Chapter 459 — The Pie

Song Ji put his arms around Dou Yan and kissed her cheek. "Let me hold you. Sleep a while in my arms!"

Dou Ji leaned into him and wrapped her arms around Song Zhi's waist.

The room was quiet. The lampwick crackled and burst into little clusters of flame.

Song Yan said in a low, grave voice, "In any case, I do not think Chen Jia is suitable."

Dou Chi could not help laughing. "Let me make you a bet. Put on a show of wanting to punish Chen Jia. If Sister Yan comes at once to plead for him, then Sister Yan's marriage will be decided by me. If Sister Yan comes only after some time has passed, then her marriage will be decided by you. What do you think?"

Song Yan hesitated.

Dou Xin said, "This shows that in your heart you also know Sister Yan and Chen Jia are well suited!"

"There is no such thing," Song Ke admitted. "A bet it is, then!"

Dou Yan pursed her lips and smiled.

Song Yan turned his face away.

Dou Yan began to laugh softly.

So contrary!

He had already accepted it in his heart, yet his mouth was clamped tight as a mussel shell, revealing nothing.

She lifted her head and kissed Song Zhi's lips...

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When Dou Yan woke the next morning, she found rain drifting down outside, and the air in the room several degrees colder than the day before.

She instructed Gan Lu, "Make sure all the windows in the rooms are shut properly." Then she instructed the wet nurse, "Do not take Yuan Heng outside. Let him play indoors."

The wet nurse smiled and assented, then carried Yuan Heng, now fully fed, off to play in the hall.

Dou Yan came out of the inner chamber.

Song Yan was sitting on the large heated kang by the window in the sitting room, while several young maids were setting out the morning meal.

Dou Xin seated herself gracefully beside Song Zhi.

Song Yan pretended not to notice and lowered his head to drink his congee.

Dou Xin called Gan Lu, who was directing the young maids as they laid out the morning meal, over to one side and instructed her in a low voice, "Go to Bishui Pavilion and say that the Heir is in a great rage and has sent men to arrest Lord Chen."

Gan Lu was aghast. Seeing that Dou Xin's face was full of smiles and did not look angry at all, she could not for the moment tell what was going on. She hurriedly answered, "Yes," and rushed off to Bishui Pavilion.

Dou Yan sat down to breakfast with Song Yan.

Before she had finished a single steamed roll, Jiang Yan had already come through the rain with Gan Lu.

The moment she entered, she knelt before Song Zhi. Before she could speak, tears were already falling. "Brother, this has nothing to do with Lord Chen. It is all my fault. I begged him, and he had no choice but to agree..."

Dou Yan had calculated that Jiang Yan would come to plead for Chen Jia, but she had not expected her to come so quickly. She was even more afraid that Jiang Yan would blurt out the whole matter of entrusting Chen Jia to send silver to Li Liang. She quickly got down from the kang and helped her up, saying, "What kind of behavior is this? Stop at once and wipe your tears." As she spoke, she pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her, cutting Jiang Yan off.

Jiang Yan took the handkerchief and wiped her tears.

But Song Zhi's chopsticks came down on the kang table with a sharp crack, and his face turned ashen.

Jiang Yan was so frightened that she shrank behind Dou Yan.

Dou Yan comforted her: "Do not be afraid. Let us go into the inner room to talk." Then she said quietly to Gan Lu, "Bring Yuan Heng here."

The moment Song Yan saw his son, all his anger vanished.

Gan Lu answered and went off.

Dou Yan and Jiang Yan went into the inner chamber.

While a young maid fetched water and attended to Jiang Yan's washing and grooming, Dou Yan said in a low voice, "There are so many maids and old serving women in this house. How could you come in and speak up for Lord Chen just like that? If any of those maids or women let slip even a word of it, how would you and Lord Chen be able to hold your heads up? Things that never happened would become things that did!"

Jiang Yan trembled with fright at these words and, clutching Dou Zhiwei's sleeve, said, "Good sister-in-law, I was so anxious that I did not think. Please do not be angry with me..."

If she had not been anxious, why would she have come running over at a single word?

Dou Yan said, "Say nothing. I will take care of this for you."

Jiang Yan nodded again and again.

From outside came the gurgling laughter of Yuan Heng.

Dou Yan's heart eased. When Jiang Yan had finished washing and dressing, she went with her out of the inner chamber.

Song Yan was holding Yuan Heng's feet aloft with one hand, suspending the child in midair.

Yuan Heng waved his arms and kicked his legs, beside himself with delight.

Seeing Dou Yan and Jiang Yan come out, Song Yan said not a word and went on teasing Yuan Heng.

Jiang Yan gave a sheepish laugh.

Wu Yi came in, made a brisk bow, and said respectfully, "My lord, it is time for court."

Song Yan grunted in assent, handed the child to Dou Yan, and left the main house.

Jiang Yan at once seized Dou Zhiwei's hand and said anxiously, "Sister-in-law, my brother hasn't really gone to make trouble for... for him, has he?"

Who could say?

Even if Song Yan did go to make trouble for Chen Jia, he would not take Chen Jia's life, and so the so-called trouble could hardly be called trouble at all.

Dou Yan thought this over and smiled. "Your brother knows what he is doing. There is no need to worry."

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Sisters and brothers, that is all for today's update.

o(∩_∩)o~

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