voice echoed through the study, and Du Wei felt his heart tighten. He hastily gathered his thoughts and answered with a respectful "Yes," adding, "The Wei family has already begun renovating the new residence."

Dou Yan had arrived in the capital last autumn. If the Wei family was only now starting renovations, what had they been doing all this time?

Song Yan pressed his lips together and waved a hand at Du Wei.

Du Wei quickly bowed and withdrew.

Song Yan picked up the letter paper on the desk once more, and fell into a daze.

The marriage of Dou Zhiwei was very strange.

He had barely managed to suppress the matter of Wei Fan spending the night at the Nanfeng Brothel when the affair of the Puji Temple spread until everyone knew of it. He had given Zhang Yuanming a few words of warning, and Wei Fan had immediately come to his senses, going in person to the Yunqi Temple alley to offer apologies. Just as Dou Juan's attitude had begun, with great difficulty, to soften, word spread through the capital that the Wei family had set its sights on the youngest daughter of the Yan'an Marquis. And not only that—what Wei Wan had said, how many times she had called at the Wang house, what gifts she had brought each time, what clothes the Yan'an Marchioness had worn when she received Wei Wan, what tea had been served when Wei Wan was entertained... all of it was passed along with such vivid detail that it might have been witnessed firsthand.

And that was not even the most appalling part.

The most appalling part was that when he sent Du Wei to investigate, he discovered that every one of those rumors was true.

The relationship between the Dou and Wei families plunged once more to freezing point.

The marriage between Dou Yan and Wei Fan stalled.

Then, abruptly, a new peak rose.

Dou Ming suddenly became entangled with Wei Fan... The Wei family was forced to bow its head to the Dou family and once again sent a matchmaker to discuss the wedding date; and the Dou family, to cover up the scandal between Dou Ming and Wei Wan, agreed to the date very quickly.

Things having come to such a pass, how could the fiery Dou Yan possibly agree to marry into the Wei family?

It was as if an invisible hand were secretly manipulating the marriage of Dou Zhiwei, worsening the relations between the Dou and Wei families at every turn, until at last they stood on the very brink of breaking off the engagement.

Who was this person?

Why would he do such a thing?

Had Dou Yan noticed?

And then there was Ji Yong. What role was he playing in all of this?

The mere thought of it made Song Yan feel as though he were being roasted over a fire, unable to find a moment's peace.

He wondered how Dou Yan was faring now.

Things having come to such a pass, if the Dou family were willing to stand up for Dou Yan, they ought to break off the engagement rather than agree to some cursed wedding date!

Song Yan seemed to see Dou Yan hiding in some deserted corner, weeping in secret.

His heart felt as though a piece of it had been gouged out with a knife.

"Chen He! Chen He!" Song Yan stood and called loudly for his milk-brother.

Chen He came trotting into the study.

"Go to Dou Juan's stationery shop on Drum Tower Street and say that I wish to see the Fourth Miss."

Chen He was startled, but quickly recovered his composure and departed with an answering word.

Song Yan paced back and forth in the study, unable to say whether what he felt was agitation, excitement, or grief.

Since the Dou family would not look after Dou Yan, then he would look after her himself.

So long as Dou Yan agreed, he would help her break off this engagement.

He would not go leaping about like Ji Yong, doing nothing but unreliable things.

The rumor that the Wei family wished to break off the engagement must continue to spread, for thus could the disgrace of Dou Ming and Wei Fan be covered over. So long as the reputation of Dou Juan was not harmed, the Dou family would remain silent on the matter of breaking the engagement—and in this way, one layer of resistance would be removed.

Then he would negotiate terms with Wei Wan. He would see whether she wished to scheme for a good post for Wei Fan, or to arrange a good marriage for Wei Fan, or both—surely one of these would move Wei Wan's heart.

If the Wei family wished to break the engagement, and Dou Chi was willing to marry, then the match would naturally come to nothing.

Song Yan turned it over in his mind and decided he must speak to Gu Yu, to have him open up a better position for Wei Fan in the Fengtai Camp or the Jinwu Guard or some such imperial bodyguard. As for the marriage, thanks to his father's blessings, he knew nearly every young lady of marriageable age in the capital.

Princesses and commandery princesses were beyond reach, but to match a well-dowered, dignified, and proper daughter of a marquis or earl—that, with him as go-between, was no difficult matter at all...

The more Song Yan thought, the more feasible it seemed.

And yet Ji Yong's gaze was blank.

Since when had his feelings for Dou Yan become so very different from what they had been?

He knew perfectly well that Dou Yan was to marry Wei Fan, and yet he schemed to put Wei Fan in Zhao Zishu's bed, hoping thereby to make Dou Yan despise Wei Fan forever after; he knew perfectly well that Dou Yan harbored a knot of resentment toward Dou Ming, and yet he let Dou Ming and Wei Fan exchange gifts in secret, hoping thereby to make Dou Yan unable to endure being with Wei Fan ever again...

Dou Yan said he did not respect her decisions.

That was because he believed Dou Zhiwei's decisions were wrong.

But he knew full well that Dou Yan was clever and capable—why would he doubt her decision?

As Ji Yong stood there, the sweat and tears on his forehead grew thicker and more plentiful.

Yet Old Master Ji merely chuckled a few times, twirled his beard, and strolled leisurely out of Ji Yong's inner chamber.

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Sisters, brothers—just as I was about to get off work, I was press-ganged into making up the numbers for a session of listening to the higher-ups lecture us. I've only just gotten back, so I'll post the chapter first and fix the typos later.

ps: Pink tickets are doubled—last day, so I beg all you sisters and brothers to lend a hand and see if you have any pink tickets left. One counts as two!

I'll keep writing the next chapter; everyone can read it when you get up tomorrow morning. It'll probably be a bit late.

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