Chapter 207 — Sickly Green

The words burst out in his indignation, jarringly abrupt, and under Dou Yan's gaze Song Yan felt his heart pound like a drum.

The hot blood gradually cooled, his thoughts gradually settled, and calm and reason returned to his body, making him reflect in detail on his earlier impulse... yet the more he thought, the more he felt that marrying Dou this one was a splendid idea!

At the very least, his birth was more distinguished than Wei Fan's, his talents more outstanding than Wei Fan's; in the eyes of the noble ladies of the capital, he was a far more sought-after catch than Wei Fan.

What retaliation could compare to marrying a husband who surpassed the former betrothed in every way!

This match alone would be enough to silence the malicious jeers and rumors aimed at Dou Chi!

Song Yan was instantly elated.

His grip on Dou Yan's arm tightened: "Dou Yan, marry me! I'll treat you well, give a fine show to all those who dared look down on you, make them all regret slighting you!"

Let him be the one to bring Dou Zhiwei honor and glory.

The faint pain in her arm quickly brought Dou Yan back to herself, and she could not help glancing toward Suxin.

Suxin's eyes were wide, her face full of shock.

Only then did Dou Chi dare believe she had not been hearing things.

It seemed Song Yan already knew about the substitute bride.

She could not help asking, "How did you know the bride wasn't me?"

Dou Yan had sent Sulan over there to gather news; had Wei Fan discovered the switch during the bowing ceremony, she would certainly have heard at once, and the Dou family could not have remained so calm.

Song Yan recounted how it had all happened.

Dou Yan's heart was a tangle of feelings, and she could not tell what flavor it was.

Song Ke had only seen her a few times, and Wei Fan was her betrothed... She and Dou Ming were one tall, one short, with not the slightest resemblance in appearance, yet Song Yan had seen from a few movements alone that the bride was not her—while Wei Fan, at this hour, ought already to have entered the bridal chamber...

She was speechless for a moment.

Song Sui urged her: "What do you think?"

Dou Chi could not help feeling both amused and exasperated.

"Do you think this is children playing house?" she scolded him with a light laugh. "Wei Fan married my sister, so I must find someone of nobler birth, loftier station, handsomer face, and greater ability than he to marry? I have my own life to live. Why should I compete with them out of spite?"

Song Yan opened his mouth, and for a long while said nothing.

Dou Yan, did she truly think so?

To think herself nobler in birth, loftier in station, handsomer in face, and greater in ability than Wei Fan...

Such thinking was far too shallow!

.

Yet within that disdain there was also a faint delight that left him slightly intoxicated.

Song Yan hastily pressed the feeling down into the depths of his heart and said, somewhat clumsily covering his tracks, "Then what do you propose?" Thinking of the words he had overheard by accident, and unable to speak ill of Dou Huaiying before Dou Zhiwei, he could only remind Dou Yan: "Are you really still planning to stay at home and take a live-in husband?"

Dou Yan hesitated for a moment.

Since Song Yan had dared in his last life to kill his father and brothers, and in this life dared to stand in open defiance of his father, plainly he was not, at heart, a man who followed the rules.

"I do indeed intend to stay at home!" she said frankly. "But I've never thought of taking a live-in husband." She teased herself with a smile: "I plan to stay in the Dou family forever, as a meddlesome old maiden aunt!"

"How could that do?!" Song Yan objected without thinking. "If you stay in the Dou family, it's all very well while your father lives. But if your father is gone, what will become of you? Even full-blooded brothers would have a sister-in-law standing between you—and you have only a sister, and this sister and brother-in-law are unreliable..." Then, recalling all that had happened around Dou Yan's marriage, and that only Wang shi had profited from it, he suspected the hand behind the scenes might be Wang shi; and knowing that Dou Yan was on bad terms with Wang shi, he was all the more opposed to Dou Yan remaining in the Dou family.

He told Dou Yan of how Wang Xingyi had won the Emperor's favor: "... Do not underestimate those few words from the Emperor. Of the tens of thousands of officials great and small in the court, those who can leave a name in the Emperor's heart are very few. If I were Wang Xingyi, I would make a great fuss over this matter and find a way to advance another step. Since Wang shi could send Dou Ming to marry into the Wei family in your place, she might well marry you off to just anyone. In the matter of your marriage, she holds the moral high ground; if you wish to defy her, you can only rely on Heaven's timing, earthly advantage, and human harmony—yet these, too, are the most unpredictable and least to be sought, so you must on no account be careless and fall into her trap!" He added: "In my view, rather than responding passively, you would do better to strike first, catch her off guard, and make her wary of you!"

His tone was earnest, and a hint of worry showed faintly between his brows, so that Dou Yan felt a secret gratitude and all the more cherished what her uncle and aunt had done for her.

She thought for a moment, then said, "Shall we talk inside?"

Song Yan agreed with an easy "All right."

Suxin was sweating as she listened.

If someone were to burst in now, how would they ever explain it?

And this was just when the Fifth Young Lady had taken the Fourth Young Lady's place to marry into the Wei family and no one yet knew how it would end!

But standing here in the courtyard talking made them even more likely to be discovered.

Of two evils, choose the lesser.

Suxin steeled herself, lifted the warm curtain for Dou Yan and Song Yan, and then brewed a pot of fine Tieguanyin and carried it in.

Dou Yan tactfully told Song Yan of her mother's death all those years ago: "... If not for that, how could I have had the silver to open a shop? You need not worry—she cannot touch me. On the contrary, after this affair, she will likely find it hard to keep her footing in the Dou family; for the sake of appearances the family will not divorce her, but she may forget about meddling in any family matter, great or small."

As for just how much silver the Western Dou held, in the spirit of modesty and discretion, she did not say.

Nor did she say what Dou Juan was planning.

After all, it was only a verbal agreement of mutual benefit. So long as nothing was set down in black and white, there was always room for second thoughts. She could not go about proclaiming a matter that was not yet settled; if circumstances should change, would she not be guilty of spreading rumors?

Song Yan had sensed vaguely before that Dou Yan must have a sum of silver at her free disposal. He had always assumed it was her birth mother's dowry, never imagining it was anything like this!

No wonder she could rely on no one but herself in all things!

Now and then, thinking of his own misfortunes, he had felt there was likely no one in the world more wretched than himself—yet he had never thought Dou Zhiwei's lot was even worse than his own!

The reason Wang had schemed so painstakingly to marry her own daughter to Wei Fan was that the two had been secretly giving themselves to each other, was it not?