After the meal, Ya Qiuying refused Su Rong’s company and went back to her yard. After all, she was a small child who was tired from the whole day and went to sleep early.
Su Rong sat down and talked with Yan Huisheng.
Su Rong asked Yan Huisheng, "Crown Prince, have you made up your mind?"
"About what?"
"The trip to Jibei," Su Rong reminded him.
Yan Huisheng reluctantly agreed, "I have decided, let’s go!"
Su Rong knew he would agree, and she said to him, "I will leave the Capital City the day after tomorrow."
Yan Huisheng frowned, "You don’t have to rush. The Jewel Grove Banquet is the day after tomorrow. The emperor’s health is mostly recovered, and the case of Imperial Concubine Zhen should be concluded tomorrow morning. You can leave for Jibei after the banquet."
Su Rong shook her head, "I want to leave when people are more concerned about the conclusion of Imperial Concubine Zhen’s case and the grandeur of Jewel Grove Banquet."
Yan Huisheng thought for a moment and finally agreed, "Alright!"
He looked at Su Rong, "Based on reports from my spies, these years, besides the Pingxi army that the Pingxi General directly commands, he probably has raised a private army of no less than two hundred thousand soldiers. And there might be fifty thousand elite cavalry. The defense of Pingxi today is as strong as that of the Capital City, if not stronger. I’m afraid even with your secret guardians, you won’t be able to make much progress. Therefore, while Zhou Wei was in the Capital, I spoke with him privately. He will dispatch one hundred thousand soldiers from the Duke Residence to help you, led by the third son of the Zhou family, Zhou Che."
He sighed, "We can only dispatch one hundred thousand soldiers. Any more and it might alarm the enemies. Even though one hundred thousand is not a small number, it’s at least enough to ensure your safety."
Su Rong nodded, "One hundred thousand is not a small number."
Of the four sons of the Zhou Family, except for Zhou Gu, she has not met the rest. Her mother had met Zhou Wei and was full of praise for him and called him a reliable elder brother.
As for the other two sons of the Zhou Family, they were said to be talented young military commanders.
Zhou Che, though he was a child born of a concubine, must be outstanding since Yan Huisheng trusted him.
Yan Huisheng said, "In the next few days, he will secretly transfer troops to Jibei. I’ve already arranged a secure pass for him, and he will station the troops at Cuiping Mountain, which is just beyond the border of Jibei."
Su Rong nodded, "Alright."
The next day, Su Rong asked Ya Qiuying, "Did you sleep well last night?"
Ya Qiuying nodded, "I slept very well."
She had never thought that sleeping alone would be such a wonderful thing until last night.
Su Rong laughed, "That’s good. I’ll return to my residence today. Since you’re used to it, I won’t be accompanying you, alright?"
Ya Qiuying widened her eyes, "Sister Su Qi, didn’t you say you would accompany me for two days? Why are you leaving today?"
Is there still time for her to say she’s not used to it?
Su Rong pinched her face, "I’ll come back tonight, and I’ll bring two people with me," she lowered her voice, "Because I’m leaving tomorrow."
Ya Qiuying looked at her, wanting to ask her if she was also leaving and where she was going. But she knew that Su Rong couldn’t stay in the Eastern Palace or Capital City forever. She had important things to do. She nodded understandingly and said, "Alright, and about Zhang Wu’s handwritten notes, I should be able to finish copying them tonight."
Su Rong was going to tell her to take her time with the remaining pages, but upon hearing this, she patted her on the head in praise, "Impressive."
The young girl was able to copy a book so quickly. Furthermore, Su Rong had noticed that her handwriting was quite neat.
Ya Qiuying brushed her off with a mournful expression, "Sister Su Qi, you and my uncle are always patting my head. I’m afraid I won’t grow taller if you keep it up."
Su Rong laughed, "If you don’t grow taller, it’s not our fault. You’re just too sharp and clever."
Ya Qiuying pouted.
Su Rong put on her cloak, waved her hand and left without hesitation.
After she left, Ya Qiuying hastily went back to continue copying the book.
When Su Rong returned to her residence, she could faintly hear a lot of noise. She asked the gatekeeper, "Why is it so lively here?"
The gatekeeper replied with a smile, "Lady Su Rong, Mrs Feng, Mrs Sun, Mrs Li and their sons have come to visit. That’s why it’s so noisy."
Confused, Su Rong asked, "Why have so many ladies and their sons come?"
Laughing, the gatekeeper reminded her, "Have you forgotten? These are the suitors that the lady chose for the young ladies. Surprisingly, each suitor got along well with his lady. So all three families decided to pay a visit at the same time."
Su Rong, "..."
She remembered now. In the past few days, her mother took the eldest sisters to meet potential suitors. She’d heard the meetings had gone well. She didn’t expect the three oldest sisters to get engaged so quickly. So these three families came to exchange betrothal presents today?
She initially intended to take a look, but decided not to join in the excitement. After all, the suitors chosen by her mother and Aunt Shen were reliable, so they wouldn’t be bad choices.
Thus, she returned to her yard directly.
Just as she approached the entrance of her yard, a figure rushed towards her, "Miss!"
As soon as she heard the voice, Su Rong felt a chill. When the person was about to run into her arms, she stopped her, "Yuewan, have you been training for a marathon? Why have you lost so much weight?"
Yuewan’s round face was gone, and she had become noticeably thinner, with a sharp chin. She arrived like a gust of wind. Now that her face was thin, she looked even more adorable.
Yuewan stomped her foot and snorted when Su Rong stopped her, "Miss, why would I do that? Nursemaid Zhao and I traveled to the Capital all the way by both water and land. We’re exhausted."
Su Rong pinched her face regretfully, "Ah, it’s a pity that you’re so thin now, so it’s not fun to pinch."
Yuewan glared at her.
Su Rong grabbed her arm, "Don’t glare at me. I’ve found a good place for you and Nursemaid Zhao. You will be living in the Eastern Palace for a while, I’m sure you’ll gain weight. The cooks there make delicious meals and snacks. You will definitely love it."
Yuewan looked at her in surprise, "Nursemaid Zhao and I... move to the Eastern Palace? Why?"
Su Rong naturally wouldn’t say it was because she was planning to go to Jibei and then Nanchu for some time without taking them with her. But she was afraid, especially of Yuewan crying, so she lied, "Because I promised the second son of the Ye family that I would send two people to help take care of his niece. I couldn’t think of anyone more reliable than you and Nursemaid Zhao."
Yuewan frowned, "But we came to take care of you."
"Haven’t I been fine without you for so long? I’m an adult now, and I can take care of myself." Su Rong took Yuewan into the house, "Don’t worry, it’s only for a short while. The little girl is so cute, you’ll love her."
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