Chapter 140 — A Contest of Wits

Ji Yong had said it in front of all the maids who had come to change his bedding, so it was only natural that the words soon reached Dou Ming's ears.

She gave a cold laugh and shut herself away, instructing Granny Zhou and Ji Hong: "From now on, anything sent to me must be examined carefully. Only when you are certain there is nothing amiss may it be brought to my hands. I refuse to believe that by staying indoors and eating and drinking nothing carelessly, he can still take my life."

Granny Zhou and Ji Hong had feared Dou Ming would meet Ji Yong head-on; seeing her handle it with such caution, they breathed a sigh of relief. Food, clothing, and all daily necessities had to pass through their hands before reaching Dou Ming. In less than a fortnight, they found a needle in the autumn clothes sent to her, a purgative in her meals, and a snake and two rats in her chambers.

Dou Ming laughed with scorn: "Is that all?"

Sulang, however, was deeply disappointed: "He talks as if he were so formidable, and in the end it is only these petty tricks!"

Suxin sharply rebuked her sister: "What more do you want? I think Young Master Ji shows great restraint! A harmless bit of mischief like this, giving the Fifth Young Lady some hardship—that is all. If something truly happened, the Fourth Young Lady, as her elder sister, would be hard-pressed to escape blame."

"Which is why the Fifth Young Lady should be sent back to the capital," said Sulang. In their private chamber, with only the two sisters present, she spoke without restraint. "I simply dislike the way the Fifth Young Lady always treats the Fourth Young Lady like an enemy."

"Even an upright judge cannot settle family affairs," Suxin sighed. "We shall do as the Fourth Young Lady instructs."

Sulang nodded. "What else can we do? Young Master Ji cannot be counted on!"

Indeed, Ji Yong could no longer be counted on.

After Dou Yan passed the provincial examination, he resolved to press on and sit for the spring metropolitan examination the following year.

The several jinshi of the Dou family all held posts away from home. The only one who had remained behind was a tong jinshi, who declared his own learning too shallow to delay Dou Yan's prospects and refused to instruct him in the art of examination essays. It occurred to Dou Yan that Jiangnan had always enjoyed a more flourishing literary culture than the north, and that Ji Yong, who had placed first in the Nan Zhili provincial examination two cohorts ahead of him, was the man to consult. So he brought his essays to Ji Yong for guidance.

Ji Yong was supremely clever. For things that followed discernible patterns, he possessed a gift beyond anyone's reach. In but a few words he gave Dou Yan the sense of a sudden clearing in the fog. Moreover, he had none of the musty pedantry of old scholars; whatever Dou Yan asked, he answered fully and without reservation, and Dou Yan benefited greatly. At first Dou Yan came only every few days, then every day. Later still, he simply moved in next door to Ji Yong...

How could he spare any thought for tormenting Dou Ming!

This was the outcome everyone was glad to see.

West Dou gradually recovered its former calm, and Dou Ming began practicing the pipa with Wan Niang every day.

The Beginning of Winter was fast approaching, and the household was busy preparing for the seasonal sacrifices, when Ji Hong quietly said to Dou Ming: "Shang'er, who attends the Second Young Master of the Wang family, slipped over in secret. He says he has something urgent to see you about. I was afraid the Fourth Young Lady might notice, so I hid him in the firewood shed for now."

Dou Ming was badly startled.

For the past two years, Wang Tan had been her source of news from the capital—but this time he had sent his own page boy...

She abandoned her pipa practice and urged Ji Hong to bring Shang'er in.

Shang'er looked no more than eleven or twelve, dressed in a coarse lilac garment like a country lad. Before Dou Ming could speak, he had already knelt in tears: "Young Miss, I beg you, save our Second Young Master!"

The dragon begets nine sons, and each is different.

Wang Tan took after Pang Yulou—lively by nature. In a child, a little liveliness was no bad thing. The trouble was that above him stood an elder brother, Wang Nan, who was old beyond his years, and so his liveliness had turned into naughtiness. For this he was scolded endlessly by his mother and berated by his grandmother.

Hearing Shang'er's words, Dou Ming asked without thinking: "What mischief has he gotten into now?"

Wiping his tears, Shang'er said: "The Master asked a fellow juren to write a letter of recommendation for the Eldest Young Master to study at the Imperial College. The Second Young Master did not know how important that letter was, and in a moment he soiled it... Young Miss," he burst into tears again, "the Second Young Master truly did not mean it... but the Old Madam not only made him kneel in the ancestral hall, she wants to send him to the Master... no one can dissuade her... Young Miss, please save our Second Young Master... I hear Yunnan is full of barbarians, and they even eat people..."

"Serves him right!" Dou Ming scolded. "Who told him to be so careless!"

"Young Miss!" Shang'er stared at her dumbly, too frightened even to weep.

Dou Ming was not truly angry at her cousin; seeing his face, she said: "Even if I wanted to plead for him, I could not—I am in Zhending, and he is in the capital!"

Shang'er blinked and said: "Yu Er brought me here."

Yu Er had been a local ruffian in Lingbi County. Having attached himself to Pang Xilou, he had curried favor with Pang Yulou, and Pang Yulou had brought him to the capital.

Since it was Yu Er who had sent Shang'er, this must be the Second Aunt's idea!

But to go to the capital...

The thought flashed through her mind, and Dou Ming was slightly stunned.

To go to the capital!

She had dreamed of going to the capital!

There was her grandfather, who doted on her; there was Wang Tan, who revolved around her every moment; and there was her beautiful mother...

Dou Ming could not suppress her excitement.

At worst she would get a scolding from Father—and who knew, she might even be allowed to stay in the capital!

Dou Ming could not help blurting out: "What do you all plan to do?"

Shang'er said: "Jingjue Temple is a nunnery. When the time comes, you need only go to the nunnery to offer incense, and our carriage will be waiting for you on the small path behind the temple."

Dou Ming grew ever more certain this was Pang Shi's scheme.

She thought it over and said: "Then it is settled. The day after tomorrow I will go to Zhaojue Temple to offer incense."

Shang'er departed overjoyed.

Dou Ming told Ji Hong of the matter.

Ji Hong was very worried: "If the Fourth Young Lady finds out..."

"So what?" Dou Ming said defiantly. "Father gave me over to her care."

Ji Hong said nothing.

Dou Ming lowered her voice and instructed her: "Don't breathe a word of this to Granny Zhou... Dou Yan will surely send a few guards to follow us, so you'll help me cover my tracks, and once I'm back in the capital I'll come fetch you."

Ji Hong was startled. "You don't want me to attend you?"

"It's only three or four days' journey to the capital. With Shang'er to serve me and Yu Er along, what is there to worry about?" Dou Ming said dismissively. "If too many people go, Dou Yan will catch on in no time."

And besides, she needed Ji Hong to cover for her.

Ji Hong thought it over and saw the sense in it.

The next day, Dou Ming pestered Dou Yan for permission to burn incense at Zhaojue Temple.

Dou Yan assumed Dou Ming was still smarting from Ji Yong's bullying and needed to vent, so she paid it little mind. She had Duan Bing assign a few guards to accompany Dou Ming to Baoguang Temple.