Chapter 482 — The First Birthday

Chen Jia reasoned that Jiang Yan was, after all, the younger sister, and that since he was entertaining Song Han in his own home, propriety demanded Jiang Yan come out and greet him. Fearing Song Han might harbor resentment and show Jiang Yan a cold face, on the day of the banquet he had simply urged Jiang Yan to go and pay a call at the Yizhi Hall. But he had never imagined that Song Han's feelings went far beyond resentment—he meant to humiliate Jiang Yan outright. And so, when Chen Jia went to the Yingzhen Duke's residence to fetch Jiang Yan, he did not wait in the small flower hall of the outer courtyard as he usually did. Instead he asked the servant who had shown him in, "Has the heir returned?"

The Duke of Ying had not shown his face when Jiang Yan married, and Song Yan had made a habit of treating Chen Jia coldly. Chen Jia had once served under the Song household, so the Duke's serving women could not help but regard him with a measure of disdain. Fortunately, Chen Jia was tactful with people and generous with money, and he was, properly speaking, the household's own nephew by marriage; so they did not go so far as to slight him, though they were rather less guarded in his presence. Hearing him ask after Song Yan, the servant grinned and said, "The heir isn't back yet! Is there something you need? Shall I have a word with Brother Wuyi, who serves in the study, and ask him to keep an eye out for you?"

Chen Jia smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you!" And with that he pressed a few coins into the servant's hand.

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all!" The servant's eyes crinkled into a seam with his grin, and he hurried off to watch outside.

The moment Song Yan stepped from his sedan chair, he heard that Chen Jia was waiting for him in the small hall. Surprised, he asked, "When did the eldest son-in-law arrive?"

Chen Jia had married Jiang Yan, yet the relation between the two men had not changed in the slightest from what it had been before.

Hearing Song Yan call Chen Jia "eldest son-in-law," the servant's heart gave a thud. He hastened to say, "The eldest son-in-law has been here about half an hour. He said he came to fetch the young lady home, and when he heard you had not returned, he waited in the flower hall all this while."

Song Yan nodded and said, "In future, when the eldest son-in-law comes, have tea served to him in the study of the outer courtyard."

The servant assented again and again, and led the way ahead with great care.

Song Yan and Chen Jia went into the study to talk.

Chen Jia did not dare repeat Song Han's words to Song Yan verbatim. He said only, "Song Han entered the Embroidered Uniform Guard on the Empress's recommendation. Green as he is, his star is rising fast, and today I made a point of inviting him to my house for wine. From the look of him, he is rather pleased with himself. Another man in his position would surely grow arrogant, but with the Empress's golden signboard behind him, I fear even Lord Shi will weigh his words carefully where Song Han is concerned."

This was lodging a complaint against Song Han.

Song Yan only smiled faintly at this. But after he had seen Chen Jia and Jiang Yan out the gate, his face darkened.

The Empress meant to use his father and Song Han to deal with him.

She had miscalculated badly.

Song Yan summoned Chen He. "Keep an eye on Song Han for me."

Chen He had once been his personal attendant, and knew all his relatives and friends. After Chen He married, Song Yan had him transferred to the registry office, and there, because he was well acquainted with every household, he carried out his duties admirably.

"Yes, sir!" Chen He answered respectfully and withdrew.

.

Dou Yan was in the midst of opening trunks with several maids to pick out lengths of fabric.

She heard the noise, looked up, and saw that it was he. Smiling, she said, "So you're finally back! Every time I see you put on that stony face with Chen Jia, I feel tired just watching you. It was your own idea to keep inviting Sister Yan home for visits, and then you can't help showing Chen Jia a cold face. Look at Sister Yan—she practically has to apologize to Chen Jia on your behalf."

"He wouldn't dare!" Song Yan said coldly, though in his heart he had to admit that Dou Zhiwei had a point. His thoughts were suddenly in a tangle. Unwilling to pursue the subject, he caught up the fabric in Dou Yan's hands. "What's this for? The color's a bit somber."

It was a lilac-colored zhuanghua silk embroidered with a pattern of precious vases.

Dou Xin said, "Yuan Heng's first birthday is in a few days, isn't it? I was thinking I'd take Yuan Heng to see the old lady, and bring along a few bolts of good cloth for her autumn clothes."

A few days earlier she and Song Yan had discussed it: for Yuan Heng's first birthday they would not invite his grandmother, but the next day they would go and visit the old lady.

Song Dan said, "While you're at it, pick out a few good furs. Come autumn, we can make fur headbands and fur jackets."

Old people loved both of those things.

Dou Xin answered sweetly in the affirmative. The two of them then spent a long while under the lamp discussing which guests to invite before they finally went to bed.

On the twenty-sixth day of the sixth month, the Song household was hung with lanterns and festoons, and guests crowded the gates. The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and even the Prince of Liao, far away in Liaodong, along with several princes who had been granted their own establishments, all sent congratulatory gifts. The first-birthday ceremony was both lively and dignified.

Dou Huaide, as Dou Zhiwei's adopted brother and heir to the Western Dou, accompanied Dou Huaiying to drink at the celebration.

Song Yan introduced Dou Huaide to his relatives and friends with great solemnity.

Seeing that Song Yan's friends all rose politely to toast Dou Huaide, Dou Huaiying was set at ease. He cast a glance around the flower hall and saw Wei Fan sitting silently in a corner, drinking. When the banquet broke up and the company moved to the covered corridor to watch the performance, he called out to Wei Fan, who was walking last: "Has Ming come?"

Wei Fan looked listless, as though he had not slept well, and there was no spirit in him.

At the question he said, "No—I was afraid she'd come and make a scene, so I didn't tell her about Yuan Heng's first-birthday celebration today. I'll tell her when I get home."

Dou Huaiying frowned.

He might think Dou Ming coarse and unreasonable, but Dou Ming was his daughter, and he could not help feeling that Wei Fan's base character was the true root of the trouble, and that Dou Ming had merely been led astray and harmed by it. For an occasion as great as this, Wei Fan had received an invitation and not told Dou Ming—that was Wei Fan's failing.

"She and Shouyuan are sisters, after all," he said mildly. "What grudge between sisters could be so great? At an occasion like this, you ought to urge her to come out and move about a little. As things stand, what will the Yingzhen Duke's relatives and friends say of her? If her reputation is ruined, it will bring no credit to your face either!"

Wei Fan thought little of this, but to Dou Huaiying's face he murmured his assent.

On such an occasion Dou Huaiying could not say much more, and the two of them, father-in-law and son-in-law, went off to the covered corridor to watch the opera.

Back at home, Dou Huaiying could not help sighing to Dou Huaide, "Ming—she truly married the wrong man!"

Even if she had married the wrong man, she had only herself to blame.