Ye Guixue didn’t know how to arrange for Ye Qiuying after he had left. He wasn’t comfortable leaving her in the Duke Residence, and only Lu Weiran might resolve his worry, but it was still hard to be completely at ease. After all, the Duke Residence was a mess. If Lu Weiran wanted to clean up the atmosphere and uproot the rotten elements, it would take a lot of effort, and he might not be able to take care of Ye Qiuying. If something happened to his little niece, it would be better to leave her in Nanchu at the Ye Xiang Residence, at least she had her mother there.
Now that Su Rong thought for him and made arrangements for him, it saved him from a headache.
She firmly believed in Crown Prince Yan Huisheng, so he would also believe in the choices she made for him.
The two chat for a while, and then Su Rong suddenly said, "My mother wants to meet you."
Ye Guixue immediately sat up straight.
Su Rong smiled, "Don’t be nervous, my mother is nothing more than a paper tiger, she looks fierce on the surface, but she’s actually kind-hearted and good. You are my chosen future husband, she won’t make things difficult for you."
Ye Guixue nodded, "Do I need to set off for Jiangzhou now?"
Su Rong shook her head, "After the release of the examination papers, my eldest brother will stay in the capital to serve as an official. My mother plans to marry all my sisters into the capital so that we can help each other out in the future. Aunt Shen has shortlisted some marriage candidates for my sisters, and my mother will bring them to meet in the capital. If you are not in a hurry to leave, she can meet you at the same time."
Ye Guixue asked, "Has Aunt set off now?"
"Not yet, she wrote to me asking about it, and I just sent the reply."
Ye Guixue looked at Su Rong, "I should go to visit your uncle, aunt, and Master Xie who brought you up. Initially, I planned to take a detour to Jiangzhou when leaving the capital with you, then return to Nanchu. But now as you plan to settle everything before leaving, which will take some more time, I can only leave ahead of you. If Aunt comes to the capital, it would be convenient to meet. But for your uncle and Master Xie..."
Su Rong thought for a while and then discussed with him, "Meet my mother first, and then when you leave, you can pass by Jiangzhou and meet my father and Uncle Xie. How does that sound?"
Ye Guixue nodded, "Alright, I’ll do as you wish."
Su Rong smiled with her lips pursed, "Guixue, you listen to me on everything now, what about the future?"
Ye Guixue’s voice softened, "I’ll also listen to you in the future."
Su Rong chuckled softly, "That’s unnecessary, I can also listen to you."
Ye Guixue’s face turned red.
Fen Ling scratched her head, feeling especially awkward even as an invisible person, and slipped away quietly.
Su Rong was just teasing him. Seeing Ye Guixue blushing, she savored the sight for a while, then stopped teasing him and resumed the serious conversation.
First thing in the morning, Su Xingze went to the Duke Residence to visit Zhou Gu. Although Zhou Gu had avoided Xie Lin and had hidden all documents related to Nanchu when Xie Lin visited him, he did not avoid Su Xingze. The documents about Nanchu were piled up by his bedside.
As soon as Su Xingze entered his room, he spotted the documents piled up by his bedside. Zhou Gu, reclining against the cushions, put down the documents he was reading and greeted him, "Brother Su."
Su Xingze sat down at his bedside and furrowed his brows upon seeing all the documents, "Why aren’t you focusing on your recovery? Why are you troubling your mind with such things?"
"Just taking a look, it doesn’t bother me that much. Doesn’t tire me out," Zhou Gu shook his head.
Su Xingze looked at him, "Want to know more about Nanchu? Do you have any plans?"
Zhou Gu touched his lips, said honestly: "I want to travel to Nanchu.", he paused and then requested, "Please, Brother Su, keep it a secret from her."
Su Xingze sighed inwardly. He wanted to ask Zhou Gu, "Really, can’t you let go?" But considering Xiaoqi’s character, it was not surprising that he could not let go, especially since there were two occasions when his life hung in the balance, once when Xiaoqi sent Fen Ling to protect him, and once when she saved him, her clothes soaked with blood from a deadly battle.
