Su Rong ate two pieces of pastry, wiped her hands clean with a handkerchief, then turned her attention to Yan Huisheng.
Yan Huisheng smiled, "You have something to tell me?"
Su Rong nodded, "I wanted to ask you, Your Highness, why did you allow Zhou Gu to go to Nanchu? Have you ever thought, what if he decides to stay there? Then Daliang will have lost a great general and statesman."
Yan Huisheng said: "I did not want to let him go, but his heart and ambitions are no longer here. Even if I tried to stop him, I doubt I could. And even if I could stop him physically, I couldn’t stop his heart."
Su Rong raised an eyebrow at him, "So, you just let him go easily? The Eastern Palace has spent years cultivating him; you have spent ten years honing this sword. Now that the sword is well-forged, is it all in vain?"
Yan Huisheng shook his head, "It’s not a waste."
Su Rong was all ears.
Yan Huisheng poured her a cup of tea, pushed it in front of her, and gently said, "I’m also worried about you. If Zhou Gu accompanies you to Nanchu, I can feel more at ease."
Su Rong said: "You know, I may not need such care."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "I know that you’ve always been independent and self-reliant, but the political situation in Nanchu is complex. It’s not comparable to Daliang. The Nangong Family has been entrenched there for many years with a deeply rooted influence. The royal descendants are eager for power. If you want to secure the position of the Nanchu heir apparent, or even the future Nanchu King, relying only on Ye Guixue and the Ye Family is far from enough. The Ye Family is powerful, too. After the Nangong Family is removed, the Ye Family may dominate."
"Even so, I’m confident that I can handle it," Su Rong said.
Yan Huisheng nodded, "You are confident, but I want to ease your burdens. Allowing Zhou Gu to go is my way of protecting you!"
Su Rong clicked her tongue lightly, "How do you know it’s not creating trouble for me?"
Yan Huisheng lightly coughed behind his hand, "It shouldn’t be that bad. Zhou Gu simply lacks experience; once he gains it, he might not lose to Ye Guixue and could be of help to you."
Su Rong bluntly said: "So, have you decided to send Zhou Gu to me? You want to let him disturb my mind, expecting me to call off my marriage with Ye Guixue and choose him as my king consort?"
Yan Huisheng coughed twice, met Su Rong’s gaze, and said reluctantly: "If you are determined, no one can disturb your mind. If you don’t change your current mind, after three years, I will still reserve a position for him. He’ll still have a place in Daliang’s political landscape."
Su Rong narrowed her eyes, "Your Highness, you’re playing games with me."
Yan Huisheng laughed and shook his head, "I’m not."
Su Rong hummed, "You’re like the Emperor, wanting to keep the bond between Daliang and Nanchu forever, tightly tied together."
Yan Huisheng helplessly said, "Your adopted parents and siblings are all in Daliang, and we are cousins. Even without Zhou Gu as a link, as long as you hold that position, the bond with Daliang cannot be severed. I can only control my own few decades, not eternity. Even if Zhou Gu stays in Nanchu for a lifetime and does not return to Daliang, it’s only a matter of a few decades."
Su Rong glanced down at the cup of tea in front of her, and noticed it was also jujube tea. She immediately smiled, "That’s right, just a few decades."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Life is short, a few decades are but a blink of an eye."
Due to his status, he could not marry the woman he liked at first sight before him. Therefore, he would not stop Zhou Gu. Though Zhou Gu’s status also holds him back, he still has a chance to break free. However, it is an opportunity Yan Huisheng doesn’t have, and Su Rong will not give him one.
Su Rong lightly tapped the table, "In that case, Your Highness, transfer the command of your secret agents in Nanchu to Zhou Gu!"
Having gathered so many Nanchu documents, he naturally must have secret agents planted in Nanchu.
Yan Huisheng was surprised, then chuckled, "Alright."
Su Rong picked up the tea cup. Whether it’s the jujube tea from the Duke’s Residence or the Eastern Palace, it’s much better than the jujube tea she made by adding a handful of dried dates to a pot of boiling water.
She had been through tough times and wasn’t a delicate person, but the truth was always revealed.
"Father Emperor has handed over the interrogation of the Imperial Concubine to me. Would you like to join me in meeting with her?" Yan Huisheng said, "I haven’t been to the prison yet."
Su Rong said: "I have a meeting with Guixue tomorrow. Why don’t we go after dinner tonight?"
Seeing that she didn’t seem particularly tired, Yan Huisheng nodded, "That sounds fine."
Su Rong hadn’t been here for a long time. Hearing of her visit, the Eastern Palace’s chef showcased his skills and prepared a table full of dishes.
