Zhou Gu followed Yan Huisheng into the Eastern Palace.
Upon arriving in the study room, the two of them sat down, with Qin Luan and a palace maid serving tea.
Zhou Gu sat calmly without speaking, pretending as if he didn’t know Qin Luan. He waited for the serving of fruits and tea to be over before he spoke.
Yan Huisheng, however, took the initiative and said with a smile to Zhou Gu, "Before you left the capital, you asked me to ensure that she would not be bullied, that she would have enough food and clothes, and that she would be safe every day. After thinking it over, I decided to make her an official in the Eastern Palace."
Having said this, he turned to Qin Luan, "Officer Qin, should you manage to become a female official in the Eastern Palace, you should thank Zhou Gu."
Zhou Gu was surprised that Yan Huisheng would bring up this matter in front of Qin Luan and he was momentarily stunned.
Qin Luan paused in her movement, looking at Yan Huisheng. Seeing his smiling face, as if he was just casually mentioning it, she couldn’t quite grasp the intentions of the Crown Prince. After all, she had just passed her examination yesterday, and today was her first day serving in the Crown Prince’s study. About a month ago, when she first arrived at the Eastern Palace, the housekeeper had admonished her. He had directly mentioned that the Crown Prince would take care of her on behalf of Lord Thursday, but she had to abide by the rules of the Eastern Palace. She shouldn’t have presumptuous hopes in order to have peaceful days ahead, otherwise, Lord Thursday’s face wouldn’t help either.
Qin Luan was smart enough to understand that the housekeeper’s admonishment reflected the Crown Prince’s intentions. She dared not harbor any unrealistic hopes. After all, one wouldn’t know until entering the Eastern Palace, where no woman could approach the Crown Prince’s person.
As one of the women bestowed to the Eastern Palace by the Empress, compared with others who were left unheard, she should be contented.
Now that the Crown Prince had openly pointed this out in front of Zhou Gu, although she didn’t understand his intentions, she quickly put down the teapot in her hands, stood up straight and bowed to Zhou Gu, "Thank you, Lord Thursday, for speaking up for a servant like me."
Zhou Gu looked at Yan Huisheng, but he couldn’t make out anything from his appearance. His intuition told him something was off. The Crown Prince was not someone who would care about such trivial matters. Even though it was Zhou Gu who asked him to handle this matter, for the Crown Prince, such a small matter could simply be settled with a single instruction. There was no need to specifically mention it in front of Qin Luan.
Especially since Qin Luan had only been in the Eastern Palace for a little over a month and had already become a female official, serving in this important place - the study. Could it be that she really had great talent and had won the favour of the Crown Prince in such a short time?
Zhou Gu was also puzzled, but he still put down the teacup in his hand, waved to Qin Luan and spoke truthfully and seriously, "I have some relationship with your elder brother. Before he left, he asked me to look after you a bit. I’ve never looked after anyone before, so I was a bit clumsy at first and almost messed things up. Thankfully, you entered the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince is kind. I was able to speak up for you. From now on, be careful in your service, the Crown Prince won’t mistreat you."
The implication was that she need not thank him, and that he was doing this for the sake of her elder brother, it had nothing to do with her personally.
Qin Luan acknowledged his words and then respectfully stepped back to continue brewing tea for them.
Yan Huisheng appeared to have casually mentioned this and did not bother about it any more, instead he asked Zhou Gu another question, "Your trip to Jiangning County was fruitful, wasn’t it?"
Zhou Gu’s mind was spinning, he nodded and replied with a grin, "Indeed, it was very fruitful."
He looked at Yan Huisheng, and then straightened his back deliberately and pointed at his own clothes excitedly, "Your Highness, do you like my clothes?"
Yan Huisheng was just about to take his cup of tea when he paused at Zhou Gu’s words.
Zhou Gu straightened out his sleeves, and with his face radiant with smiles, showed off his outfit in an overly ostentatious way, a lot more flagrantly than how he flaunted it in front of Xie Lin, "This was given to me by my betrothed. She personally selected the material and design. She says I look good and should wear bright-coloured clothes. I used to wear dark and plain clothes because my grandmother and mother were afraid that I would attract too much attention and get into trouble. Now that everyone knows I am engaged, anyone with a shred of decency would not covet me anymore. Thus, I should dress more handsomely and pleasingly. She would like that."
Yan Huisheng intoned, "Oh?", looked up and down at Zhou Gu’s outfit, then nodded and praised, "It’s not bad."
"Right, right?" Zhou Gu suddenly became as excited as a peacock about to spread its tail, his whole body radiated joy, "My betrothed is really good. She is good at chess, good at horse riding, and also good at military strategy. She is also very beautiful. When quiet, she is like a flower reflected in water; when active, she moves like a willow swaying in the wind. Everyone in Jiangning County, whenever they see me and her together, says that we are a perfect match."
Yan Huisheng nodded with a smile and raised his eyebrows, "So, are you going to have your great wedding soon?"
