Chapter 354 — The First Sign

Though the court had recessed for the New Year, Song Yan still had to report for duty at the Imperial Guard, so after breakfast the next day, Song Ji left for the yamen.

Dou Huaide and Dou Junqi arrived together.

The two did not go to see Dou Yan, but headed straight for the Osmanthus Court.

Song Cen had been so angered by Dou Yan on New Year's Eve that his heart still twinged, and he now lay half-sick against the bolster on the heated kang by the window, racking his brains over this year's yield from the Yingzhen Ducal Manor—compared with last year, the revenue had fallen by a third, yet search as he might, he could find nothing obviously wrong.

When Lady Jiang was alive, he had never managed the household affairs, but he had known the estate's yearly income well enough. Weather made each year's yield differ, but it would never plunge so far all at once—and this was a decline year after year, now nearly half of what it had been in Lady Jiang's day.

Even a fool would know something was amiss.

Yet he could not find the cause.

And the stewards and shopkeepers all had perfectly sound explanations.

He summoned Tao Jun to discuss it.

Tao Jun was a scholar who knew nothing of farming; he was good at devising strategies, but in these household matters he was even less capable than Song Cen.

He pored over the ledgers for a long while without finding anything, and could only offer Song Cen a suggestion: "Why not find a grain-and-tax secretary to take a look?"

Song Cen sighed.

It was already come to this; even if he summoned a secretary now, he could not call back the stewards and head managers who had already returned to the farms and shops. Next year would have to do—so long as the cause could be found.

Tao Jun thought it over and recommended several fellow townsmen who worked as grain-and-tax secretaries.

Song Cen could not help feeling rather disgruntled. When he heard that the Dou family's uncle-in-law had brought a nephew to seek an audience, he was taken aback. Recalling what Dou Yan had said that day, a faint foreboding rose in his heart, and after hesitating a long while he said, "Do you know what the Dou uncle-in-law has come for?"

"I don't know!" The servant shook his head, then, thinking of the tip, could not resist adding, "The Dou uncle-in-law and the Dou nephew are both just past twenty. Refined and gentle in manner. Anyone could tell at a glance they're scholars."

A member of the Dou clan was of course refined and gentle.

Hadn't his daughter-in-law looked virtuous and proper when she first entered the house? And who would have guessed she was such a shrew!

Song Cen grumbled inwardly, hesitated a long while, then ordered the servant to usher the Dou uncle-in-law and nephew into the reception hall and serve tea, while he changed his clothes and, drawing Tao Jun along, went to the reception hall.

Tao Jun very much wanted to remind Song Cen: you are the elder; if the Dou family has come with ill intent, why stoop to receive Dou Juan in the reception hall? You could have them summoned to your study, and thus overawe them from the outset. But seeing how troubled Song Cen looked, he knew Song Cen had grown up amid wealth and privilege, and the people he dealt with had rarely spoken to him with any spirit—until he met the heir's wife. It was like a scholar meeting a soldier: no reasoning with them. Frightened as he was by the heir's wife's tantrums, he lost three parts of his nerve at the mere mention of anything to do with her. Tao Jun could not bring himself to say it, and silently followed Song Cen to the reception hall.

The Dou family had many men, and Song Cen was their elder—how could he know them all? Dou Yan was a young provincial graduate who had spent the past few years traveling, and his temperament had grown much steadier. Unlike Dou Huaide, who shut himself up at home with his books all day, he had the typical Dou family looks and appeared soft and fair, seeming no more than fifteen or sixteen. Seeing one Dou steady and the other fresh-faced, Song Cen at once took Dou Yan for the Dou uncle-in-law and Dou Huaide for the nephew. Entering the reception hall, he said to Dou Yan with a smile, "Here in the middle of the New Year, what pressing matter brings the Dou uncle-in-law to me?"

Today Dou Yan wore a sapphire-blue brocade robe of Hangzhou silk woven with clustered-flower roundels and bamboo-joint patterns, and carried a crimson-lacquered gilt Sichuan fan. His complexion was not as fair as Dou Huaide's, but he had sword-shaped brows and star-bright eyes, and the elegant air of a noble young gentleman.

At these words he flicked the fan open with a snap and said with a cold laugh, "So it's true you have no eyes in your head—taking a junior for an elder and holding the elder in no regard at all! I daresay without the shade of your ancestors, you wouldn't even qualify to run errands as a servant boy in our family's Jifen Pavilion!"

The words came down on him sharp as a blade, striking Song Cen square on the head; had Tao Jun, following behind, not caught him swiftly by the arm, he would have stumbled and fallen at the threshold.

Seeing this, Dou Huaide stepped forward at a leisurely pace and bowed to Song Cen, saying with a smiling face, "My dear kinsman, I am the brother of your household's heir's wife; that one is my nephew. Being a young provincial graduate, he is proud and high-spirited, and his words are bound to be a little wild. You are a man whose belly could sail a ship—pray forgive him."

He smoothed the matter over lightly and then came to the purpose of their visit.

"Here in the middle of the New Year, Xuanming is still at Fifth Uncle's house in the capital, and yet our Fourth Aunt's personal matron came weeping to the Huai Tree Lane, saying the Song family means to divorce her! When Xuanming heard it, she was so furious she fainted on the spot. When she came to, she pounded the edge of the kang and cursed Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt roundly, demanding to know who had arranged this match. Our Dou family has gone five generations without a man who broke the law or a woman who remarried—and never once has one of our aunts been cast off by her husband's family."

Dou Huaide said with a most aggrieved air, "Most of our Dou clan is in Zhending; the few branches here in the capital are all elders, advanced in years, men who are grandfathers already. The juniors are like me—too young, still studying at the Imperial College. It happened that this nephew of mine came to the capital for the examinations, and Xuanming summoned him to accompany me here to your honored house to ask what this is all about. If the Song family truly looks down on our Dou family, we are not the sort to cling on shamelessly. We shall inventory Fourth Aunt's dowry and take her home; Xuanming will have one more to gladden her knee, and can pass a peaceful New Year!" By the end his tone had turned sharp and his expression stern, with a touch of solemn severity. "My Fifth Uncle is even now kneeling before Xuanming, waiting for my report before she will consent to deal with him!"

Song Cen was trembling with rage, the blood all rushing to his head.

No wonder that Dou woman was so overbearing—it ran in the family!

He had long since wanted rid of this daughter-in-law. If the Dou family was willing to take her back, did they imagine he would beg her to stay?

Song Cen shouted for Zeng Wu and, not to be outdone, declared, "Take the Dou uncle-in-law and the young master nephew to inventory the heir's wife's dowry!"