Dou Zhao was still preoccupied with the case involving Jiang Bosun and Song Mo. When she heard that Jiang Lizhu was seeking an audience, she immediately welcomed her to the inner chamber, dismissed the servants, and asked, “Do you have any urgent matters?”
Unexpectedly, Jiang Lizhu said, “Is Sister Yan’s marriage arrangement not going smoothly?”
“It’s a bit difficult,” Dou Zhao sighed. “Most of those seeking her hand have ulterior motives.” She continued, “I understand that Yan is remarrying, and those who come to propose have certainly given it much thought. Having ulterior motives is only human nature, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as there’s no malicious intent. But these suitors are either too old, with eldest sons almost of marriageable age, or cannot support themselves, relying on their brothers or elders. Given Yan’s gentle and naive nature, I’m not comfortable marrying her into such families.”
Jiang Lizhu nodded.
If the suitor was too old, the marriage might not last long; if he had to rely on his brothers or elders, there would be too many conflicts. Moreover, since Jiang Yan was remarrying, some mistreatment was inevitable. If her husband couldn’t stand up for her when she was wronged, it would be the worst situation.
She hesitated for a moment, then said thoughtfully, “Sister-in-law, may I suggest someone for your consideration?”
Dou Zhao was somewhat surprised, but she knew Jiang Lizhu wasn’t the type to speak without thinking. Since she had brought it up, she must have given it careful thought. So, Dou Zhao responded seriously, “Please, go ahead.”
Jiang Lizhu said, “Mr. Chen Jia from the Jinyiwei Zhenfusi, what do you think of him?”
Dou Zhao was furious.
She hadn’t expected Chen Jia to be this kind of person!
She had entrusted Chen Jia to handle Jiang Yan’s affairs because she trusted him, and now he was setting his sights on Jiang Yan!
His intentions were truly despicable!
Dou Zhao almost jumped up. But when she saw Jiang Lizhu’s sincere and honest expression, she calmed down.
Even if Chen Jia had such intentions and approached Jiang Lizhu, Jiang Lizhu wouldn’t have come to tell her this without careful consideration.
Could this be Jiang Lizhu’s idea?
Or perhaps Jiang Yan’s wish?
Dou Zhao felt a moment of panic.
She feared that Chen Jia might have sweet-talked Jiang Yan… Even if she exposed Chen Jia’s true nature, how could feelings that had already developed be easily retracted?
Jiang Yan had already experienced a difficult life, how could she bear to let her be hurt again?
Dou Zhao took a deep breath and asked, “How did you come to think of Mr. Chen?”
Jiang Lizhu then recounted the two occasions when she had seen Chen Jia and Jiang Yan together.
Hearing this, Dou Zhao fell into deep thought.
Jiang Lizhu continued, “I shouldn’t be interfering in this matter, firstly because I can see that both you and your husband truly love Yan, and secondly because I get along well with Yan and I’ve seen how much you’ve been worrying about her marriage. I know you don’t want to use Yan’s marriage for political alliances or to gain a good reputation for yourselves, which is why I spoke up. I understand your concerns, Sister-in-law, but I can assure you that both Yan and Mr. Chen are honorable people without any indecent thoughts. I suggested this match because I believe they are suitable for each other.” She then told Dou Zhao about her attempt to probe Jiang Yan’s feelings.
If Dou Zhao and Song Mo wanted to gain a good reputation, it would have been easier to keep Jiang Yan at home to observe widowhood rather than try to arrange a new marriage for her. That would have earned more praise from others.
Dou Zhao had never even considered matching Jiang Yan with Chen Jia.
In her view, Jiang Yan was very secretive about her past, and Chen Jia was privy to that information. She thought Jiang Yan would have felt uncomfortable around Chen Jia, not relaxed as Jiang Lizhu described.
She rubbed her forehead and murmured, “Let me think about it!”
Jiang Lizhu nodded and took her leave.
Jiang Yan and Chen Jia?
The more Dou Zhao thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.
Chen Jia was opportunistic, skilled, and ambitious. If Jiang Yan married him, would he truly treat her well?
Moreover, the Chen family was complicated.
Chen Jia had entered the Jinyiwei by inheriting his uncle’s position. It was said that because of this, his uncles had caused a huge uproar. If Chen Jia hadn’t quickly asked the Chen clan patriarch to intervene, he would have lost his position, and his uncles would have severed ties with him because of this.
Perhaps it’s better to let this matter go, Dou Zhao thought.
Jiang Yan came over.
She asked Dou Zhao with a bright smile, “I heard that Twelfth Sister came. Where is she?”
Her smile was as radiant as the midday sun, without a trace of gloom. Where was the usual reserve that often graced her face?
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but say, “There’s something I want to ask you…”
“Please, Sister-in-law, go ahead,” Jiang Yan said affectionately as she sat down beside Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao spoke hesitantly, in a low voice, “Lizhu came to act as a matchmaker for you…”
Jiang Yan’s face suddenly turned red, unlike her usual reaction of turning pale with fear at the mention of marriage proposals.
Dou Zhao noticed this and continued, “She mentioned Mr. Chen Jia…”
“Sister-in-law, please don’t listen to Twelfth Sister!” Jiang Yan suddenly remembered Jiang Lizhu’s probing questions and tightly grabbed Dou Zhao’s arm, her face turning pale instantly. “There’s nothing between Mr. Chen and me! I only asked him for information twice…” She shed tears of fear, “Sister-in-law, I beg you, please don’t trouble Mr. Chen. He’s a good person… I won’t see him again… He’s worked hard to get where he is today, please don’t tell Brother about this…”
Jiang Yan’s reaction was more intense than Dou Zhao had expected.