Zhou Gu shook his head, "Not right away, I’m supposed to take the autumn examination, aren’t I? Once the examination is over, I will make a trip to Jiangzhou with my mother to discuss the marriage. Whether it’s rushed or not, it’s up to my mother and her family to decide."
Yan Huisheng nodded, took his tea cup leisurely, took a sip, and asked, "So, the plan you mentioned to me before leaving the capital is cancelled?"
Zhou Gu shook his head, "Yesterday when I arrived back, I had discussed it with my grandfather. He has something else in mind."
Yan Huisheng nodded, being serious about this matter, he gestured to Qin Luan, "You may leave!"
Qin Luan acknowledged and left with the palace maid.
The door of the study was closed, leaving only Zhou Gu, who instantly became relaxed. He reined in the previous exaggerated and beaming demeanor, becoming more composed. "My grandfather said that if I don’t participate in the Golden Autumn Examination, Grand Tutor Qin would certainly disapprove. He suggested that I consider travelling after taking the examination."
He repeated the plan that Duke had told him to Yan Huisheng, then asked him, "What do you think, Your Highness?"
After contemplating for a while, Yan Huisheng replied, "The Duke is right, I think it’s feasible."
Zhou Gu was very pleased, "It’s great that Your Highness also agree."
Yan Huisheng smiled, he naturally agreed. If Zhou Gu traveled after the examination, he’d postpone his wedding for some time. Although he didn’t intend to interfere with Zhou Gu’s marriage, he didn’t want him to get married too soon either.
Speaking of traveling, Zhou Gu asked excitedly, "Your Highness, where do you think I should start my travel? Which place are you planning to conquer? I could start with that place, what do you think?"
"There are two places, one is Nanping, and the other is Jibei." Yan Huisheng stopped smiling, "However, Ning Chi has already aligned with Nanping, and I have also sent people to assist him. For now, we just need to subtly help Ning Chi infiltrate Nanping’s power. We should not make big moves, especially after just dealing with Jiang Sheng, which has already made my elder brother hate me. You should go to Jibei instead, investigate whether the residence of Pingxi General is secretly raising an army on my behalf."
Zhou Gu was taken aback, "Is the residence of Pingxi General secretly raising an army?"
"It’s possible." Yan Huisheng said, "In the past year, the Pingxi General has submitted three requests for funds to the Imperial Court, each time with a necessary reason. Moreover, my second brother has just taken in a new concubine this month, who comes from a wealthy family."
Zhou Gu nodded, "In that case, I will go to Jiangzhou first, then to Jibei, after the examination."
"Hmm." Yan Huisheng nodded, "I heard that you have made many talented acquaintances in Jiangning County?"
Zhou Gu had a lot to say about this, "Jiangzhou is teeming with talents, at least ten of them are expected to be named in this year’s examination."
"Oh?" Yan Huisheng was surprised, "That many?"
Zhou Gu was very certain, "The most promising candidate is my future brother-in-law, who is very talented and is sure to pass with high marks. He studied under Xie Yuan and then at Yunshan Academy. He might even become the top scholar. Next is Jiang Xing from the Jiang Family’s sideline, who you helped to protect in the Jiang Sheng case a few days ago. There is also Chen Zhou from the Prefect’s Residence in Jiangning County. He’s a bit silly, but he’s also talented..."
He named more than ten people whom he had really gotten to know through Su Xingze’s literary circle.
Yan Huisheng was most interested in Su Xingze, "I heard that Su Xingze came to the capital with you? Where is he now?"
"He’s currently living in East Fourth Hutong in East City." Zhou Gu added, "It’s Xie Yuan’s house."
Yan Huisheng expressed his understanding.
Zhou Gu asked, "Does Your Highness want me to introduce him to you as soon as possible? I have a marriage agreement with the Su Family. He came to the capital with me, so people with intentions must have known about this relationship, there’s no need to hide it."
No matter whether Su Xingze would visit the Eastern Palace or not, due to his association with Zhou Gu, he had already been declared a part of the Eastern Palace faction. Since his arrival in the capital, he had been under the watch of others. Hence, being open and honest or not made little difference.
Yan Huisheng thought for a moment. He hadn’t received a reply from Su Rong yet. He shook his head, "There’s no rush, let him focus on his studies." After saying that, he seemed to remember something and asked, "How many guards did he bring to the capital?"
"Twenty."
"How are their martial arts skills?"
Zhou Gu was taken aback, "I haven’t trained with them, so I don’t know. Why do you ask, Your Highness? Do you think someone might harm him?"
"It’s possible." Yan Huisheng said, "During your trip to Jiangning County, the Jiang Family Clan fell from grace. My elder brother’s faction should have found out about your involvement by now. Since they can’t attack you or me, they might harm Su Xingze instead, especially since he’s well-known, not a nobody."
Zhou Gu sat up straight, realizing the importance of this matter. Su Xingze must not be harmed because of him. He immediately said, "I will ask my grandfather to send some people to protect him when I get back."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Better safe than sorry. That would be best."
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