When Su Xingze came to Su Rong’s courtyard, the Lady was accompanying her as she ate her porridge.
The Lady had already had her breakfast, but she was too worried about Su Rong that she couldn’t eat much. Seeing Su Rong eating bowl after bowl of porridge, even though she seemed lazy, made it rather appetizing to the Lady, so she ended up joining her.
Similarly to the Lady, Su Xingze asked Su Rong what had happened, and was just as stunned to hear her say, "I returned the talisman of a hundred thousand soldiers to Ye Guixue." He asked her, "Why?"
Su Rong did not answer.
The Lady, knowing she was too lazy to repeat herself, answered for her.
Upon hearing the explanation, Su Xingze fell silent for quite a while before sighing, "It’s your business, you decide. I had not expected that you would withdraw your marriage proposal from the Second Young Master Ye even before going to Nanchu."
The Lady nodded, "Indeed, who could have expected this?"
Su Xingze prided himself on understanding Su Rong well. He knew once she made up her mind, not even ten bulls could pull her back. This has always been the case. He was indeed taken aback that Zhou Gu could pull her back, it was quite unexpected.
He asked: "Does Zhou Gu know about this now?"
"Not yet." Su Rong shook her head.
The Lady told Su Xingze: "She has been asleep since she returned here, and hasn’t seen Zhou Gu. Of course, he doesn’t know yet. However, you shouldn’t go and tell him."
Su Xingze asked, "Why?"
He had witnessed first-hand how Zhou Gu had been suffering recently. Now that Su Rong had also withdrawn from her potential marriage with Ye Guixue, wasn’t this good news for Zhou Gu? His suffering would finally end.
The Lady glared at Su Xingze, saying discontentedly: "Why else? Are you daft? If Zhou Gu finds out now, wouldn’t he be too happy? Moreover, shouldn’t Zhou Gu, who has benefited greatly, be tested? Our Xiaoqi has gone to great lengths for him. Let’s see what he can do in return. Otherwise, who would want to marry him? There are plenty of others besides Ye Guixue who aspire to be a king’s husband."
Su Xingze looked at the Lady, "Mother, didn’t you like Zhou Gu very much?"
"I don’t like him now." The Lady hmphed. "If it weren’t for him, would your sister have to go through so much trouble? If she had not withdrawn from her marriage with Ye Guixue, wouldn’t her life have been a lot easier? Now, going to Nanchu without the backing of Ye Xiang Residence, who knows what dangers her path now holds! Ye Xiang Residence won’t aid her without reason. Why should they clear the obstacles for her now? Won’t all the trouble fall squarely on her shoulders? It will be dangerous."
Su Xingze didn’t say a word.
Seeing his silence, the Lady asked him, "Do you feel that I’m not making sense?"
Su Xingze nodded, "Mother, you make sense, but..."
"That’s enough. Don’t speak for that young man." The Lady waved him off. "His merit, I have seen. Your sister likes him, we can only accept it. We’ll see how he behaves from now on!"
Su Xingze had no choice but to swallow his words.
The Lady muttered, "Whoever treats my daughter well, I’ll favor; now your sister has even withdrawn her marriage for him, it’s already quite enough, so stop siding with him."
Su Xingze sighed, "Alright."
All this while, Su Rong had been listening to the two of them speak without giving any input, just quietly eating her porridge.
The Lady noticed Su Xingze’s sigh and said discontentedly, "Are you unhappy with your mother?"
"I wouldn’t dare." Su Xingze shook his head, reminding the Lady, "Mother, I just wanted to say, let Xiaoqi decide how to handle her affairs."
"Would she listen to me if I meddle?" It was the Lady’s turn to roll her eyes. "Has she ever listened to me, from childhood till now? She always makes up her own mind. Whether it’s breaking off the engagement with Zhou Gu, picking Ye Guixue, or withdrawing the marriage proposal for Ye Guixue for Zhou Gu – isn’t it all her own doing?"
Again, Su Xingze was left speechless. After all, his mother was speaking the truth.