The fish that Yan Huisheng had personally caught was made into a sweet and sour dish and put on the table.
Su Rong laughed, "I have never tried winter fishing. It seems Your Highness is really good at such refined pursuits."
Yan Huisheng shook his head, "I wasn’t expecting such good luck today. It only took the time of sipping tea for this fish to take the bait. I’ve never been particularly lucky since I was a child. If I am fortunate today, I owe it to you. It was only after you came that this fish took the bait."
There was a dual meaning to his words.
Su Rong neatly divided the fish in half with a pair of public chopsticks, "Since Your Highness said so, I won’t be polite. Like this fish, in the future, you and I, will share our luck and eat the fish together."
"Such as?"
"Dawei."
Yan Huisheng laughed, "Good."
Little Quanzi, who was serving by the side, watching the fish being divided into half, admired how skillful Lady Su Qi was. She struck with her chopsticks and just right, the fish was divided equally into two halves, not a bit more, not a bit less, even the head and tail of the fish were evenly split. He wondered how much energy she exerted, was this inner strength? The Crown Prince had it too, but not as much as Lady Su Qi.
He thought, if the emperor of Dawei knew that Lady Su Qi compared Dawei to a fish to be split and eaten, his nose would be crooked with anger.
What might seem preposterous to others, seemed not a big problem in front of Su Rong. Yan Huisheng felt the same way.
Hence, they didn’t eat much of the dishes on the side, but completely finished the fish.
After the meal, Little Quanzi brought a hand warmer to Su Rong, "Lady Su Qi, hold this, it’s warm."
Su Rong accepted it, laughing, "The other day in the Imperial Palace, I met the Imperial Concubine. She gave me a hand warmer to express her thanks. In less than half a day, I invited her to visit the sky prison."
Little Quanzi broke out in a sweat, "You mustn’t scare your servant."
Su Rong laughed, "I’m just making a casual remark, don’t be frightened, your master will live forever, and so will you."
Little Quanzi let out a sigh of relief, with a twitching smile, "You’re right, I swear to loyally serve His Highness unto death."
"Enough of your nonsense, let’s go!" Yan Huisheng said amusedly.
Su Rong nodded. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
They left the Eastern Palace together.
Little Quanzi naturally followed to serve, Little Chengzi stayed in the palace. After everyone had left, he found Qin Luan and said, "Miss Qin, Lady Su Qi says that the jujube tea in our Eastern Palace is the best. The jujube tea is boiled by you personally, can you tell me how to make it? I will send it to East Fourth Hutong, so even if Lady Su Qi doesn’t come to the Eastern Palace, she can still drink it."
Qin Luan nodded, "That’s simple, I’ll tell you right away."
She told Little Chengzi how to do it, and Little Chengzi noted it all down, thanked Qin Luan.
Qin Luan shook her head and said with a smile, "Lady Su Qi is a good person. I have enjoyed many snacks from the street because of her. A recipe for jujube tea is nothing, no need to thank me."
Little Chengzi agreed with her words and sighed, "Every time Lady Su Qi comes, all of us in the Eastern Palace are extremely pleased."
Qin Luan asked in a low voice, "Is Lady Su Qi planning to go to Nanchu?"
Little Chengzi nodded, "Maybe? Lady Su Qi is the princess of Nanchu, she has to go to Nanchu sooner or later. I heard that the Second Young Master Ye came to take her away."
Qin Luan hesitated for a moment, "If I tell His Highness that I want to accompany Lady Su Qi to Nanchu, will he agree?"
Little Chengzi exclaimed in surprise, "Why, why would you have such a thought?"
Qin Luan spoke softly, "I just don’t want to live as the daughter of a sinner forever."
Little Chengzi understood, "So you don’t want to stay in the Eastern Palace anymore? The Eastern Palace is not good? When Lady Su Qi returns to Nanchu, she will also move into the Nanchu Royal Palace. It’s no different from our Eastern Palace."
Qin Luan shook her head, "The Eastern Palace is very good, but there are many talented people around His Highness. I’m just serving tea and water, serving His Highness’ needs. But if I’m with Lady Su Qi, with everything being unknown, I want to be unrestrained."
Little Chengzi gave a low "Oh," scratching his head, "I don’t know about this. Why don’t you find an opportunity to ask His Highness? Or, you find an opportunity to ask Lady Su Qi? If she asks His Highness for you, he will surely agree."
Qin Luan nodded, "Okay, I’ll think about it again."
She said to Little Chengzi, "Eunuch Little Chengzi, I’ll trouble you to keep this a secret for me for the time being, I haven’t made up my mind yet."
Little Chengzi agreed, "Alright."
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