Su Rong left the Frost Forest Garden, stopped a servant, and asked him to lead the way to see the Grand Princess Sheng An.
Grand Princess Sheng An was having a private conversation with the Duchess, discussing whether they should bring up the old plans with Su Rong. One as a grandmother, the other as a mother, both speaking out of concern for Zhou Gu.
When Su Rong arrived, Nurse Zheng announced, "Grand Princess, Madam, Lady Su Qi and Master Feng are here."
Grand Princess Sheng An promptly said, "Please invite them in."
She and the Duchess exchanged a glance, considering the time they had spent in Zhou Gu’s courtyard—half an hour. Not too long, but not too short either.
Nurse Zheng personally lifted the curtain with a smiling face, "Lady Su Qi, Master Feng, you two, please come in."
Su Rong nodded with a smile, and along with Feng Ling, they crossed the threshold into the room.
Grand Princess Sheng An rose to meet Su Rong before she could honour formalities, took her hand, and said, "We are family. There’s no need for so many courtesies."
Su Rong naturally wouldn’t argue about the need for etiquette – she readily went along with the Grand Princess and took a seat by her side.
Grand Princess Sheng An smiled and asked, "Did you go to see Gu’er?"
Su Rong nodded.
Grand Princess Sheng An smiled again and said, "He heard that you saved him and didn’t sleep all morning."
Su Rong responded with a light smile, "People who slept all night yesterday and do not have a fever during the day are certainly not not tired."
Grand Princess Sheng An nodded, "True." She then turned her gaze towards Feng Ling, "Master Feng, did you get a good rest?"
Feng Ling immediately replied, "I rested very well."
Grand Princess Sheng An asked again: "How was the food? Did it suit your taste?"
Feng Ling highly praised, "It suited my taste very well. The cooking skills of the chefs in your Residence are on par with those of Princess Qingping’s Residence."
Grand Princess Sheng An chuckled, "Then you should stay a few more days."
Now, this was something Feng Ling couldn’t agree to, and he fell silent.
Su Rong smiled and said, "Feng Ling and I have come to bid farewell to you and my aunt."
The smile on Grand Princess Sheng An’s face faded, "Are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Su Rong nodded, "Zhou Gu survived the most dangerous night last night. Even if he has a fever tonight, it won’t be that dangerous. The steward of the Duke Residence followed Feng Ling to gather the herbs yesterday. Although my prescription was written hastily, he should have memorized it after dealing with it once. If he can’t remember, I will rewrite it."
Feng Ling pulled out a prescription from his sleeve and handed it to Grand Princess Sheng An, "You don’t need to write it. I copied the fever-reducing script that you wrote yesterday. My handwriting is neat."
Grand Princess Sheng An took it. Indeed, Feng Ling’s handwriting was quite neat and certainly not mistaken. She looked at Su Rong and asked, "So if Gu’er has a fever again, we should follow this prescription?"
"Yes, you should follow this. Since it worked once, if the fever returns, it will definitely make it subside." Su Rong said.
Princess Sheng An had no excuse to hold Su Rong back anymore, yet she still asked: "Can’t you stay one more day?"
Su Rong smiled, "Second Young Master Ye is waiting for me in the Buddha Temple. I’m riding his horse, so I need to go pick him up."
Princess Sheng An couldn’t insist Ye Guixue to arrange a ride for himself, and though she wanted to, she couldn’t utter those words. She could only nod her head, "Alright. Given the circumstances, I won’t hold you back any longer."
She paused, "However, I have something to discuss with you. If you’re not in a rush, hear me out before you leave, okay?"
Su Rong nodded, "Of course, please go ahead."
When Princess Sheng An glanced at Feng Ling, she didn’t ask her to leave. Instead, she signaled the housekeeper to escort all the attendants out and close the door.
Only Princess Sheng An, Su Rong, the Duchess, and Feng Ling remained in the room.
Princess Sheng An had already carefully considered what she was about to say. Lowering her voice, she began: "I heard from your elder brother that you accepted a Military Talisman representing a hundred thousand soldiers as a betrothal gift from Second Young Master Ye, officially setting your engagement. Is this true?"
Su Rong nodded, "It’s true."
Looking at Su Rong, Princess Sheng An sighed deeply and said, "I can understand your decision. After calling off your engagement with Zhou Gu, it’s expected that you’ll eventually make marriage arrangements, especially with the second son of the Ye Xiang Residence of Nanchu. Although I haven’t met him, I’ve heard a lot of great things. He’s very capable and renowned, and he really does live up to his reputation. If my grandson wasn’t Zhou Gu, I would have been happy for you too. But you’re very smart and should understand that Zhou Gu cannot let you go. Yesterday, when he was delirious with fever, he was calling your name throughout the night, only stopping when you gave him the medicine and water."