He nodded, "As long as you know what you’re doing."
Zhou Gu bowed his head and uttered word by word, "Su Big Brother, I know what I’m doing." He curled his fingers in the palm of his hand, "If she gets along well with Ye Guixue, if Ye Xiang Residence is truly good, if Ye Guixue always thinks of her, I... I will try not to ruin them. But if Ye Guixue..."
His voice was incredibly low, as if it was difficult for him to say, "I... would... also... want to take her back."
Su Xingze knew that for Zhou Gu to utter these words showed his determination to travel to Nanchu. He nodded, not dissuading him, "Xiaoqi doesn’t want me to go to Nanchu. If you can help her in Nanchu under the guise of traveling, that would be excellent."
Zhou Gu looked at him, "Why doesn’t she want you to go to Nanchu?"
The situation in Nanchu is not optimistic. With various powers at play, wouldn’t another person going to Nanchu to help Xiaoqi be beneficial? Su Xingze is a talented individual, and if he were to go to Nanchu to help Xiaoqi, it would be beneficial for her. This would certainly be a better situation than her solely relying on Ye Xiang Residence. After all, he was someone she trusted. Or had she already put utmost faith in Ye Guixue and Ye Xiang Residence, no longer requiring others?
Helplessly, Su Xingze replied, "She doesn’t want to be princess in Nanchu, and still be under my control. Therefore, she doesn’t want me there."
Not expecting Xiaoqi would have this reason, Zhou Gu was startled and speechless. On reflection, this response was very much in line with her personality and he couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing his rare smile, Su Xingze’s heart relaxed slightly. He managed to add, "Zhou Gu, Xiaoqi never wanted to hurt you, she wants the best for you."
She wanted him to a journey free of trouble and hardship. She didn’t want him to be dragged into the murky waters of power struggle along with her.
"I know, but I can’t do so." Zhou Gu managed to stop laughing, his expression becoming devoid of all emotion, "Su Big Brother, I want to make my own choices. My mother supports me, my grandmother supports me. Even if my grandfather and elder brothers in my family don’t, it doesn’t matter. In any case..."
He clenched his fist, shut his eyes, then opened them again, struggling to say, "I don’t want to be left alone at the end of my life, on a cold bed, full of regret."
"At least..." he paused, his voice hoarse, "give me a chance to choose for myself."
He stared at Su Xingze, and seriously said: "From young until now, I have never made a choice for myself. My grandfather never gave me the chance, neither did Xiaoqi. Although it was all for my own good, I don’t want this kind of good. This time, I want to choose for myself. Even if it turns out to be a mistake, I will not regret it."
"Although a smooth journey and an open road are good, if she has nothing to do with my life, I would find everything meaningless." He tightened his mouth, then relaxed it, staring at Su Xingze, "Su Big Brother, you can understand, right? If the prospect of death doesn’t allow me to see my heart clearly, then nothing can."
Su Xingze sighed deeply, nodded, "I understand."
If Xiaoqi wasn’t so obstinate, refusing to let him go to Nanchu, he would certainly be there too. Even if it was a far-off place, even if his parents and family were in Daliang, he was never going to be at ease with leaving his once young and now grown up little sister.
He looked at Zhou Gu, and earnestly said, "Go ahead, I support you too."
A sense of warmth lit up in Zhou Gu’s heart and he expressed his sincere gratitude, "Thank You, Su Big Brother."
Although Su Xingze had also read many files regarding Nanchu, he found that Zhou Gu’s files were more comprehensive. In a short period, he had somehow managed to obtain such extensive information on Nanchu. He flipped through the files, curiously asking, "Where did you get all these?"
Certain information was incredibly confidential, not easily accessible.
Zhou Gu was silent for a moment, before saying, "I asked the Crown Prince for them."
Su Xingze understood. Being the Crown Prince, his abilities were extraordinary. The status of Nanchu and Shu countries were critical and the Crown Prince couldn’t be clueless about it. It was not surprising that he could get hold of these highly confidential files.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
