Chapter 301 — Drawing Out the Threads
Purple Streets of Chang'an Page 1 of 2
Chen Jia's words sounded absurd, but on closer thought,.
Still, whether what he said was true or false could be verified with a little investigation!
Song Yan pondered for a moment, then said, "What do you want?"
Chen Jia was overjoyed.
Song Yan clearly believed his story.
He hastened to say respectfully, "Young Master, I ask only that my misunderstanding with Lord Wang be cleared up, so that I may keep my place and earn my bread in the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
So long as Song Yan was willing to speak for him, his release from trouble would be only a matter of days. And if his superior's superior's superior—Shi Chuan, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—learned that he could move Song Yan, he would naturally regard him with new eyes. When that time came, keeping a low profile would be impossible even if he wished it!
Why then should he make excessive demands of Song Yan and provoke Song Zhi's displeasure?
At this thought, he bent his waist even lower.
The other had given him such an important clue; this request was not unreasonable.
Song Yan nodded faintly and took up his tea.
Chen Jia rose to take his leave.
Yet the corner of his eye could not help stealing a glance at the screen.
As he walked out the door, he deliberately slowed his steps and pricked up his ears to listen.
Sure enough, he heard Song Yan say a few words in a low voice.
That voice was mild as a spring breeze, tinged with a tenderness and sweetness that defied description—where was there any trace of the coldness of a moment before?
Chen Jia was alarmed.
He longed to hear what Song Yan was saying. But at the sight of the servant leading his way, whose steady tread bespoke a trained fighter, he at once abandoned the notion.
Who on earth could be behind that screen?
Song Yan was plainly quite different toward this person.
Was it someone he loved?
He shook his head.
Given Song Yan's temperament, even the woman he loved most could never be made to hide behind a screen and spy.
Could it be someone of the Jiang family?
But the Emperor had exiled every male of the Jiang family above the age of five to Liaodong; only women and children remained...
That too was hardly likely.
The Jiang family was now in Haozhou. Even if a second Madame Mei had arisen among them, she could not have reached the capital so quickly after his sudden defection to Song Yan.
This person wielded such influence over Song Yan... Chen Jia resolved to investigate thoroughly whoever was behind that screen.
Song Yan was hard to win over—but would those about him be as hard to win over as he?
.
In the eyes of the Duke of Yingguo's heir, he was a nobody.
Song Yan could simply have refused to see him. The moment he appeared at the Daxing estate, he could have been seized on the spot, put to torture, made to squeeze out every scrap of information he knew, and then beheaded, his head sent to the Embroidered Uniform Guard under some charge such as "plotting treason"—which would have served as a warning to the ill-disposed and might even have been a chance to sweep up several of his trusted brothers in one net. That was why he had come alone this time...
Yet Song Ke had not only seen him, but was willing to negotiate terms with him!
Could it be because that person was present?
Chen Jia had a vague feeling.
Perhaps his fortune and glory hung upon this very person.
After Chen Jia had gone out, Song Yan took Dou Zhiwei's hand and led her to sit beside him, asking gently, "Did you feel stifled?"
Only two feet separated the screen from the wall, and the space was very small.
"It was fine!" Dou Yan said. "It is often cleaned, very tidy."
Song Yan sighed deeply. "Could my elder uncle truly have died like this?" His spirits were somewhat low, and his tone carried deep doubt.
"It must be so!" Dou Yan felt a piercing ache in her heart, regret and melancholy and sorrow all mingled together. "What do you mean to do?"
She believed Chen Jia had not lied.
Not only because the matters Chen Jia described could soon be verified by Song Yan, but also because in her past life, Ding Wei had been beheaded before the palace coup and his head hung upon the walls of Chang'an—a case that caused a great sensation. The Emperor in his fury had issued an edict ordering the Shaanxi governor to hunt down the culprit within a fixed term; only because the capital later fell into chaos did the matter quietly lapse. As for Zhong Qiao and Chen Zuxun, whom Chen Jia had mentioned—perhaps because their names were not as renowned as Ding Wei's, she had never heard what became of them.
Song Yan said hesitantly, "Do you believe Chen Jia's words?"
"He is a clever man. Otherwise he would not have used such a method to draw your attention," Dou Yan explained. "I do not think he would deceive you in this matter. And like Chen Jia, I am somewhat puzzled—how did Wang Yuan come to be mixed up with Ding Wei?"
"This matter bears thorough investigation!" Song Yan said. "Wang Yuan is not a man just anyone can order about! And besides, it has been three or four years since my eldest uncle's affair, yet he is still hunting down those who took part in escorting my uncle back then."
Dou Yan said hesitantly, "Could it be one of the other princes?"
Song Zhi knew she was hinting at the Prince of Liao, and said, "Impossible! Never mind a prince—even Empress Wan herself might not be able to command him."
As the two spoke, their expressions shifted in unison, and they blurted out in one voice, "The Emperor"—and hearing that the other held the very same doubt, they could not help looking at each other... and then they saw the shock mirrored in each other's eyes.
"How could that be?" Only after a long while did Song Yan say in a low voice, "If it were the Emperor, His Majesty could simply have issued an edict... why go to such lengths..." Here a bold conjecture took shape in his mind. "Could it be that the Emperor never meant to punish my eldest uncle?" No sooner had he spoken than he himself refuted it. "But it was the Emperor, after all, who issued the decree stripping the Duke of Dingguo of his title and exiling my fifth uncle and the others to Liaodong!"
"Could there be some misunderstanding in all this?" Dou Zhiwei's mind was racing. "After the Duke of Dingguo passed away, the Emperor treated you so well..."
In her previous life, the Emperor had paid Song Yan no mind at all.
True, that had much to do with Song Yan's timely efforts to win the Emperor's notice—but if the Emperor still harbored reservations about the Duke of Dingguo, then no matter how hard Song Yan strove, he could never have won the Emperor's favor!
She asked, "Shall we invite Mr. Yan and the others over to discuss it together?"
Dou Zhiwei's words brought many things back to Song Yan's mind.
His thoughts were in utter confusion. He nodded absently and told Chen He to go invite Yan Che over.
Dou Yan recounted Chen Jia's words to Yan Che in careful detail.
Yan Che was greatly astonished.
He, too, believed Chen Jia had not lied.
But every man has his own angle from which he views a matter.
He pondered for a long while, then suddenly gave a cry of "Aiya!" and sprang to his feet. His face pale, he cast Dou Zhi a glance, then said gravely, "Young Master, if the Emperor has concluded that the Duke of Dingguo would not submit to restraint and that his merits overshadow his sovereign, tell me—what would he do?"
Song Yan was briefly taken aback, but quickly grasped his meaning.
His expression at once grew dazed.
Yet once the daze passed, he seized Dou Zhiwei's hand in a tight grip.
Unlike its usual dry warmth, his hand was icy cold now, the palm slick with sweat.
Dou Zhiwei gently stroked the web of his thumb with her own, hoping to soothe his agitation.
Far from calming, Song Yan cried out excitedly, "Shouyuan!"—his eyes blazing as he looked at her. "Do you realize that if not for you, my eldest uncle's entire household might have been wiped out?!"