Xie Lin clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking that you’re eager to play the role of a gracious host, but would Su Xingze let you? Looking at the situation, it seems highly unlikely.
He ignored Zhou Gu’s suggestion and continued to question Su Xingze, "Brother Su, what do you think?"
Su Xingze shook his head and spoke in a gentle tone, "Master Xie has a residence in the Capital City, and he has already given me the keys. After I arrive in the Capital, I will stay at his residence, so there’s no need to trouble you, Brother Xie."
Implicit in this response, he had no intention of staying at the Duke Residence.
With an "Oh my" expression, Xie Lin added, "I completely forgot. Master Xie was a renowned figure in the Capital when he was here. He has been away for many years, and I thought he might have sold the house. But apparently not."
After pausing in reflection, he stated, "My grandfather would often say, both bear the surname Xie, why didn’t my dad have Xie Yuan’s intelligence?"
Su Xingze gave a small smile but chose not to comment.
Xie Lin asked, "Where is this residence located?"
In Daliang, the Capital City, with the Imperial Palace at the center, there’s a saying that the east is the wealthy district and the west is filled with nobility, the south is for the poor and the north is for the humble. The Rui’an King’s Residence and the Duke Residence are both located in the West City surrounding the Imperial City. Xie Lin wondered where Xie Yuan’s mansion was and how convenient it would be to visit him.
"It is located in East Fourth Hutong in the East City," replied Su Xingze.
"A quarter of an hour by horse, half an hour by carriage. It’s not too far." Xie Lin quickly calculated the distance.
Zhou Gu opened his mouth to speak but decided against it. He was surprised that Xie Yuan still had a house in the Capital. He had originally planned to house Su Xingze in the Duke Residence, hence the reason he deliberately waited for Su Xingze in Jiangzhou for two days.
The waiter came over with their dishes, halting their conversation.
After their meal, Su Xingze returned to his room. Zhou Gu, feeling quite moody, decided not to return to his room and, instead, have a walk outside.
Xie Lin saw him leave and shouted, "Hey, where are you going?"
"Just for a walk," he responded.
"I will go with you." Xie Lin followed him.
Zhou Gu didn’t object.
They walked out of the inn together and strolled down the street. Xie Lin could see that Zhou Gu seemed a bit upset, which was understandable. Anyone would feel dispirited dealing with someone as troublesome as Duanhua.
He leaned closer to Zhou Gu and whispered, "Hey, I think this wife of yours might be hard to marry."
Zhou Gu gave Xie Lin a sidelong glance, "Are you making fun of me?"
Xie Lin raised an eyebrow, "Wasn’t it you who invited me to enjoy your predicament? Initially, I didn’t fancy it, but you insisted. Do you think I enjoy getting involved with Duanhua? What if she holds a grudge against me? Then I’d also have to bear the consequence."
Zhou Gu snorted, "What’s there to fear about her?"
Xie Lin tutted, "If you’re not fearful, then why are you upset?"
Zhou Gu fell silent.
Understanding the situation, Xie Lin commented, "I see. It’s because of Brother Su’s attitude. I must say, he is quite impressive. Take your situation today, for example. As a future in-law, after witnessing everything, most people would bear a grudge against you. But Brother Su carried on as if nothing had happened."
He gave a thumbs-up, "Bravo! I’ve said it before, he will surely have a seat of influence in the Capital."
Upon hearing these words, Zhou Gu contemplated whether his intuition was wrong and if Su Xingze was the one behaving inappropriately. He asked, "You also think his reaction was inappropriate?"
"What do you mean by ’inappropriate’? A normal person wouldn’t react as he did." Xie Lin responded.
Zhou Gu nodded and then uncharacteristically asked Xie Lin’s opinion, "So, what do you think he was really thinking?"
"What can he be thinking? He’s just damn smart and calculated, deep like a sea. Regardless of how he treats you outwardly, he most likely remembers everything. Maybe he’ll write to Lady Su Qi about it in the future," Xie Lin said while looking at Zhou Gu, "But I think you didn’t do anything wrong today. There’s no need to be overly concerned. Your cold and ruthless manner almost made me sympathize with Duanhua. Only you could have been so heartless to her. If it were someone else, they wouldn’t be able do it. Lady Su Qi is sensible, she will not be displeased with you. Duanhua might be a bit of trouble, which may cause Lady Su Qi a headache."
Zhou Gu pursed his lips, "Is that so?"
"Yeah, if not this, then what?" Xie Lin counter-questioned.
Zhou Gu could not find the words to articulate it, but his instincts told him it was definitely not like that. He irritably said, "Never mind."
Not like he could ask Su Xingze for the answer anyway.
Xie Lin patted Zhou Gu on the shoulder, sensing his annoyance. In contrast, his own mood had significantly improved. Rather arrogantly, he said, "You deserve your annoyance, if you had not snatched her from me, I would be marrying Qin Luan by now."
It implies that Duanhua is the stumbling block in the path towards your wedding, just as I couldn’t marry the woman I loved because of your interference.
Zhou Gu managed another cold snort.
