Taiheiki

Chapter 296 Family Gathering
Yes, he doesn't have time! He has too many things to do!

Dou Yun didn't speak, but simply gestured to close the window, and the maid quickly closed it.

"It's getting late. We need to go to the palace to pay our respects to the Empress Dowager at noon! Is my husband still in the courtyard or the study?" Dou Yun asked.

“No! I didn’t see him!” a maid replied.

"He must have gone to Mengjin Ferry!" another maid guessed. "The General has been spending a lot of time there lately. I heard they're building a pontoon bridge to connect Hebei and Henan!"

"Really? Such a wide river, connected by a bridge?" The first maid covered her mouth in surprise. "I can't believe it!"

"Who knows? I learned this from one of the general's guards! But he's done a lot of unbelievable things. The guard said he owns a big city in Jiaozhou, and in just a few years, the population has multiplied several times!"

"Did he forcibly relocate people from the surrounding area? But if so, what will these people eat?"

"It doesn't seem so. He said that ordinary people can find many opportunities to make money there, so he came on his own initiative. What I mean is, this general has abilities we can't even imagine, maybe he can even build this bridge!"

"Is that so?" The maid sneered. "Hurry up and help the lady wash; the water's getting cold!"

With the help of her maid, Dou Yun undressed. The room was warm; she heard that the craftsmen had built pipes to supply heat under the floor and in the walls, as instructed by Wei Cong, making the room warm without the smell of firewood. Although she didn't particularly like this unfamiliar husband, she had to admit that he was a man of extraordinary talent.

"Madam, this is your first time meeting the Empress Dowager since your marriage!" the maid said with a smile. "You're newlyweds, His Majesty will surely reward you handsomely!"

“Yes! The Marquis of Weiyang will definitely be there too!” another maidservant laughed. “He’ll certainly be even more handsome now!”

"Bah! You little brat, how dare you covet the Marquis of Weiyang!"

Watching her two maids playfully bickering, a smile involuntarily crept onto Dou Yun's face. It reminded her of her carefree past, when, like any girl her age, she admired handsome young men, her life filled only with flowers, outings, companions, beautiful clothes, and banquets. Even the occasional quarrels now seemed so warm and precious in retrospect. And now—

When Wei Cong appeared with Nie Sheng, Dou Yun had just finished showering. "You look absolutely stunning today, my wife!" Wei Cong gently embraced Dou Yun, then turned to Nie Sheng and asked, "Is everything ready?"

"Everything is ready!" Nie Sheng said in a deep voice. "There are two hundred guards from the General's Mansion to the Southern Palace. After entering the palace, they will be sword and halberd warriors. They are all handpicked by me, our men!"

"Very good!" Wei Cong nodded in satisfaction and patted Nie Sheng on the shoulder: "Go outside and wait for me for a while!"

"Yes, sir!" Nie Sheng bowed to Wei Cong and Dou Yun and walked out the door. Wei Cong smiled slightly: "Your father and Uncle Dou Wu will also be here today. It's just a family gathering, no outsiders are present, so you don't need to be so nervous!"

"Really!" Dou Yun breathed a sigh of relief: "Then why are you so concerned about the guards?"

“This isn’t about guarding against the Empress Dowager; we’re all in the same boat!” Wei Cong shook his head. “But there are too many people in Luoyang who want me dead. If I die, the whole of Luoyang, no, the whole country, will be in chaos!” As he said this, the smile on his face receded like the tide, revealing the cold, dark rocks beneath.

"Yes, no matter what clothes this man wears, he's still a man-eating beast inside!" Dou Yun thought to herself, but remembering what her mother had told her before she left home, she reached out her right hand and grasped Wei Cong's hand: "Don't worry, everything will be alright!"

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Just as Wei Cong had said, almost everyone present at the West Palace that noon was an important member of the Dou family. It was a private family banquet to welcome the newlywed Dou Yun back to her parents' home for a visit. The palace chefs displayed their skills, continuously serving up a variety of precious dishes on each person's table: sashimi of carp, roasted pork, stuffed tofu, cucumber jelly, and so on. Musicians behind the pillars played various beautiful melodies, and palace maids performed dances. Of course, the most important thing was the wine—all kinds of fine wines. The banquet had only just begun when members of the Dou clan behind the tables came one by one with wine cups to Wei Cong and Dou Yun, toasting the honored guests of the day.

