As the carriage from the Princess Residence headed towards the Crown Prince’s Residence, the carriage from the Second Prince’s Residence also set out.
Naturally, the invitation from Ning Yao, the Crown Prince’s consort, to Zhang Wan, the Second Prince’s consort was because the two residences were secretly allied against the crown prince. They wanted to observe Su Rong and probe her intentions in order to judge certain matters.
The original objective was to investigate the solidity of her connection with Zhou Gu and find ways to exploit her in order to challenge Zhou Gu and the Duke Residence. Unexpectedly, she had broken off her engagement with Zhou Gu. Even so, as the sister of Su Xingze and daughter of the Inspector of Jiangzhou, she can’t be treated as an ordinary person.
The Crown Prince’s Residence had been preparing for a long time, waiting for Duanhua to agree to bring Su Rong to the feast. Now that Duanhua had agreed, the Crown Prince’s Residence had begun preparations energetically early in the morning.
Ning Ze, the younger half-brother from Ning Chi’s stepmother was also Ning Yao’s biological brother. Four years younger than Ning Chi, he came to the Capital City to participate in the civil service examination. Because he was not particularly distinguished in literary style or reputation, his coming to take the examination didn’t stir up much outcry. It was unlike the distinguished scholars Su Xingze of Jiangzhou, Lu Fengyan of Chuanxi, and Zhao Li’an of Jibei, who were widely discussed for their scholastic abilities.
The Ning family had their own residence in the Capital City. After Ning Ze got the news, he promptly went to the Crown Prince’s Residence.
When Ning Yao saw him, she instructed him, "Today, you will accompany Su Rong’s little brother, named Fen Ling, and probe his intentions. Find out why Su Rong called off the marriage with Zhou Gu, and then inquire about Su Xingze. See if the Inspector Residence in Jiangzhou has truly aligned with the Crown Prince, or if they were reluctantly dragged into the alliance and are dissatisfied. Is Su Rong’s breaking off the engagement with Zhou Gu to resist the Eastern Palace? Or is there something else? It’s best if you can find out everything."
Ning Ze nodded, "Don’t worry Sister, I got this."
After making his assurances to Ning Yao, he said, "I heard that this Su Rong is extraordinarily beautiful, even more so than Duanhua Princess and Qin Luan..."
Ning Yao immediately glared at him, "What are you planning to do?"
Ning Ze leaned in to whisper to Ning Yao, "Now that she has terminated her engagement with Zhou Gu, the Inspector Residence of Jiangzhou might not seem significant to us, but we should keep an eye on Su Xingze. What if I take her as my wife, what do you think of that, sister?"
Ning Yao frowned, "A low-born girl..."
"Sister!" Ning Ze interrupted her, "Don’t be shortsighted, I’ve already said, Su Xingze is much more valuable than the Inspector Residence of Jiangzhou. I heard Su Xingze cherishes his low-status seventh sister dearly. If I were to marry her, wouldn’t Su Xingze have to join our side? "
Ning Yao mused over his words, "You have a point, though we haven’t even met her yet, and rumors could be wrong. Besides, the fundamental reason why she is being treated as an honored guest in the Princess Residence is yet to be discovered. I sent her an invitation the second day she entered the Princess Residence, but it was declined by Duanhua. Duanhua seems to be protecting her and only brought her out after the termination of her engagement. It’s not prudent to make a move without knowing her background."
"Sister, it’ll be too late if we investigate her background fully. We have to catch her off guard." Ning Ze eagerly persuaded, "Even if she’s not as beautiful as the rumors, for the sake of our alliance, I can make the sacrifice. Besides, even if we corner her, it doesn’t necessarily mean I have to marry her immediately..."
Ning Yao hesitated, "This matter needs to be discussed with my husband."
Ning Ze disagreed, "Sis, are you foolish? My brother-in-law is fond of beauties, you know that. Now that Su Rong has broken off her engagement with Zhou Gu, if it occurs to him, and he happens to meet Su Rong, what if he marries her as a concubine? If that woman is just a beauty without brains, that’s fine. However, if she is both beautiful and intelligent, you would be in danger. It’d be better off giving her to me, I can not only secure her, but also draw Su Xingze to our side, and perhaps even that stern and impartial Minister of Personnel, Shen Xian. If the matter succeeds, it would also be beneficial to my brother-in-law."
Ning Yao was persuaded, "Let me think about it."
"Sister, you have to think quickly. If you come to a decision, seize the opportunity immediately." Ning Ze suggested, "This is your residence, dealing with a low-status girl should be easy, right? Have a maid spill some tea, or lead her on a detour, or pour some water, add some medicine, anything will do, as long as I can have her."
Ning Yao remained silent.
Ning Ze knew she was tempted. Hence, he sat to one side, sipping his tea and waiting.
After a while, Ning Yao said, "Father originally wanted you to marry a high-born noble lady. Su Rong, a low-born girl, has Su Xingze, but are you certain that Su Xingze will pass the civil service exam?"
"I saw Su Xingze the other day. After the civil service exam, he is no longer in isolation and has started socializing. He’s very eloquent and quite literary. Even Lu Fengyan, the scholar from Chuanxi, admires his scholarship after meeting him." Ning Ze declared, "He is certain to succeed."
