The housekeeper of the Princess Residence had ordered a carriage to be prepared early in the morning.
When Su Rong and Fen Ling arrived at the entrance of the Princess Residence, the housekeeper had been waiting for a while. Upon seeing them, he hurried over and bowed, "Miss Su, Master Fen, neither of you have been to the Duke Residence before, so let this old servant accompany you."
Su Rong waved her hand, "There’s no need, we’ll go ourselves."
After her statement, she added, "We will walk there!"
The housekeeper was taken aback, "This..."
Su Rong gave him a gentle smile, "It’s still early in the day, and the Duke Residence isn’t far from the Princess Residence. It’s just a short walk, no need to trouble you."
Hearing this, the housekeeper didn’t insist and could only caution the two of them to be careful on their way.
Su Rong nodded in agreement.
Stepping out of the Princess Residence, the street was quiet with hardly anyone around. The cool morning breeze was soothing. Su Rong didn’t even bother to wear her veil. Occasionally, leaves would fall from the trees by the roadside. When a leaf fell towards her, she would catch it and then toss it accurately into the wooden bucket carried by the street sweepers. She did it so quietly that it did not startle them.
Walking half a step behind Su Rong, Fen Ling asked in a low voice, "Master, did you bring the divorce papers?"
"Yes, I brought them." She had been carrying them with her all these days.
Fen Ling took note of her expression, not knowing whether it was because of the chilly weather or her mood, her face appeared calm and collected. He spoke in a low voice, "I heard that Young Master Zhou Gu has been staying in his residence and sparring with his guards every day since he returned from the examination hall."
Su Rong hadn’t asked Fen Ling to keep tabs on Zhou Gu these days, so upon hearing this, she responded with an "Oh?" and added, "He didn’t do well in his exams and now is preparing to abandon literature and turn to martial arts?"
Fen Ling shook his head, "I don’t think so, probably practicing martial arts every day is a good way for him to vent his emotions." He assumed Zhou Gu’s thoughts based on his own experiences, "Perhaps he’s upset that you’ve been living in the Princess Residence since arriving in the Capital City and haven’t set foot in the Duke Residence?"
Yet, Su Rong had a different perspective, "He’s not upset about me not visiting the Duke Residence. Perhaps he’s guessed my intentions and is waiting for me to pay him a visit."
Having given Su Rong’s words some thought, Fen Ling believed it was highly probable and remarked, "If that’s the case, Young Master Zhou Gu is indeed good at keeping his calm."
Su Rong gave a small smile.
Well, isn’t he good at keeping his composure?
Despite his young age, Zhou Gu had a youthful energy about him, but he also possessed a maturity beyond his years. If judged only from the outside, he was indeed very deceptive. Take for example, the time when he collaborated with the Eastern Palace to dismantle the Jiang Family’s power in Jiangzhou; it only took him two days.
Even though he was a scholar, the sword Zhou Gu wore at his waist had seen more than a few battles on the streets.
Su Rong was not in a hurry. She walked slowly, taking one step at a time. Passersby would startle at her looks along the way. The veil-less girl had a slender physique, and her movements were unhurried and leisurely, as if she were out for a stroll. With just her alone, she blended seamlessly into the falling leaves on this long autumn street, making up a beautiful picture.
Despite Fen Ling’s handsome looks and tall physique, he appeared to be simply a backdrop to her from afar.
An ordinary horse carriage crossed over from the end of the street. The wind lifted the curtain of the carriage, revealing a person inside engrossed in a book. Perhaps sensing something, he suddenly looked up and his gaze lingered for a moment before the curtain fell back down due to the wind. The person inside immediately put down his book, lifted the curtain, and looked out again.
The young lady in the distance did not have extravagant clothes on, but she stood under the rising morning sun and amid the autumn day, standing out brilliantly and catching the eye.
Sensing someone’s gaze from afar, Su Rong raised her eyes, looking straight into the eyes of the person in the carriage in a casual manner, but only for a moment. The curtain came down again and as the carriage moved further away, she could only make out a vague outline of the person’s face.
She halted slightly, staring at the now empty end of the long street, and asked Fen Ling, "Did you just notice that?"
"Notice what?" Fen Ling was puzzled, "The horse carriage?"
"Yes, the horse carriage." Su Rong nodded and added, "The person in the carriage." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"I caught a glimpse of it, there appeared to be a young man and a little girl inside?" Fen Ling was alert, "Master, was there anything wrong?"
Su Rong shook her head and smiled, "Nothing is wrong. Just that a few days ago, Duanhua told me that there’s no one in this world more handsome than Zhou Gu. I didn’t expect that today I would see someone who might outdo him in looks. Even though the carriage was far away and I couldn’t see clearly, I have a feeling that the man in there might be very handsome."
She confidently added, "He’s better looking than you."
Fen Ling was taken aback, "Master, is this how you see it?"
"Hmm, that is how I see it." Su Rong tossed away a fallen leaf, curious, "I wonder whose son he is, why don’t you go follow and investigate a bit?"
