Dou Zhao felt she might not die soon.
The elderly often said that dreaming of death brings life, while dreaming of life brings death. These days, she kept dreaming of her childhood — sitting under a trellis full of blooming wisteria, swinging her chubby little legs while her plump white nanny, who looked like a steamed bun, was feeding her.
When the wind blew, the hanging wisteria vines pressed together, their abundant clusters rustling like a group of young girls whispering among themselves.
Finding it amusing, she ran over with a giggle, grabbed a vine, and casually plucked a fully bloomed wisteria flower.
Her nanny chased after her: “Fourth Young Miss, be good, finish this bite of food, and Seventh Master will be back from the capital. He’ll bring Fourth Young Miss many delicious treats and pretty shoes and socks…”
She ignored her nanny, avoiding the extended silver spoon, and grabbed another vine to pluck another wisteria flower.
Then a clear, pleasant female voice came from nearby: “What’s this? Is Fourth Young Miss being disobedient again?”
Upon hearing this voice, the nanny immediately turned and curtsied in the direction of the voice, respectfully calling out “Seventh Madam.”
She clutched the wisteria flowers and ran over: “Mother, Mother…”
The young woman tenderly embraced her.
She proudly showed her mother the wisteria flowers in her hand.
The spring sunlight shone on her mother’s gold hairpin and bright red gold-threaded jacket, reflecting dazzling rays. Her mother’s form seemed coated in gold leaf, so bright it made her eyes sting. Her mother’s face melted into that golden halo, making her features unclear.
“Mother, Mother…” She fought back the sting in her eyes, tilting her head up high, trying to see her mother clearly.
But her mother’s face became increasingly blurry.
A young maid came running over, excitedly reporting: “Seventh Madam, Seventh Master has returned from the capital!”
“Really!” Her mother stood up in surprise and joy, lifting her skirts to rush outside.
She pattered after her mother on short chubby legs: “Mother, Mother!”
But her mother walked faster and faster, about to disappear into the spring light.
She grew anxious and shouted at her mother’s joyful retreating figure: “Mother, Mother, Father didn’t come back alone, he brought a woman! She’ll steal your position as first wife and drive you to despair until you hang yourself…”
But for some reason, these crucial words kept circling in her mind and on her tongue without making a sound. She could only watch helplessly as her mother’s figure gradually vanished from sight.
Anxious and desperate, she ran around searching for her mother.
In the white light, there was a group of adults arguing.
She ran over.
While pushing through the crowd, she asked anxiously: “Have you seen my mother? Have you seen my mother?”
They were all too busy arguing to pay attention to her.
Mother, where did you go?
She looked around in confusion.
Suddenly she saw a hall with colored glass panes in its doors. The door was half-open, and it seemed there were shadows moving inside.
Could mother be hiding in there?
She ran over joyfully and pushed open the door with a creak.
Half of a bright red gold-threaded Xiang skirt1 swayed in the air. Below the skirt hem, two feet were visible — one wearing only a snow-white silk sock, the other wearing a red silk embroidered shoe with mandarin ducks playing in water…
She woke up from her dream screaming, drenched in sweat.
The familiar octagonal palace lamp was still there in the corner, quietly emitting its bright yet soft glow.
The room was silent. The head maid Cui Leng was dozing on a small stool by the bed.
Dou Zhao took a deep breath.
So that scream was only in her dream!
She suppressed the panic in her heart.
During her illness, the household had been turned upside down, especially her personal maids who took turns watching her day and night without daring to blink. They must be exhausted.
Dou Zhao didn’t disturb Cui Leng. Looking at the lamplight in the corner, she couldn’t help thinking about her recent dream.
Her mother died when she was only one year and eleven months old. She remembered nothing. If it weren’t for her mother’s loyal servant Tuo Niang finding her later, she wouldn’t even know how her mother died, let alone these details.
Clearly this was all conjured up from her thoughts during the day becoming dreams at night, imagining things based on Tuo Niang’s words!
Dou Zhao felt a heaviness in her chest, an suffocating discomfort that made her turn over.
The rustling of fabric seemed especially clear and loud in the quiet night.
Cui Leng woke with a start, and realizing she had fallen asleep during her night watch, called out “Madam” in alarm.
Dou Zhao gave her a reassuring smile and said: “I’m thirsty.”
“I’ll get you tea right away.” Cui Leng jumped up, letting out a relieved sigh.
After taking a sip of hot tea, Dou Zhao asked: “What time is it now? Has the Marquis returned?”
“Just past midnight,” Cui Leng stammered, “The Marquis… hasn’t returned yet.” She seemed very uneasy.
Dou Zhao’s gaze darkened.
She had caught a cold while viewing chrysanthemums at her cousin’s — the Crown Prince’s wife Wei Yan Zhen’s residence — on the Double Ninth Festival. At first she had a slight fever. No one, including Dou Zhao herself, thought much of it. They assumed a few doses of medicine from the Imperial Doctor would cure it, but after several doses, not only did she not improve, she got worse.
Ten days ago she became bedridden, which finally alarmed everyone in the household. They called doctors, held religious ceremonies, prayed to Buddha, causing quite an uproar.
Her husband, Marquis Wei Ting Yu, even had maids set up a couch behind a screen where he slept every night to attend to her needs.
