Chapter 495 — The Grand Audience

No matter how good the days were, Dou Ming could always run them into the ground.

She could not help shaking her head, and asked Song Yan, "What do you plan to do about this?"

"It takes two to make a quarrel!" Song Yan said coldly. "I mean to advise my father-in-law to let the matter drop. A man who is neither deaf nor foolish cannot play the father-in-law. They are grown men, not children; we cannot hold them by the hand and watch their every step all their lives. And most of all, this affair must not be allowed to hinder Zixian's great prospects."

That was for the best.

They had planted the seed themselves; let them eat the fruit. Let them swallow it themselves.

Dou Yan nodded.

The next day, Song Yan went first to the alley by the Heming Temple as soon as he was done at his office.

Dou Huaiying was grieved to hear it, yet he had to admit that what Song Yan said was reasonable.

He drew Song Yan off to drink.

Dou Huaide was there to keep them company.

A young servant came running in. "The new metropolitan graduate Wu Shan begs leave to greet the Twelfth Master!"

Dou Huaiying gave a startled "Aiya" and broke into a laugh, saying with considerable excitement, "That little fellow? I have not seen him in years—I never thought he would come to call at the alley by the Yunqi Temple! He must be here for this year's spring examinations. Hurry, show him in." Having said this, he turned to explain the ties between the two families to Song Yan; as for the grudges of those years, first, he was not very clear on them himself, and second, he considered them all misunderstandings stirred up by the women of the inner chambers. He had never taken them to heart, much less would he tell Song Yan.

Song Yan saw that Wu Shan was steady and refined, modest of speech, and when he learned that this was the fourth son-in-law of the Dou kin, his gaze took on a measure of scrutiny and a complexity he could not quite name.

Unease gnawed at him. No sooner had he left the alley by the Heming Temple than he instructed Wuyi, "Have Du Wei look thoroughly into this man Wu Shan for me!"

Wuyi assented respectfully.

Yet whatever they investigated, nothing about Wu Shan seemed amiss—and then word came that Wu Shan, Dou Huaide, and Kuang Zhuoran had all passed the metropolitan examination together.

Dou Huaiying was overjoyed. Together with Dou Heng, he kept Dou Huaide at home to study, preparing for the selection of Hanlin bachelor scholars.

When April came, the list of Hanlin bachelor scholars was posted. Both Dou Huaide and Wu Shan were on it; Kuang Zhuoran had failed.

Yet he was not downcast. He cheerfully brought gifts to thank Song Yan: "If not for Boyan and the Heir, my Kuang family would long since have been broken and destroyed—where would Kuang Zhuoran be today?"

Song Yan thought him far too courteous. The two exchanged pleasantries for a good while, and when Dou Yan had finished making ready, they went together to the alley by the Heming Temple.

Today the Yunqi Temple was celebrating Dou Huaide's entry into the Hanlin bachelor scholars' hall. Dou Bingheng, Dou Heng, Dou Wenchang, Dou Bochang, and Dou Jichang had all arrived, and the occasion was very lively.

Yuan Heng warned Dou Huaiying in a clear, ringing voice, "Grandfather, you are not to drink. My mother says wine injures the health!"

The company burst into loud laughter.

Dou Bingheng, meanwhile, took Yuan Ge in his arms and praised him heartily: "To speak so clearly at such a young age—truly no simple thing."

Dou Huaiying was immensely proud. He said to Dou Huaide, "I hear that the young daughter of Scholar Du of the Hanlin Academy is about your age. In a few days I shall go drinking with Scholar Du."

Everyone laughed.

But Dou Huaide's face went rather pale, and he fled the field.

The others took it for shyness. Song Yan, recalling what Dou Zhiwei had said, held his wine cup at his lips for a long moment before he took a light sip.

At the evening meal, Wu Shan came.

Better to make a friend than an enemy. He was now a newly minted metropolitan graduate and was willing to approach the Dou family of his own accord; those who knew of the affair of that year kept their mouths shut, and those who did not merely assumed that he had shut himself away to study these past few years and so had grown distant from the Dou family. They welcomed him warmly, all smiles as before.

But Dou Huaide drew him off to his own study.

The others took no offense and let them go have their intimate talk.

In the study, the conversation gradually turned to the young scholars who had come out at the top of the lists these past few years.

Dou Bingheng said, "By any reckoning, Ji Jianming still shines the brightest. A few days ago he went to the Household of the Heir Apparent and became a minister of the Eastern Palace."

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Sisters and brothers, here is today's update.

ps: This month the story will be finished, and just thinking of it leaves me reluctant to let go...

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