After his declaration, he sighed, "Brother-in-law is not ruthless enough, or else why fear Shen Xian? If he moved against Su Xingze earlier and ruined his official career, then helped him during his downfall, who knows, Su Xingze might have been in brother-in-law’s service now. Isn’t it better than allowing him to enter the service of the Eastern Palace after passing the examination?"
Ning Yao glared at him, "That’s easy for you to say, Shen Xian is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. This year is the crucial time for the triennial performance assessment of officials, how could he offend Shen Xian for one Su Xingze? Some people need Shen Xian’s cooperation."
Ning Ze already understood this, "I should have taken action when he was on his way to the Capital City."
Ning Yao replied, "He traveled to the Capital City with Zhou Gu and Xie Lin. Your brother-in-law did want to make a move, but he was guarded by a team of elites from the Duke Residence and we weren’t sure we could succeed. Moreover, it would have involved Xie Lin. The Rui’an King Residence has always maintained neutrality — genuine neutrality, with no bias towards the Eastern Palace. If we had acted and it had been discovered, it would have been a big problem if the Rui’an King Residence had thrown its weight behind the Eastern Palace."
Ning Ze shook his head, "Constantly worrying about this or that can make us lose out in the end. My brother-in-law is too indecisive, not ruthless enough."
Ning Yao chided softly, "He is not only your brother-in-law but also the Crown Prince. Be mindful of your words. If he overhears you, he might grow tired of you."
Ning Ze was nonchalant, "He still relies on your little brother-in-law and our Marquis Nanping Residence. Why are you so cautious around him, sister?"
Ning Yao warned, "The relationship between the Crown Prince and the Marquis Nanping Residence is mutual help and reciprocity. If you don’t respect the Crown Prince and always think that he relies on us, and therefore, take him lightly, even if he doesn’t react now, in the future when he ascends the throne, he will settle the score with you. Do you understand? You must never speak like this again."
Ning Ze sat upright, "Yes, sister, you’re right, I was being arrogant."
He was someone who could learn from advice, "Have you thought of a plan yet? We should hurry, they will be here soon. We’ll be too late to set things in motion."
Ning Yao nodded, "I’ve thought of a plan, I will go arrange it now."
Ning Ze smiled, "How decisive and resolute of you, sister. You are indeed a model of a future mother to the world."
Ning Yao glanced at Ning Ze but said nothing more, and turned to leave.
By the time Su Rong, Duanhua, and Fen Ling left the Princess Residence, it was already late. When they arrived at the Crown Prince’s Residence, it was nearly noon.
The carriage from the Princess Residence arrived at the Crown Prince’s Residence almost at the same time as the carriage from the residence of the second prince.
As soon as Duanhua and Su Rong stepped out of the carriage, they saw people getting off the carriage on the opposite side. Duanhua leaned into Su Rong’s ear and whispered, "It’s the wife of the second Prince, Zhang Wan. I didn’t expect the Crown Prince’s wife, Ning Yao, to invite Zhang Wan today. Since when have they become so close?"
Su Rong thought to herself, it must have been recent. The Crown Prince had taken down the former Inspector of Jiangzhou, Jiang Sheng, and brought Jiangzhou under his control, disrupting the marriage alliance planned by the Marquis Nanping Residence. The Crown Prince only acts when needed, but when he does, it’s formidable. The heir apparent’s roots run deep. The second Prince must have realized the Crown Prince’s might through this incident. Therefore, they must have formed an alliance in secret as they couldn’t tackle him individually.
Duanhua was usually very polite. She pulled Su Rong over to give salutations to the second Prince’s consort, "Cousin-in-law."
Su Rong also paid her respects, "Consort of the second Prince."
After Zhang Wan got out of the carriage, she scanned Su Rong, who was standing next to Duanhua. She was slightly surprised to find Su Rong indeed beautiful. She smiled and approached, "Please, do not stand on ceremony. Is this lady Su Qi? You are indeed extraordinary as per the rumors."
Su Rong smiled lightly in reply, "You flatter me, consort of the second Prince."
As they all gathered and headed into the Crown Prince’s Residence, they didn’t walk far when Ning Yao, the wife of the Crown Prince, led some people to welcome them from inside. Her gaze fell first on Su Rong. She momentarily stopped in her tracks, thinking to herself that based on her appearance alone, Su Rong would make a sufficient consort for her brother-in-law.
After another round of formalities, as the host, the wife of the Crown Prince was naturally warmer than the wife of the second Prince. As she led the crowd inside, she laughed and said, "As soon as I heard that Lady Su Qi was coming to the Capital City, I wanted to meet this intelligent woman, so I asked Duanhua to invite you over. To my surprise, Duanhua wasn’t willing to let you go, so I had to wait until today to meet you. Waiting these many days was worth it. Lady Su Qi, you really are a delight."
Listening to her roundabout but amiable talking, Su Rong felt truly impressed. She simply replied with a smile, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I, too, wanted to get a taste of life in the Crown Prince’s Residence. Once Princess Duanhua and I became fast friends, she became quite clingy. I didn’t have a choice in that... Ah, I heard that you have a good chef in your residence?"
The Crown Prince’s wife was puzzled by Su Rong’s sudden shift in topic and paused before replying, "Yes, the chef is pretty good."
Su Rong beamed, "Then my brother and I are in for a treat."
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