Chapter 447 — Jiang Yan

When Song Cen heard of it, he gave a cold laugh: "A good horse never bears two saddles; a virtuous woman never takes two husbands. They have the nerve to make such a public show of finding Jiang Yan a husband—are they not afraid of being pointed at in the street until their spines snap?"

Song Yan said nothing.

Miao Zhi, however, urged him: "Eldest Uncle has been promoted. By every measure of feeling and propriety, we ought to go and offer our congratulations to him and Elder Sister-in-law with glad hearts. Filial piety is important, of course, but in the end you will have to live off Eldest Uncle's favor—so on some matters, it would be better not to be so stiff-necked."

In her view, no one strikes a smiling face. So long as Song Han could bend his back to curry favor with Song Yan, perhaps Song Yan would soften and cease to hold a grudge against him. Even if Song Han had been brought in from outside, he was still of the Song blood. The Song line was not plentiful—why must Song Yan insist on making a mortal enemy of Song Han?

Song Han heard this and shook with fury, grinding out through clenched teeth: "Even if I die, you think I am no match for Song Yan, and that I must live off him for the rest of my days?"

How dared Miao Zhi provoke Song Han's wrath?

She said hastily, "That is not what I meant. I meant that a great man can bend and stretch. For the present we bow beneath the Heir, but it would be wiser to lie low until the storm passes, and once you have won merit and made your name, it will not be too late to stand as his equal."

Song Han shot her a cold glance and swept out, his sleeves flying.

Ji Hong bit her lip and said, "Second Madam, what are we to do now?"

"What are we to do? Let it cool!" Miao Zhi said with a cold face. "If he will not go, we will! I was only flattering him with a word or two—did anyone truly expect him to win merit and make a name? Even if he did, with the Heir standing in his way, that would be twenty or thirty years from now at the earliest. We are a married couple, and newly wed besides, yet this is all he gives me. Do you think that in twenty or thirty years, when my looks have faded, I can still hope he will earn me a phoenix crown and embroidered robe? Who knows whose body he will be lying beside by then! But the bitterness of his bad fortune is mine to bear—I am not so foolish as that!"

Ji Hong did not dare say a word, but only murmured assent. And she went with Miao Zhi to the Yizhi Hall.

Dou Yan was speaking intimately with the Sixth Madam, who had come to congratulate Song Yan: "... I do not know what sort of man this child could possibly want. So many matches have been proposed, and she has not looked twice at a single one. I fear the troubles of her past have become a demon in her heart, and she no longer wishes to live as a wife to any man. If that is truly so, what is to be done? She is clever and obedient—even if she lived at home her whole life, I would not begrudge it. But I fear the Heir cannot get past this knot in his heart. Seeing her shut away in an empty chamber, whiling away her days with nothing to do, will only deepen his hatred for the Zhenguo Lord and for Song Han—and one day, when he can no longer restrain himself, heaven knows what outrageous thing he might do."

The Sixth Madam also thought there was some sense in Dou Zhiwei's reasoning, and offered her a plan: "Then do not be in such a hurry to find her a husband. Take her out more often, let her meet more people. Once her horizons widen, her frame of mind will change, and as for marriage, perhaps it will come about as naturally as water finding its channel! If the Heir asks, just say none of these families are suitable—no one is perfect, and if you mean to find fault, can you not always find one?"

Dou Xin gave her a thumbs-up: "Ginger is indeed hotter the older it grows!"

The Sixth Madam laughed and pinched her cheek: "You dare make sport of me!"

Dou Yan dodged away with a laugh.

Then the Sixth Madam's expression turned grave, her smile fading, and she glanced at Gan Lu, who was attending nearby.

Dou Qu dismissed the maids and serving women from the room, and said in a low voice, "Sixth Aunt, what is it?"

The Sixth Madam said gravely, "Has your father come to discuss it with you? This time he has formally proposed to your Fifth Uncle that your Twelfth Brother be made his heir!"

Dou Yan was stunned. On second thought, she felt that if her father had made up his mind, then she, as his daughter, ought not to oppose it. Besides, Dou Huaide was open-hearted and upright, and not without wit—he suited her father's temper well, and having him as a companion in his later years might well prove a blessing.

She said, "Do you disapprove, Sixth Aunt?"

The Sixth Madam looked hesitant.

Dou Yan took the Sixth Madam's hand and said earnestly, "Twelfth Brother is already so grown, and Sixth Uncle and my father have always been close. This is called adoption—would my father ever forbid Twelfth Brother to have dealings with Sixth Uncle? Dou Ming and I are both married now, and the affairs of the house are my father's to decide. What is there left for you to worry about?"

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Brothers and sisters, that is all for today's update.

o(n_n)o~

ps: Begging for pink votes!