The Crown Prince’s Wife only then remembered that she heard how during Su Rong and her brother’s stay at the Princess Residence, the kitchen of the residence made different types of dishes every day.
Turning her head to look at Fen Ling, she noticed that the young man was quite attractive, with exceptional refined features. She smiled and said, "My chef started preparations early this morning, Lady Su Qi and your brother should taste it carefully, and if you find it delicious, you are welcome to come and live in my residence as well."
Duanhua immediately grasped Su Rong’s arm, pulling her away from the Crown Prince’s Wife. "Dear cousin, you can’t steal from me, you can only lend me your chef, otherwise, I’m going to take her home immediately and we won’t be your guests anymore."
Duanhua has always been assertive and wouldn’t hesitate to speak her mind when things involved her.
The Crown Prince’s Wife wasn’t irritated by her words, instead she chuckled amicably, "Alright, alright, alright, if my cousin is so unwilling to part with Lady Su Qi, I won’t vie with you over her, you guys just enjoy your visit."
Duanhua still had Su Rong’s arm in her grasp and asked, "What about the chef, will you lend him to me?"
"Yes, yes, yes," the Crown Prince’s Wife answered.
Duanhua was satisfied, and finally showed a smile, "Dear cousin, you’re so nice."
In just a few short sentences, the Crown Prince’s Wife realized that Duanhua truly valued Su Rong, which was not just a pretence. The Second Prince’s Wife naturally recognized this as well, smiling and saying, "Once I get home today, I will send invites right away for you to visit my residence tomorrow."
Duanhua didn’t immediately agree, and instead responded, "Second cousin, let’s talk about tomorrow’s plans tomorrow, but your chef, I’ll like to book in advance."
The Crown Prince’s Wife agreed readily, "That’s not a problem."
Once everyone entered the residence and arrived at the Reception Room, a man dressed in brocade stood at the entrance, greeting everyone restrainedly, "Second Prince’s Wife, Duanhua Princess."
The Crown Prince’s Wife introduced him with a smile, "Second sister-in-law, cousin, have you met before? This is my younger brother Ning Ze, he has come to the Capital City for his exams, and since Lady Su Qi’s younger brother is visiting our house today, and since my dear husband has a pressing matter to deal with and couldn’t spare any time, I called him over to accompany us."
The Second Prince’s Wife offered a slight nod of acknowledgement, "Young Master Ning is truly a gifted scholar."
Duanhua gave Ning Ze a glance, and added, "Then you should keep Fen Ling company! He loves our kitchen. Why don’t you take him to visit the kitchen in my cousin’s residence now?"
Ning Ze was taken aback, as gentlemen are generally not keen on kitchens. Despite his numerous visits to the Crown Prince’s Residence, he had never been to its main kitchen.
Fen Ling, who had been lazily trailing behind everyone, promptly came forward with great enthusiasm upon hearing this, "The Princess is right, one should not resist delicious food. In that case, please lead the way, Young Master Ning!"
Ning Ze glanced at Fen Ling, then at Su Rong who was being held by Duanhua, before turning to look at the Crown Prince’s Wife.
The Crown Prince’s Wife had never seen guests who would head to the kitchen before even having a sip of tea upon their first visit. She then introduced Ning Ze to the other two, "These are our special guests for today, this is Lady Su Qi and this is Young Master Fen Ling."
Only then did Ning Ze extend a formal greeting to Su Rong, maintaining his decorum, "Lady Su Qi,", and then turned to Fen Ling, "Brother Fen."
Su Rong replied with a smile, "Thank you, Young Master Ning, for accompanying my brother. He is rather food-loving, at the Princess Residence, he would often spend his time in the kitchen, sometimes even learning to cook from the head chef. I’ve never restrained him, so please take care of him today." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
What could Ning Ze say? He could only nod, "Brother Fen, would you like to go now? Don’t you want to have some tea first?"
"We can eat the same in the kitchen. The kitchen has everything, doesn’t it? There will definitely be tea there as well." Fen Ling was very proactive, went up to Ning Ze, put his arm around his shoulders, and said familiarly, "Brother Ning, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go now."
Being urged on by Fen Ling, Ning Ze had no choice but to go.
Once the two had left, the Crown Prince’s Wife was silent for a while. It was only until the two had vanished from sight that she seemed to snap out of her daze, addressing Su Rong with a smile, "Your brother is quite unique."
Su Rong was somewhat embarrassed, "I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused."
With the men gone, only the women remained, so the Crown Prince’s Wife invited them into the Reception Room for tea and conversation, inevitably discussing trivial matters. After two rounds of tea, the Crown Prince’s Wife invited them to visit the flower garden.
Contrary to Su Rong’s assumption that they would be appreciating September chrysanthemums during this season, there were indeed many different plants in the flower room. They included peonies, roses, jasmine, hibiscus, phalaenopsis, dendrobium, and many more. There was a diverse assortment, all meticulously cared for, showing that the Crown Princess was truly a flower enthusiast.
