Lady Su kept Ye Guixue in her company for a lengthy discussion, initially planning to invite him to have dinner. However, when she heard he had an appointment with the second prince, Yan Li, she dropped her intention.
She personally saw Ye Guixue to the entrance, asking him, "When will you depart tomorrow? I can accompany you out of town."
Ye Guixue replied hastily, "There’s no need for that, Auntie. Princess Wang and Qiuying are enough to send me off."
Laughing, Lady Su said, "That works too. Seeing as they will accompany you, I won’t send you off tomorrow. Do you know when you’ll return to Daliang? If you’re not in a hurry, you can also visit the family in Jiangzhou. Although you and Su Qi have broken off the engagement, your affection for each other remains. Remaining good friends is not a problem either. Our home is always open to you."
While Lady Su’s words were articulate, they genuinely stemmed from her heart. She truly believed that even if Ye Guixue and Su Rong did not end up as husband and wife, they could still be close friends, as long as they were not rivals.
Ye Guixue responded with a smile, "Very well."
He got into the carriage and in a warm voice told Lady Su, "The weather is chilly, Auntie, please go back! The next time I come to meet Qiuying, I’ll pay you a visit."
Lady Su nodded his affirmation twice.
After Ye Guixue’s carriage left, Lady Su returned to the courtyard, not to her own room but to the room of Su Xingze instead.
Su Xingze was reviewing the scrolls of Jibei, that had been handed to him personally by the Crown Prince when he left the Eastern Palace. After escorting Zhou Gu home, he started reviewing the scrolls in his room. When Ye Guixue arrived, Lady Su hadn’t called for him and no one disturbed him, so he was unaware of Guixue’s visit.
Seeing Lady Su enter the room in the cold air, Su Xingze raised his gaze, surprised, "Mother, you didn’t take a nap? Where did you go?"
"I didn’t go anywhere. Ye Guixue came by to bid me farewell. He stayed for an hour, so I chatted with him," explained Lady Su as she sat down and sighed. "I had nothing else to do, so I came to talk to you."
Su Xingze put down the scroll he was reading.
Lady Su said outright, "Ah, I just think that young man, Ye Guixue, is really good."
Su Xingze didn’t comment. Everyone could see that Ye Guixue was indeed, a good person.
Lady Su continued, "He had been preparing to be Prince Consort for five years, observing strict personal discipline without a single moment of slackness. The Tiger Talisman that commanded a hundred thousand soldiers came with his nearly dying for Su Qi. He struggled through that, spent a chaotic five years, and his efforts were all in vain. He’s going home empty-handed now. Do you think he could be really reconciled to that?"
Su Xingze didn’t know either.
Lady Su asked him, "What about you? Would you be reconciled?"
Su Xingze remained silent for a moment and then shook his head, "If I were him, I suppose I would not be satisfied either?"
"Exactly, how could he possibly be satisfied?" Lady Su sighed, "He told me he doesn’t harbor resentment towards Su Qi. It truly didn’t seem like a lie, it appears that he bears no grudge. However, nobody’s perfect. How can anyone bear to return empty-handed like this? If he bears no resentment towards Su Qi, yet indeed isn’t reconciled, what should he do?"
"He bears no grudge towards Su Qi, which implies he wouldn’t conflict with her and would continue supporting her. But if he isn’t satisfied, then..." Su Xingze paused, "would he try to get Su Qi back and force her to abandon Zhou Gu?"
"Impossible!" Lady Su shook her head, "You should know your sister well. Unless she truly loves Zhou Gu, she absolutely wouldn’t break her engagement to Ye Guixue due to a soft heart, after all, regardless of how you looked at it, even a fool could see that Su Qi choosing Ye Guixue was the most beneficial to her. But regrettably, led by her feelings now, she regretted and chose Zhou Gu in the end."
"As you also acknowledged, feelings are something beyond our control." Su Xingze looked at Lady Su, "Mother, are you worried that Ye Guixue, due to his dissatisfaction, will take action against Zhou Gu?"
