Zhou Gu had not yet mentioned this matter to Su Rong.
Before leaving Jiangning County, Zhou Gu had not made up his mind. If he didn’t want to marry Su Rong, he wouldn’t hesitate, but because he no longer rejects the idea of marrying Su Rong and even feels somewhat pleased with it, he has been torn and hasn’t brought it up. On the day when Su Rong sent him out of the city, she said there was no hurry, which slightly annoyed him, so he directly got on his horse and left.
The old Duke, seeing him silent, responded irritably, "What? Haven’t brought it up?"
Zhou Gu shook his head, "No."
The old Duke said, "You’re a grown man. Do I still need to teach you how to get along with young ladies? Let me tell you, when getting along with a young lady’s family, the most taboo thing is not to speak out about your feelings. If you don’t say it, how can others know? They might think you don’t value her. Over time, they will lose interest in you."
Zhou Gu looked up at the old Duke.
The old Duke grunted, "If you want to marry someone, you need to put your heart into it. You’ve been traveling for two years, not too long but also not short. Don’t take it lightly. If you don’t capture a woman’s heart in advance, by the time you come back and want to capture it, it will be too late."
If it were in the past, Zhou Gu naturally would not listen to the old Duke scolding him. But now he sat still and listened seriously, without refuting.
Seeing him keen to learn, the old Duke chuckled to himself, thinking that this little brat said he wouldn’t get married before he left, but just after a month, he returned with such a resolute mindset. It seems the little girl from Jiangning County is something, holding on to this mischievous boy’s heart in such a short time.
The old Duke privately thought this was a good thing. After all, when Zhou Gu showed resistance, impatience, and disagreement towards getting married, it had given him headaches. He indeed had countless stringent tactics to force him to agree to get married. However, compelling him might lead to a marriage of resentment. It could ruin both children’s lives. It would distress him a lot, wouldn’t it?
Seeing his current attitude, which was what he wished for, he waved him away and said, "Go seek advice from your grandmother and mother. Being women, they would understand a daughter’s heart more."
On hearing this, Zhou Gu stood up and left without hesitation.
The old Duke: "..."
Watching Zhou Gu’s unhesitant departure, he laughed and scolded, "Stinky kid, thought you’re superb. It turns out you’re just a good-for-nothing."
Zhou Gu, of course, didn’t hear the old Duke cursing him. Leaving the Duke’s study, he went to see the eldest princess, Sheng An.
Sheng An had been missing Zhou Gu. Every day, she would count the days and wonder whether he was eating and sleeping well and whether he was getting along well with the Su family’s young girl.
As for the Duchess, she didn’t miss Zhou Gu much. These days, the world was peaceful. Zhou Gu was highly skilled in martial arts and accompanied by a group of elite warriors from the Duke’s Residence. Even if they were confronted by mountain bandits, it’s uncertain who might come up on top. So, she was not worried at all. Consequently, in her spare time, she would often comfort Sheng An to have peace of mind and not to think about him.
Today, when she heard Zhou Gu had returned to the residence, Sheng An’s eyebrows and eyes were filled with smiles, her spirits seemed rejuvenated, she immediately ordered to prepare Zhou Gu’s favorite dishes.
Zhou Gu came to Princess Sheng An’s courtyard, entered the room, and saw his mother and two sisters-in-law were there. He first paid his respects to Princess Sheng An, then to his mother, and his sisters-in-law one after another.
Princess Sheng An patiently waited until he had finished paying his respects to everyone, then eagerly beckoned to him, "Come over to grandmother’s side, let me take a good look at you. It feels like after a trip outside, my sweet grandson has become even more handsome."
Zhou Gu obediently walked over, sat next to Princess Sheng An, deliberately moved his face closer for her to see, "After a careful look, grandmother, am I really more handsome than before?"
Princess Sheng An really took a thorough look at him, then nodded affirmatively, "Indeed, you look more handsome."
Zhou Gu raised his eyebrows in a smile. "Is it because the water and soil of Jiangnan are nourishing?"
"Not just that, your entire dressing...." Princess said while tapping her forehead, "I was wondering why my grandson was different. Just after a month, there seemed to be a big difference. It turns out that your clothes are too bright."
The Duchess noticed the moment Zhou Gu entered the room that his clothing was different from before. The flamboyance that she deliberately subdued had not only been revealed but seemed to be more than before. She commented unceremoniously, "You’re dressed too showy."
Zhou Gu looked innocently, "It’s not my fault, it’s Xiaoqi who insisted on giving me such clothes."
