Zhou Gu didn’t sleep well after returning home last night, and he woke up early the next morning. He sat quietly in bed for a moment, then lay down again, closing his eyes.
His long eyelashes cast a deep shadow over his eyes, mirroring the heaviness in his heart.
He couldn’t visit the wife of the Su Family at the Shen Residence, let alone having the right to do so. Going would only give Su Rong the wrong impression, and would likely upset her.
He didn’t want to be that sort of discomforting person.
Although the Emperor tried to suppress the news about the incident that happened in the Capital City last night, many residents had heard rumours. Since Zhou Gu had been involved the whole time, people at the Duke Residence naturally knew about the wife of the Inspector of Jiangzhou from the Su Family coming to the Capital City, and being rescued by Su Rong, then residing in the Shen Residence.
Early in the morning, Duchess has already gone to consult with Princess Sheng An about this, "Mother, should I pay her a visit?"
Princess Sheng An replied, "Ye Guixue shall probably visit Lady Shen today. If you go, you will definitely run into him. It is unfavourable for the two of you to meet."
Having a clear understanding, Duchess agreed, "Should I go tomorrow?"
After thoughtful consideration, Princess Sheng An replied, "Firstly, send someone to deliver a message."
The Su Family now is not the same as it used to be. The royal status of Su Rong is no longer a secret, and they are close with the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince is gaining momentum, and others wanting to curry favour with the Su Family is inevitable. Given Su Rong’s broken engagement with the Duke Residence, there is bound to be some awkwardness. It would be best to send a message first.
Duchess nodded in agreement, "I’ll go see Gu."
Last night, Zhou Gu returned late and had barely exchanged a few words with his mother before being called to the study by the Duke.
Princess Sheng An waved her hand, "Go."
Duchess stood up and left Princess Sheng An’s courtyard for Zhou Gu’s yard.
When Duchess arrived, Zhou Gu was still lying in bed. Only upon hearing that his mother had arrived did he slowly get up from bed, washed up briefly, then dragging his feet, came out to see her.
Seeing the dark shadows under his eyes, Duchess asked him, "Did I wake you up too early, disturbing your sleep?"
Zhou Gu shook his head, rubbing his temples, "No, I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been up for a while."
Duchess looking at him, said, "How did you get involved in such a big case last night? Didn’t the Emperor expressly forbid you from meddling?"
Zhou Gu simply explained his visit to the Eastern Palace, and how he had coincidentally run into Su Rong who was also heading there, followed by his persistence to accompany her.
After listening, Duchess nodded, "Su Rong truly is impressive. With the case of Imperial Concubine Zhen, the whole Capital City is in an uproar now. The Emperor didn’t hold court this morning. It’s said that he fell ill after interrogating Imperial Concubine Zhen at the palace prison last night, and called for the imperial doctor."
She sighed, "Who could have thought that the person behind all this would be Imperial Concubine Zhen? I still can’t figure out, what is she after?"
Technically, even though she didn’t birth any children, she was still a favorite concubine of the Emperor. Over the years in the palace, even though she was favored above all others, she had never made any dire enemies. Whichever prince ascended to the throne, she would likely become an honored imperial concubine, there was no need for her to push herself this far and jeopardize her own position.
Zhou Gu sneered, "What else could she be after? She should be from Pingxi General of Jibei’s Residence."
Duchess was taken aback, "What do you mean by that? Wasn’t she brought into the palace by the Governor of Nanping?"
Zhou Gu shook his head, "Throughout the years, the Jibei’s Pingxi General’s Residence has gained numerous benefits because of Imperial Concubine Zhen, much more than what Marquis Nanping Residence benefited."
The Emperor fell ill, partly because of Imperial Concubine Zhen, whom he genuinely loved; and partly probably due to his belated realization that Imperial Concubine Zhen had someone backing her all along. Who had been profiting all these years through Imperial Concubine Zhen was evident. Even if Imperial Concubine Zhen didn’t confess, the Emperor would still feel that he had been made a fool by Pingxi General Zhang Ping for the past years, causing his inner turmoil and intense anger.
Having thought it through carefully, Duchess said solemnly, "Dealing with Pingxi General’s Residence is by no means easy." She looked at Zhou Gu, "Did Crown Prince tell you when he will be posting the examination results when you saw him yesterday?"
"Soon. It won’t be more than a few days."
"After the results are posted, will you be leaving Capital City?"
Zhou Gu nodded.
Duchess asked tentatively, "What did you talk about with Su Rong yesterday, when you two were together? What are her plans now? Will she go to Nanchu once everything in Capital City is resolved?"
Zhou Gu’s lips tightened, "I told her I couldn’t let go, and she got angry with me. She probably won’t go to Nanchu for a while. She still has a lot of things to deal with."
