Master Xie had had drinks with Zhou Gu the previous night. On returning to the Ducal residence, he couldn’t bear the splitting pain in his head and called for the Imperial Doctor.
Once the doctor had examined him and prescribed medication, he finally managed to sleep. But the aftereffects were so severe that he spent the whole next day lying in bed.
So, when he overheard the servants of the residence gossiping about the Crown Prince’s residence’s matters beneath his window and the name of Su Rong seemed to be mentioned, he summoned them instantly into his room and asked what had happened.
The servant, scared white, timidly recounted the sensation caused by the gossip about Crown Prince Residence, and then went on to beg Master Xie’s forgiveness. Rather than getting upset about being disturbed, Master Xie was electrified and sat up in bed, asking, "Is this true or false?"
The servant promptly replied, "That’s what everyone is saying. I don’t know if it’s true or false, but it sounds very convincing. So, it’s likely to be true."
Master Xie waved him away. "Go and get the housekeeper for me."
The servant felt a heavy load lifted off his chest. He quickly rose to his feet and darted from the room.
The housekeeper was quickly summoned. After inquiring from Master Xie he nodded, "My lord, it’s true. Apart from the Duanhua Princess, Lady Su Qi, and her younger brother Fen Ling attending as guests in the Crown Prince’s Residence today, the guards of Princess Qingping residence were seen moving in and out of the Crown Prince’s Residence, carrying picked chrysanthemums. Many saw this, even if the Crown Prince’s wife wanted to hide this news, she wouldn’t be able to."
Master Xie was stunned. "So, it’s actually true!"
The housekeeper nodded.
Master Xie bowed his head in deep thought, "Amazing. Who in the Capital City doesn’t know about the Crown Prince’s wife’s love for flowers? Her garden of chrysanthemums are her treasures. At the beginning of the month, she even invited my mother over to appreciate them. Now, in the middle of September, her garden has been stripped bald by Duanhua..."
He winced as if in pain, "The Crown Prince’s wife must be bleeding in her heart."
The housekeeper agreed, "Definitely. When our Duchess came back from admiring the flowers at the Crown Prince’s Residence earlier this month, she also praised the growth of the chrysanthemums there."
Who could have thought that within a few days, Lady Su Qi’s casual comment about making tea would result in Duanhua Princess ruthlessly plucking all the flowers.
Master Xie chuckled before jumping off the bed and swiftly beginning to change. "I won’t be having dinner at home tonight."
The housekeeper, still present, immediately asked, "My Lord, you’re leaving at this late hour? Where are you headed?"
"I’m off to Shen Residence to find Brother Su." Having swiftly dressed, Master Xie strode for the door.
The housekeeper followed him out. "You’re going to see Su Xingze?"
"Yep." Master Xie waved his hand dismissively.
Just as the housekeeper was about to say something else, someone came to fetch him, saying the Duchess had summoned him. He held his tongue and went to see the Duchess, figuring that she must have heard the rumors too and, like the Young Master, wanted to know if they were true.
Master Xie mounted a horse and left the residence, quickly reaching the Shen Residence.
Since Su Xingze started living in Shen Residence, it was not his first uninvited visit. He had been here two or three times previously, and the gatekeeper recognized him. Knowing that young Master Su was present, he let him in.
Master Xie didn’t need someone to lead the way and went directly to Su Xingze’s quarters.
Su Xingze was about to have dinner and invited him in when he arrived. "Brother Xie, what brought you here?"
"Just came to crash your dinner." Master Xie unceremoniously took a seat at the table.
Su Xingze chuckled and instructed someone to add another set of bowls and chopsticks.
Looking at the seven or eight dishes on the table, which were only for Su Xingze’s dinner, Master Xie admired, "Wow, is life in Shen Residence always this good? Every time I come, coincidentally at mealtime, I always see your table full of dishes which stimulate my appetite. All the dishes look, smell, and taste fantastic. It’s clear that Mr. and Mrs. Shen are quite the connoisseurs of life."
Although Su Xingze didn’t believe Master Xie had come only to eat, he agreed, "My Aunt Shen says I’ve become thinner from studying hard for exams. Now that they’re over, and I have some leisure time, she instructed the kitchen to prepare more nourishing dishes for me every day."
Master Xie nodded. "Quite a balance of meat and vegetables, congee, and soup. The arrangement is indeed nutritious."
A maid brought a set of bowls and chopsticks, and a pot of wine. As she was about to pour it, she was stopped by Master Xie, "I had too much wine yesterday and got a headache. I’ve just recovered and won’t drink today."
Used to not being waited on, Su Xingze instructed her kindly, "You can go now."
The maid acknowledged and left with the wine pot.
Master Xie opened up to Su Xingze, "Yesterday, Zhou Gu dragged me out for a drink. Guess what? He brought me to a guesthouse and cleaned me out of the silver I had on me. He ordered twelve jugs of wine, claiming six for each of us. You know my alcohol tolerance. I can only manage three at most, but he forced hangover pills on me and pressured me to drink. I felt guilty, so I had no choice but to keep him company. I got to bed at three in the morning, and it was utterly exhausting. Today, I lay around all day and only got out of bed before coming to see you."
