Chapter 222 — Not as Good

The sudden visit of Song Cen, the Duke of Ying, to Yunqi Temple Alley made Chen Yanzhou, who had until then kept all his attention fixed on the Huai Tree Alley, sense that something was out of the ordinary.

When it came to matters in Yunqi Temple Alley, Dou Yan ought to know better than he did.

He hurried off to see Dou Yan.

But Dou Yan had gone to Drum Tower Street with his aunt and his elder cousin to do some shopping.

By the time Chen Yanzhou reached Drum Tower Street, Dou Yan and the others had already returned to Heming Temple Alley.

Chen Yanzhou hurried on to Yan Dang Temple Alley.

Stepping through the gate, he ran into Gao Sheng.

Gao Sheng greeted him with a face full of smiles. "What a coincidence, Mr. Chen! The Fourth Miss has just come back and is talking with the Master right now. What is it—some urgent business at the shop?"

"Nothing all that urgent," Chen Yanzhou said evasively. "There is a deal I am not quite sure about, and I wanted the Fourth Miss to give me her opinion."

Gao Sheng said warmly, "Shall I help?"

Compared with the Dou family's affairs, Dou Zhiwei's little stationery shop was not worth mentioning at all.

"I will know once I have asked the Miss," Chen Yanzhou put him off.

Gao Sheng suspected nothing. He nodded with a smile, personally ushered him into the accounts room to sit down, and instructed a serving boy, "As soon as the Master and the Fourth Miss have finished talking, report to Mr. Chen at once." Such unusual attentiveness set Chen Yanzhou's heart pounding. It was only with great difficulty that he waited until Dou Yan and Dou Huaiying had finished their conversation—by which time it was already the hour for the evening meal.

Dou Yan received Chen Yanzhou in the flower hall.

Chen Yanzhou told Dou Yan about Song Cen's visit to Dou Huaiying, and added, "Does the Miss know why the Duke of Ying came to see the Seventh Master?"

Their dealings with the Song family had always been kept out of sight. If the Duke of Ying were to learn of them, no one could predict what would happen!

Dou Yan was dumbfounded. "What did you say? The Duke of Ying came to visit my father?"

Chen Yanzhou nodded. "I have already looked into it. It seems that Tao Jun of the Duke of Ying's estate arranged it through Xu Zhiji, a colleague of the Seventh Master's at the Hanlin Academy. But as for the specific reason, there was no time, and I have not yet found out."

Yet fine beads of sweat had broken out on Dou Yan's forehead.

The Duke of Ying and her father were two men with no connection whatsoever.

The world was vast, and she was without name or reputation. Under ordinary circumstances, there was no way the Duke of Ying could possibly have taken notice of her.

If there was any link between them at all, it was Song Yan.

If the Duke of Ying knew that it had been she who sought out the Songs in the first place, he would have had any number of ways to deal with her. He would never have come calling at Yunqi Temple Alley with such an air of courtesy.

In other words, there was a nine-in-ten chance that the Duke of Ying had no idea of any connection between her and Song Yan.

Then why had he come to visit her father?

Song Yan's eyes, quiet as the night sky, rose in Dou Yan's mind.

That day, when he learned that Dou Ming had married Wei Fan in her place—"Dou Yan, I will marry you."

She had taken it for the fervor of youth.

She had not taken it to heart at all.

And she had been certain that he could never persuade the Duke of Ying to agree to his marrying her.

So she had told him with perfect assurance, "If we are fated to be man and wife, then fate will find a way."

Could the Duke of Ying's visit be for the purpose of proposing marriage on Song Yan's behalf?

Dou Yan thought of how she had earlier suggested that Song Yan marry a princess.

After the sisters had swapped marriages, her father's greatest hope was to find her a match no worse than Wei Fan's and marry her off. But how had Song Yan persuaded Song Cen to agree to his marrying her?

She thought again of how she had suggested that Song Yan marry a princess.

Even if he had meant to let word slip to Song Cen, how had he managed, without a sound, to bring her into Song Cen's line of sight? And how had he made Song Cen think her a suitable daughter-in-law?

Song Yan had once again shown his formidable strength.

Dou Yan took out a handkerchief and wiped her forehead.

She instructed Suxin, "Quickly. Find some way to discover exactly why the Duke of Ying has come to see my father."

Suxin answered and went off.

Chen Yanzhou was also frantic, like an ant on a hot pan.

Dou Yan had always been meticulous, and so he had put most of his effort into the Huai Tree Alley. Who would have thought that this time Dou Yan would know nothing at all!

He was not Dou Yan, and Dou Yan could not possibly have told Chen Yanzhou everything about her conversations with the Songs. Even now, Chen Yanzhou had not connected the matter to Dou Zhiwei's marriage. Instead he muttered, "I knew Tao Jun had gone to ask Xu Zhiji for help, and later Xu Zhiji brought him to see the Seventh Master. I took it for an ordinary introduction. I did assign someone to watch, but I did not investigate carefully." He regretted it bitterly. "Had I known, I would have told the Miss sooner."

Dou Yan was even more anxious than he was, but she still comforted Chen Yanzhou. "What's done is done. Worrying is of no use. The pressing task now is to find out exactly why the Duke of Ying has come!"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Chen Yanzhou gave a bitter smile. "But the matter is so grave that I cannot calm myself." And since it had grown late, he could not stay long; full of misgivings, he had no choice but to leave Heming Temple Alley.

It was not until the hour of hai that Suxin returned, her face flushed with shame.

"Miss," she said uneasily, "I found out nothing at all... Tao Jun met with the master alone, without Lord Xu. When the Duke of Ying and the master were talking, all the servants in the room were dismissed, and Steward Gao poured the tea with his own hands... Steward Gao keeps his mouth very tight. Even Gao Sheng's wife is completely in the dark—ask her three questions and she cannot answer one."

Dou Yan's brows knit tightly. "It is impossible that there was not the slightest irregularity. Think again, carefully. Was there anything at all out of the ordinary? For instance, after the Duke of Ying left, what did Steward Gao do? After Tao Jun saw Father, did Father summon anyone to question? Or go anywhere?"

"I remember now!" Her prompting made Suxin's eyes brighten. "After Tao Jun came to see the Seventh Master, the Seventh Master went out once with Steward Gao—Steward Gao drove the carriage himself. Where they went, no one knows. And then, a few days ago, didn't the Seventh Master instruct Steward Gao to put away everything in the house bearing the red double-happiness characters, or draped in red and green? Just now, when I went to find Steward Gao, I found him directing the young servants to take stock of those lanterns, curtains, incense and candles..."

Dou Yan's expression changed drastically as she listened. She knew her guess was more or less right.

Before Suxin could finish, she said urgently, "Go find Chen Sou at once. First, have Chen Sou help investigate where my father and Gao Sheng went at the time. Second, have him find a way to get word to Song Yantang that I have something urgent to discuss with him!"

After all, the two families had not yet formally exchanged betrothal gifts. She could only hope it was not too late!

Sulan answered solemnly, "Yes," and, making some excuse, went to the stationery shop on Drum Tower Street.

Dou Yan did not sleep a wink all night.

The next day, she had no heart to go out.