Looking at him, Duchess probed, "Then... "
Zhou Gu met Duchess’s gaze, a bitter sense rising within him, "Mother, I can’t let it go, and I don’t want to let it go"
Duchess nodded, "If you can’t let go, then don’t let go. Do whatever you want!"
As a mother, she had left too much regret in her own life and didn’t want her son to have any.
Zhou Gu tugged his lips, speaking softly, "But I don’t want to annoy her. Mother, what should I do?"
The Duchess didn’t know either. She shook her head, offering her son advice from her own experiences, "I don’t know either, but I do know that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Whether it’s acquiring something precious or winning someone’s heart, you have to pay a price."
Zhou Gu nodded, "Mother is right, which is why I will go to Nanchu."
Even if she had the support of the Ye Xiang Residence, even if she had the Tiger Talisman of one hundred thousand soldiers given to her by Ye Guixue, he still wanted to aid her.
The Duchess’s gaze was gentle, "Take good care of yourself, bring loads of people with you. I have already sent a letter to your maternal grandfather; he will send some hidden guards from the Cui Family to protect you. They should arrive before you leave the Capital City. Your mother doesn’t ask for anything else, but for you to be safe and sound."
Her eldest son had the resources of the legitimate grandson of the Duke Residence. Although her second son was also legitimate, compared to his older brother who was in charge of the house, the resources allocated to him were halved. Let alone those who were illegitimate. The outside world was too dangerous, especially since he was going to Nanchu. As his mother, she could only secure resources from within the family for him.
Zhou Gu wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, that he was fine with his own people and that he needed to stay undercover and it wouldn’t be convenient to have too many people around. But seeing his mother’s resolute stare, he held his tongue and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, mother."
Seeing that he agreed, the Duchess let out a sigh of relief and smiled, "I will send a note to Mrs. Shen later and see when she is available for us to visit."
A pang of sadness hit Zhou Gu, and he nodded. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
The Duchess didn’t know how else to help, so she said, "You’ll accompany me when the time comes."
Zhou Gu responded with a grunt of acknowledgment.
Later that day, an invitation from the Duchess was sent to the Shen Residence. Mrs. Shen received the invitation as she was en route to the Xie Residence in East Fourth Hutong with Su Rong, Su Xingze and others. Mrs. Shen had the invitation sent to the Xie Residence.
When the cohort moved into the Xie Residence, they greatly pleased the old man who had been tending the house. The courtyard had been prepared, and everyone was allocated their own courtyard, promptly filling up the Xie Residence.
With eyes wide open in joy, the old man exclaimed, "At last, the house is no longer empty! All these years, it’s been unbearably lonely. I thought the young master would stay for a while, but after only a few days, he moved to Shen Residence. Now, at least, he’s back."
Mrs. Shen patted the old man’s shoulder, "We can’t always live in the Xie Residence. Even though we’re family, there’s still a Xie character on the front gate. Wait until Xingze does well on his exams. If the Emperor blesses us with a new residence, that’s the best. If not, we will have to purchase another one."
Sensing his joy fade visibly, the old man sighed.
With a coy smile, Su Rong spoke up, "Old man, don’t be sad. My elder brother admires Uncle Xie. Let him live in this house. The residence bestowed by the emperor may not be as good as this one belonging to Uncle Xie."
"We can’t just take advantage of people." Mrs. Shen glared.
Laughing, Su Rong responded, "Mother, what are you talking about? Although Uncle Xie and we have different surnames, don’t we treat each other as family? I’m going to Nanchu. Uncle Xie is definitely worried about me, he should be going with me..."
Mrs. Shen was taken aback, "He’s going with you?"
Su Rong nodded, "Probably! I haven’t asked him yet, but it is very likely. Otherwise, why would he have been helping my father so much ever since he took office? He wants my father to get up to speed so that he can go."
"That’s unexpected." Mrs. Shen fell silent.
Su Xingze, with a deep look in his eyes, said, "You only want the teacher to accompany you and never thought about me going along."
Su Rong giggled, "You are the only seedling in our family, big brother. If you come with me, what would our parents and sister do? You should stay and establish roots in the Capital City."
Su Xingze was left helpless, "Alright, let’s pack up quickly!"
Mrs. Shen glanced at the sky, noticing that it was getting late. She promptly instructed their servants to pack and said to Su Rong, "Tonight, I’m still going to sleep with you..."
"No." Su Rong interrupted her in horror, "Mother, you sleep on your own."
She didn’t want to be disturbed by her mother’s sleeping habits.
Seeing Su Rong retreating three steps, Mrs. Shen dropped the idea, chiding with a smile, "You naughty girl, do you think I fancy sleeping with you?"
After saying this, she headed to her own courtyard.
Su Rong let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to head to her own courtyard, the gatekeeper handed her a note that was sent from Shen Residence. She took the note, saw that it was from the Duchess of the Duke Residence, paused, and then took it to Mrs. Shen.
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