Su Rong finished her bath quickly, not spending much time before changing into clean clothes and stepping out of the Sanctuary.
She moved so swiftly that she nearly arrived at the Drawing Room at the same time as Fen Ling.
Fen Ling looked at her, "Mistress, your flower petals haven’t even had time to open, yet you’ve already finished bathing. Isn’t this wasting the petals?"
Su Rong shot him a glance, "What do you know? The form is the most important, not the result."
Fen Ling: "......"
He didn’t quite understand, and asked curiously, "What form?"
Su Rong clarified for him, "Seeing the flower petals cheers me up, it refreshes me."
Fen Ling: "......" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Is that so? He thought if he had known earlier, he too would’ve used some flower petals.
Yan Huisheng didn’t leave but sat in the Drawing Room waiting for Su Rong. Seeing her emerge, his eyes fell upon her. Her appearance after bathing was more beautiful than he had expected. The features he hadn’t clearly seen when she saved him were now perfectly clear. He gave a slight smile and ordered, "Serve the meal!"
The little eunuch Quanzi responded and immediately left.
Fen Ling was debating whether he should return to his room to eat alone or accompany Su Rong. It seemed like the Crown Prince hadn’t had his dinner yet and planned to eat with her. Considering his mistress was still a young lady and hadn’t revoked her marriage, should he leave them alone or stay with them?
Su Rong moved to the table, sitting opposite Yan Huisheng. She turned and saw Fen Ling struggling and laughed, asking Yan Huisheng, "I usually dine with Fen Ling, do you mind if he joins us?"
"I don’t mind. Please go ahead." Yan Huisheng shook his head.
With no more hesitation, Fen Ling sat next to Su Rong and thanked Yan Huisheng, "Thank you, Your Highness."
The little eunuchs brought the dishes one by one, not stopping until the tabletop was full.
Yan Huisheng knew the two of them must be hungry, so he didn’t say much and just signaled Su Rong to eat.
From a young age, Su Rong didn’t pay much attention to etiquette. She wasn’t used to not talking while eating or sleeping. But since she was at the Eastern Palace, some rules had to be followed. She wouldn’t break them. Her abrupt visit looking gloomy had already tested how amiable and approachable the Crown Prince was. With regard to the rules, she wouldn’t disappoint wet nurse Zhao who had taught her for so long.
Therefore, she didn’t say anything either, simply following the dining etiquette taught by wet nurse Zhao.
After eating for a while, Yan Huisheng suddenly took a dish from his side and placed it in front of Su Rong, "Try this, you should like it."
Su Rong blinked, thinking wasn’t he practicing silence during meals? And wasn’t it against etiquette to directly bring food to her?
Yan Huisheng found Su Rong’s eyes very expressive. He said to her, "You’re the one who saved my life and technically, you’re also my cousin. In front of me, there’s no need to be so formal. Feel comfortable and do whatever you want."
After saying that, he added warmly, "I’m glad you came to the Eastern Palace today."
Su Rong tilted her head, "If that’s the case, Your Highness, I will really act as I like."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "As you wish."
Thus, Su Rong really didn’t hold back. She directly picked up the dish of braised meat that Yan Huisheng had placed in front of her and directly poured it into her bowl.
Fen Ling couldn’t take it anymore and quickly reached out to stop her, "Hey, hey, hey, Mistress, leave some for me. Don’t hog all of it."
Su Rong paused, reluctantly leaving a little over half for him and keeping the rest.
Fen Ling, feeling wronged, glanced at Su Rong, then poured the smaller half into his bowl.
The little eunuch Quanzi, who was serving, watched the two with his eyes wide open and mouth agape.
Yan Huisheng laughed softly.
After eating to her heart’s content, Su Rong vaguely understood Yan Huisheng’s purpose. He was showing her that he wasn’t a stickler for rules, that he preferred to be casual in private.
So, after getting halfway full, Su Rong asked Yan Huisheng, "Your Highness, do you normally dine alone?"
"Yes."
"Do you find it boring?"
"I’m used to it."
"So, now that we’re sitting together at the table, do you find it a bit uncomfortable?"
Yan Huisheng shook his head, "No, occasionally my father the Emperor invites me to eat with him, and sometimes I also share a meal with my mother the Queen in Fengyi Palace."
Su Rong nodded, "Are the Emperor and the Queen very affectionate? Surely there must also have been times when you dined together with them?"
Yan Huisheng lowered his eyes, "There were in the earlier years, but almost none in the last two years."
Su Rong understood. It seemed that the atmosphere had been tense in recent years; the Emperor was too wary of the Crown Prince.
If Su Rong had to say, even if the Emperor had a serious illness, his own son was capable, virtuous, competent, and loved by the people. He was also the crown prince. What could go wrong? Having someone to succeed the thousand-year-old great cause, isn’t this something to dream of? He was worried that the Crown Prince would usurp power from him.
Perhaps power is indeed a good thing, for after being an emperor for many years, the emperor is even more reluctant to let go.
Su Rong changed the topic and asked again, "I came to Daliang for two reasons - to dissolve my engagement with Duke Residence and to cooperate with you. Do you think that my decision to break off the engagement is right or wrong?"