Seeing Zhou Gu unable to argue back, and his face gloomy, Xie Lin felt relief. Still, he sighed deeply as he mentioned Qin Luan, his joy fading. "Who knows if she’s doing well in the Eastern Palace? The Crown Prince...can a woman occupy a place in his heart? I highly doubt it."
He wasn’t just being frivolous. The Crown Prince was so profoundly dignified and righteous, his mind filled with strategic considerations for the State. He wasn’t one to be indulgent in love, particularly having been rigorously taught by the stringent Grand Tutor Qin since childhood.
A girl like Qin Luan, regardless of whose household she ends up in, with her beauty, intelligence and wiliness, would be able to secure a good life for herself. However, ending up in the Eastern Palace was entirely unpredictable.
One must say the old Duke was incredibly shrewd to send her straight into the Imperial Palace for the Emperor to decide. And His Majesty deals with the situation by simply handing her over to the Eastern Palace.
Even if the women who enter the Eastern Palace can technically leave at any time, there’s little hope for departure. Unless, in some future day, the Emperor dies, and the Crown Prince comes to power. But until when? He can hardly wait that long.
Xie Lin felt like his heart was shattered and he no longer had the motivation to try and take her back.
Zhou Gu remembered the person the Crown Prince had asked him to find. Despite having searched the whole Jiangning County, they were unable to find the person holding his dagger. But later, the Crown Prince told him the person had been found and that he needn’t search anymore.
So he thought, was it really that the Crown Prince was incapable of having a woman in his heart, or just the women of the Capital City?
But since the Crown Prince wanted to keep this a secret, he naturally wouldn’t share it with Xie Lin. As they walked down the street, he saw a vendor selling candied chestnuts, and decided to buy a bag.
Xie Lin was surprised. "You actually like these?"
Zhou Gu hesitated a little, then replied: "Su Rong likes them." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
Xie Lin laughed, taunting him. "Zhou Gu, Zhou Gu, to think you’d ever see this day!"
At the time when they were both vying for Qin Luan, he had been puzzled. He didn’t see any signs of Zhou Gu expressing his preference, but here he was trying to take her away. After discovering the reason, he was furious. He had cursed Zhou Gu at the time, promising to do the same when Zhou Gu met the woman he loved—either take her away or at least sabotage his chances.
But soon enough, he heard that Zhou Gu was engaged to someone, a humble commoner girl. Shocked at the news, he naturally put off the idea of fighting Zhou Gu for a woman. What is there to fight for over a commoner girl?
But Zhou Gu seemed so affected by the announcement. Out of curiosity, he traveled to Jiangning County. He wanted to see what sort of betrothed could make Zhou Gu to overlook her common status. And certainly, meeting Su Rong surprised him.
Even though Su Rong was decent, she was Zhou Gu’s legally betrothed woman. Unlike with Qin Luan, he couldn’t take another man’s legally promised wife. That would be disgraceful. So, he had to let it go.
But seeing Duanhua now, he could not help but sigh. Could his earlier curse really have come true?
"So what if I do?" Zhou Gu retorted, holding the bag of candied chestnuts. After paying the vendor, he continoued the walk. "My fiancee is mine by right."
Seeing Zhou Gu’s resolve, Xie Lin felt guilty and stopped teasing him. Instead, he showed support: "Fine, as long as you can successfully marry your fiancée."
Zhou Gu glanced at him, reminding him of a promise: "Don’t worry. I will help you find another woman like Qin Luan."
Xie Lin could only stay silent. But in his heart, he thought: There’s truly no need!
After some more aimless wandering, the two men finally started back towards their inn as the day grew darker. They noticed a light in Su Xingze’s room, his silhouette visible against the window, seemingly engrossed in a book.
Zhou Gu made his way to the room, not having touched a single chestnut, and knocked on the door. "Brother Su."
Su Xingze set down his scrolls and went to the door, looking at Zhou Gu. "What is it?"
Zhou Gu extended the bag of candied chestnuts, "I saw a vendor selling these on the street. The last time Xiao Qi and I were out, she bought a lot, mentioning that one portion was for you. I thought you might like it too, so I bought you some."
Su Xingze remained silent for a moment.
The candied chestnuts weren’t for him, but for Su Rong and Yuewan. Whenever he was at the Duke Residence, Su Rong would always share with him whatever she bought, irrespective of whether he liked it or not. The other six young mistresses at the residence were jealous and accused Su Rong of favoritism. Whenever she needed to borrow silver, she would turn to them, but when she had treats, she wouldn’t share.
Naturally, Su Rong wouldn’t tell them that he had given her fifty taels of silver every month, and this gift was just a token of gratitude. She simply insisted that as the only brother amongst numerous sisters, he deserved some special treatment.
Thinking back on this, he couldn’t help but smile and accepted Zhou Gu’s gift. "Thank you."
Zhou Gu noticed Su Xingze’s smile and felt a sense of relief that he had bought the right thing. "Get some rest, Brother Su. We will continue our journey early tomorrow."
Su Xingze nodded. "Alright, you should rest early too."
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