"Xiaoqi?" Princess Sheng An was puzzled.
The Duchess and everyone else were also looking at Zhou Gu.
Zhou Gu sat upright and earnestly explained, "It’s my fiancée Su Rong from the Su family. She is the seventh daughter of the family and everyone calls her Xiaoqi. I didn’t bring enough clothes when I went there. When Zhou Xi wanted to set up the clothes for me, she happened to find out. She took me shopping and bought a big batch."
"Oh? She gave you clothes? And in a bunch?" Princess Sheng An astutely seized two key points.
Zhou Gu coughed and nodded under everyone’s gaze, "Yes, in the most famous Brocade Pavilion in Jiangning County. She personally picked the fabrics. She originally planned to make ten suits for me. But when she was choosing the fabrics, she picked twenty of the latest and finest patterns. She found it hard to let go of any of them, so after making ten ready-made suits for me, she bought the other ten fabrics for me. She said that she would make clothes for me to wear in late autumn, which could last until next spring."
Everyone’s eyes immediately fell on the clothes and patterns he was wearing. When they saw them, they took in a sharp breath.
The clothes that Zhou Gu wore today were the same fabric as the lake blue cloud brocade that Su Rong wore on the day of her hair pinning ceremony. This kind of fabric, known as ’gold per inch brocade’, is rare and top-grade even in the capital city. Especially the craftsmanship of the weave, is no less than the materials specially supplied by the Imperial Clothing Bureau in the palace. Moreover, the embroidery is clearly top-notch, edged in gold thread and immaculate stitches. It is clearly embroidered by an extremely talented embroideress. Also, this color, a scarlet seldom seen in cloud brocade, combined with Zhou Gu’s good looks and slim figure, adds a few more splash of glamour to his appearance.
Princess Sheng An was momentarily speechless.
None of those present were ignorant of these things, they all fell silent.
The Duchess looked at her son and asked, "Do you know how much money this outfit on you cost?"
Zhou Gu shook his head, "Not sure, but it was very expensive."
On the day the shopkeeper mentioned that the newly arrived batch of fabric was top-grade and laid out for Su Rong to choose, she was very satisfied and picked through them for almost an hour. If not for making Xie Lin jealous, he would not have had the patience. He thought they all looked similar, but Su Rong was meticulous and enthusiastic. He could only bear with it. He didn’t know how many clothes he had of the same fabric as the one he was wearing, but as far as he knew, he seemed to have three ready-made clothes of the same material: the lake blue he wore on her hairpin day, the scarlet he was wearing today, and one in moon white, which he hadn’t worn for fear of staining it.
"This is more than just expensive." The Duchess was almost irate, "This one probably costs as much as a thousand gold."
Zhou Gu was shocked, "Is it really that expensive?"
He knew it was expensive, but didn’t know exactly how much.
The Duchess was looking at his dumbfounded expression and pointed at him, "Are you missing a brain? How can you not know the value? It’s okay if you don’t understand how expensive necessities are, but how can you not understand ordinary clothes? The clothes you’re wearing used two feet and two inches of fabric. This cloud brocade is quoted as ’inch of brocade, inch of gold’. A piece of fabric the size of a fingernail costs a piece of gold. Calculate the value of this outfit yourself. Isn’t it worth a thousand gold? That’s equivalent to tens of thousands tael of silver."
Zhou Gu’s eyes widened, "Is it really that expensive?"
He had three of the same kind, totaling thirty thousand taels? And what about all the other clothes and fabrics?
The Duchess saw his foolish look and felt it necessary to educate him about these things. She blamed herself for having taken care of his life too much over the years, and he himself was not a person who loved vanity. Therefore, he totally did not understand or care about such things, received such expensive clothes with peace of mind, and to her astonishment, it was not just one outfit, but ten full sets of ready-made clothes plus ten pieces of fabric.
She asked, "Are all of your other clothes like these?"
"Not exactly, although most are similar," Zhou Gu was not too sure either, for he had felt dizzy from all the selection at that time. It was all Su Rong’s pickings, and he only knew they were expensive.
In response to his words, the Duchess took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, "Do you know how rare such clothes are? The good fabrics that are brought in as offerings for imperial use every year are only a few. A few lengths of fabric are all there is. The ladies in the palace with a rank get only half a length of fabric, enough to make one clothes. They can’t afford to wear it except at major palace banquets."
Zhou Gu was even more shocked, "Is it really that rare?"
He thought that since it was supplied to the palace, there should be plenty of it. After all, it could be sold to the Brocade Pavilion.
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