After settling down at Xie Yuan’s mansion, Su Xingze spent a day tidying up, and visited Duke Residence on the third day.
After he announced his identity, the gatekeeper hurriedly invited him into the Residence, "Young Master Su, the Duke has instructed that you are to be ushered in without announcement if you arrive."
Su Xingze smiled and nodded, allowing himself to be led into the Residence.
Just a few steps in, the housekeeper, Chen Bo, rushed to meet him. He scrutinized Su Xingze while greeting him warmly, "Young Master Su, the Duke was just mentioning you this morning and here you are. Please come this way."
Su Xingze responded with a smile and returned the greeting, "I am not well-versed with the ways of the Capital City, I wanted to pay my respects to the Duke yesterday."
"It’s not too late today." Chen Bo shook his head in response, replacing the gatekeeper as he led him in, thinking to himself what an attractive and talented person this Young Master Su is. He’s heard that he isn’t engaged yet, and the young ladies in the Capital City, who are as ruthless as wolves and tigers, would probably become restless once they see him.
While chatting with Su Xingze, Chen Bo led the way to the Reception Room.
The Duke did not keep him waiting for long. After meeting Su Xingze, he patted him approvingly on the shoulder, "I heard you have been trained by Xie Yuan and it shows, you truly possess his elegance."
Su Xingze saluted and stood with a polite smile, modest yet not servile, "I am not even one-tenth of the teacher’s stature."
"There’s no need for such modesty." The Duke laughed heartily, gesturing for him to sit down, "Is Xie Yuan well?"
"The teacher is well. Before my departure, he asked me to send his greetings to you," Su Xingze answered, sitting back down.
The Duke nodded, further inquiring, "Your father has been in Jiangning County for a long time and is now promoted to Inspector of Jiangzhou. Has he already moved his family to Jiangzhou?"
Su Xingze shook his head, "Due to the sudden transfer order, my father went to take office alone without preparation. My mother and sister are still living in Jiangning for now."
Of course, he opted to leave out the part about Su Rong being injured and recuperating in Jiangning. Because of that, apart from him and his father, no one else in the family was able to move.
The Duke nodded, "Jiangning is under Jiangzhou’s jurisdiction and it’s not too far away. One could get there in a day, it doesn’t seem to be too inconvenient."
Su Xingze nodded in agreement, "Indeed."
After a long back-and-forth conversation, Zhou Gu walked in to find the Duke laughing heartily in the Reception room.
Zhou Gu thought to himself that none of his brothers had ever been able to make their grandfather laugh like this. Although their grandfather was a military officer, he deeply respected the learned scholars. Perhaps he admired what he lacked in himself? For instance, his admiration for Xie Yuan and now for Su Xingze.
Seeing Zhou Gu, the Duke ceased his talking and said, "Just in time. Take Xingze to meet your grandmother."
With one foot inside the door and one foot outside, Zhou Gu, upon hearing this, decided not to enter anymore. He nodded, "Brother Su, let’s go!"
Su Xingze stood up and readily followed Zhou Gu to meet Princess Sheng An.
Upon hearing of Su Xingze’s arrival, Princess Sheng An immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare their best dishes and had her wet nurse quickly dress her. She also had someone summon the ladies of the Residence to her courtyard.
As the saying goes, ’Elder brothers are like fathers.’ Thus, everyone in the Duke Residence was taking Su Xingze’s visit very seriously.
As Su Xingze followed Zhou Gu, he acutely perceived the respect that he was afforded in the Duke Residence. From the elderly Duke, who spared him the wait, to the maids and young servants, all were behaving appropriately and respectfully.
Su Xingze remained silent, wondering whether they would be able to cancel the engagement easily, considering the attention they were paying him.
Surely enough, it wasn’t his imagination. Upon arriving in Princess Sheng An’s courtyard, he was greeted by a full room of people, all seated with the Princess at the helm. Even Zhou Gu was taken aback. Not because of the crowd, but because everyone was formally attired, more so than the day he came home.
Seeing Su Xingze momentarily freeze, Zhou Gu quickly whispered, "Don’t be nervous, Brother Su. You are an esteemed guest. That is why my grandmother and mother are being a bit formal."
Su Xingze knew well that such seriousness was naturally due to the value they placed on this potential marriage. He silently nodded.
Upon entering the hall, he first bowed to Princess Sheng An, the eldest princess, who was seated in the main seat, and then Zhou Gu introduced one by one his mother, the Duchess, and his wives in the duke residence.
