Zhou Xi leaned in immediately when the young master called him.
Zhou Gu instructed Zhou Xi in a whisper, "Starting from today, I want you to find a person for me. This person is a woman; said to be a fisherwoman from a farming family, carrying a dagger of the crown prince. The dagger is a unique piece by Master Carver Zhang Chengming. The hilt is covered in auspicious cloud patterns and when heated, reveals an inscription of the Crown Prince’s name. It should not be hard to recognize."
Zhou Xi immediately asked, "Are there other features? Like a portrait or something?"
Zhou Gu shook his head, "No."
Zhou Xi felt troubled, "This might be difficult to find."
"But you must find her. I promised the Crown Prince."
Zhou Xi nodded, understanding now that it was the Crown Prince’s instructions to find this person.
Zhou Gu added, "Keep this a secret, don’t make it detected."
Zhou Xi acknowledged.
Therefore, after dinner, Zhou Gu took Ziye as usual to stroll around the city, while Zhou Xi returned to arrange people to search for the person.
After three days of touring the city, Zhou Gu called Zhou Xi and ordered, "Later you should send someone to the Governor’s Residence to deliver a message, saying that I’ll pay a visit tomorrow."
Zhou Xi nodded, and voluntarily reported to Zhou Gu, "I have already sent someone to search for two days. There are not many families in Jiangning who make a living from fishing, so I have ordered a covert search of these households."
Zhou Gu nodded.
Zhou Xi immediately sent someone to the Governor’s Residence to deliver the message. The lady of the Governor was delighted and gave specific instructions to Su Rong after receiving the message, "With your good looks, don’t waste them. Even if you have to, make sure to present yourself well. Don’t reveal your true nature at first sight and scare them away."
Su Rong felt helpless, "Mother, do you really lack confidence in me so much?"
The lady of the Governor bluntly responded, "Yes, you do."
Su Rong realized that her past deeds had ruined her credibility in front of the lady of the Governor.
The lady of the Governor pointed at her forehead, "Let me tell you, don’t take this lightly. Last night, your father and I secretly went to the street to check on that Young Master Zhou. He’s quite attractive, and all the women on the street look at him when he passes by, yet he remains indifferent. It’s been three days and he hasn’t even visited the Red Building brothel, just wandering the streets. It seems his character is passable, at least he’s not a drunkard."
Su Rong was astonished, "Mother, what have you and father been up to? Is this really necessary?"
They even went as far as sneaking around to observe him? If they’re discovered, where will they hide their face?
The lady of the Governor met Su Rong’s gaze with a slight blush, "Your father and I are doing this for you."
"Well, thank you for your efforts." Su Rong was speechless, "You haven’t been discovered by him, have you?"
"No, we disguised ourselves as lower servants and merely glanced at him from afar. There were many people on the street coming and going, so he didn’t notice us."
Su Rong let out a sigh of relief, "That’s good, otherwise, I would’ve felt embarrassed for you."
The lady of the Governor stared, "You even know how to do such an advanced thing as blushing?"
Su Rong: "..."
There’s no point in arguing!
The next day, after breakfast, Zhou Gu, accompanied only by Ziye, visited Governor Su’s residence.
The doorkeeper at the Governor’s Residence opened the door and saw two young men standing outside. One of them was very good-looking, with clear, refined features, and the other, dressed like a bodyguard, was also quite handsome. Both of them were quite young, he inquired tentatively, "May I know who you two gentlemen are...?"
"I am Zhou Gu of the Duke Residence, here to visit Governor Su and Mrs. Su." Zhou Gu introduced himself.
In surprise, the doorman blurted out, "Seventh young master?"
Zhou Gu’s expression froze, ’Seventh young master’? What the heck is that? For a moment, he felt like turning around and leaving but ultimately he held back.
The doorman quickly realized his mistake and repeatedly apologized, "Forgive me, young master Zhou. I was just so excited to meet you. Our master and lady have given instructions that you are to be received without announcement. Please come in."
The doorman widely opened the door, cheerfully inviting Zhou Gu in, while shouting to those inside, "Young Master Zhou is here!"
Zhou Gu: "..."
Is this how the Governor’s Residence treats guests?
With the doorman’s shout, the serene Governor’s Residence suddenly stirred. Everyone who heard the news, in turn, shouted, "Master, Lady, Young Master Zhou is here!"
There was no need for a messenger, just in a moment, the successive shouts from different people echoed from the main entrance to the front courtyard and then the back courtyard.
Zhou Gu felt his forehead twitch. It was his first time experiencing such a welcome when visiting someone’s house. It made him feel as if he were a prince; a single shout setting the whole house in motion.
"Young master, please come in quickly!" Seeing Zhou Gu standing outside for a while, the doorkeeper was about to guide him inside.
Zhou Gu gritted his teeth, striving to calm himself and stepped inside.
He had only taken a few steps when Li Fu, the housekeeper, came out to greet him. He was beaming with joy and bowed in respect, "Young Master Zhou, I am the housekeeper of the residence, Li Fu. Please come in."
Zhou Gu nodded and courteously said, "Greetings, Mr. Li!"
"Oh, I don’t deserve such respect," the housekeeper said humbly. "I just manage the daily affairs in the residence. I don’t dare to accept your formal address. Just call me Li Fu, Young Master." The housekeeper thought that Young Master Zhou’s behavior didn’t resemble the rumors, he didn’t appear arrogant, but rather showed good manners, this surprised him.
The housekeeper led Zhou Gu to the reception room, arranged for tea to be served, and announced, "Master and the lady will arrive shortly."
Zhou Gu nodded. During his journey within the Governor’s Residence, he noticed that although it was tidy and clean, it lacked a sense of elegancy and the reception room was very simplistic. He had heard that Governor Su wasn’t corrupt. Jiangning was a wealthy place but the tax remitted each year wasn’t much. The emperor once sent an inspector to investigate Governor Su and despite turning his affairs upside down, they didn’t find him with even a single tael of embezzled silver. The report amused the emperor.
The emperor didn’t seem to expect that among his officials, there was one who wouldn’t embezzle even a tael of silver.
While Governor Su was in his study and the lady of the house was instructing the housekeeper about Su Rong, neither expected Zhou Gu to visit so early. Upon hearing the announcement, the couple immediately set aside their tasks and hurried towards the front hall from different directions.
Just as the lady of the Governor had stepped over the threshold, she turned back and seriously instructed Su Rong, "You should quickly go and dress up. I’ll send for you later." Still mistrusting Su Rong, she ordered, "Wang Ma, you help her dress up, make sure she looks beautiful."
Wang Ma responded with a smile, "Rest assured, lady."
The lady of the Governor left, feeling relieved.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
