Fen Ling looked at the plum blossom hairpin in his hand, its design exquisite and finely crafted. The plum blossom seemed lifelike, meticulously carved by the craftsman. Its destruction would be a pity.
Just like the marriage arrangement with the Second Young Master Ye, its destruction also seems pitiful.
Handing it back to Su Rong, he said, "Master, why don’t you destroy it yourself? I can’t bear to harm such a beautiful hairpin."
Su Rong didn’t look at him, took the hairpin, and rubbed it forcefully with both hands, reducing the beautiful plum blossom hairpin to dust in an instant.
Fen Ling gasped, "What a pity."
Before he could finish his lament, Su Rong let go of his hand. A gust of wind blew by, carrying the dust away with the snow, leaving no trace amidst the vast white landscape.
Fen Ling: "..."
"You’re quite ruthless," he said to Su Rong.
Su Rong glanced at him, "When I went to the Duke Residence to annul my engagement, and tore up the marriage document, I felt the same way. It was a pity."
Fen Ling: "..."
He had not seen it himself when he had gone to the Duke Residence to call off the engagement, as he was checking on the Second Young Master Ye at that time.
He scratched his head, "Master, you did the right thing. Shall we leave now?" He yawned, "I’m exhausted recently and haven’t had enough sleep."
Su Rong nodded, "Let’s go. Once the Crown Prince makes a decision, we will head to Jibei. You should take advantage of the time now to get some sleep because once we leave Capital City, there’ll be no peaceful sleep."
Fen Ling also realized that while they were in Capital City, they had crippled every hand that tried to harm their master. Once they left the city, the weapons hidden in dark places waiting for a chance to act, would swarm them. By then, he would be content to not have his sword ground down, let alone get a good sleep.
Lu Weiran stood guard at Ya Qiuying’s carriage, watching Ye Guixue’s carriage fade into the distance. Despite not shedding a tear, Ya Qiuying, being a child, had red-rimmed eyes.
Lu Weiran said to her softly, "Your uncle will often visit you in the Eastern Palace. If you ever feel stifled over there, feel free to send a letter to your uncle, and he will take you out for some fun. How does that sound?"
Ya Qiuying looked at Lu Weiran, "Uncle, won’t you be busy too?" She shook her head, "My younger uncle told me that there are people in the Duke Residence who want to remove you from your position as heir. The people around you are very dangerous. What if I become your weak spot?" She rubbed her eyes, sighed, "The Eastern Palace is the safest place. If you have the time, you can come to the Eastern Palace to play with me. But don’t bother taking me out."
Lu Weiran: "..."
Ya Qiuying added: "Uncle, you are an heir, but why do you have it so hard? I heard that before my uncle and I came to the Duke Residence, you were frequently targeted by assassination attempts and traps. It was all because of your siblings. Ever since we came here, the people at the Duke Residence did not dare to move due to my uncle, so you managed to have a bit of peace for over a month."
Lu Weiran: "..."
Ya Qiuying continued earnestly: "Uncle, you have to be stronger. Although my uncle placed me in the Eastern Palace, he also entrusted me to your care. During my stay at the Duke Residence, I did not get along with anyone else, only with you. Now that my uncle is gone, and Sister Su Qi is also not staying in the city for long, I can tell from her words that she will leave too to do something important. When they are all gone, the only familiar person left for me is you. Naturally, I don’t want to stay in the Eastern Palace all the time, so hurry up and get rid of the danger around you! Otherwise, I can’t always be waiting for my little uncle to come and pick me up."
Lu Weiran: "..."
This girl, she’ll be quite a handful in the future. What kind of husband will be needed to keep her in check?
After hesitating for a while, under her gaze, he nodded, "Alright, your uncle will try to be stronger and aim to take you out of the Eastern Palace sooner."
Ya Qiuying nodded.
When Su Rong came over, she noticed Ya Qiuying’s red-rimmed eyes. She pinched her nose teasingly, "You’re such a big girl, yet you’re crying? "
Ya Qiuying stared with wide eyes, "Sister Su Qi, I did not cry."
"Then, what’s with your red eyes?" Su Rong asked.
Ya Qiuying replied, "The wind is too strong, it made my eyes red."
Su Rong nodded knowingly, "Oh, so it was the wind. It was my mistake to misunderstand you." She apologised insincerely, climbed into the carriage and said, "Let’s go, we’re heading back. It’s too cold out here."
Ya Qiuying quickly lowered the curtain, her voice ringing out crisply, "Uncle, let’s go."
Lu Weiran responded, accompanying the two of them back to the city.
The carriage returned safely to the Eastern Palace. After sending them to the palace gate, hearing that the Crown Prince was not at the residence, Lu Weiran didn’t go in to pay his respects.
Su Rong asked Ya Qiuying, "Are you sure you don’t need me to stay with you tonight?"
"No need."
"Then, do you need me to stay in the Eastern Palace for a few more days to keep you company?" Su Rong asked again.
Ya Qiuying hesitated.
Su Rong continued, "I have my own quarters, and I will not sleep in the same bed as you."
Ya Qiuying nodded immediately, "I do need that."
Su Rong smiled, "Alright, then I will stay with you for a couple more days."
The house where Su Rong had previously stayed in the Eastern Palace was carefully cleaned every day by the housekeeper, all the belongings were left as it was when Su Rong lived there.
When the housekeeper heard that Su Rong would be moving back there for a few days, he beamed with joy. "Your quarters have always been kept vacant. The Crown Prince ordered that no one else should occupy it and it has always been reserved for you. He said, even if you move to Nanchu, you will come back to Daliang to visit one day."
Su Rong smiled, "There’s no need to always keep it vacant."
The housekeeper chuckled, "It’s the Crown Prince’s idea. Anyway, we have plenty of quarters in the Eastern Palace, it doesn’t hurt to leave some vacant."
Su Rong thought about it and agreed. After all, when Yan Huisheng ascends the throne, he would move to the Imperial Palace. When he has a crown prince, the Crown Prince will move into the Eastern Palace. By then, her quarters would naturally be used for something else.
Although Ya Qiuying was reluctant to part with Ye Guixue, since she didn’t sleep well the night before, she was actually very tired. She was almost falling asleep while standing when they entered the quarters. Su Rong ushered her to bed, saying, "Get some sleep!"
Ya Qiuying mumbled sleepily, "Is that appropriate? It’s daytime."
"So what if it’s daytime? Does being tired mean you can’t sleep?" Su Rong patted her head, "You should go sleep. You only have today to relax. Starting from tomorrow, a tutor will come to give you lessons. Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, embroidery, horseback riding and archery... just like when you were at the Ye Xiang Residence, your schedule will be packed. You will have a day off every seventh day."
She looked at her with sympathy, "You will be very tired."
Ya Qiuying had no objections to this arrangement. She climbed onto the bed with her tiny legs, lay down, and asked Su Rong with heavy eyelids, "Sister Su Qi, what about you?"
"I’ll stay here and read. You just go to sleep," Su Rong replied.
Ya Qiuying nodded and closed her eyes.
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