Chapter 441 — Sisters-in-Law

Zeng Wu scrambled and tumbled his way out of the small hall.

Song Han looked rather dissipated, plainly having drunk too much the night before and still not sobered up. Miao Zhi wore a damask jacket of deep red brocade woven with gold throughout, her hair done up in a married woman's high coiffure; she followed decorously at Song Han's heels, yet her eyes darted restlessly this way and that.

Zeng Wu itched to throw himself onto Song Han. "Second Master, you're finally here! Lord Zhenguo, the Heir Apparent, and the gentlemen from the Lu family have all arrived. We've been waiting on no one but you and the Second Madam."

Song Han nodded listlessly and entered the small hall with Miao Zhi.

Miao Zhi's gaze was at once drawn to a woman in the hall wearing a jacket of crimson kesi silk.

The woman looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, yet her eyes were wonderfully made—bright and sparkling, shining like stars in the sky. Her nose was high and straight, her long brows swept toward her temples, and though she stood there with a faint smile at her lips, a martial spirit seemed to come rushing from her. One glance was enough to tell that she was not of common birth.

But before Miao Zhi could look a second time, Song Cen's cold snort sounded at her ear.

"Why have you only come now? Since you were small I taught you to recite the family precepts—'rise at first light.' Have you forgotten them now that you are married?" As he spoke, he cast an irritated glance at Miao Zhi.

Miao Zhi felt flames leap up in her heart.

The night before, Song Han had drunk himself senseless, calling for water and vomiting by turns, and had kept them up half the night. Come morning he could not be roused. Had not her wet nurse, Shi, quick-witted as ever, wrung out a cloth in cold water and laid it on Song Han's face, he would likely still be lying abed even now.

With great effort she had gotten Song Han dressed, and they had gone to the ancestral hall.

Her father-in-law had already been waiting for them there.

After kowtowing to the Song ancestors, they went to pay respects at her mother-in-law's spirit tablet.

At the time her father-in-law had been all kindness, even saying to them, "The relatives won't come this early. Go back and rest a while before you go to the small hall to be introduced to the family!"

How absurd that she had secretly congratulated herself on finding a good father-in-law, and, thinking Song Han had left the house without breakfast, had deliberately seen that he ate before they came over.

Yet before she could even steady herself on her feet, her father-in-law had flung this torrent of words at her.

How could her father-in-law pin it on her that Song Han had broken the family precepts?

Was this not meant to ruin her reputation?

Miao Zhi looked toward Song Han.

But Song Han only stood there blankly, listening to his father's lecture without a single word in her defense.

It was as if she had been struck in the chest.

She was a bride, and her husband would not speak up for her. If she argued with her father-in-law, the great charge of "sharp tongue and bitter words" would be clapped upon her, and she could be divorced—her marriage was bestowed by imperial decree, true, so they could not divorce her, but they could send her to the family shrine, or make Song Han turn from her ever after, dote on concubines, and leave her to live out her days as a widow in all but name.

When it came to that, with no children at her knee, what use would a wife's nominal status be to her?

Miao Zhi pressed her lips tightly together.

The Third Madam of the Song house gave a laugh. "Young people love their sleep, and rising a little late is common enough. Song Han is newly wed—Second Uncle, you needn't be so harsh." With that she signaled a maid to bring tea, and taking a cup, held it out to Miao Zhi. "Hurry now, offer your father-in-law a cup of tea. Once he's drunk his daughter-in-law's tea, all those unhappy matters from before will be forgotten."

Was this mediation?

It was heaping filth upon her head!

Miao Zhi stumbled and nearly fell.

But seeing that Song Cen had already taken his seat in the grand chair, and that Song Han had accepted the tea from the Third Madam and knelt upon the cushion, she had no choice but to cast all her grievances from her mind and kneel down beside Song Han.

As at her wedding to Song Yan, Song Cen's gift of greeting to Miao Zhi was two red envelopes, along with a set of gold head ornaments and several pearl and jade trinkets bestowed in Jiang Shi's stead, worth no less than one or two thousand taels of silver.

Miao Zhi was beside herself with joy and had to force herself not to laugh aloud. She stepped forward to thank Song Cen.

Next came Song Maochun and the others.

They went through the forms and bestowed upon Miao Ping'an a pair of red envelopes.

The envelopes were light and flimsy; no need to squeeze them to know they held silver notes.

Miao Zhi's smile deepened.

The smallest denomination of silver note was ten taels, which meant each of them had given her at least ten taels of silver.

She could not help feeling a little regret.

If only the Song family had more relatives!

Once the elders had been greeted, it was the turn of her own generation.

By order she should first toast Song Qin, but since Song Yan and Song Han were brothers of the same branch, they began with Song Yan.

Song Yan likewise gave two red envelopes.

Miao Zhi was dazed for a moment.

Song Han was already the most handsome man she had ever seen, yet she had not expected Song Yan to be even more striking than Song Han—and he was moreover the Heir Apparent of the Yingzhenguo estate, said now to be a vice commissioner of the Imperial Guards, overseeing the affairs of the Five City Garrisons... truly a darling of heaven!

If only Song Han could one day secure such a fine post!

A flicker of cold light passed through Song Yan's eyes.

The ornaments Father had given the Miao family were of very recent workmanship, clearly ordered from a silversmith's shop only days before. Which meant the family heirlooms were still in Father's keeping. Was he unwilling to part with them for Song Han's sake, or did he have some other plan in mind?

Song Yan did not drink the tea Song Han offered him; instead he took the cup and turned it over in his fingers with a certain amused interest.

Fortunately, once Song Han had offered tea to Song Yan, he moved on to Song Qin, and everyone's attention fixed on Song Qin; no one noticed.

Moving from the east side to the west, Song Han and Miao Zhi first offered tea to the eldest madam of the Song household.

But Miao Zhi's gaze kept drifting, quite against her will, toward the woman in red.

Then she noticed that beside the woman lay an infant still in swaddling clothes.

Could this be her sister-in-law, the Dou woman?

Somewhat distractedly, Miao Zhi kowtowed to the fourth madam of the Song household.

Sure enough, the third madam led her before the woman in red.

"This is your sister-in-law, Dou Shi," said the third madam with a smile. "Virtuous and gentle, your sister-in-law is praised not only by the three aunts and six relations of the family, but by kith and kin alike, who all give her a thumbs-up."

Miao Zhi bent her knee in salute to Dou Yan, though inwardly she was unimpressed.

She herself had a reputation for "filial piety" too — and that was nothing but the family blowing her horn for her.

Softly she called her "Sister-in-law," looking utterly meek and docile.

Dou Yan nodded slightly; the meeting gift was a pair of pure gold bracelets.

Miao Zhi took them.

They were hollow.

She was rather taken aback.

Did not the Dou woman boast a dowry of a hundred thousand taels of silver? Why so stingy?

Without a flicker of expression, she thanked her.

The third madam brought her before Dong Shi.

Dong Shi's gift was a pair of pure gold earrings inlaid with lapis lazuli.