She took a deep breath, "I know that part of the reason you broke off the engagement is for Zhou Gu’s benefit. Being as intelligent as you are, you must understand the path that Duke has set for Zhou Gu since he was young – to support the Crown Prince and become a pillar of Daliang, serving as an Auxiliary Minister and establishing a legendary reputation. I used to believe that this was undoubtedly the best path for him. However, after hearing the conversation he had with his mother a few days ago, I’m having second thoughts. After all, the path others choose for us isn’t necessarily what we truly desire."
She turned her gaze to Su Rong, "Now that you have already accepted another engagement, in principle, I shouldn’t bring this up. But Su Rong, as a grandmother and mother, please understand our feelings of love and concern for our grandson and son. I would like to ask you bluntly: If Zhou Gu renounces the path chosen for him by his grandfather and chooses to follow you instead, would you give him a chance?"
Su Rong was startled and straightened up immediately, "Princess Sheng An, are you..."
She was about to ask "Are you serious?" but upon seeing the earnest expression on Princess Sheng An’s face, she realized she didn’t need to ask anymore.
At this moment, the Duchess spoke: "A few days ago, when Zhou Gu encountered Second Young Master Ye on the way back from the Shen Residence to pick you up, he was terribly dejected. He was nearly falling apart. As his mother, I have never seen him in such a state, he..."
The Duchess described Zhou Gu’s state at that time, repeating his words to Su Rong. As she continued, she was unable to hold back her tears, "If Zhou Gu really can’t get past this..."
Su Rong listened quietly.
Feng Ling was holding her breath, utterly astonished.
The Duchess, wiping her tears with a handkerchief, was choked with emotion and could no longer speak. Princess Sheng An also took out her handkerchief to dab at the corners of her eyes. "Su Rong, give him a chance, please."
Feng Ling turned to look at Su Rong. Su Rong lightly pursed her lips, her face showing no visible emotion. But Feng Ling noticed that Su Rong’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, was gripping the edge of her robe. One would not notice unless looking closely, but a small corner of her robe was being wrinkled by her grip.
Su Rong was silent for quite a while before finally releasing her grip. Calmly, she replied: "I will do my best to help Zhou Gu through this."
Princess Sheng An and Duchess stared at her wordlessly, their eyes reddened.
Su Rong addressed the two of them: "Princess Sheng An, Duchess, when I broke off the engagement, I honestly didn’t realize that Zhou Gu had developed strong feelings for me after only a month together. Please forgive my ignorance, but I was completely oblivious. Zhou Gu is a very proud person and, to hide his feelings, he must not have revealed them. All in all, although I knew he did not object to our union, I sincerely didn’t think his feelings were so deep that he wouldn’t be able to forget me. Therefore, without any hesitation, I broke off the engagement. It was unquestionably in my best interest, but also for his and everyone else’s. I didn’t give him a chance to decide, or a need to wrestle with letting go. I just made the decision myself."
Su Rong continued: "I have many flaws, but not many virtues, one of them being decisiveness. I always thoroughly consider everything before acting, and once I have made up my mind, I won’t allow myself to regret it. The decision to break up with Zhou Gu took much contemplation. A few days after the breakup, on the day of the birthday celebration at the Residence of Chengguo, I met Second Young Master Ye. He was sent by the Nanchu King to pick me up. After talking to him, I found out that the Nanchu King had been aware of my lineage five years ago, but he has been patient till now. He had consulted with Ye Xiang long ago. Both of them were aware of the situation of Duke Residence in Daliang Court, and they predicted that it would become increasingly difficult in the future. The path the old duke arranged for Zhou Gu since his childhood would inevitably go against the path I wanted for myself, so eventually, the engagement would become inappropriate and would have to be broken off. Therefore, with the consent of Second Young Master Ye, they focused on grooming him. For a full five years, he was brought up to his present standards, truly talented and well-known across the world. The sacrifices made during this time, at least in these five years, more than a thousand days and nights, were all devoted to me and my identity. The moment he found out I was coming of age, he was supposed to come to Daliang before then. But due to the uprising in the Nanchu army, he put down the rebellion alone, won over a hundred thousand soldiers, and got a Tiger Talisman. I hadn’t witnessed the difficulties he encountered, but I can surmise that it was a life and death situation. After stabilizing the situation, without pausing for a breath, he hurried to Daliang. By that time, I had already broken off my engagement. He proposed with the Tiger Talisman representing a hundred thousand soldiers as the betrothal gift. With the support of Ye Xiang Residence behind him, I had no reason to refuse."
"Once I had accepted his Tiger Talisman, there was absolutely no reason to go back on my word and return it. After all, it’s not like a marriage arranged by the elders – this is my own choice."
Su Rong’s eyes were calm as she spoke, meeting the gaze of Princess Sheng An and the Duchess, "So, Princess Sheng An, Duchess, allow me to apologize. The water has been spilled, it’s not easy to take it back now."
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