She recalled what Jiang Lizhu had said about seeing Jiang Yan and Chen Jia together.
Dou Zhao quickly put her arm around Jiang Yan’s shoulders and said gently, “Don’t worry, I don’t misunderstand you. I know you’re a well-behaved girl, and Lizhu genuinely wanted to act as a matchmaker for you…”
Jiang Yan felt slightly reassured but kept shaking her head, “Sister-in-law, I know you all mean well, but I don’t want to marry. I don’t want to marry anyone…”
Seeing her frightened expression, Dou Zhao quickly said, “Alright, alright! If you don’t want to marry, you don’t have to. You can stay at home and help me take care of Yuan’er.” She hugged Jiang Yan and gently patted her back to comfort her.
At this moment, Jiang Yan was filled with regret and self-loathing, unable to hold back her tears.
If she had known it would come to this, she should have told her brother and sister-in-law about borrowing money. Then Chen Jia wouldn’t have gotten into this trouble.
Choking with sobs, she told Dou Zhao about borrowing money: “Sister-in-law, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t borrowed a hundred taels of silver from Mr. Chen, he wouldn’t have met with me…”
Dou Zhao was stunned and said, “You’re saying you’ve repaid Mr. Chen forty-eight taels of silver and still owe him fifty-two taels?”
Fearing that Dou Zhao wouldn’t believe her, Jiang Yan quickly said, “The silver was delivered by a servant from our household. If you don’t believe me, I can call him in to testify.”
“Nonsense,” Dou Zhao gently scolded her while stroking her head. “You’re the young lady of this household. If you say it’s so, then it’s so. If you say it’s not, then it’s not. There’s no need to call in a servant to testify.”
Jiang Yan nodded.
Dou Zhao personally poured her a cup of hot tea and said, “Quickly wipe your tears and have some hot tea.”
Jiang Yan obediently wiped her tears and drank the tea.
Dou Zhao sighed.
Jiang Yan had lived in the Li family for too long, and some habits were hard to change. It would indeed be difficult for her to be a clan matriarch.
She helped Jiang Yan tidy her slightly disheveled hair.
Jiang Yan pleaded with Dou Zhao, “Sister-in-law, could you help me repay the fifty-two taels of silver to Mr. Chen? You can deduct it from my future allowances.”
Dou Zhao nodded with a smile, thinking of Chen Xi.
Could it be that Chen Jia needed that hundred taels of silver? And what was his mindset in accepting the forty-eight taels from Jiang Yan?
Dou Zhao’s mood became somewhat complex and indescribable.
She felt like she had realized something, yet she dared not believe her conjecture.
Dou Zhao immediately arranged for someone to repay the silver.
Jiang Yan left Dou Zhao’s room and cried silently back to Bichui Pavilion. As soon as she arrived, she immediately sent Yinghong: “Quickly go to the Chen family and tell Mrs. Tao Er that my sister-in-law knows about me borrowing money now. Tell Mr. Chen to be careful.”
She dared not say more, fearing that if word got out, it would make Chen Jia’s situation even more difficult. She believed that with his intelligence, he would surely understand her implied meaning and come up with a strategy to convince her brother and sister-in-law.
Yinghong responded with a “Yes,” but dared not take the initiative to pass on the message.
She first went to report to Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao was looking at account books when she heard this. She calmly said “I see” and added, “Since it’s the young lady’s order, just do as she says.”
Yinghong didn’t know what Dou Zhao meant, so she nervously complied and left, heading towards Yuqiao Hutong.
Dou Zhao let out a long sigh.
She had elevated Jiang Yan’s status so much, yet Jiang Yan couldn’t even control the maid by her side.
If Jiang Yan married Chen Jia… given Chen Jia’s capability, surely no one would dare to play tricks on Jiang Yan, right?
She put down the account book.
It might be good to let Yinghong go and inform Chen Jia.
Whether this matter succeeds or not would depend on Chen Jia’s choice.
Chen Jia returned home very late.
From a distance, he saw someone waiting for him at his door.
At first, Chen Jia thought it was someone seeking his help, but as he got closer, he realized it was Mrs. Tao Er.
He was quite surprised.
Mrs. Tao Er managed the inner courtyard, but he had no women in his inner courtyard. What could be the matter?
Before his sedan chair had even stopped, Mrs. Tao Er hurriedly came forward.
“Master, Miss Yinghong from the mansion came,” she said, then stopped abruptly.
Chen Jia’s heart skipped a beat. He got out of the sedan and strode towards the inside.
Mrs. Tao Er jogged behind him.
Chen Jia stopped in the middle of the courtyard, with Xiaohu guarding the moon gate.
He glanced at the empty courtyard before quietly saying, “Speak.”
Mrs. Tao Er then relayed Jiang Yan’s message to Chen Jia.
Chen Jia immediately understood Jiang Yan’s intention.
He was suddenly struck as if by lightning, unable to react for a long time.
Given Song Yantang’s character and his protective love for Jiang Yan, he would surely err on the side of caution and assume the worst!
How could he be so unlucky?
He had only lent Jiang Yan a hundred taels of silver, yet now he was suspected of seducing her… It seems that no good deed goes unpunished.
What should he do now?
Should he explain this to Song Yantang?
Would he even listen?
Someone like himself probably meant less to Song Yantang than a dog he kept.
If he didn’t explain?
Everything he had worked so hard for would likely vanish like flowing water!
Chen Jia gazed at the night sky, feeling that his life was like this night sky – pitch black, without a glimmer of light.
But inexplicably, Jiang Yan’s eyes appeared in his mind.
Dark and bright, steadily looking at him, full of trust.