Su Xingze knew that Su Rong had canceled her wedding at the Duke Residence yesterday, and he focused on the crux of the matter, asking him, "Why did you feel guilty?"
Master Xie hesitated but confessed to the casual curse he had thrown at Zhou Gu in Jiangning County. After finishing, he defended himself, "I merely spoke thoughtlessly then. How was I to know that your younger sister would actually call off her marriage with Zhou Gu? I’m certainly not to blame for this."
If his words were really that potent, all the wishes and vows he had made during his mother’s prayers and his father’s ancestral ceremonies should have come true by now, but not a single one had.
Silent, Su Xingze remained thoughtful. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Master Xie sighed, "Brother Su, may I ask, why did Lady Su Qi call off her engagement? Is Zhou Gu not a good match?"
Not that he intended to speak highly of Zhou Gu, but he was genuinely puzzle. In Jiangning County, the pair had gotten along harmoniously, evident to anyone with eyes. Considering Zhou Gu’s status and appearance, why would Su Rong...?
He assumed many were curious too.
Perhaps others might believe that Su Rong felt inferior and wisely chose not to pursue someone out of her league, but he knew Su Rong and the Su Family—none of them suffered from self-insufficiency, especially Su Rong herself.
Su Xingze shook his head, "It’s my sister’s personal matter, and I’m not in a position to discuss it. In the end, the engagement has been called off, and there’s no benefit in dwelling on it."
Master Xie realized he wouldn’t glean any information from Su Xingze and gave up, "Alright, you’re right. This matter, although it isn’t my business, I do feel somewhat involved. After all, who can blame me for not holding my tongue and cursing him?"
Su Xingze smiled, "Zhou Gu is not a petty man. Rest assured, Master Xie, he won’t hold this against you."
Master Xie was aware, and sighed again, "I know. He’s just seeking minor retribution by exhausting my spending money from my mother and filling me up with drinks to discomfort me for a couple of days. That’s in the past now. But seeing him in a poor mood..."
He tested the waters with a question, "During Lady Su Qi’s cancellation of the engagement, she mentioned her feelings for another. Brother Su, I am curious, who is this other person that outranked Zhou Gu?"
Su Xingze was taken aback, but he kept his composure, shaking his head, "My apologies, Master Xie, but I cannot disclose that."
Recognizing the futility of his efforts, Master Xie dropped the subject, "Alright, alright, Brother Su, if you can’t say it, then you can’t," quickly pivoting the conversation, "Did you hear about your sister and Duanhua visiting the Princess Residence today?"
Su Xingze nodded, "I heard."
Full of admiration, Master Xie commented, "Your sister is quite capable. With an offhand remark, she cost the Crown Prince’s wife the Chrysanthemum Garden. Duanhua was impressive, too. With a simple offer to honor her royal uncle and the Imperial Concubine, she left the Crown Prince’s consort speechless. And Fen Ling, isn’t he Lady Su Qi’s brother? That makes him part of your family, right? How come I’ve never heard of him? Where did he come from?"
"Fen Ling is Master Xie’s student. My sister has been educated by Master Xie from a young age, so they regard each other as siblings," Su Xingze explained simply.
Master Xie came to a realization, "I see. Fen Ling is quite an interesting character, worthy of being Master Xie’s student. I need to meet him sometime. He must be quite a character."
He laughed as he continued, "Ning Ze from the Marquis Nanping Residence is also quite shrewd. All these years in the Marquis Residence, he’s relied on his mother and sister, along with the favoritism of Marquis Nanping. Supposedly, he’s caused quite a few setbacks for Ning Chi, the Crown Prince. Who’d have thought his claws would retract into soft kitten paws upon arriving in the capital? Apparently, Fen Ling trapped him in the Prince Residence’s main kitchen for half a day, turning his face so dark with anger yet he couldn’t stir an incident."
Su Xingze found it rather amusing too, "Fen Ling and my sister have similar temperaments. When the two of them get together and start causing mischief, it’s indeed hard to deal with."
"Hard to deal with? It’s well beyond that now. With their antics, your sister and Fen Ling have made quite a name for themselves in the capital, more so than you, Su Xingze. The wedding cancellation scandal hasn’t even died down, and already there’s this new incident. I’m afraid your sister’s name is now known to every household," Master Xie commented, "Do you know who else has such treatment? Victorious generals returning to court, renowned scholars known for their eloquence, oh, and Zhou Gu and me, after our brawl."
Yet, Su Xingze thought that his sister and Fen Ling must have been intentional in their actions, probably with some purpose in mind. Her fame was known to everyone in the capital, so broadcasting it further would also inform the people in Nanchu to come looking for her if they so wished.
He said softly, "Let’s eat."
Master Xie nodded. Having had an empty stomach all day, he didn’t dare to eat any hefty dishes, so he just sipped his porridge, thinking the capital was headed for some lively times.
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