Chapter 265 — The Imperial Edict

The Emperor was past forty, of medium build, and like all middle-aged men had begun to grow stout, yet in his brows and eyes the handsomeness of his youth could still faintly be seen.

He looked Dou Yan over a few times, then said to Song Yan: "Now that you are married, you are a grown man. You must uphold the household of the Ying Duke's estate, think carefully before acting, and be all the more prudent in what you do. Do not sully the century-old unsullied name of the Ying Duke's estate."

Song Yan answered "Yes" with reverence.

The Emperor nodded. "You may withdraw."

Dou Yan was secretly astonished.

That was all?

Had they been summoned into the palace at the break of day just to hear these few words?

She kowtowed with Song Yan to thank him for his grace and withdrew from the Imperial Study.

Dou Bingheng was waiting outside. Seeing them emerge, he hurriedly lowered his voice: "What did His Majesty summon you for?" His voice was urgent, and fine beads of sweat stood on his brow.

"Nothing much," Song Yan said curtly. "He merely saw that we were married. And instructed us to live our lives well."

Dou Bingheng was aghast.

The Emperor had set aside a courtyard full of pillar ministers to summon Song Yan into the Imperial Study, all to instruct him to live his life well?

His face was full of doubt. He wanted to ask more, but Wang Ge had already smiled: "Grand Secretary Dou, His Majesty summons you inside."

Dou Bingheng cast a glance at Dou Chu and followed Wang Ge hastily into the Imperial Study.

The Emperor reclined on the large heated kang by the window, watched Dou Bingheng make his obeisance, and said: "Your niece rather resembles you."

Dou Bingheng broke into a cold sweat, not knowing what the Emperor meant by this. He hastened to say: "This humble minister and his brothers all resemble one another closely."

The Emperor gave an "Mm," and a eunuch beside him handed a memorial to Dou Bingheng.

"Take a look," the Emperor said. "A memorial sent up from Huai'an. It says there was a xiucai by the name of Wu Sheng who abducted a woman of good family to be his concubine, was thrown into prison three years ago, and then died of a sudden illness in his cell. Then at the beginning of this year, that Wu Sheng's concubine became entangled in another case, and it came out in the trial that the concubine was no woman of good family at all. Send someone, together with the Court of Judicial Review, to retry this case..." He had turned to matters of business.

Dou Bingheng hastily composed his thoughts and attended to the imperial questions in earnest.

But the moment he left the palace, he had no choice but to return to the Locust Tree Lane.

"Go and see Shouyuan," he instructed his wife. "And while you are there, ask Shouyuan what the Emperor questioned her about when he summoned her to the Palace of Heavenly Purity."

The Fifth Madam was greatly startled to hear this, and said hurriedly: "Shouyuan went to the Palace of Heavenly Purity?"

Dou Bingheng recounted to the Fifth Madam the whole of his encounter with Dou Zhiwei outside the Imperial Study.

The Fifth Madam was struck dumb. It was a long while before she said, "But Shouyuan has only just been married in—only yesterday did the ninth day pass..."

As an elder of the family, how could she, for no reason at all, go visiting her niece at a time like this?

Dou Bingheng frowned.

The Fifth Madam then said, "What if we send Madam Cai to take a look?" Though this too was somewhat irregular and smacked of currying favor with the Song family, it was still far better than an elder going herself.

Dou Bingheng said, "Have her ask clearly what the Emperor said to them. They are children, ignorant of how deep the waters run. Even an ordinary remark from the Emperor sometimes carries profound meaning, and they may not be able to grasp it."

"I understand." The Fifth Madam went to Madam Cai's quarters and instructed her to pay a visit to Dou Yan.

When Madam Cai heard that Dou Yan had entered the palace today and had even been summoned to the Qianqing Palace, her shock gave way to a face full of envy. She answered yes again and again, but the moment the Fifth Madam left, she set about powdering her face and coiling her hair while sending someone to report the matter to her mother, old Madam Cai. Only when everything was in order did she set out for the Ying Duke's estate.

The Ying Duke's estate was crackling with the sound of firecrackers.

Song Yan and Dou Yan had left the palace at noon, and by the early hours of the afternoon an imperial edict arrived, conferring upon Dou Yan the title of "Madam of the Heir Apparent," of the super-first rank.

"Truly the Emperor's majesty is unfathomable!" Suxin, who knew the whole story of Dou Yan's entry into the palace, pressed her palms together and bowed toward the west, saying gratefully, "You said the Emperor only glanced at you a few times and asked you not a single question. I was worried, not knowing what the Emperor had in mind—yet who could have guessed that in the blink of an eye the edict would come down? This is truly a blessing from the Bodhisattva!" She bowed again.

Dou Fan was thinking of that one word from Wang Ge—"Madam."

Had he done it on purpose? Or was it unintentional?

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Posted on time today—there should be no mistake.

⊙﹏⊙b sweat!

Thank you, everyone.

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