The Eastern Palace’s housekeeper had set up Ye Qiuying’s courtyard and harem with no room for complaint.
After taking a look around, Su Rong asked Qiuying, "Are there any points of dissatisfaction?"
Holding onto Su Rong’s sleeve, Qiuying whispered, "No, everything is perfect. Sister Su Qi, will you visit me often?"
"As long as I am in the city, I will come often." Su Rong patted her on the head, knowing well that this young girl had been forced to leave her home, forced into premature maturity. With Ye Guixue about to leave, her heart was actually unsettled, but she was too sensible, and thus suppressed her fears, not daring to show them.
Poor girl, at such a tender age, forced to grow up quickly–perhaps this was typical of a child without a mother?
Compared to her, Su Rong considered herself fortunate, her mother had managed to survive until she was seven years old. After her mother left, Su Rong did not feel she lacked maternal love, as her stepmother placed all her attention on Su Rong, making her feel as though she was still nurtured by a mother–she did not feel she was missing anything significant.
She led Qiuying to a lounge chair by the window, handed her a handful of sunflower seeds, and planned to have heart-to-heart chat with her.
Qiuying refused the seeds, whispering, "Sister Su Qi, I won’t eat."
"Nobody’s here." Su Rong said, "Even if someone were here, the seeds were brought by the servants for us to eat. At your age, you should enjoy snacks. Why do you always restrain yourself?"
She stuffed the sunflower seeds into Qiuying’s hand, "Eat! Just relax, this is your future residence. In your own room, you can do whatever you want. Additionally, there are many days ahead. Do you plan to live in fear all the time? Are you afraid that eating a snack will make you a laughingstock? At such a young age, isn’t that exhausting?"
Qiuying looked at her.
Su Rong patted her on the head, "Eat, I know you’re from the Ye Xiang Residence. One day you will return there. The rules there are strict, aren’t they? You’re afraid that if you break the rules now, you won’t be able to adapt when you return there? That’s no problem–I can take you to the royal palace. As long as you are with me all day, whoever dares to criticize your behavior, I will cut off their heads."
Qiuying shook her head, her little face was serious, "Sister Su Qi, even if you become the king, you can’t just chop off people’s heads."
Su Rong laughed loudly, "Then, can I just chastise them?"
Clearly torn, Qiuying nodded and quietly started to crack the sunflower seeds.
Su Rong leaned back on the lounge chair, crossed her legs, and said leisurely, "Little Qiuying, let me tell you, one should live for oneself, not for others. One should live as one pleases. Even if others disapprove, what does it matter? What’s most important is one’s own contentment."
Qiuying whispered, "Sister Su Qi, you aren’t exactly at peace yourself, are you?"
Su Rong was taken aback and sat up, staring at Qiuying. "You little thing, you don’t know how to hold a conversation, do you?"
Qiuying shut her mouth.
Fiercely pinching Qiuying’s face, Su Rong said, "I’m trying to console you, can’t you tell?"
Pressed by Su Rong, Qiuying giggled, "I can tell."
"You cunning little thing. One moment you act like an adult, the next like a child." Su Rong mumbled and then reclined, "I’m not very good at reassuring people. But one thing you need to remember is that even when your uncle leaves, your status as the eldest granddaughter of the Ye Xiang Residence is your protection. And I, too, am your protection. It’s enough. Now that you have moved into the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince is kind and I have influence here. As long as I don’t trouble you, no one in the Eastern Palace will dare to. Even when you return to the Ye Xiang Residence, you will still be the legitimate eldest granddaughter of the residence. And besides, your uncle cares for you so much – what do you have to fear? Do you know why he didn’t take you with him after I returned his Tiger Talisman and instead opted to place you in the Eastern Palace? He knows very well that it’s impossible for him to take you back to Nanchu because as long as the Nangong family’s daughter is there, you would be in constant danger. And staying in Duke Residence has its risks too—what if you end up being spoiled here? Besides, as long as the Crown Prince wishes to harm you, the Duke Residence couldn’t protect you. It would be best to follow the initial decision, trust me, trust the Crown Prince and stay in the Eastern Palace."
She cracked a sunflower seed open and threw it into her mouth, "He went through great trouble, and for your sake, almost decided to support me."
Quiying whispered, "Sister Su Qi, that’s not right. My uncle likes you very much. Even if it weren’t for me, he would still support you."
Su Rong turned and smiled, "Oh? You knew that too?"
Qiuying nodded vigorously, hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "When my uncle returned from the plum viewing that day, he was very upset because you chose Brother Zhou from the Zhou Family."
Su Rong chuckled, "Anyone who is empty-handed after five years of readying would feel disappointed."
She looked away, "I think you don’t really need my counseling. Just eat your seeds. Someone should come to summon us for dinner soon."
Qiuying nodded.
Then, the room was filled with the sound of them cracking seeds. Su Rong was fast–she cracked three seeds for every one of Qiuying’s. Teased for her slow speed, Qiuying blushed and ignored Su Rong.
Half an hour later, someone indeed came to invite them, informing the two ladies that the Crown Prince kindly requested their presence for lunch in the front hall.
Su Rong clapped her hands and stood up, several seed shells fell to the floor. Seeing Qiuying staring at her with wide eyes, she swaggered, "Look, I have more shells than you."
Qiuying looked at the small pile of seed shells on the table, her big eyes blinking.
"Let’s go!" Without teasing her further, Su Rong briskly walked out.
Quiying followed behind her, wiping her fingers with a handkerchief and muttering, "What a pity that the white fox fur cloak given by the Crown Prince was spoiled."
It was covered in seed shells, she had never seen someone waste good things like this.
Su Rong heard her clearly and stuck out her tongue at Qiuying, "Little housewife, when I return to the palace, I’ll bring you back to manage my house."
Quiying: "..."
She didn’t want to.
If she had to keep house for her, wouldn’t she be worked to death?
When the two arrived at the front hall, the palace maids and eunuchs were already serving food. Yan Huisheng and Ye Guixue were sitting across from each other, both with smiles on their faces—their conversation seemed harmonious.
Su Rong sat down next to Yan Huisheng, rubbing her hands together, "It’s such a cold day. The wind has started outside, it seems it’s going to snow tonight."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "The Imperial Observatory observed the weather. It will snow tonight."
Su Rong grinned, "So I’m not going home today? It’s too cold, and I’m not too keen on moving around, so I’ll stick around the Eastern Palace and keep Qiuying company."
Quiying’s eyes brightened, "Sister Su Qi, really?"
"Really." Su Rong replied, "Tomorrow morning, I’ll rise early with you to bid farewell to your uncle."
Qiuying glanced at Ye Guixue, her voice crisp, "Okay."
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