Chapter 239 — The Dowry

Seeing her daughter's dismissive look, Wang Shuying lectured her: "Why don't you use your head? Whatever ceremony the Yingguo Duke's household uses to take Dou Yan as a bride, that is exactly how they will treat her once she is through the door. Whether a daughter is valued by her husband's family determines whether she can help her natal family when it counts. A daughter who is not valued by her husband's family can only have her natal family help her husband's family—there is no time when her husband's family helps her natal family.

"A marriage is meant to join the good of two families. If you cannot maintain the good of the two families, what is the point of your natal family helping you?

"That sister-in-law of yours is a formidable one. You had not been through the door a month before she urged your mother-in-law to have you take charge of the household accounts—and the accounts hold precious little silver. She clearly means to trick you out of your dowry. Without your natal family's backing, can you outmatch your sister-in-law? Or do you plan to simply admit defeat and let your sister-in-law take whatever she wants?"

Dou Ming could not help asking, "Then what do you say I should do?"

This was precisely why she had come to her mother—to have her mother think of a plan for her.

"Am I not confined to my quarters now?" Wang Shuying said with a cold laugh. "Go to your Fifth Aunt. In front of all the relatives, pretend you know nothing at all and ask her what you should do."

"But what if she tells me to take charge of the household accounts?" Dou Ming was quite taken aback. "They care only for appearances—what do they care whether I live well or not?"

Wang Shuying's greatest hope now was to draw back to her side this daughter who had been so thoroughly brainwashed by the Dou family and had grown ever more distant from her.

Otherwise, she truly would have no day of deliverance!

"Are you a fool!" Wang Shuying said. "Just do as your Fifth Aunt tells you! But remember this: from now on, you must often go to the Huai Tree Alley to seek your Fifth Aunt's counsel on managing a household. When you go, wear the same few garments over and over, and when you send the servants about, you must look cowed and timid..."

Dou Ming was a clever girl and understood at once.

She could not help turning it over in her mind.

A flicker of relief passed through Wang Shuying's eyes.

Before long, the little maid came back to report.

Her parrot-like recitation turned both Wang Shuying's and Dou Ming's faces deathly pale.

"What did you say?" Wang Shuying rose to her feet, quite losing her composure. "The Marquis wants to call the Fourth Son-in-law his elder brother?"

The little maid was rather dull-witted. Otherwise, the steward would never have sent her to serve Wang Shuying.

Nodding, she said with great earnestness, "That is what the Young Heir Shen said, and he also said the Marquis was unlucky to have met the Fourth Son-in-law—otherwise, he could have kept the Fourth Son-in-law pressed down, each addressed according to his own rank. When the master heard this, he laughed. And several of the master's colleagues laughed along with him..."

Wang Shuying's heart felt as though oil had been poured upon a fire.

"Fool!" She glared fiercely at the little maid. "Who told you to be so detailed?"

The little maid lowered her head, aggrieved.

Was it not you who told me to tell you everything I saw and heard, plainly and in full detail?

Dou Ming too grew fretful.

She asked the little maid, "When the Young Heir Shen said this, what did the Marquis say?"

The little maid said softly, "The Marquis said nothing."

Which was to say, Wei Fan had acknowledged it too.

Mother and daughter both fell silent, their faces very grim.

Seeing this, Granny Hu tried to smooth things over with a smile. "You silly girl, talking nonsense! When the Fourth Son-in-law came to fetch the bride, apart from his full brother and his cousins, who else was there but young heirs and lieutenants? He was not selling cabbages, grabbing one to hand. Where would so many young heirs and lieutenants come from? You must have heard wrong."

But the little maid did not understand Granny Hu's meaning and hurried to defend herself. "It was not I who said it—it was the Marquis, when he introduced them to the master. And they were all dressed either in flying-fish robes or in python robes, so splendid! Everyone along the way was stealing glances at them! Sister Xiaohong even said that anyone who dared to wear such garments falsely would lose his head. So you can see it must all be true!"

Wang Shuying's and Dou Ming's faces were so dark that rain might have dripped from them.

Granny Hu could hold back no longer either and scolded the little maid. "Hold your tongue! No one took you for a mute!"

The little maid was so frightened she did not know where to put her hands and feet.

Dou Ming suddenly found it all tedious and waved a hand at the little maid. "Go on, withdraw."

The little maid, as though granted a great pardon, fled at once.

Wang Shuying too recovered from the blow. She asked Dou Ming, "How could the Young Heir's status be more illustrious than the Marquis's?"

Dou Ming could not help saying, "Since you married me into the Jining Marquis's household, did you not at least inquire thoroughly into what sort of place it was?"

Wang Shuying looked a little uncomfortable. "I never imagined your elder sister would marry some young heir. By her qualifications, the best she could hope for was a scholarly family of humble means—or perhaps your father, in a fit of folly, would have kept her at home and taken a live-in son-in-law..."

Dou Ming was left speechless with anger.

She had no choice but to explain to Wang Shuying the connections among the great houses of the nobility and high officials.

Wang Shuying was somewhat stunned. "You mean to say they live entirely by the Emperor's grace?"

Dou Ming nodded. "That is why everyone takes part in the Autumn Hunt—to make a name for himself in one stroke, win the Emperor's favor, and rise swiftly thereafter!"

Wang Shuying immediately perked up. "That is just like a scholar sitting for the examinations. Since there is a path to advancement, there is nothing to fear! The Marquis is excellent with bow and horse, at archery and riding—at worst, have your Fifth Uncle think of a way to help the Marquis show his face before the Emperor and secure himself a position." Here she admonished her daughter once more. "You must go often to Huai Tree Alley. Especially your Tenth Cousin's wife, née Cai—her natal family is so greedy that she cannot be anything good either. You may as well start with her."

Dou Ming nodded. "That is what I thought as well!"

Meanwhile, her Tenth Cousin Dou Jichang was in the flower hall, drinking with the men the Song family had sent to urge on the bride's toilette.

He was handsome and refined, elegant in manner and witty in conversation, and he easily won the goodwill of Wang Yu and the others.

Ma Youming grinned and said to Zhang Xuming beside him, "The Dou clan folk all have fine looks—that fourth young lady of the Dou family must be a beauty too! Yantang's a lucky man."

Zhang Xuming chuckled but said nothing.

Gu Yu, who had been pricking up his ears all the while, cursed inwardly.

What good was a pretty face?

This Fourth Young Lady of the Dou family was a formidable piece of work!

She would even lend money at usurious rates!

Who knew what havoc she would wreak on Brother Tianci in days to come?

It was Lu Zhan who laughed and remarked, "The fourth young lady of the Dou family ought to be a fine-looking woman—back when Old Man Dou was being evaluated for appointment by the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry described him as being 'of noble bearing and handsome appearance'!"