After Zhou Gu finished imparting his predicament, he looked longingly at Yan Huisheng, as if waiting for him to provide a solution that would relieve his current state of discomfort.
Yan Huisheng pondered, what did it mean for Zhou Gu to be so disturbed over Su Rong under the intensive atmosphere of preparing for the exam?
Being intelligent and sharp since childhood, Yan Huisheng was acutely aware that Zhou Gu was in love with Su Rong.
He remained silent, unclear of how to approach this.
"Ah, Your Highness, you have a myriad of affairs to handle, yet here I am bothering you with such a trifling matter. Is that annoying to you?" Zhou Gu misinterpreted Yan Huisheng’s silence as his speechlessness.
Yan Huisheng shook his head. Instead, he saw this as a significant matter. The matter was relevant to whether Su Rong could firmly and smoothly break off her engagement, and while he too was fond of Su Rong, his upbringing forbade him from actively breaking them apart.
With this in mind, he opined, "It is said that the one who tied the bell should untie it. There are still a few days left; if you continue to dwell on this, it might be worth sending someone to Jiangzhou to inquire why she hasn’t written you any encouraging letters."
Zhou Gu’s face turned red. "Isn’t that inappropriate?"
He hesitated for a moment. "If I do this, Su Rong will laugh at me. How old am I, to still need someone sending me letters of encouragement like a three-year-old?"
Yan Huisheng quietly looked at him. "Honestly speaking, I have yet to find the maturity in you."
Zhou Gu: "..."
Yan Huisheng waved him off. "This state of mind could hinder your civil service exam performance. Send someone to Jiangzhou as soon as possible. You should receive a reply before your exam, which will put your mind at ease. Get going!"
Zhou Gu was torn. "Should I really do that?"
"Hmm, I think it’s a good idea. Think it over carefully." Yan Huisheng raised his eyelid, "The person who should untie the bell is the one who tied it is not an empty phrase. She is your fiancée; what’s the big deal if she laughs at you? Are you afraid of being laughed at by her?"
"Not really." Zhou Gu hesitated for a moment, then stood up. "Alright, I’ll go back and dispatch someone to Jiangzhou immediately."
Filled with the purpose of seeking Su Rong once again, he bid his goodbye with swift movements and departed like a whirlwind.
After his departure, Su Rong emerged from a hidden compartment, brought back a pile of scrolls placed earlier, and then reversed to bring out melons and tea snacks. Lastly, she brought out cushions, placed them on the couch as per the earlier arrangement and continued reading the scroll in hand.
Yan Huisheng glanced at her, observing her calm demeanor as she perused the scrolls page by page, seemingly not willing to speak.
Therefore, Yan Huisheng remained silent as well, returning to his matters at hand.
Even though Su Rong was scanning the scrolls, her mind wandered, contemplating Zhou Gu. She never saw that coming...
She deeply regretted following the advice of her mother and the Duke to cultivate some feelings with Zhou Gu while in Jiangzhou. Her elder brother Su Xingze was right; she should not have interacted too much with Zhou Gu before everything was set in stone.
Being emotionally cold and detached as usual, she could easily withdraw her fondness for him. But what about Zhou Gu? He truly wanted to marry her, considering her earnestly as his fiancée. He hadn’t done anything wrong, what right did she have to propose a breakup to him?
Su Rong’s resolute heart faltered. She had indeed miscalculated. She had correctly evaluated herself but misjudged Zhou Gu’s feelings developed for her in a short span.
She was not someone who didn’t understand anything. If she did not play dumb, she would have a clear understanding of something that she wished to comprehend.
What did Zhou Gu’s conversation with Yan Huisheng imply?
It suggested that Zhou Gu was mindful of her in his heart. Because of this, he was feeling uncomfortable without receiving letters from her.
Her head began to ache, and irritability crept in. She scanned the scrolls one page after another. The more she read, the more agitated she felt. However, she didn’t show her discomfort, maintaining her calm exterior, even the frequency of turning pages remained unchanged.
Only after she finished reading a large pile of scrolls, and returned them to the compartment and locked it before emerging did she say to Yan Huisheng: "Fen Ling and I will not join you for dinner tonight, Your Highness. I plan to go out for a while and walk around the streets of the Capital City."
Yan Huisheng looked at her. "Feeling bothered?"
Su Rong sighed inwardly: no wonder he was the Crown Prince. Even though she didn’t show anything, he was so perceptive. This man was too intelligent, which put her under a lot of pressure. Fortunately, he was the heir to the throne. It was better to have a smart heir than a foolish one. She nodded, "Yes, somewhat."
Yan Huisheng didn’t stop her but reminded her to be careful.
Su Rong replied, "I will wear a veil."
Veiling herself from head to foot should work. Even those who were familiar with her wouldn’t recognize her unless she encountered them face to face.
Yan Huisheng nodded and handed her a token, "If you run into trouble, show this token of mine and no one will dare to bother you."
