Chapter 303 — Unraveling the Cocoon

After all, whether the Emperor would be alive or dead four years from now was still anyone's guess. With Song Yan's intelligence, even if he did get entangled in Song Cen's affairs, his life would not be in any real danger—and when the new emperor ascended the throne, he might even turn misfortune into blessing!

Song Yan smiled at Dou Yan and raised his teacup. "Then it's settled." He turned to Yan Che. "Get to the bottom of the Wang Yuan business, and quickly."

Yan Che could not help but sigh.

His lordship the heir had indeed grown wings—only heaven knew whether those wings would make him colder and more ruthless still!

He bowed respectfully, murmured his assent, and withdrew.

Dou Yan ordered Su Xin to lay out the evening meal and called a young maid to help Song Yan change his clothes. "Wash your hands and face. Then come out and eat!"

Song Yan was willing to stir himself, and said, "Just wipe my face for me, that's enough. Thinking uses the brain—it's tiring!"

"It's your brain you're using, not your hands and feet!" Dou Yan pushed and shoved him into the washroom.

Song Yan waved Dou Yan off. "I've no intention of taking a chamber maid. What did you send those little maids in here for?"

Dou Yan saw that the two young maids had ducked their heads nearly to their chests at his words, their pretty faces delicate and ashamed as peach blossoms in the third month. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, she had no choice but to dismiss them and attend to his washing and grooming herself.

When he was washed and dressed, Song Yan wanted to take the evening meal with her at the kang table in the inner room. "There's no one else in the house anyway. Just the two of us—we can eat simply. No need for anyone to wait on us; I'll serve you the dishes myself." As he spoke, a look of anticipation came into his eyes.

Dou Yan naturally would not argue with Song Yan over such a trifle, and so the two did take their evening meal at the kang table in the inner room—except that the one serving the dishes turned out to be Dou Yan... After the meal, she even brewed him his favorite Xinyang Maojian tea...

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Wang Yuan, in Qudeng Alley, was also at his evening meal.

Waiting on him was another of his adopted sons—the little eunuch Wang Ji.

Wang Yuan liked to talk while he ate.

Wang Ji catered to his taste, chatting with him. "Everyone says the Duke of Ying's heir is a cold, proud man, but when he came before you, Father, wasn't he just as polite as could be? It only goes to show that you..."

"Insolent wretch!" He had not even finished his sentence before Wang Yuan cursed him roundly. "Is the Duke of Ying's heir a man for the likes of you to discuss? Why is it Wang Ge gets to serve in the Qianqing Palace while you can only run errands at my side? You've not a shred of judgment, and still you dream of the Directorate of Ceremonial—I'd say you're fit for nothing but the Wine and Vinegar Bureau!"

Wang Ji was cursed into meek submission.

Wang Yuan gave him his orders. "Go and pass on my word now—that Chen Jia, there's no need to bother with him anymore."

The Duke of Ying's heir had only just come begging, and the man was to be released?

There had never been such a precedent!

It seemed that from now on, he would have to be more polite to the Duke of Ying's heir!

Wang Ji was startled, and hastily assented again and again.

Wang Yuan's expression softened slightly, and he murmured to himself, "Who would have thought—a nobody I don't even remember, and he can get Song Yan to speak up for him. How did he win Song Yan over?"

The thought flashed through his mind, and suddenly he very much wanted to see Chen Jia.

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Young Madame Wang, meanwhile, was telling Wang Yu about her visit that day to his younger sister Wang Qingyuan's house.

Hearing that Wang Qingyuan's parents-in-law were kind and her husband considerate, Wang Yu was much relieved.

Young Madame Wang then brought up her visit to the Duke of Ying's household. "...From the look of things, the Duke of Ying's heir's wife and the Marquis of Jining's wife are not merely quarreling—the two of them seem to have made up their minds to have nothing more to do with each other!"

Wang Yu was quite surprised, and asked doubtfully, "Could it not have been said in anger?"

"It didn't look like words spoken in anger." Young Madame Wang told Wang Yu plainly, word for word, what had been said at the time.

Wang Yu's brows knitted tightly, and after a long silence he lowered his voice and instructed his wife, "From now on, go less often to the Marquis of Jining's household."

Young Madame Wang nodded, then said hesitantly, "And what about Fourth Uncle's household?"

"Just give Fourth Sister-in-law a quiet word of warning," Wang Yu said. "Dahe and Peijin are one matter; if she grows too close to that inner circle, that is another matter entirely."

"I understand!" Young Madame Wang rose to help Wang Yu make the bed.

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Brothers and sisters, the typos in the last few chapters have been corrected; today there's only the bug-hunting to do later.

o(n_n)o~