Chapter 155 — Conditions

Tao Jun stared at Song Yan in horror.

If the Duke of Yingguo killed the guards who had been loyal to him, who had incurred Song Yan's wrath merely for carrying out his orders, who would ever dare risk their life for the Duke again?

But set against Song Han, this demand shrank into something almost trivial.

He pondered a moment. "Might the Second Young Master be allowed to return to the upper courtyard to rest?"

Song Han had always lived with his parents in the upper courtyard.

So that was it!

Song Yan mocked himself silently.

The chief reason Father had yielded so quickly was surely that he feared Song Yan might use Song Han to threaten him.

In his father's heart, he was nothing but a heartless, faithless wretch—a man so base he would not even spare his own flesh and blood!

Or perhaps, when disappointment reaches its utmost, expectation dies altogether.

Song Yan's heart suddenly grew very calm.

"At each of Mother's seventh-day rites, I will preside over the sacrifice," he said coldly. "When the coffin leaves the house on the forty-ninth day, I will carry the spirit banner."

With that, everything that had come before turned into a joke.

Song Yan would once more become the heir acknowledged by the Duke of Yingguo; the rift between father and son would be smoothed over, dismissed—even lightly—as a "misunderstanding," and the Duke would have no grounds to pursue Song Yan's crime of murder.

For the Duke, this must be bitter indeed.

But there was time enough ahead.

The pressing matter was to ensure Song Han's safety. The Lord of the Zhenguo Estate had only two sons; he was already at daggers drawn with the elder, and if he were to lose the younger as well, would he then adopt a cousin's son to inherit the title of the Yingzhenguo Estate?

For the Lord of the Zhenguo Estate, who had always prized lineage and taken such pride in being Duke of Yingguo, that would surely be worse than death.

Tao Jun answered for Song Cen without a moment's thought: "The heir is the eldest son; by rights it falls to him to preside over the sacrifice and carry the spirit banner. Who else could take your place?"

From this day forth, he feared, his father would think day and night of how to replace him with Song Han.

Song Yan was not afraid. He laughed coldly to himself and said, "From now on, I will not meddle in the affairs of the Yingzhenguo Estate—but neither shall the Yingzhenguo Estate meddle in the affairs of Yizhi Hall!"

Ever since his eldest uncle's downfall, one trouble had followed hard upon another. He needed time to sort through the men his uncle had left him, and time to understand the true reason his father had framed him. Only then could he truly lift the threat that hung over him.

Tao Jun was of the same mind as Song Yan.

So many had died; the Yingzhenguo Estate needed time to absorb such losses and to lower the scrutiny of others. A period of quiet was absolutely necessary.

"An eagle must be given the nine heavens to soar," Tao Jun said with a smile. "The heir has grown up, and it is time he learned to manage the estate's affairs. There is no better place to begin than Yizhi Hall. In the days when the Lord of the Zhenguo Estate was still the heir himself, he too began by managing Yizhi Hall."

"Is that so?" Song Yan smiled faintly. "In that case, once Mother's forty-nine days are over, I ask Father to divide Mother's dowry between me and Tian'en."

Tao Jun was taken aback.

Song Yan went on: "Father is in his prime; he will surely remarry soon. Handing Mother's dowry to the two brothers before the new wife enters the house will also show that Father has no selfish designs. With Mother's dowry to support him, Tian'en can live with Father in the upper courtyard, and I will rest easier."

When the lady had entered the household, her dowry had come to nearly ten thousand taels of silver. Over the years she had managed it shrewdly; a rough reckoning would put it at thirty or forty thousand taels at the very least.

Song Yan and Song Han were both at an awkward age, neither of them married. There was nothing improper in the Lord of the Zhenguo Estate holding the lady's dowry in trust—so why would Song Yan think of dividing it?

And yet the request was not unreasonable.

The chief reason was that the Lord of the Zhenguo Estate was still in his prime. Neither son was of an age to marry, and the Yingzhenguo Estate had no one to preside over the household. A remarriage was inevitable. If he were to remarry, dividing the lady's dowry between the two sons beforehand would be precisely the way to show respect for the late lady and for the sons she had borne—Song Yan above all, for he already had men about him who managed the dowry of the Dowager Lady Lu, and in all these years they had never once blundered. Handing Lady Jiang's dowry into his keeping would seem only natural in the eyes of outsiders.

And from Song Yan's tone, it was clear he would hand over the Second Young Master only after the lady's dowry had been divided...

Tao Jun smiled. "Dividing property is a tedious business; I fear it will not be settled in a moment..."

He spoke slowly, watching Song Yan's expression—his words carried a distinct note of probing.

Song Yan found it all the more distasteful.

If Song Han was so important, why should Father begrudge the late lady's trifling dowry?

He listened without a ripple of feeling until Tao Jun had finished, then said, "Then divide it slowly. Neither of us brothers is in any hurry."

With that, Tao Jun was certain of Song Yan's intent.

He sighed inwardly and smiled. "The heir is unwell, so I shall not intrude further. When I report back to the Lord of the Zhenguo Estate, I can arrange the third seventh-day rites."

Song Yan had made his demands; whether his father agreed, and when, would depend on who could hold out longer.

He gave a slight nod and had the guards see Tao Jun out.

A guard came to report: "Physician Yang is here."

One important reason Song Yan had sent for Yang Xiushan was to ask him about his mother's illness.

When Yang Xiushan saw his injuries, he was so astonished that for a long while he could not collect himself; the moment he did, he asked urgently, "What happened to you?"

Song Yan had long since prepared his story, and now he told it, half truth and half lie: "When Mother passed away, Father was in a foul temper. I rushed home frantic with worry, then quarreled with him for not sending word sooner, and he beat me soundly for it."

"That was a beating far too severe!" Yang Xiushan shook his head again and again, then told Song Yan to summon Huang Zhongli as well. "His family has treated bone injuries for generations."

Song Yan was just then casting about for a way to bring pressure to bear on his father, and Yang Xiushan handed him a fine idea.

He followed it readily, sending at once for Huang Zhongli, and then fell to discussing his mother's illness with Yang Xiushan.

"It was chiefly a stagnation of the spirit," Yang Xiushan sighed. "An illness of the heart like that can only be cured by medicine for the heart."

He was a frequent visitor to the Yingzhen Ducal Estate and knew how very close Song Yan had been to his mother. He had meant to say that Song Yan ought to have been at Jiang-shi's bedside at the time, but the thought of Song Zhi's hand in it made him swallow the words.

Huang Zhongli had not yet arrived; Gu Yu came first, carrying a great heap of medicines and tonics.

At the sight of Song Yan, he drew in a sharp breath.

Yang Xiushan also often attended the ladies of the Yunyang Earl's household and was well acquainted with Gu Yu. After a few courteous words, he tactfully excused himself on the pretext of writing out a prescription, yielding the place to Gu Yu.

The moment Yang Xiushan had gone, Gu Yu sat down on the brocade stool before Song Yan's bed, his face darkening: "What happened? Why did you want me to keep my uncle there for a few hours?"