Yan Huisheng’s expression paused as he looked at Su Rong.
Su Rong smiled, "Zhou Gu has been your tutor for several years and now supports you, working for you. Naturally, I have to ask for your opinion."
Yan Huisheng really wanted to say "I wholly approve of your dissolution of your engagement", but remembering Zhou Gu’s excitement when he came back from Jiangning County showing off the clothes on his body, proclaiming his fiancée this and that, he hesitated for a moment and said nothing.
Su Rong didn’t rush to inquire further and continued eating.
After a while, Yan Huisheng asked, "What considerations have you made to dissolve the engagement? Don’t you like Zhou Gu?"
"No," Su Rong shook her head, "Zhou Gu is quite likeable. If I don’t even like him, then my standards must be too high, right?"
The expression on Yan Huisheng’s face became slightly more solemn.
Su Rong continued, "But you are already aware of my real identity. There will likely be endless troubles in the future. Although I don’t think I can be easily killed, I’m also uncertain about navigating through these challenges or whether I can live blissfully. As for Zhou Gu, his path has already been chosen by the ex-duke and you, hasn’t it? The foresight of the former duke hasn’t pledged allegiance to the Eastern Palace on the surface, but in essence, he has already allowed his grandson to choose a wise master. In other words, he is the treasure that the ex-duke invested in for the Duke Residence, while he is also the sharpened sword that you have been honing for yourself for years. When you ascend to that position in the future, you will rely heavily on him, won’t you? So, aren’t our paths different?"
Yan Huisheng was surprised at Su Rong’s clear understanding, but considering her identity and Xie Yuan’s guidance as she grew up, she certainly wasn’t like an ordinary girl. He nodded, "You’re right."
He paused for a moment, then said, "But that’s just a presumption. If you were to not dissolve the marriage engagement, our paths might not diverge in the future."
Hearing this, Su Rong sighed, "Crown Prince, you’re really a good person."
Yan Huisheng was taken aback, not understanding why Su Rong would say that. Could it be that she knows what he’s thinking? That shouldn’t be possible. Yun An would never have leaked his thoughts to others.
Su Rong stopped laughing and said solemnly, "As the Crown Prince, what you should be contemplating about ought to be that position; what you seek after ought to be the flourishing of Great Liang. You know that my decision to dissolve the engagement with the Duke’s residence is beneficial to me, Zhou Gu, and yourself. Regarding whether you like it or not, how could it matter that much? Even if it’s just a presumption, proceeding down the presumed path is just logical and you shouldn’t let any error occur midway. Isn’t that how you, as the Crown Prince, is supposed to be? After all, isn’t it best to eliminate all uncertainties and keep everything under one’s own control?"
Yan Huisheng was left speechless for a moment.
"So, Crown Prince, could you reconsider and tell me whether my resolution to go to the Duke Residence to dissolve the engagement is the correct decision?" Su Rong persisted.
Yan Huisheng sighed lightly, then nodded his head, "Indeed, yes."
"That’s settled, you should be honest because we’re going to be partners." Su Rong obtained the answer she wanted and so stopped talking about it. Instead, she continued, "As for cooperation, what I mean is that if there’s anything inconvenient for you to handle, you can give it to me to handle privately. After all, you must not like the difficult current situation, but you’re at a loss for what to do to break it, or perhaps you’re afraid to break it. You can leave this matter to me and give me some time to find an opportunity. I’ll help you break this stalemate and I’m certain to put you in a beneficial position."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "This stalemate didn’t happen overnight. The current situation should not be rushed."
"Of course. I have the most patience. Ever since my mother passed away, there have been people wanting to kill me every year. Those who wish to kill me are relentless. I only found out about my real identity after my hair-pinning ceremony not too long ago." Su Rong eased his worries, "So, Your Highness, rest assured, what I lack the least is patience."
Having experienced numerous assassination attempts since he was young, Yan Huisheng nodded in agreement upon hearing this. "The King of Nanchu has no heirs, and you’re the only one. You said there were assassins from five different Nanchu Sects. If I’m not mistaken, they should be sent by the Nanchu Queen, Nangong Family, and possibly the court officials from Nanchu. Given that, it’s impossible that the others have all sent people but the Nanchu King doesn’t know of your existence. I suspect the people sent by the Nanchu King are already on their way. In the history of Nanchu, there are precedents of princesses ascending the throne. Do you wish to go to Nanchu and seize power?"
"If I were to go to Nanchu now, wouldn’t I be eaten by the pack of wolves in Nanchu?" Su Rong shook her head, "With just the protection of the Nanchu King, considering the current situation in Nanchu, it’s uncertain whether he can definitely protect me, right?"
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Yes, the situation in Nanchu is not good."
Su Rong smiled at him, "So, Crown Prince, I think that it is safer to stay in Daliang for now. First, I’ll help you until your position is truly secure. Then, with you as my backer, I’ll go to Nanchu. Regardless of whether it’s for revenge or to seize power, it would likely be much easier than now. Who would want to take the difficult path when there’s an easy one available? Don’t you agree?"
Yan Huisheng couldn’t help but laugh, "Yes!"
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