Chapter 2 — The Divergence

One was the heir of the Marquis of Jining, the other the eldest legitimate granddaughter of the Duke of Jingguo—of equal rank and station, and cousins besides. He could think of no better match. Yet every time it was raised—by his sister, by his mother, or by himself—Dou Yan had smilingly deflected it, and the matter had been left hanging in just such an ambiguous state.

Now that Dou Yan had brought up the matter of her eldest son's marriage, Wei Yanyu's sleepiness vanished entirely. She teased, "When your sister came to you and tried to bring it up, you wouldn't give her the time of day. Now that you're the one taking the initiative, you'd better be careful she doesn't play hard to get and give you a soft rebuff."

Dou Xin smiled and waited until Wei Fan's excitement had subsided before saying, "I wish to arrange a match for Wei, to take the eldest granddaughter of Guo Haiqing, Marquis of Xuanning, as his wife."

Wei Yanyu's smile froze on her face. Her lips moved, but she seemed at a loss for what to say.

How could Dou Yan fail to understand what was in her mother-in-law's and her husband's minds?

But she had her own considerations as well.

Her father-in-law had died of a sudden illness. At the time, Wei Fan was not yet twenty and had no experience managing household affairs, while her mother-in-law was gentle and pliant by nature and could not help in the slightest with matters outside the inner quarters. Everything depended on Wei Wan's guidance, and only thus did they weather the initial turmoil. Because of this, both Wei Fan and her mother-in-law liked to consult Wei Wan about everything and let her help make decisions. Over time, Wei Wan's prestige in the Wei household grew day by day, and in matters great and small, so long as she spoke, Wei Fan and her mother-in-law never disagreed, so that in the Wei household, Wei Wan's word carried more weight than Wei Fan's or her mother-in-law's.

Dou Yan's own mother had died early, and as a girl she had always felt she was living under another's roof. What she longed for most was a home of her own, so how could she tolerate Wei Wan meddling and dictating at every turn?

When she first married into the family, she understood nothing, and consequently suffered a good deal, shedding many tears in secret. It was only after she had borne two sons and a daughter in succession, taken charge of the household's provisions, and then assumed management of the family's affairs, so that the Wei household grew more prosperous with each passing year, that Wei Wan finally restrained herself somewhat.

If she were to become kin with Wei Wan, that woman would be both her son's mother-in-law and his aunt. Given her consistently domineering Xuanqing Sect ways, was her son to be held down by her for the rest of his life? And if some rift ever arose between husband and wife, would there not be no one left to uphold justice?

She would never agree to this match.

But she also knew that without a grand and honorable reason, neither her mother-in-law nor Wei Fan would approve of her choosing another bride for her son.

She had been turning this matter over in her mind all along.

It so happened that on the Double Ninth Festival, when she went to the Jingzhen Ducal Estate to view the chrysanthemums, the estate's eldest married daughter teased her: "...Sister-in-law does dote on her younger brother, and over my brother's objection, she insists on marrying Cai Ping into your family. If it were up to my father, Cai Ping would have been married into the Jingjiang Marquisate!"

Only then did she learn that the Duke of Jingzhen had such plans.

Dou Yan had a sudden inspiration at the time and thought of a reason to persuade her husband and mother-in-law, but she had never found the opportunity to sit down and discuss it fully with her husband.

Now, deep in the night with all quiet, was just the time for talk.

So when she saw her husband dumbstruck, she smiled slightly and told Wei Fan what the eldest married daughter of the Jingzhen Ducal Estate had said, adding, "The eldest married daughter of the Jingzhen Ducal Estate would not say such things to me for no reason. I fear that on the matter of Cai Ping's marriage, she and her husband are at odds. Over the years she has helped us a great deal. Though she is the wife of the Duke of Jingzhen's heir, the one who actually heads the Jingzhen Ducal Estate now is the Duke of Jingzhen. If our Wei's match with Cai Ping should cause her to fall out of favor with the Duke, then we would be hard put to escape blame!"

Filial piety comes before all else.

If a daughter-in-law should fall out of favor with her father-in-law, what good days could she hope for? She might even be divorced and sent back.

Wei Fan's expression changed drastically, and he blamed her: "If you had agreed to this match earlier, things would never have come to such a pass! What are we to do now?"

She helped Wei Fan think of a plan: "Why not discuss it with your mother, my lord? See what she thinks best?"

"Of course!" Wei Fan's eyes lit up. "Why didn't I think of that!" Without caring that dawn had not yet broken, he loudly summoned Cuileng to help him dress. "I'll go to Mother at once."

Her mother-in-law was advanced in years and slept little; at this hour she should long since be awake.

Dou Yan did not stop him. She called a young maid to carry a lantern for Wei Fan and see him to her mother-in-law's quarters.

If her calculations were right, once her mother-in-law heard the news, she should come with Wei Fan at once to seek her counsel.

She dozed a little, then was woken by Cuileng.

Her mother-in-law and Wei Fan had arrived.

Before she could speak, her mother-in-law said anxiously, "Is what you said true?" Then, puzzled, "Why has Tingzhen never mentioned it to me?"

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The new book is still a little thin, and so all the more in need of your support.

O(∩_∩)O~

Please do add it to your collection and recommend it.

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