Chapter 119 — Negotiation (Bonus Chapter for 1,170 Pink Votes)

The girl before him looked no more than fourteen or fifteen. On a delicate face whose skin shone like snow, two long brows sweeping toward her temples were especially striking. Her bean-green unpatterned cross-collared jacket, fastened to the right, was steady and modest, while the yellow-green trim of intertwined floral scrolls lent it a touch of liveliness. Her jet-black hair was simply coiled into a bun, and she wore earrings of red-silver magnolia pendants with pink pearls—small and exquisite. At first glance she seemed merely a well-bred young lady of some great household, disciplined in all the proprieties; yet the composure, the ease and openness that showed between her brows were qualities no ordinary girl confined to the inner chambers could ever possess. In all his years he had seen such a thing only in the present Empress, Lady Wan, and in his own mother, Lady Jiang. But how could she compare with the Empress, mother of the realm, or with his mother, who had the entire Dingzhen Duke's household at her back?

Song Yan thought of the experts who surrounded her like clouds, of the strategist who could rival Zhang Yi, and of that maidservant who had snatched a child from under his very nose. A vague understanding began to dawn on him.

Dou Yan smiled and let him look her over, while inwardly she was studying the two men he had brought.

She had brought Chen Yanzhou and Duan Bing because the former was her brains and the latter the best fighter she had. He had brought Yan Che and this slight, spare-framed man. Yan Che needed no explaining—but could this slight man be the best fighter on his side? She had assumed he was the one Duan Bing had spoken of, the so-called "sword hidden in its sheath."

It seemed she would have to reassess Song Zhi's strength.

She wondered who was the better fighter—this slight man or Duan Bing.

And if he came charging at her, how many moves could Duan Bing hold him off for?

At that thought, Dou Yan flicked a glance from the corner of her eye and saw Sulan standing watchfully beside her, a tray in her arms. Her heart settled a little. Then she heard Song Dan say, "This lily incense is rich without being cloying. If I am not mistaken, this must be the Tianfu Xuanbao made by the secret method of the Puji Temple in the capital?"

Since this was a negotiation, a friendly and cordial atmosphere was indispensable, and beginning with a compliment was always a fine choice.

When you have a favor to ask of a stranger, start with some small praiseworthy thing about him, find a topic that puts him at ease—it is the easiest way to draw the two of you closer and to pave the way for the request you are about to make. Dou Yan had mastered this skill back when she was the wife of a marquis.

She gathered herself and smiled as she exchanged pleasantries with Song Yan. "Young Master Mei is truly a man of wide experience. This is indeed the Tianfu Xuanbao of the Puji Temple, sent back from the capital specially by my father. The weather has been damp these past days, and osmanthus and jasmine scents are clear and delicate, while lily incense is heavy and thick. It would be better to use osmanthus or jasmine; but I live in the city year-round and only occasionally accompany the elders of the house to the farmstead for a few days. The household had only half a box of lily incense left over from last New Year, so for the time being we must make do. The place is humble—I beg Young Master Mei's indulgence."

So she was already lecturing herself.

This woman was truly very clever.

Song Zhi's gaze drifted, almost against his will, over Dou Zhiwei's face.

"Miss Dou the Fourth is so modest that you put me to utter shame," he said with a smile. "As it happens, this has all been a misunderstanding. Your household's bookkeeper, Old Chen, once served as a strategist under Zhang Kai, the Fujian governor who abandoned his city and fled. Later the Duke of Dingguo, judging that he was not a principal offender, left him free to go or stay. Old Chen was also the first to leave Fujian, and afterward he told Miss Dou the Fourth of our movements. We did not know his intent and could not help feeling uneasy—though we never meant to harm Miss Dou the Fourth. We merely did not wish to reveal our whereabouts, and wished to keep Miss Dou the Fourth here at the farmstead for a few days after we left. I know full well that rivers and lakes hide dragons and crouching tigers, far beyond the match of my few guards. But we carry military crossbows with us, and several of my guards are fine shots with them. At least they give us some advantage. Otherwise those arrows just now could never have landed so precisely at the feet of your household's guards, and I would not have ordered them to shoot."

Duan Bing nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Dou Yan cursed inwardly.

No wonder you rose so swiftly in the Prince of Liao's household after being driven out of the Yingzhen Duke's house—with this knack for spouting lies with your eyes wide open and turning right into wrong, you already have no equal.

"It was indeed a misunderstanding." Not only did her face betray nothing, she nodded gravely and patted the sleeping child. "Since Old Chen revealed your movements, naturally you would rather kill by mistake than let a man slip through. But if the rain stops—after so long a rain, when the sun comes out every old and young soul in the village will come out to bask in it—and with your men short-handed, wiping out the village might prove rather hard work. And a case this big would alarm not only the county yamen and the prefectural yamen, but the Provincial Administration Commission, the Surveillance Commission, the Regional Military Commission, even the Grand Court of Revision. That would be far too unfavorable for you. Better to take advantage of the rain—kill them all and silence every mouth—cleaner and simpler. But your words have reminded me: why not simply hold us at the farmstead by force for some days, and release us only after you have gone far? The road south from the capital usually passes through Zhending. By the time we report to the authorities, you will be a flying dragon in the heavens, a fish returned to the open sea. By the time the yamen traces you to your home, I fear you will have arranged everything long since—even the Embroidered Guard would find nothing to go on."

Song Yan had been smiling easily at first; at these words his smile gradually faded, and a certain chill began to seep from the corners of his eyes and brows.

Still unsatisfied, Dou Yan widened her lovely eyes and gave a startled "Ai yo," feigning terror as she cried, "Could it be that the man to whom you would entrust the orphan is somewhere near Zhending?" As she spoke, a flicker of coldness passed through her eyes. "Even the Emperor must think thrice before choosing his ministers of the testament. To harbor the son of a court-declared criminal is not something any ordinary man would dare to do. Since the man to whom the orphan is entrusted cannot easily be replaced, then there is nothing for it but to slaughter us all!"

Even men as seasoned and calculating as Chen Yanzhou and Yan Che, men whose seven passions and six desires seldom showed on their faces, could not help revealing consternation at these words—to say nothing of Duan Bing and Lu Ming, who stared at Dou Yan like wooden chickens.

A dead silence fell over the room.

Song Yan was like glazed porcelain struck by a fist: at last a fine crack had opened in him.

His face was ashen as he glared at Dou Yan, his gaze as cold and sharp as a blade's edge, making her scalp prickle. But she had no way back now; she could only burn her boats and seek life in the midst of death.