Chapter 236 — The Agreement

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Gu Yu spent at least three hundred and sixty of the year's three hundred and sixty-five days loitering about the Song household—did Song Yan really need to be so courteous to him?

He was no honored guest worth such fuss!

But with Song Maochun and the others present, he could not vent his displeasure.

If he truly crossed swords with Song Yan, and Song Yan stood firm and refused to come see him, could he really have the man bound and dragged before him?

That would only make him lose face all the more!

Song Maochun and the others had naturally noticed as well. None of them had expected Song Yan to be so forceful, and Song Maochun, knowing he had misspoken, hastily said, "Since Tianci has guests, we'll leave the matter until they've gone." Then he changed the subject and turned to other affairs. "The Yingzhengguo Estate hasn't held a wedding in years. I say we engage the people from Chunfang Studio for this 'four-courses' banquet. Last time when the heir of the Huichang Count's household took a wife, they engaged Chunfang Studio, and everyone praised it..."

The "four-courses" banquet referred to the practice of setting out four kinds of fresh fruit or flour-made pastries for the guests to view before they took their seats; once the guests were seated, the displayed delicacies were promptly cleared away and replaced with four kinds of dried fruits, four kinds of pastries, four kinds of fresh fruit, and four kinds of cold dishes—a custom observed only when great households celebrated a wedding. And the greater the household, the more particular they were about this "four-courses" banquet, to display their wealth and grandeur.

Song Tongchun quickly chimed in, "I also think it best to engage outsiders for the arrangements. Last time when the Donglin Count's household took a wife, they too had outsiders prepare the 'four-courses' banquet—it's all the fashion in the capital now!"

The conversation thus shifted to the banquet for Song Yan's wedding, and the matter was at last glossed over.

Gu Yu, however, asked Song Yan, "Are you sure you can get away with not going to see your uncle?"

"Get away with what?" Song Yan, attended by his personal servant as he changed his clothes, laughed. "Aren't you a guest?"

Gu Yu chuckled, but soon furrowed his brow and said haltingly, "Brother Tianci, I—I asked my aunt. About what reward you might be granted for your marriage. My aunt said the Emperor still hasn't fully recovered, and that now is hardly the proper time..."

"The Empress's concerns are well founded." Song Yan, recalling the scene when the Emperor had fallen ill, still felt a lingering dread, and he admonished Gu Yu gravely. "You should keep a lower profile these days too, and take care not to give the censors grounds for impeachment—you're fifteen this year, old enough to take office. If you make too much of a commotion, it will be difficult for the Empress to speak up for you forcefully. Your younger brother is only three years your junior; every year you delay is a year of opportunity for him. You mustn't be as willful as before."

These were words from the heart.

Gu Yu could not help but be moved.

Song Yan took a copybook and tossed it to Gu Yu. "We don't have to sit the imperial examinations, so scholarship can't be gauged, but whether one's handwriting is good or bad can be seen at a glance. And whether it's the Emperor or the Crown Prince, both are fond of calligraphy. If you practice your writing well, there's only benefit and no harm." He added, "Don't put it off till tomorrow either. Starting now, you'll write three thousand characters for me every day." Then, without further argument, he called Wuyi in to attend Gu Yu in his practice.

Gu Yu accepted the instruction obediently.

Song Yan watched for a while. Seeing how earnest he was, he nodded in approval and said, "I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back shortly. Practice your writing properly here at home, and by the time I return you must have finished today's three thousand characters!"

Gu Yu was taken aback. He looked up to ask Song Yan where he was going, but Song Yan had already left the sitting room.

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Though dusk had already fallen, the Dou residence in the Yunqi Temple alley was bustling. The maidservants all wore smiles as they hurried to and fro—some helping to hang the great red lanterns pasted with double-happiness characters, some helping to steady ladders, some wiping down chairs with their handkerchiefs, some tying red cords about the orchid plants on the tea tables—a scene brimming with joy.

Wang Shuying gazed through the half-open window at the busy, festive scene outside, then gave a cold snort, shut the window with a "bang," and said resentfully, "So that's all it amounts to!"

Mama Hu kept her head down over her needlework and said not a word.

She knew why Wang Shuying was seething.

When the Fifth Miss had married into the Jining Marquis's household under the Fourth Miss's name, the Fourth Miss had demanded back all her dowry—and whether Gao Sheng had done so intentionally or not, it included the trousseau gifts that the Second Madam Dowager, the Fifth Madam, the Sixth Madam, and other ladies of the Dou household had given the Fourth Miss. Mama Zhou had asked a question at the time, and Sulian had immediately snapped back, "Isn't a trousseau gift part of the dowry? Since it's part of the dowry, naturally it must be moved back."

Mama Zhou had nothing to say and could only watch as Sulian directed the maids and old women to carry everything back and lock it away in the Fourth Miss's storeroom.

And since the Fifth Miss had gone through with the ceremony, the Second Madam Dowager and the Fifth Madam and the other ladies, had they been scrupulous, ought to have made up a trousseau gift for the Fifth Miss. But everyone played deaf and mute; not a soul brought it up. The Seventh Master was still in a fury, the Seventh Madam was confined, and the Fifth Miss was the bride—could she ask for it herself? So the matter was simply left to drift.

Who could have guessed that now, with the Fourth Miss marrying, the Second Madam Dowager and the Fifth Madam and the other ladies would send yet another trousseau gift—and one more precious than before? How could the Seventh Madam not be beside herself with rage?

But even so, what of it?

The Seventh Master had set his heart on keeping the Seventh Madam confined here, and she could only watch as Sulian smilingly carried those things into the storeroom.

Wang Shuying asked Mama Hu, "When is the Fifth Miss coming over?"

"She says she'll come first thing tomorrow morning," Mama Hu replied. "The Seventh Master sent Gao Sheng all the way to the Jining Marquis's household especially for it."

Wang Shuying could not help complaining, "Is he really so afraid that Ming won't come? Ming is the Marchioness of Jining now; there's no telling how many matters at home are waiting for her to decide. Even if she comes a little late, what does it matter? Besides, the sisters will all be in the capital from now on—there'll be plenty of chances to meet. Is there any need to be so urgent about this very moment?"

How could Mama Hu presume to comment?

Dou Yan avoided the maidservants and spoke with Song Yan in the Taihu-stone chamber of the rear garden.

The setting sun shone upon Song Yan's upright figure, softening his silhouette and lending him an indescribable grace.

"What did you want to see me about?" he asked Dou Yan with a smile.

Dou Yan gazed at the young man who had come to her as promised.

His hair was still damp; when the evening breeze blew, she could even catch the scent of elm-pod incense on him. He had clearly heard that she wished to see him and had washed and hurried over without delay.

It gave her a feeling of being respected, of being cherished.

Was this not what a woman sought her whole life long?

Dou Yan laughed at herself.

Out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed the sky where the setting sun had just sunk.