Chapter 521 — Blame

Once Wei Fan and Wang Qinghai had gone, she could not help asking Wang Yu, "What did the Marquis of Jining come to see you about? I remember him as a handsome young gentleman. How is it that in two years he has come to this?"

"Never mind that." Wang Yu's expression was less than pleasant. After all, the man was his younger brother's friend—he could hardly tell his wife that his own brother had brought a friend to borrow money, and not to tide himself over an emergency, but to go into the tea trade in partnership with someone, borrowing behind his family's back. Never mind whether the money could be repaid; even if the venture prospered, not a soul in the Marquis of Jining's household save Wei Fan would likely thank him for it. He had no patience to dwell on such vexations. "What did you come to me for?"

And so Lady An told Wang Yu everything the old nurse had discovered.

Wang Yu could only sigh. "If Wei Fan knew what today would bring, I wonder whether he would regret having married the younger Lady Dou."

Lady An was rather at a loss.

But Wang Yu did not care to discuss the matter further.

Wei Fan had married Dou Juan's daughter and yet could not produce even five thousand taels of silver. One could well imagine what sort of life he led. Thank heavens he had not lost his head and agreed to lend the man money.

According to his brother, Wei Fan had quietly set up another woman outside, already five or six months gone with child. Who knew whether the younger Lady Dou, on learning of it, would storm over with a troop of servants to raise a row, as she had last time... When that day came, the capital would have a fine spectacle to enjoy.

Speaking of which, for Song Yan to have such a relation by marriage was a sheer disgrace.

He thought it over, then decided to make the trip to the Yingzhen ducal household himself.

To be able to send the household guards out—that was the greatest face a man could have. By both sentiment and propriety, he ought to go and offer his congratulations.

Dou Yan of the Yingzhen ducal household naturally knew nothing of what had happened to the Wang family. She was busy with the matter of Chen Lanxu and the others being posted away—the farewell gifts had to be prepared; they were going out from her household, so there were words of counsel to give; they were no longer the household's guards and could not go on living in the eastern wing of the Yingzhen ducal household; those whose families would accompany them to their posts were easy enough to arrange, but those whose people were to return to Zhending required reliable men to escort them back... And above all, after these years she had grown used to having Chen Lanxu and the others as her guard. With them gone, a sudden emptiness opened in her heart. She knew that even if men of better skill and greater loyalty were brought in to take their place, the bond forged when they had faced death together would never come again.

She entrusted the families of the guards who had died at the Fragrant Hills villa to Duan Bing: "...From now on, whatever concerns those families, you are to tell me at once. Whether they need money or goods, or run into any other difficulty, you are not to keep it from me."

"Set your mind at ease." Duan Bing's feelings for those men ran even deeper than Dou Yan's; he grew wistful whenever they were mentioned. "I will have men keep a close watch on them."

Dou Yan then turned to another matter. "Now that His Majesty attends to nothing and the Crown Prince governs the realm, the household should not run into anything too troublesome. Would you like to find someone to wait on your mother?"

Duan Bing flushed to the roots of his grey hair. "There are two maids in my household. They are quick at their work and both clever and well-behaved. My mother has someone to attend her for the time being."

Dou Yan pressed her lips together and smiled.

Before many days had passed, however, glad tidings came from Duan Bing's side.

It turned out that Mother Duan had long since had her eye on a young maid from the kitchen of Yizhi Hall, and had only held off because Duan Bing had no wish to marry. Now that Duan Bing had bowed his head, Mother Duan meant to take advantage of the fact that the folk from Zhending were still at the Yingzhen ducal household and have the wedding held at once. Matchmaking and fixing the date together took no more than five or six days.

Dou Yan had the girl brought in for a look. Seeing her fair and neat, with a gentle way about her speech and manner, she bestowed five hundred taels of silver upon her as dowry, and another twenty taels for her trousseau, chose an auspicious day, and saw Duan Bing married.

Everyone was delighted, and Song Yan attended the wedding as well.

But before the bride had even entered the gate, he was quietly drawn aside.

Dou Yan gave no sign of it on her face, and Chen Lanxu and the others assumed that Song Yan had meant only to put in an appearance at the wedding and thought nothing of it. Once Duan Bing had bowed to heaven and earth, they gathered around him and swept him off to the wedding chamber to make merry. Only then did she find the chance to ask Wu Yi quietly, "What has happened?"

Wu Yi lowered his voice. "The Empress has passed away from illness. His Highness wants the heir to come to the palace at once to discuss the matter."

Dou Yan was filled with anxiety.

The Prince of Liao was still at the Western Garden "nursing the Emperor's illness"—and now the Empress was gone before him.

It had been only a few days since they left Mount Yuming. How could one not draw conclusions?

What was more, it was the Crown Prince who had agreed that the Empress should keep her rank, and Song Yan who had stood surety for it. Should anyone maliciously fan the flames, the spittle of the crowd alone would be enough to drown the two of them. Most unsettling of all, above the Crown Prince stood the Emperor himself. If this roused the Emperor's suspicions, who could say whether the Crown Prince's position would suffer?

Dou Yan waited until the hour of hai that night before Song Yan returned.

"How do matters stand now?" she asked, sitting on the kang after Ruotong and the others had helped Song Yan change his clothes and withdrawn. "Have they fixed when the mourning is to be announced?"

Song Yan sat down beside Dou Yan, and only then did she notice a trace of weariness in his brow.

Dou Yan kneaded his shoulders for him.

"I am well enough," Song Yan said. "You are carrying a child and must not overtax yourself." Then he gathered her into his arms and sighed. "The Zhaohua Hall is no fool; the Empress alive was to his advantage. When he heard the news he was stunned as well. He and the Crown Princess hurried to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, only to learn that the Empress had hanged herself. But the Empress Dowager is also in residence there, and the Crown Prince could not so much as ask a question. He sent for me and had me accompany him to see His Majesty. When His Majesty learned of the Empress's death, he said nothing, but after a long silence he waved His Highness out. When the mourning was to be announced, in what manner—not a word was said of it. From what His Highness intimated, His Majesty must be deeply grieved..."

A husband and wife once so devoted, now turned to mutual hatred—no one could look on such a thing unmoved.

Dou Yan could not help sighing with him.

"Let us retire early," Song Yan said, patting Dou Yan's hand as if to comfort her. "I must enter the palace first thing tomorrow."

By tomorrow, word of the Empress's death could not possibly be kept secret. How to face the ministers' doubts—the Crown Prince, Song Yan, all of them—there would be a busy time ahead.

Dou Yan sighed and blew out the lamp.

The next day, the capital did indeed erupt.