Chapter 237 — An Inquiry (Extra Chapter: Begging for Pink Tickets)
Purple Streets of Chang'an Page 2 of 2
Gu Yu sighed, and even the joy of being able to tease Dong Qi diminished somewhat.
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The next day was the day of the "urging the trousseau" ceremony, and the Rites Office had long since prepared everything for the wedding. Then word suddenly arrived from Zi'ai Peak: Song Yan had invited several of his closest friends to help with the marriage proceedings, overturning all the previous arrangements. The Rites Office was thrown into instant chaos, its people scurrying about like ants on a hot pan.
Someone clever took the list written by Cuiwei Peak and went to see the Duke of Yingguo.
Song Cen and the others had not yet dispersed, and were being served their midnight meal by maids and serving women.
Song Maochun, Song Fengchun, and Song Tongchun all wore smiles as they flattered Song Cen—after a round of bargaining, the wives of Song Maochun and Song Tongchun had obtained the posts of bridesmaids, and Song Fengchun's son had gotten the task of carrying the gold and silver kettles. Everyone had a share of the benefits, and all were satisfied.
When they heard the steward's report, Song Maochun and the others let out a chorus of hisses.
Of the Song family, apart from Song Han, Song Yan had not used a single one!
This was plainly a slap in Song Cen's face!
Half a dumpling lodged in Song Cen's throat, and his face turned a purplish red. Had Tao Jun, seated beside him, not noticed in time and struck him on the back with his palm, he might well have choked unconscious on the spot.
"That cursed wretch!" he cursed Song Yan between coughs.
Tao Jun hastily shot the steward a look and handed over a cup of tea to help Song Cen catch his breath. It took Song Cen a long while to recover. Only then did Tao Jun gently counsel him: "Apart from Lord Lu, every man the heir has invited holds official rank. Three of them are heirs themselves. Your Grace the Duke of Zhenguo should not set himself against the heir. If you do, you will offend every man he has invited. And the heir can always claim it was your own wish. Think on it—how many noble houses in the capital still enjoy such prestige and power today? I beg Your Grace to reconsider!"
Song Cen's face had gone from red to a purplish hue, and he said unwillingly, "Am I to let that cursed wretch run wild, then? How am I to answer to the Changxing Marquis's household?" His tone, however, had softened somewhat.
Song Maochun and Song Tongchun could not help exchanging a glance.
Tao Jun said, "Fortunately, among the maternal relatives there is only the Changxing Marquis. When the time comes, we need only find some excuse to fob them off. What worries me is that the heir has invited so many illustrious men all at once, and that Dong Qi, who has never been willing to submit to the heir, is among them..."
This was no wedding. This was a show of force against him!
Song Cen flew into a towering rage.
But apart from raging, he had no other recourse.
As Tao Jun had said, if he refused Song Yan's request, he would offend every man on that list, and then would he not become a man whom everyone despised?
The steward was a shrewd old hand. One glance told him how matters should be handled. Without a word, he returned to the Rites Office and instructed its people to proceed according to the list.
Tao Jun rushed to the Changxing Marquis's household that very night to apologize to the Marquis's wife.
Song Cen, however, felt as though a great stone pressed upon his heart. He lay in bed groaning and grumbling, now scolding the maids, now kicking the page boys, and kept it up until dawn. Only when all the people he had arranged for the "urging the trousseau" ceremony had arrived, and Tao Jun, who had not slept all night, had apologized to each of them in turn—on the pretext that Dong Qi and the others had insisted on joining in the festivities and that Song Cen, unable to refuse, had been forced to agree, and so on—explaining himself until his tongue was worn out, and then inviting those people to sit at table in the flower hall and presenting them with gifts of thanks, did he finally placate them. Only then did Song Cen rise, wash, and dress, and appear in the hall, listless and dispirited.
Wang Yu and the others had long since arrived, and were being entertained at tea by Song Yan and Yan Che.
The gleaming five-beam and six-beam caps, the scarlet official robes, the brilliantly colored rank badges—they lit the flower hall with a golden splendor that made Song Cen, the moment he stepped through the door, twitch at the corners of his eyes and darken his face.
"Father!" Song Yan rose with a smile and bowed to Song Cen, composed and elegant, of incomparable grace.
Always, no matter the occasion, he wore the air of a refined young gentleman—yet his heart was full of wicked schemes, and he kept his father pinned down so that he could not lift his head!
Song Cen burned with resentment. Yet as he watched Wang Yu and the others come forward one after another to greet him, he had no choice but to put on a kindly, amiable expression and exchange pleasantries with them.
Then Song Cen noticed that among this group, Dong Qi alone was missing.
Song Cen barely restrained himself from laughing aloud.
Song Yan, oh Song Yan, you are still too green!
What sort of man was this Dong Qi?
The carefully groomed heir of the Earl of Guang'en.
Would he casually lend someone face?
Good things come in pairs!
Seven men—either add one, or remove one.
Add one: the auspicious hour is almost at hand. Yesterday you were so tough, refusing every one of my men. Today I have no one to give you either.
Remove one: you invited all these men overnight. Let us see whom you dare to cut!
For a moment, Song Cen wore a smile as warm and gentle as a spring breeze.
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Sisters, brothers, I beg for pink votes!
o(n_n)o~
ps: Regular update tonight.
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