Zhou Gu thought to himself, she really doesn’t know how to avoid sensitive topics. Is this something she should say the first time we meet? She really knows how to pour salt onto his wounds. On the day he was beaten by his grandfather’s military stick, Xie Lin had sent someone to the Duke Residence specifically to mock him, saying what’s the point of snatching the girl if you’re just going to have her stolen away? He’s not better than Zhou Gu at all, they are both failures.
At the time, he was furious and considered going to beat up Xie Lin again. However, he couldn’t leave his bed, especially with the rumors spreading like wildfire, all saying that he was absurd and reckless. Full of regret, he wished he could just drop dead.
Seeing Zhou Gu’s awkward expression, Su Rong was somewhat sympathetic. The young man had a bit too much youthful zeal; thinking that as long as he had the girl, everything else would fall into place. He probably hadn’t expected things to become so chaotic. This was a lesson and a setback for him, and likely a huge blow to his confidence.
Feeling that it was her duty as his fiancée to relieve him of his feelings of dejection, Su Rong softly explained, "It’s not wrong of you to protect someone else, especially when you are doing so on their behalf. However, you were too direct. You should have used a more circuitous tactic, seeming to retreat when actually advancing, appearing faint when actually strong. Don’t openly snatch people, do it subtly so neither your grandfather nor the emperor will be alarmed, and you won’t fail to protect the person."
Zhou Gu was startled, "You understand military strategy?"
"I read in my spare time, so I’ve skimmed through some of it." Su Rong smiled at him, "So, next time you want to do such a good deed, you can consult with me first. I can help you arrange things quietly, ensuring your wishes are fulfilled."
Zhou Gu: "..."
Is there going to be a next time?
Snatching a woman in such a way that the whole world knew about it was something he found quite embarrassing. Therefore, after the incident, he just stayed in his residence until his injuries healed before going out again. But instead of meeting up with his friends, he went straight to Jiangning so as not to avoid suspicion.
Now looking at his fiancée, he felt her train of thought was not quite normal. A soft and fragile girl was suggesting that she could help him engage in more covert operations next time. Was this something she should be helping him with?
He looked at her with a blank expression, "There won’t be a next time."
Su Rong blinked, seeming not quite able to understand.
Zhou Gu was annoyed, "Why would I go around snatching women all the time?"
Su Rong laughed, understanding his point, "I was just saying. What I mean is, whether it’s for women or something else, you can always ask me for help."
Zhou Gu wanted to say "I don’t need your help", but her smile was too dazzling. Avoiding her gaze, he said, "We’ll see!"
Su Rong nodded, took a bite of her peach, and urged him, "Eat your peach!"
Zhou Gu bit into his peach, hmm, this kind of peach was juicy and sweet, quite delicious indeed. Aptly named juicy peaches, these peaches wouldn’t keep for long. During peach season every year, the fastest horses would carry these peaches into the palace as tributes. The emperor would then reward the Duke Residence with some. Even though the amount was small, he was never short of them. But they didn’t taste as good as this one.
"You have yet to say how many guards you fought with?" Su Rong reminded him.
"About more than ten."
"You’re very skilled in martial arts then!"
"I’m not bad."
"Does the young prince not have martial arts skills?"
"He’s called Xie Lin, he does, but it’s all show and no substance, he’s no match for me."
Su Rong wanted to say, I want to have a match with you and test out how good your martial arts skills are. However, she managed to hold her tongue just in time. She was afraid that her suggestion would come off too forward.
She sighed ruefully, feeling as though her life was slowly declining.
"Why the sigh?" Zhou Gu relaxed a bit, feeling his fiancée was quite easy to get along with. Aside from her being too weak, too delicate, and a bit too direct, he hasn’t noticed any faults yet.
"I want to go out and play, but my mother won’t let me."
"Why not?"
Su Rong looked at him with a slight reproach, "Because of you!"
Zhou Gu was startled by her rebuke, "What did I do?"
"Because my mother said I’m soon to come of age as a young maiden, which would be inconvenient for me to go out. My older brother is away for studying and there are no brothers at home to accompany me, only sisters. However, they don’t like going out often and don’t have the strength to protect me. If we run into any trouble, it’d be a real hassle. Especially now that you’re here, I should behave properly, in case I offend you and you look down on me."
Zhou Gu was flabbergasted.
He thought to himself, you’re not being disrespectful, but you’re so weak that I can’t help but look down on you.
Noticing Zhou Gu’s silence, Su Rong sighed again, "So, are we really just going to stay inside all day, talking while sitting to build up our relationship? I heard you’re staying until my coming-of-age ceremony? That’s still more than twenty days."
Zhou Gu naturally shook his head, and realizing the implications said, "About building...building a relationship, you shouldn’t listen to my grandfather’s...," He stopped mid-sentence.
Su Rong seriously asked him, "Can I not listen to Grandfather Zhou? Aren’t you afraid he will hit you again? Does it hurt when he hits you?"
Zhou Gu: "..."
Why did she keep bringing up such an embarrassing incident? If it wasn’t for her clear and curious eyes, he would’ve thought she was doing this on purpose.
Seeing his silence, Su Rong, understandingly came up with a suggestion: "Why don’t we redefine ’building a relationship’ as going out to play together, what do you think?"
Zhou Gu: "..."
He hesitated, "You’re so...skinny, can you keep up?"
It was a close call; he only just managed to bite back the word "weak". Even though he found her frailty annoying, decent people who have studied the classics and understand propriety don’t say such things in front of a lady. Except for shameless people like Xie Lin.
"I can keep up, don’t worry," Su Rong’s eyes sparkled brightly, "We’ll eat lunch, then go out this afternoon. I’ll be your guide."
Before Zhou Gu could object, she added, "This way, both your grandfather and my parents will be satisfied, and the both of us will be happy too, right?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
Zhou Gu hesitated for a moment, then had to admit, "That’s correct."
Su Rong was delighted, "Then it’s settled. Since you’re living in my house, I’ll take you out to play every day."
Zhou Gu: "..."
The lavish lunch banquet was set with a full table of food.
The Governor Su, the madam, six concubines, and six daughters, except for Su Xingze were all present.
As Zhou Gu entered the reception room and saw the room full of women, he nearly fainted. He quickly turned to look at Su Rong who was following behind him.
Su Rong peeked her head inside the room and explained, "Oh, these are all my mothers and sisters at home."
Zhou Gu was at a loss for words.
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