Su Rong gratefully accepted it and responded, "Thank you, Your Highness." She tucked the token away. After walking a few steps, she turned to ask Yan Huisheng, "Your Highness, is there any food that you would like? I could bring some back for you."
Yan Huisheng hesitated for a moment.
Su Rong explained with a laugh, "In the past, when my elder brother was studying at home, I loved to go out and play. After I returned, I would bring back some food to please him, fearing that he would scold me. Even the servant girls who grew up with me and the pets at home were fond of eating. Over the years, I have gotten used to buying food."
Yan Huisheng was about to say "no need," but hearing her words, he changed his mind, "There is an old store named Chengji House on the street. They sell all kinds of pastries, their specialty being the Nut Fresh Flower Cake. They open until curfew. There are still two hours left before they close. You could stop by and bring me a portion."
"Okay." Su Rong agreed and then left the study.
Fen Ling, having nothing to do, was leisurely looking at a picture album and enjoying tea and pastries at Yuzhen Pavilion.
When Su Rong returned to Yuzhen Pavilion, she saw him in this state and felt a pang of jealousy. She stared at him, "Let’s go, we are going to wander the streets tonight."
Fen Ling was surprised, "Master, weren’t you planning to stay in until the examination? Why do you want to go out today? Is it because it’s too boring to stay in the Eastern Palace?"
Su Rong made a sound of agreement, "Yes, it’s indeed a bit boring. I’ll go change my clothes, you go find someone to bring me a veil."
"Alright." Fen Ling put down the picture album and went off at once.
When Su Rong came out in a new outfit, Fen Ling had already found a veil for her. She put it on, covering herself from head to foot. Although this thing was a little troublesome, it didn’t obstruct her view, and she was very satisfied, "Let’s go!"
Fen Ling nodded, and the two left Yuzhen Pavilion together, taking the back door as usual.
The person guarding the back door was the same as before. He didn’t dare to question these two prestigious guests and immediately let them pass. When he heard Su Rong ask him to let them back in after curfew, he nodded repeatedly.
Once they left the Eastern Palace, Su Rong and Fen Ling strolled leisurely down the street. The sun was still hanging in the west, and the streets were bustling.
Keeping his voice low, Fen Ling said to Su Rong, "The Capital City, under the Emperor’s feet, is really different. If you throw a brick, there’s a high chance it would hit a capital official or a nobleman. In any case, it’s bound to hit someone of status."
Su Rong didn’t express any opinion.
Unable to keep quiet, Fen Ling babbled on, "Isn’t daily life hard for the people living under the Emperor’s feet? Constantly encountering nobles, they must bow and scrape all day long. So cautious and fearful, afraid that a careless move would offend one of the nobles and bring about disaster. Yet, I don’t understand why countless people still want to settle under the Emperor’s feet."
He sighed, "Jiangning County is so nice, but there are very few people who move there each year. Yet, under the Emperor’s feet, it’s packed with people wanting to rush in."
"But that’s because it’s under the Emperor’s feet," Su Rong’s mood improved a lot, "If one wants to do business, to learn how to make wealth, there is no better place than under the Emperor’s feet. First, it’s peaceful here; even if brawling happens among young men of high-ranking families, they wouldn’t dare turn it into a big scene and attract the Emperor’s attention and punishment. Second, Capital City has good public order. Our Daliang has the rule of law. Take for example Lan Niang’s restaurants in Capital City. Even if they are from out of town, as long as they operate in accordance with the law, they don’t need a powerful backer - they just need good products, and then they can quickly make money. Of course, having law doesn’t mean incidents can’t happen; there can be underhanded dealings disregarding law, but overall, anyone ambitious would want to take a shot here, wouldn’t they?"
Fen Ling had to concede, "That’s true. Take Zhuì Huā’s alcohol for example. In Jiangning County, we sold it for a hundred taels. Subtracting the cost of brewing, we actually only made twenty taels profit. But bringing it to Capital City made all the difference. The freight for a batch spread out to each jar of alcohol averaged to twenty taels, but we sell it here for two hundred taels. This way, we make a profit of a hundred taels per jar, meaning the profit is increased by fivefold."
He sighed and said quietly, "Master, you should have started selling this here in Capital City a couple of years earlier. You missed out on making a lot of money."
Su Rong glanced at him, "Could you perhaps have higher aspirations? You’re a secret agent, why are money signs the only thing in your eyes?"
Fen Ling chuckled, "You don’t know, back in the day we had to train in martial arts for half the day and study other things for the other half of the day. The most important of all was learning how to make a living. Monday doesn’t come easy. Making money in the Capital City is just too good a deal!"
Su Rong now understood. To maintain a group of five hundred secret agents, all sorts of daily expenses would require large sums of silver. Nurturing a single secret agent is not as simple as just feeding him. Consumables like hidden weapons, regular weapons, medicinal ingredients, etc., all require money. When her mother feigned death, she couldn’t touch any assets tied to Princess Zhenmin’s public persona. But now she could use the hidden assets left by Prince Mingrui. If not managed well, they would run out of resources and not be able to support them. Naturally, they had to provide for themselves.
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