Chapter 435 — The Small Betrothal

Dou Yan had only come out after feeding Yuan Heng, but she had never dreamed that Empress Dowager Yi would be playing cards with Consort Dowager Shi so early in the morning—and that she would be kept to make up the numbers. It was now nearly noon, and her milk was plentiful.

Hearing Empress Dowager Yi ask her to stay and continue playing cards through the afternoon, she glanced at the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess immediately sensed Dou Zhiwei's difficulty.

After a moment's thought, she smiled and asked, "Madam, wife of the Duke of Yingguo, have all the household matters been arranged?"

Dou Qu said, "I nurse the child myself, but we do have wet nurses at home... I'll send word to them at once to take good care of the child."

At this, Empress Dowager Yi gave a surprised "Oh?" and asked in wonder, "You nurse the child yourself? Be careful you don't ruin your health."

Dou Xin said, "You know our household affairs better than anyone. The Heir Apparent values the child greatly and trusts no one else with him."

Empress Dowager Yi chuckled twice at this and waved her hand to let Dou Yan go: "Go and look after the child well. When he's a little older, bring him into the palace for me to see. I recall he's only one day younger than Chong."

Dou Yan thanked her reverently and, seeing that the Crown Princess showed no intention of leaving, withdrew alone.

The Crown Princess bent her knee in salute to Empress Dowager Yi: "Imperial Grandmother truly has the heart of a Bodhisattva."

Empress Dowager Yi made a feint of tapping the Crown Princess and scolded with a smile, "That mouth of yours—all it knows is how to coax me into good humor." She added, "This is my favor to you. What has it to do with Bodhisattvas?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The Crown Princess stepped forward beaming and kneaded Empress Dowager Yi's shoulders. "Your granddaughter-in-law knows it well—that's why she stayed to thank Imperial Grandmother!"

Empress Dowager Yi chuckled, her gaze upon the Crown Princess full of tender affection.

※※※※※

Once out of the palace, Dou Fan breathed a sigh of relief and instructed Ganlu, "Hurry home!"

Ganlu thought something had happened and went pale with fright, hastily passing the order along.

Dou Yan was embarrassed and could only let Ganlu go on misunderstanding as she hurried back to Crane Cry Temple Lane.

Yuan Heng was crying and fussing.

He had grown used to his mother's scent and refused the wet nurse's milk.

Dou Qu took the child.

The child began to gulp down his milk ravenously.

Dou Yan's heart ached so much she trembled.

At this rate, it seemed best that she go nowhere at all until the child was weaned.

Only now did she realize how important the wet nurses were.

But watching the serene, contented look on the child's face as he nursed, Dou Yan's heart melted into a puddle, and she felt that no amount of inconvenience or trouble was too much—it was all sweetness to her.

Stroking the child's glossy black hair, she thought of the Crown Princess who had come to her rescue.

Such a clever, exquisite woman, and in the end she had died a violent death—was this what they called beauty's ill fate?

She thought of the Third Imperial Grandson, only one day older than Yuan Heng, and suddenly felt a pang of sorrow.

When Song Yan came over, she could not help asking him, "What sort of man is the Crown Prince?"

Song Dan said, "Why? Did the Crown Princess give you trouble?"

"What nonsense!" Dou Yan shot him a glare. "Would you not know whether I was given trouble in the palace? When I went to the Eastern Palace, the eunuchs there served me nothing but a cup of plain water."

Those who nurse children must avoid tea.

Song Yan laughed heartily, bent down to kiss the sleeping Yuan Heng, and said with a smile, "He was taught by the Grand Secretaries—naturally he follows the way of Confucianism. There's nothing to worry about."

Or perhaps it was as the saying goes, "The gentleman is deceived by what is proper"—and that was why the Crown Prince had failed in his previous life?

The thought flashed through Dou Zhiwei's mind.

She asked how Song Yan's return to the residence had gone: "Mother's dowry—what did the Duke of Zhenguo say?"

"Naturally he won't return it," Song Yan said with a cold laugh. "He said he'd take me to the Court of Judicial Review. But the moment I proposed exchanging three estates worth seven thousand taels in total for the property under Song Han's name, he immediately changed his tune—said if I added three more shopfronts, he'd return Mother's dowry to me. No doubt Song Han is about to marry, and he wants to give him some pomp. I couldn't be bothered to haggle with him, so I agreed. I had Zi'ai Feng go buy three shopfronts in the market, and in a couple of days we'll go to Shuntian Prefecture to have the deeds drawn up."

"That's fine too," Dou Yan said. "It's only a few extra taels of silver in the end. Consider it a gift you made to someone—better than quarreling with them and ruining your health for nothing."

Song Yan nodded.

The property had already been divided and given to Song Han. He feared Song Han might grow desperate and sell off the things Jiang Shi had left behind piece by piece; then restoring them later would be all the more troublesome. Better to get Jiang Shi's property into his hands first.

As for the estates and shopfronts given to Song Han, how much they yielded depended on who managed them. They were worth ten thousand taels now, but might not be worth ten thousand taels later.

Dou Ji brought up the betrothal set for the next day: "...Is it proper for me not to attend?"

"What's improper about it?" Song Dan said. "Can't a man have some urgent business? Besides, I'll be there—they won't have the leisure to find fault with you."

Dou Chi understood.

Song Dan said, "I'll keep you in suspense for now—you'll know when the time comes."

No doubt he was cooking up some vicious scheme to torment Song Cen again.

Dou Yan pressed her lips together and smiled.

Song Yan, knowing she was unwell today and feeling sorry for her, said gently, "The Mid-Autumn banquet at the palace on the fifteenth of the eighth month—shall I plead illness on your behalf?"

Dou Yan hesitated.

They were in the thick of their struggle with Song Cen, and support within the palace mattered greatly.

"It's fine," Song Yan said. "Leave this to me."

Dou Yan trusted Song Yan and asked no more.

Early the next morning, Song Yan went to Wanping County and entered a teahouse not far from the Miao family compound.

Yan Che, Xia Lian, and the others had long been waiting in the main hall, while the teahouse owner hovered nearby with a teapot in hand, attending them as eagerly as a waiter.

Seeing Song Yan come in, Yan Che and the rest rose at once. "Master, the private room is all prepared—it faces the window, and the moment you open it you can see the passersby on the street..."

Song Yan nodded to him and went up to the private room on the second floor.

The teahouse owner hurried after him to serve, but Wu Yi barred the door. "Our master prefers quiet. If anything is needed, he will call for you."

The teahouse owner withdrew, abashed.

The sun climbed higher and the street grew busy with pedestrians. Through the windows pasted with Korean paper, the clamor of voices outside could be faintly heard. Wu Yi strode in.

"Master, they've arrived."

Song Yan nodded, handed the volume in his hand to Wu Yi, and said, "Ask the owner how much it costs, and take it home to show the madam."

It was a travelogue kept in the teahouse's private room for guests' amusement. Song Yan had been idle just now, flipped it open, found it rather interesting, and decided to make off with it.

Wu Yi grinned, tucked the volume into his robe, and escorted Song Yan downstairs.