Chapter 246 — Joy and Sorrow

When she heard about that pallet of silver drafts, a breath caught in her chest and she nearly choked, and she could not sit through the banquet any longer. She at once sent a maid to find Dou Ming, but after searching for a long while the maid found her nowhere. She returned to the Jining Marquis's residence all the way with her heart in turmoil, and only at the third watch did she finally find Dou Ming in her mother's rooms, come to pay her respects to her mother.

But before she had finished speaking, the dazed Dou Ming, as if in a trance, drifted straight out of the room.

She looked like a ghost that had lost its soul, giving Wei Wan and Tian Shi a great fright.

Dou Ming felt very tired!

She did not know why her pallet of silver drafts had ended up with Dou Zhiwei!

Her mother kept weeping, and would not listen to anyone who tried to console her.

Her father insisted on sending her mother back to the Wang family, and would not change his word for anyone.

Her eldest uncle had done nothing but invite her father into the study to talk, and in the end had sheepishly sent someone to carry word to her grandfather...

How had things come to this?

When Wei Wan learned of it, she forced her to go back to her natal family and demand that pallet of silver drafts back from her father, and her mother-in-law, hearing of it, had nodded along, saying, "That is only proper."

If Wei Fan hadn't spoken up for her, Wei Wan would likely have ordered the rough old serving woman to drag her back to the Dou household long ago!

As the thought flashed through her mind, she thought of Wei Fan.

Yes—where was Wei Fan?

Dou Ming widened her eyes and looked all around, and there she saw Wei Fan hurrying out after her.

With a wail, she threw herself into Wei Fan's arms.

But Wei Fan stammered, "Don't blame your sister either—she did it for our sake! Think about it: even if that chest of silver notes is recovered, could my sister possibly get a single coin of it? It would all be yours anyway..."

Dou Ming gaped at her husband, crystalline teardrops still clinging to her cheeks.

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Exhausted after the long day, Young Madam Wang sat before the mirror stand removing her makeup when she saw her husband stagger in, already seven or eight parts drunk.

She rose hastily and helped him settle onto the large kang by the window, then poured him a cup of hot tea with her own hands before preparing to resume removing her makeup.

But her husband seized her by the wrist and, laughing, began to ask about the bride.

No matter how one told it, Song Yan had nearly become his brother-in-law!

Young Madam Wang could not help laughing, and she recounted to Wang Yu—with a touch of exaggeration—just how Song Yan had made a fool of himself.

Wang Yu sat bolt upright. In an instant six or seven parts of his drunkenness burned away, and his somewhat bleary eyes turned sharp and keen at once: "What did you say? Song Yantang, letting himself be led about by the bride's 'lady of complete fortune'?"

It was a way of showing respect to the bride's family.

Young Madam Wang was badly startled. "What is it? I haven't been making things up about Young Master Song. If you don't believe me, you can ask Third Master Zhang—Third Madam Zhang was there at the time, and so was Mrs. Lu, the elder one; she was there too."

Wang Yu said nothing, but sat there dazed.

Young Madam Wang looked thoroughly frightened, and only after a long while did she timidly ask in a low voice, "You—what's the matter?"

Wang Yu gave a bitter laugh. "This Song Yantang is truly formidable! It's a good thing our sister didn't marry into that family—otherwise she'd be lucky to escape with only a flaying!" Then he heaved a long sigh and said with feeling, "Any man who marries his daughter into the Song family to be Song Yantang's stepmother hereafter is a perfect fool!"

Young Madam Wang did not understand.

But Wang Yu said, "Those matters are past; it's no great matter if you don't understand. There is one thing, though, that I must caution you about: either have nothing to do with that Dou woman, or, if you do associate with her, keep your wits about you and on no account offend her!"

Young Madam Wang was all the more bewildered.

But she had always regarded her husband's words as edicts from on high; seeing him lie down, she asked no more and took his words to heart.

Wang Yu closed his eyes, yet could not fall asleep for the life of him.

Song Yantang's nerve was truly great.

Not only had he played the Emperor and Empress for fools, he had dug a pit for his own father to fall into, and even their Wang family had not been spared—they too had fallen into the trap and become his "helpers."

And from the look of the Duke of Yingguo today, he seemed not to have noticed a thing.

That was only because of the word "filial piety," which gave the Duke of Yingguo the high ground of righteousness. Without that word, what would the Duke of Yingguo's fate have been...

He could not help feeling a chill in his heart.

He only wondered whether the Dou sisters' wife-swapping had anything to do with Song Yan.

Otherwise, how could things have fallen out so conveniently?

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Sisters, brothers, here is the second watch update—give me your pink tickets, please!

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