Chapter 120 — The Conversation

Dou Yan watched Song Yan, who a moment ago had been shaking with rage, regain his composure in the blink of an eye. A tangle of feelings churned inside her, and she could not name what she felt.

Those who accomplish great things all possess great resolve. Only such people can keep from losing themselves amid splendor, and hold fast when they are alone.

Song Yan was only thirteen this year, at the age when a newborn calf fears no tiger, when ambitions soar to the clouds and one looks down upon the whole world. She had not only sent him away in defeat and stripped him of all face, but had then put on a show of viciously mocking him. Even a mature, steady middle-aged man would likely have been unable to bear it—yet within the span of a single cup of tea he had cast aside honor and disgrace, gain and loss, weighed the circumstances, and faced squarely once more everything before him.

A person this formidable—could she really retreat unscathed after making an enemy of him?

This child was Song's soft spot.

The reason Song Yan had set his heart on killing them was likewise to ensure that the child's whereabouts would not be leaked.

If she exposed their identities, what scruples would Song Yan have left?

Mutual destruction—with the mindset of Duan Bing and the others, what were their chances of winning?

Besides, in her previous life, though the Dingzhen Duke's household had been confiscated and its men condemned to death, its title stripped away, the Yingguo Duke's household had remained exactly as before, its imperial favor undiminished.

Unless she could kill Song Yan without a sound and then destroy every trace of evidence, then a life for a life—she was certain the Duke of Yingguo would be only too glad to avenge Song Yan.

Did she have that ability?

The whole business of having Suxin report to the authorities was merely a means of intimidating Song, not a blade with which she could strike at him.

She knew it, and she trusted that he knew it too.

Otherwise, he would not have calmed down so quickly.

Yet precisely because of this, Song Yan gave Dou Yan a little more confidence that she could persuade him—with his rationality, he ought to be able to judge that between them, union meant benefit to both and division meant ruin to both.

And now she had already shown him her capability and her strength, and he had begun to take her seriously. It was time for them to sit down and have a proper talk.

Dou Yan's mind raced. Before Song Yan could speak, she said gravely, "Young Master Mei, there is something I wish to say to you alone."

Song Yan was slightly surprised.

There were only eight people in the hall.

All of them were the ones each trusted most, and yet she still wanted to speak with him alone. What on earth did she mean to say?

The thought had barely flashed through his mind when Dou Yan rose, the child in her arms. Walking toward the study in the west room, she instructed Duan Bing, "Guard Duan, please keep watch at the door with Sulan. No matter who it is, no one is permitted to come a single step near the study."

What she was about to say and do was important; the fewer who knew of it, the better.

And this matter was very risky. Though on the surface she looked utterly confident,

Chen Yanzhou and Yan Che had both served as advisors at the side of frontier governors. Yan Che in particular had been a trusted confidant of the Duke of Dingguo, and had also accompanied Song Chutong in escorting that child—proof that he had won the trust of both the Jiang and Song families. Clearly he was no ordinary man.

However well she schemed, it was after all only theory; and however formidable Song Yan was, he was after all still short on experience. If she could gain the aid of these two men, her chances of success would be all the greater.

Song Yan rose without hesitation and instructed Zhao Ming, "You stay here and help Guard Duan watch the door."

To be at a standoff with Dou Yan was greatly to his disadvantage.

When he left home, his mother had warned him again and again that among the rivers and lakes, dragons and tigers lay hidden, and that he must never be careless. In all things, he was to consult Mr. Yan more often. Yet because his calculations had been flawless all along the way, he had gradually put his mother's words behind him, and so in his carelessness he had lost Jingzhou. He had not only been trapped by this seemingly ordinary young lady of a great house in a tiny country manor in Zhending County, but had also put the child and the stout fellows who followed him in grave danger.

More importantly, he had already sent Shi An to fetch reinforcements.

According to the original plan, at the hour of hai they would all strike together.

If the other side failed to notice anything amiss at the manor and made their move, this Fourth Young Lady Dou would certainly drag the authorities into it to save her own life. If, by some chance, the other side did notice something amiss and chose to wait and watch, then should the rain stop, the villagers would come out to visit one another's homes, and their movements would be all the harder to conceal.

Surely he was not really going to give the order to slaughter the village?

What difference would that be from the Japanese pirates?

Besides, this Fourth Young Lady Dou clearly knew who he was, yet had addressed him all along as Young Master Mei—plainly leaving a little room, unwilling to fall out with them.

He might as well seize this chance to have a proper talk with Fourth Young Lady Dou. Perhaps he could find a way to untie the knot.

Chen Yanzhou and Yan Che entered the study one after the other.

The four took their places, one to each side, and sat facing one another.

Sulan served tea, then quietly withdrew and closed the study door.

Dou Yan came straight to the point. "I have always admired the Duke of Dingguo. My father and my two uncles all hold office in the capital, yet we have never heard word of anything befalling the Duke. How does the Duke fare now?" Her tone was sincere and frank.

Song Yan once again regarded Dou Yan with new eyes.

The child's whereabouts did not matter; what mattered was the future of the Dingzhen Duke's household—if it could weather this disaster, the child would naturally come to no harm; if disaster loomed over it, then as the sole bloodline of the Dingzhen Duke's household, the child's whereabouts would naturally bear upon the child's very life and death.

This Fourth Young Lady Dou was truly no simple matter; she had seized upon the crux of the matter the moment she opened her mouth.

But was she worthy of trust?

Song Kejin looked into Dou Zhiwei's eyes.

Only then did he discover that Dou Zhiwei's eyes were very beautiful.

Black and white, sharp and clear, bright as the brightest stars in the night sky—no cloud or mist could dim their radiance, and to look upon them was to feel one's courage swell.

He lowered his heavy-lidded eyes and lifted the teacup, blowing at the leaves floating on the surface.