The Madame, seeing that Su Xingze had nothing to say, huffed, "Zhou Gu is too young and his disposition unpredictable, with many variables. What I say is not without reason. After he has experienced trials and growth, he will be able to clearly know whether his choices are correct and whether he should persist till the end. Nanchu is a den of dragons and tigers, if he truly chooses to follow Xiaoqi fearlessly, then I won’t bear any resentments. Their road is long, why the hurry?"
Su Xingze nodded, admitting that there was indeed reason in these words. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The Madame added, "Youth brings countless variables, perhaps as unpredictable as the weather. Maybe for now, he can’t live without Xiaoqi but after undergoing certain experiences, seeing the vast world, and meeting someone he admires, he might not be so dependent."
But if that truly happens...
If Su Rong gives up on Ye Guixue, wouldn’t all her efforts be in vain? She made decisions so quickly that even her mother was unsure whether it was good or bad, worrying incessantly.
Finally, Su Rong spoke: "Mother, elder brother, do not worry."
She didn’t disclose what for them not to worry about, but both the Madame and Su Xingze understood by looking at her. Her firm resolution, if after sailing a thousand ships, the one standing by her side wasn’t Zhou Gu, she would have nothing to say.
Due to Su Rong’s statement, both the Madame and Su Xingze fell silent, no longer speaking.
Su Xingze sat for a while, and after Su Rong and the Madame finished breakfast, he announced that he would go to the Eastern Palace to pay his respects to the Crown Prince, asking Su Rong if she would like to accompany him.
"Didn’t you go to the Eastern Palace yesterday, brother?" asked Su Rong.
Su Xingze shook his head, "The affairs of the prince were too cumbersome yesterday. After I sent someone with the invitation, his Highness said it would be okay to come today."
Su Rong thought about it, "I will go with you!"
She could inquire about her journey to Jibei, handling the matter of assisting her elder brother with Zhang Ping.
Thus, the siblings left Dongsi Hutong together, heading to the Eastern Palace.
The Madame, accompanied by six young ladies, heeded the invitation to Princess Qingping’s Residence, setting out for the Princess Residence.
The Emperor had been sick for several days without attending the morning court, and it became severe again after a slight improvement. Now it seems he will not be able to attend the morning court in a short time, causing the courtiers to worry.
After all, the Emperor was in his prime, and it had been years since he fell ill like this. Although he was an Emperor who had not established significant merit, he used to hold regular morning courts and was reasonably diligent. His sudden illness, unable to attend the morning court for several days, was unprecedented.
For the courtiers, this was a sign.
A signal that the Emperor’s health wasn’t so well.
This signal implied that the changeover between old and new regimes might come sooner than they think.
The Eastern Palace faction, suppressed for many years, began to feel hopeful due to the Crown Prince’s ascendency. The current state of the Emperor made them feel that the Crown Prince’s position should be secure. After all, all of the court affairs are now being handled by the Crown Prince as the Emperor could not govern the state. If things go on like this, even if the Emperor recovers, he shouldn’t have the energy to suppress the Crown Prince anymore. The Crown Prince’s reign is ending, and his days are numbered. The second Prince is still okay, but he alone cannot compete with the Crown Prince.
The neutral faction doesn’t need to be mentioned. A change in power concerns them but doesn’t worry them too much. The faction opposing the Crown Prince, however, is truly panicking. They didn’t want anything to happen to the Emperor, and as time went by with the Emperor’s condition worsening, they became increasingly anxious, began to plan for the worst, with some even shifting allegiance to the Eastern Palace.
Second Prince Yan Lin was infuriated but helpless, as he now couldn’t even see the Emperor.
Inside the Eastern Palace, Yan Huisheng had met wave after wave of courtiers early in the morning. Upon hearing that Su Rong and Su Xingze had arrived, he stopped seeing visitors, intentionally allocating time for the siblings.
When Su Rong saw Yan Huisheng, his weary face didn’t surprise her. After all, prying such a big issue from Imperial Concubine’s lips and bringing it before the Emperor, how could the Emperor possibly bear it?
As the Emperor couldn’t bear it, his sickness worsened, and all of the court affairs naturally fell onto Yan Huisheng. It would be only normal for him to be tired.
After all, being a crown prince of a country, is never an easy task.
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