Chapter 387 — Censure

The men of the Five Wards Command looked at Wei Fan with a trace of curiosity in their eyes.

Wei Fan, slow to catch on, understood the whole business only when Jiang Yi formally took up his post.

Remembering how his colleagues had looked at him, he could not endure another quarter of an hour in the office.

Wei Fan went home and said to Dou Ming, "One of these days, when you have the time, go over to the Ying mansion and look in on Shouyuan. Song Yantang has lately promoted a man who is no kin of his at all to be Commissioner of the Southern Ward. Go and ask her what on earth is behind it."

By ties of blood or by ties of friendship, Song Yan ought to have advanced him.

The affair of Jiang Yi jolted him awake: since his marriage, he and Song Yan had never once sat down together over a cup of wine or exchanged a private word.

He had indeed been far too neglectful of Song Yan these past days.

Dou Ming heard him out in a fury, but reflecting that the two of them had only just made peace, she had no choice but to force the anger down into the depths of her heart, and the smile she produced was consequently somewhat strained. "Is Shouyuan a name you have leave to use? Mind you do not let something slip in front of Song Yantang, or neither of us will be able to show our faces. You know as well as I do that since I married you, Dou Ji has never once given me a kind look. Better that you go straight to Song Yantang than that I go to her. Do you not always say how fond of you Song Yantang used to be? Have a word with him. A trifling matter like this should not be difficult."

Wei Fan knew his own affairs best.

Even in the days when Song Yan treated him best, when he promoted his business, gave him horses, and made him known to his friends, the more he came to understand Song Yan's character, the deeper his fear of him grew, until at last he was fairly bowing and scraping before the man, afraid of saying the wrong thing, afraid of drinking too much, afraid of falling out of Song Yan's favor. That was why, when trouble came to the Ying mansion, he had thought to seize the moment to cut himself loose from Song Yan, and had said those things to his sister. Now that Song Yan treated him with chilly distance, how would he dare thrust himself forward?

But in Dou Ming's presence he could hardly say so, and could only screw up his courage and invite Song Yan to drink.

When Song Yan heard that Wei Fan had come calling, he felt as though something were scraping at his chest. He instructed Chen He: "Tell the servants below that in future, when the Marquis of Jining comes to this house, they may show him into the small reception hall in the outer court and offer him tea. There is no need to make a great to-do and go hunting for me or for my lady." Then he added, "I still have a memorial to write for His Majesty today. Go and ask the Marquis what he wants. If it is nothing important, see to it for him. If it is important, tell him I am occupied and have him leave word with you; I shall weigh the matter myself."

Put plainly, from this day forward he would neither see the Marquis of Jining nor do him any service.

Chen He muttered to himself.

This Wei Fan truly was a screw short of a bolt. How did he still dare set foot in Yizhi Hall?

Chen He went to the reception hall.

Wei Fan wanted Song Yan to advance his rank; how could a man speak of such a thing to a mere servant boy?

He hemmed and hawed for a long while, until even he himself did not know what he was saying, and then rose in disappointment and took his leave.

Chen He hurried to pass Song Yan's instructions down to the household.

Wei Fan went to the Jing mansion.

Wei Wan heard of it, and stamped her feet in a rage.

"Can you still not see that this Song Yantang will not look kindly on you, and all because of Dou Ming?" she complained. "I told you long ago that Dou Ming was a sower of trouble, and that you should not marry her. You would not listen. And now see, the Southern Ward commission was all but in your hand, and it has flown away! If you will not heed me, you have worse still to come. You just wait and see..."

Wei Fan, vexed beyond measure, said, "This is all in the past. What is the point of harping on it again and again? Could I divorce Dou Ming even if I wished to?" Here he saw his sister's brows twitch, and took fright. "Even if I were in time to divorce Dou Ming, would Song Yantang treat me as he used to? I might then offend both the Dou and the Wang families, and that would be worse trouble still!" He meant to snuff out his sister's notion.

At that Wei Wan's eyes indeed dimmed. After a moment's silence she said, "Let me ask your brother-in-law whether he has any ideas."

Wei Fan did not want to go home, and stayed playing with his nieces and nephews while he waited for Zhang Yuanming to return.

Zhang Yuanming had no good ideas either, and could only say, "Why not go and beg a favor of the Earl of Donglin? Is he not Wang Dahe's father-in-law? That is a connection of sorts."

Wei Fan then went to Wang Qinghai.

Where Wei Fan's prospects were at stake, Wang Qinghai naturally could not refuse, and accompanied him in person to the Earl of Donglin's residence.

The outcome may be imagined.

So Wei Fan dashed about in every direction for the better part of a month and got nowhere at all; but he did succeed in stirring up Hao Dayong, formerly Commissioner of the Eastern Ward.

Thanks to the fire at the Ying mansion, he had caught the eye of the young heir and risen on his coattails. When the fire case was closed, he was promoted to Assistant Commissioner of the Five Wards Command; and since the Earl of Donglin, who held the post of Chief Commissioner concurrently, did not ordinarily concern himself with the Command's affairs, while Hao Dayong had this bond of incense and fire with the young heir of the Ying household, the Earl handed all the business of the Five Wards Command over to him to manage. He was now, to all appearances, the Chief Commissioner of the Five Wards Command, with attendants fawning before and behind, magnificent and awe-inspiring, pleased with himself beyond all measure. He racked his brains for some way to draw a step closer to Song Yan and the Earl of Donglin, so that with their recommendation he might seat himself in the Chief Commissioner's chair.

He asked the men about him, "Has nothing happened lately that is worth congratulating the young heir of the Ying mansion upon?"

One of them thought it over and said, "A cousin's son of the young heir's lady, on her natal side, has come out at the top of the lists and taken the Presented Scholar's degree. Would that count as a thing worth congratulating him upon?"

He brought his hand down on the man's shoulder so hard he nearly knocked him to the ground. "You fool! Fine news like that, and you did not speak of it sooner! If a thing like that is not worth congratulating a man upon, what is?"

Hao Dayong at once prepared congratulatory gifts worth two hundred taels of silver and set off for Locust Tree Alley.

Hearing that a friend of Song Yan had come to offer congratulations, the chief steward of Locust Tree Alley eyed him twice over with a rather odd expression.

What manner of friends had the Fourth Son-in-law got himself? Why must they come uninvited, one after another!

He hastily called a steward to show Hao Dayong into the reception hall and serve him tea.

There Hao Dayong saw several familiar faces from the Five Wards Command.

He greeted them without the least constraint.

Dou Bingheng, hearing of it, felt his head ache. After some thought he instructed the chief steward: "Go and inform the young heir. A guest who has come is a guest, but the young heir must at least be told. If he will not return the courtesy, he must still send his thanks."

The chief steward answered and went.