After everyone enjoyed the flowers for a while, the Crown Princess eventually shifted the conversation to the matter of Su Rong’s cancelled engagement. "Sheng An’s great-aunt is also a flower lover. Has Lady Su Qi met the princess? Were you roped into admiring flowers with her at the Duke Residence?"
Su Rong thought this was inevitable. She shook her head, "Not once. I only went to the Duke Residence once to discuss cancelling the engagement. After discussing the formalities, I left. It wasn’t appropriate for me to stay too long."
The Crown Princess seemed to understand her implication that the meeting was unpleasant, didn’t it? She smiled and asked, "The gossips have been debating Lady Su Qi’s decision to break off the engagement, which even aroused the curiosity of our Crown Prince. I wonder, why did you refuse Young Master Zhou? With the reputation of the Duke Residence, it should have been an exceptional arrangement."
Su Rong replied without hesitation, "Mismatched backgrounds, incompatible disposition - we simply weren’t right for each other. It doesn’t matter how prestigious a family may be, it’s worthless without the fortune to accompany it. I believe I don’t have such fortune, and it’s a trivial matter like breaking off an engagement that caused quite a stir in the city. Even the attention of the Crown Prince."
She then asked, appearing curious yet serious, "Is the Crown Prince usually this busy?"
The insinuation being, why does he have the spare time to follow the whispers and rumors?
The Crown Princess choked a little, saying hastily, "Of course, our Crown Prince is often occupied. However, the story of your engagement to Young Master Zhou reached everyone’s ears after he and Young Master Xie got into a fight. With most of the city dwelling on it, it’s no surprise that the rumour reached the Crown Prince."
She looked at Su Rong, "When you cancel the engagement on your own, was it your decision or the family’s?"
The implication being was it the Inspector Residence of Jiangzhou that chose to avoid affiliating with the Eastern Palace, or was she simply conscience-stricken and afraid of being eaten alive by the women in the Capital City who adore Zhou Gu, hence the desperate engagement cancellation.
Su Rong smiled, responding, "It was my own decision. I felt Zhou Gu and I weren’t compatible. My family always indulges me, they were willing."
The underlying implication being that she can take charge of her own life. As for the other assumptions, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess were reading too much into it.
The Crown Princess was momentarily speechless.
The Second Princess Consort chimed in, "Do you have any plans now that you’ve cancelled your engagement to Young Master Zhou, Lady Su Qi? Would you remain in the Capital City or return to Jiangzhou?"
"For the time being, I’ll stay in the Capital City. After the list of successful applicants is released, I will decide whether to stay or move depending on whether my elder brother gets assigned in the Capital City or elsewhere." Su Rong casually replied.
The Second Princess Consort thought, it seems that Su Xingze is certain to emerge as top scholar based on Su Rong’s confidence. She seems to have deep faith in Su Xingze.
She grinned, "My cousin, Zhang Yin, joined the army three years ago. He was 14 then and he’s 17 this year. Having achieved several minor feats in the army over three years, he has been quite successful and currently holds the title of Major of Zhāowǔ. He’s still young and has plenty of opportunities for promotion. He’s the only legitimate son of my uncle, the Governor of Fengyang Prefecture. He has the choice to take over the family property or establish his own household. Currently, he’s not engaged yet. Although his status falls short compared to Young Master Zhou’s, the rank of his status does match your family’s. I have had a favorable impression of you, Lady Su Qi. Perhaps you would consider my suggestion?"
The Crown Princess was taken aback. She hadn’t expected the Second Princess Consort to be interested in bringing Su Rong into her family, causing her to furrow her brows.
Duanhua handed over the girl, "Second cousin-in-law, what are you doing? Who proposes a match by directly addressing the person involved?"
The Second Princess Consort replied amiably, "No one here’ll take offense. Moments ago, Lady Su Qi said she is capable of making her own decisions, which reminded me of my cousin. Don’t fault me for this, neither Lady Su Qi nor you should. I have a frank disposition, and upon seeing Lady Su Qi’s excellent character, I’m merely afraid of losing the chance and wished to seize the opportunity."
Duanhua sneered, "Is your cousin handsome?"
The Second Princess Consort nodded, "Indeed he is."
Duanhua asked, "How does he compare to Zhou Gu?"
The Second Princess Consort was taken aback, "Well, naturally he can’t compare." She paused for a second then said sincerely, "Young Master Zhou’s appearance is extraordinary, difficult for a common folk to contend. Nevertheless, my cousin is not too inferior, quite attractive too."
Upon her response, Duanhua instantly declined on Su Rong’s behalf. "That won’t do. You should give up that thought, Second cousin-in-law! It’s fine for Su Rong to lower her expectations regarding family background, but the one she chooses must be good-looking and should not fall short of Zhou Gu. So, your cousin doesn’t fit."
Having said this, she turned to the Crown Princess who had been silent, "And you too, elder cousin-in-law. Your younger brother doesn’t fit either, don’t even consider it. He isn’t attractive enough."
The Crown Princess: "..."
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