"Nephew Mengde! Let's be more informal today; I won't address you by your official title!" The speaker was a burly man in his early forties with a long beard, who seemed to be one of Dou Wu's cousins. He raised his wine cup and clinked it against Wei Cong's: "Although there have been some twists and turns in the past, we have ultimately become one family. From now on, we must work together wholeheartedly. I've watched A-Yun grow up; she's a truly good daughter. You must also give it your all!"

"Huh? Give it your all?" Wei Cong looked at the old face in front of him, somewhat bewildered. Then he heard the long-bearded man reveal a somewhat lewd smile: "What else could I possibly do? It's all about the bed, of course! Get my niece pregnant as soon as possible, so she can give you a son. That way, you'll have a powerful backer! Don't you think so?"

"Correct!"

"Not bad!"

The crowd around them cheered and jeered. The burly man with the long beard downed his drink in one gulp and sang in unison, "We are husband and wife, bound by love and trust."

"Joy is in the air tonight, and beauty is in the perfect time!" the others echoed, making Wei Cong somewhat embarrassed.

"Make way, all of you make way!" It was Dou Wu who spoke. "What are you all doing? Get out of here!" He pushed the crowd aside, sat down in front of Wei Cong, and said with a smile, "General, please forgive me. These fellows have no manners at all. How can they behave like this? Please forgive them!"

“They meant well, I appreciate it!” Wei Cong said with a smile. “That’s good! That’s good!” Dou Wu glanced at Dou Yun and laughed, “Yun, the husband your uncle has chosen for you is no ordinary man. He can be called a peerless talent. Compared to him, the young men of our clan are simply good-for-nothings!”

"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle!" Dou Yun bowed and expressed her gratitude.

"We're all family, no need to thank me!" Dou Wu laughed. "As long as you take good care of your husband and give birth to a son soon, the Han Dynasty will have a strong support system, and the Dou clan will remember your kindness!"

"I will always remember my uncle's words!"

Upon hearing Dou Wu's words, which implied that Dou Yun was merely a breeding machine, Wei Cong quickly smiled and said, "Uncle, there's no need to pressure me. Whether or not there's a boy, Yun is my legal wife, and I am the son-in-law of the Dou family!"

"If that's the case, then that would be for the best!" Dou Wu sighed. "By the way, I heard you already have a son born out of wedlock, is that true?"

"That is indeed the case, and it still happens in Jiaozhou!" Wei Cong replied.

"Then let me be so bold as to say something!" Dou Wu coughed repeatedly, "According to the law, since A-Yun is your legal wife, even if the child is not born to her, it is still her child. Why not send him to Luoyang and let A-Yun raise him?"

"This—" Wei Cong was stunned. Dou Wu's suggestion was rather abrupt. Indeed, according to the rites of the Han Dynasty, even if a son was not born of the principal wife, the relationship between them was that of mother and son. However, in most cases, the principal wife would not raise the son. Generally, only when the principal wife herself could not give birth to a son, or when the son's mother had died, would the principal wife raise the son herself. And this son raised would usually be treated as the legitimate son and become the heir of the family. But Dou Yun and Wei Cong had only been married for a few days, and there was absolutely no need for this.

"Isn't that unnecessary?" Wei Cong said with a wry smile. "A-Yun is still very young, she has plenty of time to have her own children!"

"I was just saying!" Dou Wu laughed. "After all, Luoyang is the capital. If your illegitimate son stays in Jiaozhou, wouldn't he be neglected? The child is still young, so it's better for him to come to Luoyang!"

"What you said makes sense. Let me think about it first!" Wei Cong said perfunctorily. Dou Wu wouldn't speak carelessly, of course. If he had to pinpoint a motive, it was that he wanted to eliminate the possibility that Dou Yun wouldn't be able to give birth to a son, and to ensure Wei Cong's kinship with the Dou family. However, by doing this, he completely disregarded his niece's feelings, which was indeed quite ruthless! Thinking of this, Wei Cong subconsciously glanced at his wife.