"Perhaps! My worries are possibly baseless," Lady Su responded helplessly, "Who could we blame for your sister falling for that Zhou Gu boy? Whoever your sister falls for, I’d naturally support. I don’t wish for him to be endangered. I hope he stays safe."
Su Xingze couldn’t help but chuckle, "Mother, you shouldn’t worry. Perhaps your concerns are unfounded, and perhaps, Zhou Gu does not fear him."
"True, anyway, I am worrying over nothing and it is beyond my control," Lady Su got up, "Nevermind, I just needed someone to talk to, or else I’d feel distressed. Now, I am relieved having talked to you about it. Carry on what you were doing. I am tired and should rest for a bit."
After finishing, she left without waiting for Su Xingze’s response. She had entered the room as briskly as she had left it.
After Ye Guixue left East Fourth Hutong, he headed straight for Mingyue Building.
He arrived early, over half an hour before his dinner appointment with the second prince, Yan Lin. However, Yan Lin had arrived even earlier.
Once the server had escorted Guixue to Room One, Yan Lin appeared surprised, "Second Master Ye, you’ve arrived so early? I thought you would be late."
Ye Guixue replied, "I decided to come here since it was on the way. You arrived here much earlier, Second Prince."
Yan Lin looked at him, "I had thoughts about the potential collaboration with Second Master Ye. I couldn’t wait and hence arrived earlier."
Ye Guixue took a seat opposite Yan Lin and told him, "Please, speak your mind, Second Prince! I am departing early tomorrow morning, and time is not in our favor."
Yan Lin nodded, they were not particularly close and therefore there was no need for any pleasantries. So, he spoke up directly, "The Nangong family has reached out to my father-in-law. They promised that if my father-in-law could kill Lady Su Qi, the Nangong family would willingly surrender half of their wealth. Second Master Ye, you must know, this is no small temptation. What my father-in-law needs most in regards to his troops are funds. Although the national treasury has funneled not a small amount of silver to Jibei in recent years, it is still not enough to groom a strong army. Hence, my father-in-law is very tempted by the Nangong family’s proposal."
Ye Guixue nodded in acknowledgment.
Seeing him attentively listening, Yan Lin continued, "My father-in-law asked for my opinion in his letter. Considering your relationship with Su Qi, if you don’t want her to face any danger, shouldn’t you do something about it, Second Master Ye? I know that the young lady of the Nangong family is engaged to the elder son of the Ye Xiang Residence, and the wedding is nigh. However, the liaison between the two residences is merely expedient."
He took out a dagger and lightly drew a line on the tablecloth, indicating, "The current relationship between the Nangong family and Ye Xiang Residence is just like this tablecloth that covers the tabletop: it could be fractured easily by external force. The Nangong family has long dominated for many generations and the Ye Xiang Residence has been suppressed by the Nangong family for far too long. Could they really be content with submitting to the Nangong family indefinitely without opportunities to rise? If so, they wouldn’t have supported a Princess who has no foundation in Nanchu, in search of an outlet."
Ye Guixue remained silent.
Returning the dagger, Yan Lin looked at him and suggested, "Why not consider partnering with me instead of the Ye Xiang Residence, Second Master Ye? Although the Crown Prince has the support of the Duke Residence, the Duke Residence has long declined mainly due to the suppression by the Emperor over many years. I can promise you that the military power they currently possess, after years of salary appropriations, is nowhere near that of my father-in-law. Lady Su Qi, from a woman’s perspective, supports the Eastern Palace and trusts the Crown Prince. You are a smart man, when comparing the pros and cons, you should see that apart from lacking the Crown Prince’s title, our military power is much stronger than his. In this world, a country could be governed by literati yet protected by generals. The future of Daliang may not necessarily belong to Yan Huisheng. If I vow to support you and Lady Su Qi, you’d be better off partnering with me rather than relying on Yan Huisheng. In future, when I ascend the throne, Nanchu may become a vassal state and stand on an equal footing with Daliang, while your Ye Xiang Residence can vanquish the Nangong family and gain power to influence the country. What do you think?"
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