"Ha!" Su Rong laughed.
Ye Guixue’s ears turned gradually red.
Su Rong looked at the man who was lowered his gaze in front of her, moved her body a bit, and asked casually, "The Nanchu King should know that my late mother arranged a fiancé for me, right?"
"Yes." The blush on Ye Guixue’s ears faded, he raised his head, his eyes clear, "The King figured you would break off the engagement."
Su Rong smirked, "It’s so amazing that the Nanchu King, being so far away in Nanchu, can understand my thoughts so well."
Ye Guixue shook his head, "In recent years, the King has not acted rashly because, firstly, he was afraid of not being able to protect you fully if he brought you back to Nanchu, which could expose you too early. So, he had to endure patiently. Secondly, the situation in Nanchu Dynasty is precarious, with many coveting the throne. You are not someone who can be easily bullied, if you didn’t want to be led by the nose, your only choice would be to return and take over the throne. However, the Duke Residence is not what it used to be. Young Master Zhou’s upbringing, teachings, and desires are all contrary to yours. This is quite easy to deduce."
Su Rong nodded, took the token he had been presenting for some time. The token was heavy and made of black iron, specially crafted with dragon patterns, with three small words on it "Princess’s Token", and the beast pattern from the flag of Nanchu Country at the lower corner.
Su Rong held the token in her hand, weighing it, then casually placed it on the desk. Seeing Ye Guixue watching her, she gestured him to pour some water into her teacup.
Ye Guixue instantly reached out, gracefully refilled her tea.
Su Rong picked up the tea, took a sip, and asked him, "Do you have a cousin or a childhood sweetheart that you have feelings for?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Ye Guixue was slightly surprised, then immediately understood what Su Rong was asking, shook his head, "No."
"None?"
Ye Guixue shook his head firmly, "No, the Ye Family has a strict moral code, it forbids private engagement. Five years ago, the King found me, I was only thirteen back then. Since the day I agreed to become the King’s son-in-law, I have been reflecting upon myself constantly and keeping a moral conduct. There is not only none of the things Princess mentioned, but also no maid in my room, let alone a concubine. I assure you."
"Five years ago, that was really early." Su Rong sighed lightly, looking at Ye Guixue, "You should have come earlier."
Ye Guixue was stunned, suddenly understood something, his face turned pale, and said quietly: "I was supposed to come to Daliang three months ago, but at that time there was a difficult issue in the King’s court related to the military, so I was late for three months."
Su Rong stopped speaking.
It was during these three months delay that her mother wrote a letter to the old duke, who unexpectedly sent Zhou Gu to Jiangning County.
At that time, she didn’t know of her identity and had no intention to break off the engagement. So she developed some feelings for him.
Ye Guixue pursed his lips and took out another item from his sleeve, handed it to Su Rong, "It was for this that I came three months late. Could this item’s weight plead for your forgiveness?"
Su Rong looked at the item in his hand and asked, "What is this?"
"Rebellion in Western Capital of Nanchu, I put down the rebellion. This is the tiger talisman of the hundred thousand soldiers of Western Capital." Ye Guixue said softly: "The King said that putting down the rebellion was my merit, and gave me the tiger talisman. May I use this as a betrothal gift? I am willing to plan for the future of Nanchu with you, eliminate traitors, and serve the people."
Su Rong paused, "The tiger talisman of a hundred thousand troops!"
She laughed, "How many troops does Nanchu have now?"
"Three hundred thousand."
"Who’s in command?"
"The King has a hundred thousand troops in Jinglu, the Western Capital’s hundred thousand troops were originally under General Sun Xiaoyuan, but after Sun Xiaoyuan suddenly passed away and the Vice General rebelled, I was ordered to march to the Western Capital, and it took me three months to suppress the rebellion. Now, the troops are under my control." Ye Guixue didn’t elaborate the process of suppressing the rebellion, just mentioned it briefly: "The remaining hundred thousand troops, fifty thousand are under the Nangong Family’s command, and the rest are scattered."
Su Rong nodded, this tiger talisman of hundred thousand troops must have not come easily, though Ye Guixue didn’t mention it. If she accepted this tiger talisman today, it also meant that she accepted Ye Guixue’s betrothal gift, and the engagement would be established.
But did she have a reason not to accept it?
Su Rong thought she didn’t. It was certain that she would claim the throne in Nanchu, and these hundred thousand troops were what she needed. The Nanchu King, her real father, had trained Ye Guixue so well specifically for her, touching her heart in every aspect, from his appearance to talent, capabilities, and the enticing power he offered, he was simply top-notch.
Compared with him, Zhou Gu was just like a piece of raw jade!
What was the big deal about being three months late? Those tiny bits of feelings had long been flung away by her.
She suddenly laughed, reached out, and took the tiger talisman, "I accept your proposal!"
Ye Guixue shot his head up abruptly, seemingly did not expect such a straightforward act, thus was a bit stunned.
Su Rong felt around her person, found nothing suitable as a token in return, thus took off a hairpin from her hair and handed it to Ye Guixue, "Take this as a temporary token, I’ll give you a better one another day."
Ye Guixue hurriedly reached out and took it. He was a bit flustered and blushed a bit, with a hint of wonder reflected in his clear eyes. Although he came prepared, he didn’t expect such cooperation from her. He thought he would have to make more effort, like how exhausting and life-threatening suppressing that corps of hundred thousand soldiers was.
"What? What kind of expression is that?" Su Rong watched him interestingly.
Ye Guixue clutched at the hairpin in his hands, unable to gather his thoughts for a while. Fortunately, years of cultivation allowed him to remain composed, "I thought that the Princess needs to think carefully about it."
"There’s nothing much to think about. Second Young Master Ye, you have a high reputation. If you are willing to be my stepping stone to success, I am also willing to accept your betrothal gift and plan for Nanchu with you." Su Rong gave a charming smile, pocketed the token and the tiger talisman, stood up to leave. Seeing Ye Guixue staring at her in a daze, she turned around, bent over, approached him, and patted his shoulder carelessly, "I’m going, your tea was really good. I’ll come to drink it some other day."
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