"General, General!" It was Dou Ji who spoke. He stood behind Dou Wu and said to Wei Cong, "His Majesty requests that you and your wife come over!"

"Oh! Please forgive me, Uncle!" Wei Cong quickly bowed to Dou Wu, helped Dou Yun to her feet, and then they walked together toward Dou Miao's throne.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!" Wei Cong and Dou Yun said in unison.

"Didn't I say? There's no need for formalities today, just let's talk about family ties! Come, come closer, A-Yun, sit here!" Seeing that Dou Miao's face was already a little tipsy, she patted the seat next to her, gesturing for Dou Yun to sit down next to her, and grabbed the other's arm, laughing, "A-Yun, the General is a veteran of countless battles, with muscles of iron. Have you been able to withstand these past few days?" Then she laughed, "This is your good fortune. There are at least 80,000 to 100,000 women in Luoyang who want to climb into your husband's bed. Others who have climbed to this position are at least forty or fifty years old, but he is in his prime. You have at least twenty more years of good days ahead of you. Not to mention others, even I, your sister, am very envious!"

"Your Majesty, you flatter me!" Wei Cong was somewhat embarrassed by what she said, and said with a wry smile, "Don't forget your place!"

"What status do you have? Everyone in the hall today is family!" She patted Dou Ji on the shoulder: "Aji, don't you think I'm right? A woman should marry a strong man. The late emperor was far from good in this respect, not to mention how many women he had in the palace, too many to count. How many women does the Grand General have around him? Ayun, you are so lucky!"

“Sister is right!” Dou Ji quickly replied, “The General’s knowledge and abilities are extraordinary. I have also learned a lot by working by his side these days!”

"The sun rose in the west today!" Dou Miao laughed. "Our Ah Ji would actually say such a thing? Come, come, tell me what you've learned these days?"

"It's about allocating land according to rank!" Dou Ji looked somewhat embarrassed, but still forced himself to say, "I learned a method of calculation from Chief Secretary Huang under the General. Without counting rods, I only need to write and draw on paper, and I can calculate millions without error."

"That's certainly enlightening!" Dou Miao laughed. "That's good. The next generation of the Dou family depends on you. After all, A-Yun and I are both daughters, so we can only get married. By the way, General, what do you think A-Ji should do next?"

"If Your Majesty is at ease, after this matter is settled, let the Marquis of Weiyang go with my adopted son to train troops! Luoyang is too small with just the Northern Army; I plan to establish a new army!"

"Your adopted son? The General of the Five Offices? That's good. He's only been in office for a short time and he's already transformed the officials!" Dou Miao was overjoyed: "Aji, you should learn from him. If you have even half of his abilities, our Dou family will produce a talent."

Sitting beside the Empress Dowager, Dou Yun suddenly found her family members utterly unfamiliar. They drank and ate heartily, chatting and laughing around her husband, flattering, praising, and complimenting him, praising her as a blessing and wishing her to bear him a son soon. Even Dou Miao, who had grown up with her and was now the Empress Dowager of the Han Dynasty, was like this; she even uttered ambiguous words. Thinking of this, she felt her stomach churning, as if a bat was flying inside.

And what about me? What about Dou Yun? What am I to these family members? A gift, a tool, or a rope to pull Wei Cong into the Dou family? If I were to die tomorrow, these people wouldn't weep or grieve, but would instead discuss sending another daughter to Wei Cong to replace me. As for me, I would soon be forgotten, and even my parents wouldn't shed a single tear.

Would you like something to eat?

"Oh?" Dou Yun was startled out of her thoughts. She saw Wei Cong looking at her, holding a plate with minced chicken and fried eggs on it. "I see you haven't eaten much, just drinking. That won't do, it'll ruin your stomach!" Wei Cong laughed and said, "Eat something to line your stomach. I think this banquet will last a long time! You can't just drink and not eat!"

"Thank you so much!" Dou Yun lowered her head awkwardly, taking the plate Wei Cong handed her. She could hear the envious praise from her family members. They were surprised that Wei Cong, as a husband, was so considerate, noticing that his wife hadn't eaten and even going so far as to personally get her food—something not usually done by a man of such high status. But at that moment, Dou Yun felt more disgust than joy.

(End of this chapter)