Fen Ling had no intention to go, "I need to protect you."
"We have shadow guards following, what’s to fear? Besides, we are in the main street of the Capital City, under the bright daylight, it should be perfectly safe. If the public security of the Capital City is so bad, the current Emperor won’t get to sleep at all every night. The patrolling battalion, Wucheng Soldier Horse Division, and the official of Jingzhao Prefecture would all lose their heads."
She waved a hand, commanding him, "Go on!"
Seeing her serious expression, Fen Ling had no choice but to relent, "Alright, then. I’ll go."
After giving his consent, he snapped his fingers at the shadow guard hidden in the background for protection, then quickly chased after the carriage.
Su Rong paid him no further attention, and continued her unhurried stroll. About half an hour later, Fen Ling had not yet returned, and she was already standing in front of the Duke Residence.
The Duke Residence was grand and imposing, with brilliant plaques hung with pride, and two large stone lions by the gate standing in majestic fashion. There were guards stationed around it, their posture and expressions putting on quite a show of strength.
The grand entrance was thrown wide open, and if one disregarded the young master languidly leaning on the door frame, the Duke Residence would have appeared quite impressive. However, this one person lying around lazily was rather out of place.
Su Rong hadn’t expected that Zhou Gu would be waiting at the entrance early in the morning. It was clear that he had been waiting for her for some time. Seeing her approaching, he didn’t make a sound, just his deep dark eyes staring at her.
Su Rong had prepared herself mentally, but she still felt a bit overwhelmed. However, no matter how overwhelmed she was, she had to endure it. Her heart had never been pure; it was black, so she could hold it together.
So, she stopped in her tracks, looking up at Zhou Gu, she asked with a smile, "Brother Zhou, have you been waiting for me?"
Zhou Gu raised an eyebrow, straightening his leaning form. But whether it was due to being bathed in the morning sun for too long or standing by the door for too long, even when standing straight, Zhou Gu still exuded a sense of laziness. He eyed Su Rong from head to toe, and asked without any formality, "Instead of peacefully waiting in Jiangzhou for me to finish my examination and make a formal proposal of marriage, you rushed to the Capital City. What for? Do you want me to marry you earlier?"
Su Rong blinked, saying nothing.
Zhou Gu looked down at her from his high position, his tone dragging, his eyes dark but his face wearing a smug smile, "What now? You are so impatient to come here, but I am not willing to marry at such a young age."
Impatient to come? Was he being sarcastic to her?
Su Rong squinted a little, reached into her robe, and slowly pulled out the marriage book. Under the falling sunlight, she also gave a languid smile, "In that case, it’s just as well, I don’t want to marry at a young age either. I’m here to cancel the marriage."
Zhou Gu had already anticipated her intention to call off the marriage, but he didn’t expect her to come here alone so early in the morning, without hesitation, saying it outright at the first encounter, not even accepting the opportunity to back down he offered her. She was truly here to cancel the marriage.
His face instantly darkened, his eyes sharp as a knife. He swiftly moved forward to grab her wrist, the marriage book in her hand was close at hand, flapping in the sunlight. The red marriage book, bathed in sunlight, was dark red with a golden shine, very striking. One glance was all he gave before shifting his gaze onto Su Rong’s eyes, which if looks could kill, Su Rong would have been pierced through, "Cancel the marriage? Who gave you the courage to cancel my marriage? Princess Qingping Residence?"
Feeling a pang of pain in the wrist he was holding, Su Rong nearly dropped the marriage book. It wasn’t the first time she had seen Zhou Gu lose his temper, she had seen it twice in Jiangning County, once when he encountered Jiang Yunying, and another time when she took him to the Fengyue Building. But those occasions were nowhere as intimidating as this one, it was quite terrifying, like a sharp knife.
She couldn’t show any pain or weakness, nor could she use the same sweet talk that she did in Jiangning County to fool him.
So, she remained completely composed on the surface, shook her head, and earnestly said, "It’s not Princess Qingping Residence that gave me the courage, it has nothing to do with the Princess Residence. It’s me. I came to the capital to cancel our marriage."
After saying that, she added seriously, "Zhou Gu, as you know, with my temperament, no one can force me to do something. It was my own decision."
Zhou Gu found her words extremely irritating. Although he had guessed as much, now hearing her say it so earnestly, the expression on her face also extremely serious, he was very upset and angry, "Well, your courage is indeed not small, very good."
After speaking through clenched teeth, without asking her the reason, he snatched the marriage book from her hand and turned to enter the house.
Her hand suddenly empty, Su Rong watched him take the marriage book and leave. She wondered whether to follow him in or not? Was the cancellation of marriage settled just like that? But then she thought, it seemed not yet, there was still the betrothal gift. She still had a jade pendant that needed to be returned to the Duke Residence, and the betrothal gift that her mother gave to the Duke Residence when they were engaged also needed to be taken back.
So, she had no choice but to silently follow in his wake and enter the Duke Residence.
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