Chapter 411 — Making Rounds

Jiang Ling accompanied Dou Yan to the Bishui Pavilion, where Jiang Yan was lodged, while Song Yan went to the study—in a little while Xia Lian would bring men to "snatch" Song Shize back.

Jiang Yan was sitting on the edge of the heated kang by the window in the inner room, staring blankly at a jade bonsai of grapevines and squirrels, and at the sound of movement she rose at once and stepped forward to pay her respects to Dou Yan.

Dou Yan took her hand and, before she could speak, told her in a few brief words what had happened in the Xixiang Courtyard—though certain things Song Cen had said she left out.

Jiang Yan was silent for a long while; then, her expression a little unnatural, she said in a low voice, "Does His Lordship the Duke of Zhenguo... not care for Lady Jiang?"

Though in her heart she believed what Song Yan had said, of the two people who could confirm her identity one was already dead and the other flatly denied it; so she still cautiously called the lady Jiang shi "Lady Jiang."

"I am not certain myself," Dou Yan said honestly. "By the time I married into the house, my mother-in-law had been gone several years." Here an idea struck her, and she asked Jiang Yan, "Would you be willing to help me look into my mother-in-law's affairs?"

Jiang Yan nodded eagerly, and her ink-jade eyes at last kindled with a little light.

Only then did Jiang Ling's anxious heart settle.

She greatly admired the way Dou Yan handled matters, and when she wrote home to the Jiang family she could not help praising her to the skies, which moved the First Madam of the Jiang house to sigh and say to the women of the family, "The heir of the house is a fortunate man after all. I had thought that with the eldest young madam gone, there would be no elder left to keep his household in order—who would have guessed he would stumble into marrying a Dou? It only goes to show that some matches are ordained by Heaven."

Jiang Xixiu, hearing this, was silent a long while, and the next day she agreed to the marriage the Jiang family had arranged for her.

But that is all a later matter.

At this point Jiang Ling, seeing that there was nothing more for her to do, rose with a smile and took her leave, leaving the time to Dou Yan and her sister-in-law for their private talk.

Dou Yan and Jiang Yan went to sit in the waterside pavilion beside the Bishui Pavilion, and Dou Yan said, "Now that it is all out in the open, you may settle here at the Ying Estate of the Duke of Zhenguo with an easy heart. Whatever you need, just tell me."

Jiang Yan nodded gently. She wanted to ask about Li Liang, but knew that her own brother and sister-in-law would likely be displeased, and in the end swallowed the words.

Dou Yan then asked about the clothes and ornaments made for her: "Your brother and I have talked it over. Tomorrow I will take you to the Lu house to bow to the Old Madam Lu and Princess Ninghuai."

During the few days she had lodged outside, a matron Dou Yan sent had already explained to her in detail the ties between the Song family and the various houses, and she knew that the Lu family was the natal family of the old Duchess of the Duke of Yingguo, and that in going to the Lu house she was to acknowledge kin. Her heart could not help fluttering with unease.

She feared both that she would blunder and make a fool of herself, and that when it came down to it she would prove not to be a Song daughter after all—the more joyful and elated she was now...

But at the thought that Dou Yan, heavy with child, was still running about on her account, she was filled with remorse, and the words "I won't go" could not be spoken for the life of her; so she could only answer softly, "Yes," and the next day, after dressing and making herself ready, she went with Dou Yan to the Lu house.

Old Madam Lu and Princess Ninghuai were puzzling over it: "There are many young ladies in the Jiang family, to be sure. But one whom Jiang shi doted on so that she would take her as an adopted daughter—I cannot recall any such girl. What is Yantang up to? Could she have been hoodwinked by some servant woman below stairs? Jiang shi died so suddenly—someone may well have falsely passed off her last wishes!"

Princess Ninghuai's skill in cultivating her temper had grown ever finer over the years. She smiled and urged her sister-in-law, "The child will be here any moment—won't we know once we have seen her?"

Even as they spoke, Dou Yan and Jiang Yan arrived.

The First Young Madam of the Lu house came out in person to welcome them at the hanging-flower gate, and from the moment she set eyes on Jiang Yan she never quite came to her senses; even after they had entered Old Madam Lu's inner court, she kept lifting her head to study Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan felt exceedingly ill at ease.

Old Madam Lu and Princess Ninghuai, however, were astonished. Princess Ninghuai especially—having seen much filth and intrigue in the palace, her thoughts traveled far.

After Jiang Yan had bowed to them, Princess Ninghuai at once found an excuse to have the First Young Madam of the Lu house take Jiang Yan to the rear garden, while she dismissed the attendants about her and kept only Dou Yan to talk.

Dou Yan had come for two reasons: first, because the Lu family had always been full of goodwill toward her and her husband, and Jiang Yan needed the Lu family's recognition and support; second, because once Jiang Yan's identity was made clear, she might see whether the Lu family had any recollection of the events of that year, and whether any clue might be found. When Princess Ninghuai asked, she poured it all out like beans from a bamboo tube, telling the two old ladies the whole chain of cause and effect.

Old Madam Lu was too angry to speak, while Princess Ninghuai sighed without cease and said, "I thought something was wrong even back then. A child born at full term—how could it be so feeble? But your mother-in-law had her wits spellbound for a time and never noticed a thing; what could we, her uncles' and aunts' wives, say? From childhood Song Han must have consumed no end of precious medicines to build up his constitution, silver pouring out like water—and still his foundation was never as firm as Yantang's. It is plain the child was either born early or forced out by drugs." She added, "If he was merely born early, that would be one thing; what I fear is that he was forced out by drugs. It is plain the Duke of Yingguo had set his heart on bringing that son into the house, and every trace and thread from that year has long since been swept clean—there is no need for you to investigate further. If you can be certain, then let the girl be acknowledged as a cousin of the Jiang family; if you cannot be certain, it is no great matter—it is only one more pair of chopsticks and one more dowry, and better that than to risk missing her."

"Our heir has come to the same conclusion as you on this point," Dou Yan said. "Even if the girl shares no blood with the heir, the likeness she bears my mother-in-law is fate enough; we shall treat her as one more sister and care for her well." In her heart, though, she had long since decided that Jiang Yan and Song Yan were true siblings.

Old Madam Lu and Princess Ninghuai nodded, and then asked about the Wei and He families: "What does Yantang plan to do?"

Dou Yan said, "The heir says that since this spring Henan has not been at peace; men have drifted into Qingyuan County and turned bandit, colluding with the local gentry to rob and plunder. The authorities must look into it carefully, and not let such men disturb the peace of the district. From what the heir says, there should be a result within a few days."

Old Madam Lu and Princess Ninghuai nodded again and again. "That is very well!" they said, and added, "There is no need to stoop to the level of such people."