Su Xingze paid his respects one by one. His demeanor was pleasing, full of charm, which impressed everyone. Praise was subtly given to this young master, who was quite a standout figure in Capital City, with few equals to be found.
Princess Sheng An naturally liked such young people. Her eyes were gentle and she beckoned with a smile, ordering her maids to bring a seat. Su Xingze was seated near Princess Sheng An with the help of a wet nurse.
Princess Sheng An cheerfully asked Su Xingze, "Have you adapted to Capital City since your arrival?"
Su Xingze nodded with a smile, "Madam, I have adapted to everything."
Princess Sheng An replied with a smile, "If you hadn’t moved to Xie Yuan’s house, you could have stayed with us at Duke Residence. Why don’t you move over here?"
Su Xingze gently declined with a smile, "Thank you, Madam. The tutor’s house is beautiful, with numerous preserved books. I feel it is very suitable to live there."
Princess Sheng An laughed out loud, "Speaking of book collections, our Duke’s Residence has a commendable one too. But Xie Yuan is a talented man, and his book collection must be extraordinary. Since you have said so, I will not insist."
Su Xingze nodded with a smile.
Zhou Gu thought to himself that his grandmother was incomparable to Governor Su and his wife. Look at them, just one encounter, and they had strongly solicited him to their residence.
After chatting for a while, Princess Sheng An instructed Zhou Gu with a smile, "Gu, take Xingze for a tour around the mansion. You’ve spent so much time in Jiangning that you should know his preferences. Send someone to the kitchen and make his favorite dishes."
Zhou Gu agreed and then left Princess Sheng An’s courtyard with Su Xingze.
After the two left, Princess Sheng An complimented, "Su Xingze is really outstanding, he has the demeanor of Xie Yuan."
The Duchess nodded, "He’s impressively calm and composed for his young age, with not the slightest hint of impatience in his words and deeds. Appearance, character, and talent, he excels in every single of them. He is indeed a rare gem."
Third Lady suddenly said, "I heard he is not engaged yet?"
At these words, Princess Sheng An and the Duchess looked at her simultaneously, recalling that the Fifth Lady of the Duke Residence, the only daughter of Third Lady, was also not betrothed.
Princess Sheng An looked at Third Lady with mock irritation, "You are not planning to marry off both your children to him, are you?"
Third Lady blushed slightly, "Mother, if there is a good young man in sight, why shouldn’t I consider him for my daughter? She’s also at the age of betrothal. When there is a good catch, shouldn’t we act first to win the advantage?"
Princess Sheng An shook her head, "Don’t rush into it. We’ve only just scratched the surface of Gu’s potential match. Your daughter is only two months older than Gu, the issue of her marriage can wait a little longer."
Third Lady sighed, "There are not many good catches in the capital. If Su Xingze is promoted, someone might snatch him up."
Princess Sheng An laughed, "In that case, let’s ask your father to subtly inquire about Su Xingze’s preferences and check if he likes anyone in particular. If not, we can discreetly arrange for him to have a look at your daughter. He is our esteemed guest, so we must treat him well. We should not scare him into thinking that we at Duke Residence, upon seeing a catch, would pounce on him like a wolf or a tiger."
Third Lady blushed, "Over the past year, my daughter-in-law has indeed taken the matter of finding a suitable match for our daughter very seriously. Su Xingze is indeed a good catch. Thank you, Mother. Let’s give it a try, and if it can’t be done, then let it be."
Princess Sheng An nodded, "It’s not wrong for you to give thought to your daughter. If everyone seems impressed with him, then naturally there’s no harm in trying. But because he is indeed outstanding and has drawn attention from many suitors, who knows if he is already betrothed to someone else? You can try if you wish, but if it isn’t successful, don’t hold any resentment."
"Of course," Third Lady hurriedly reassured, "I’m not so unreasonable as to not understand where the line is drawn."
"Mhm." Princess Sheng An smiled and let her go, then turned to the Duchess and spoke, "Although he won’t be staying in the residence, we could invite him to stay for one night as a guest. Moreover, although there are old servants keeping Xie Yuan’s house in order, Xie Yuan hasn’t returned to the capital in many years. I’m afraid he would find everything not entirely to his liking, why not send a manager to see what needs to be added or replaced? Let’s help him get things sorted."
The Duchess chuckled and nodded, "I had the same thought."
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