Ever since the day he returned the Tiger Talisman that commanded a hundred thousand soldiers from the Meishan Leisure Park, Ye Guixue had been having trouble sleeping for the past two days.
When Su Rong saw him, she took a careful look at him, "Guixue, hasn’t your cold recovered yet? Have you forgotten to take your medicine on time?"
"It got better, but somehow it came back." Ye Guixue replied in his usual gentle manner, "It’s not a serious issue. I’m still taking the prescription you gave me."
Su Rong suggested, "I will give you a new prescription."
Ye Guixue nodded, "That would be good."
So, Su Rong wrote him a new prescription.
After storing it away, Ye Guixue ordered his personnel to prepare the medicine according to the new prescription. He then told Su Rong about his plans to leave the next day. He’d be paying a visit to the Emperor today to bid farewell. He also mentioned what the Emperor had conveyed to him. He was transparent about bumping into the second prince, Yan Lin, near the palace gate and explained their conversation to Su Rong.
Su Rong had already anticipated that the Emperor would harbor reservations about their matter. Nevertheless, according to her, it wasn’t the right time now. After all, the problem of Jibei’s Pingxi General’s residence was still unresolved, a looming threat waiting to strike. The same was also true for the Marquis Nanping Residence that was plotting something. The unresolved issues created a situation ripe for Dawei to initiate a war if they caught wind of the instability in Daliang. In such circumstances, Daliang would undoubtedly be in peril, a repeat of the retreats it had suffered in the past battles.
Su Rong didn’t express any objections. She told Ye Guixue, "Actually, I don’t really care about whether my identity is publicly announced or not. After all, I can’t hide my true identity."
Ye Guixue shook his head, "Your majesty does care."
He kindly explained, "The aim of His Majesty is to let the people of the world know that Princess Zhenmin and he were once betrothed, their marriage contract unbroken. Back then, his queen was not yet appointed. Even after Princess Zhenmin was married off to Dawei, their pre-existing marriage contract wasn’t nullified. His Majesty still retains the contract to this day. If the Emperor of Daliang makes a public announcement about this, when you return to Nanchu, His Majesty will also publicly declare the existence of the contract. By right and by virtue, you are a legitimate Nanchu princess, spared from any reproach. His Majesty also doesn’t want people to speak ill of your status."
Su Rong understood the intentions of the Nanchu King. She said, "I’ve grown accustomed to my illegitimate status since I was a child, and it never made me feel inferior." She nodded, "Since it’s important to him, let’s go with his wishes."
Perhaps this was a form of paternal love. Although she had never lacked it since she was little. Su Xu provided her with genuine paternal love. Uncle Xie, though she called him uncle, also gave her the love, nurturing, and guidance that a father would give. The love from her biological father, although she hadn’t seen him in person yet, was evident from Ye Guixue’s narrative.
Of course, if he wasn’t exceptional, her mother wouldn’t have fallen in love with him later. That was an indisputable fact.
Ye Guixue gently said, "His Majesty does care about these things, otherwise he wouldn’t harbor resentment, and after being forced to appoint his queen, ignore her."
"Was the Nangong family also a part of Dawei’s cunning ruse back then?" Su Rong asked.
Ye Guixue nodded, "The Nangong family, having hegemony over the Nanchu royal court for several generations, naturally wouldn’t allow anyone to steal the position of queen. Even if the current queen isn’t favored by His Majesty, what the Nangong family seeks is their unshakeable status as royal in-laws."
Su Rong chuckled, "The Nangong family has monopolized this royal in-law status for several generations, but what they are really after is not merely a position under the king. They want to co-rule the world with the king."
"That is indeed the case."
"What they really want is to replace him." Su Rong said, "Therefore, this generation of the Nanchu king has neglected the royal harem, causing cold treatment to the queen, which the Nangong family has seemingly tolerated. Wouldn’t they be pleased with this? If my mother hadn’t conceived me, there would be no one in the Nanchu royal family during this generation. The Nangong family may seize the throne. So, back then, the Nangong family and the royal family were definitely not allies. But now that I have emerged, they’ve probably teamed up with the royal family, including marrying their daughter to the Ye Xiang Residence to gain their favor?"
The Nangong family and the Ye Xiang Residence, although one was the first power and the other was the second, were of equal status. So, the daughter of the Nangong family marrying into the Ye Xiang Residence wouldn’t be considered a downgrade. But the premise was that the eldest son of the Ye Xiang Residence was unmarried and without a wife. Now, the eldest son of the Ye Xiang Residence was a widower who had remarried. Wouldn’t that make the Nangong family’s daughter a downgrade?
Despite this, the two families still formed a marital alliance. This indicated that the Nangong family was seeking a way out. The solution was to join forces with all the forces that could align with them, including the Ye Xiang Residence, to hinder her from returning to Nanchu to inherit the throne.
If she had the Tiger Talisman that commanded a hundred thousand soldiers, and the support of the Ye Xiang Residence, she could tear a hole in the epic net prepared by the Nangong family. But now, this hole was closed by her own hands. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Ye Guixue nodded, "That’s exactly it."
Su Rong smiled, "Let’s see who wins the game in the end!"
Ye Guixue chose not to say anything further.
Ya Qiuying tilted her head and looked at both of them. Although she was a clever girl, she was still quite young and had a habit of not hiding her feelings. She quietly listened to their conversation and gave a pitying look when they finished.
Seeing this, Su Rong touched her head and smiled at Ye Guixue, "Did you tell her?"
Ye Guixue nodded, "She’s smart for her age."
Su Rong smiled and pinched Ya Qiuying’s little face, "What’s with that look in your eyes?"
Ya Qiuying bit her lip and grabbed Su Rong’s hand, "Sister Su Qi, my little uncle is such a good man, are you really willing to give up the chance of having him as your husband?"
Su Rong looked at her with a smile, "Why? You are such a young girl, yet you have learned to play the matchmaker?"
"Not exactly." Ya Qiuying whispered, "The young master of the Zhou family is also very good."
Su Rong laughed.
She squatted down to meet Ya Qiuying’s eyes and said seriously, "The bond between people doesn’t just exist between husband and wife. A marriage formed out of interest isn’t pure. It may inevitably drift apart due to disagreements over interests. After all, there’s both great honour and pressure in the positions of a king and his queen. That saying about a husband and wife being as close as strangers over time is quite accurate. Even if we strive to prevent the worst outcomes, the huge interests, complex political situation, and balance of various powers will slowly create resentment between us. Of course, this is just the standpoint of a princess. From my own perspective, while your little uncle is indeed wonderful, I prefer him to be my earnest friend. Right now, we can talk without any fear or avoidance, and be frank with each other. I hope in the future, I can trust him entirely without any doubts or resentment towards him, even when his influence grows. Of course, it also means I won’t feel guilty or blame myself for having feelings for another man and not being entirely devoted to him."
Ya Qiuying listened with a somewhat understanding look in her big eyes.
Su Rong smiled without saying more, patted her head, stood up and said to Ye Guixue, "Let’s go! I’ve sent word to the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince should be waiting now."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