Yesterday afternoon, Fourth Master Wang Qing Hai from the Ding’an Marquis’s household came to see Wei Ting Yu.
The two whispered together for a long while before Wei Ting Yu made an excuse about going out to dinner with Wang Qing Hai. He still hadn’t returned.
Wang Qing Hai’s courtesy name2 was Da He. Like Wei Ting Yu, he came from a noble family. They grew up together and both enjoyed riding, archery and football, becoming especially close friends who often went horseback riding, playing polo, football, hunting and racing together. Usually, Dou Zhao wouldn’t think anything of it and would continue sleeping peacefully. But just half a month ago, Wang Qing Hai’s father-in-law, East Peace Baron Zhou Shao Chuan, was imprisoned in the imperial jail and stripped of his title for corruption. Wang was running around trying to help his father-in-law, and she worried Wei Ting Yu would get involved.
“Have the servants at the second gate check if the Marquis is resting in his study,” Dou Zhao said worriedly. “If he’s not there, tell the main gate guards to ask him to return to the main chamber when he gets back.”
Cui Leng left to do as told.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she hurried back: “Madam, the Marquis has returned!” She paused, then added, “The Marquis just came back from outside and headed straight for Madam’s chambers.”
“I understand.” Dou Zhao struggled to sit up.
Just as Cui Leng was about to help fix her hair, Wei Ting Yu entered the inner chamber.
Though past thirty, Wei Ting Yu was unlike other nobles of similar privileged backgrounds who either appeared listless from overindulgence in wine and women, or became fat and sluggish from living in luxury.
He was tall and straight-backed, with handsome refined features. His movements were agile, full of vitality.
He seemed even more spirited than in his youth, looking no more than twenty-five or twenty-six, and was known as one of the capital’s most handsome men.
Seeing Dou Zhao sitting up wrapped in her robe, he asked in surprise: “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
But Dou Zhao asked: “What did Fourth Master Wang want with you?”
“Oh!” Wei Ting Yu’s gaze shifted evasively, “Nothing much, he was just feeling dejected and wanted to drink with me…”
“My lord!” Dou Zhao raised her voice, cutting him off unceremoniously, “Fourth Master Wang came to ask for your help, didn’t he? Have you thought carefully about why the East Peace Baron was imprisoned? If you get involved in this mess, do you know what trouble it could bring? Even if you don’t care about me, your mother is elderly and the children are still young — are you going to disregard them all?”
“Stop treating me like a three-year-old child.” Wei Ting Yu smiled, “East Peace Baron was only imprisoned because he said some foolish things while drunk that offended His Majesty. Who in the capital doesn’t know this? Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. This won’t affect you or the children.” His tone was rather dismissive.
The current Emperor had ascended to the throne through a palace coup and was most sensitive to private discussions about this matter. The so-called drunken ramblings of the East Peace Baron likely concerned this.
After over ten years of marriage, Dou Zhao knew Wei Ting Yu’s temperament well.
His response made her even more worried, and she insisted on getting a promise from him: “…Don’t get involved in anything related to the Zhou family!”
Wei Ting Yu’s anger rose at her words. He said displeasedly: “What do you mean? Da He is my closest friend. If he’s in trouble and I just stand by, what kind of person would that make me?” Then he sneered, “It’s good that Da He didn’t ask me to appeal to your father, otherwise wouldn’t you accuse me of causing trouble!”
Dou Zhao’s father Dou Shi Ying was the Director of the Hanlin Academy3 and Vice Director of the Household of the Heir Apparent4, only a fourth-rank official, yet highly valued by the Emperor who often summoned him to the palace to lecture the Crown Prince and other princes.
Hearing these cutting words, she nearly fainted from anger.
Seeing this, Wei Ting Yu felt guilty and said quietly: “Do you know what Da He came to see me about?” His eyes widened in anger as he continued furiously, “That dog Song Mo has taken the Zhou family’s thirteenth and fourteenth young ladies into his household!”
Dou Zhao was shocked: “What about Madam Zhou?”
“Also in his household.” Wei Ting Yu’s voice was barely audible, his expression embarrassed.
Dou Zhao gasped.
Madam Zhou was East Peace Baron’s second wife, the niece of Miyun Guard Commander Cao Jie. She was only thirty-two years old and very beautiful. The Zhou family’s thirteenth and fourteenth young ladies were Madam Zhou’s daughters, a pair of sisters who surpassed their mother in beauty. Though not yet of age, suitors were already lining up at their door.
“He abandons virtue and abuses power so openly, yet His Majesty does nothing?”
Wei Ting Yu laughed coldly: “When he killed his father and brother, His Majesty only punished him by withholding three years of salary and removing his official position, letting him atone through meritorious service. Do you think His Majesty would blame him for this?”
Dou Zhao fell silent.
- A type of Chinese historical garment (hanfu). ↩︎
- It’s an additional name given to an individual as they reach adulthood, in addition to their given name. In traditional Chinese society, it was considered disrespectful to use someone’s given name in adulthood, so courtesy names were essential for formal writing and communication. ↩︎
- It’s an elite scholarly instution founded to perform secretarial, archival, and literary tasks for the imperial court. ↩︎
- Aka crown prince. ↩︎
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