Ye Xiang Residence supported her, and she relied on Ye Xiang Residence. Their support was based with mutual benefits in mind.
Had there been no Zhou Gu, Su Rong would have unquestioningly selected Ye Guixue. She would have had the easy option of being bolstered by Ye Xiang Residence—an effort to balance the future relations between the kinship and the emperor. But those were worries for future. At present, the path did not need to be rough.
But Zhou Gu was there with his stubbornness, and she was soft-hearted, reluctant to let him go. She had to choose a different path, one full of thorns, without allies, amongst unending conflict. Yet, interestingly, there was no restraint. She could do as she pleased.
Didn’t gain and loss always come together?
Zhou Gu’s fingertips gently slid over her face and fell on her nose. He nodded and softly, yet solemnly said, "Su Rong, I will protect you. I won’t let you regret choosing me."
Su Rong laughed, "Even if you don’t protect me, I won’t regret choosing you."
There was no regret pill in the world. Every step she took had to be accepted, regret or not, even if it meant swallowing tears.
Zhou Gu lightly laughed, his mood greatly uplifted. "Lady Su Qi, your words are so pleasant. Speak more."
Su Rong: "..."
She realized that whenever Zhou Gu was in a good mood, he would call her Lady Su Qi. The way he extended the words, the lingering charm they carried -- she felt that he should be the one talking more.
The carriage sped along but was not bumpy due to the cushioning of the bedding.
Su Rong was weak. After travelling a little way, she began to feel drowsy from the rocking of the carriage. She tilted her head towards Zhou Gu, resting against him, and fell asleep.
Zhou Gu spoke a few words but received no reply. He turned to see that she had fallen asleep. He looked at her, bemused, then lay next to her and closed his eyes.
Of course, even with his eyes closed, he didn’t feel sleepy. But at this point, his heart finally felt settled. He truly felt the reality of her having cancelled her engagement to Ye Guixue.
The tiger talisman for a hundred thousand soldiers, she returned it.
Ye Xiang Residence was the second largest family in Nanchu. The benefits of their support were many, but those, she returned too.
Ye Guixue himself was an eminent and capable man. There was no one else like him under heaven. But she dismissed him too.
The reason behind her casual words of canceling the engagement was not the same as when she had cancelled her engagement with him. The Duke Residence in Daliang was renowned, and he was considered quite learned. But if she became the Nanchu Princess, he couldn’t provide her much assistance. This was a clear fact. Therefore, anyone else would have cancelled the engagement without a second thought. She had nothing to lose.
However, it was a different story with Ye Guixue and Ye Xiang Residence. Their support was genuinely beneficial to her. Yet she still let it go.
Although she mentioned being restrained due to reliance, he knew in his heart that this had nothing to do with her cancelling the engagement. Both Ye Guixue and she were smart. If she were to become queen, both Ye Guixue and Ye Xiang Residence would likely note their actions. However, her current hardship, dealing with the killings and obstacles from the Nangong Family and the Royal Family, were the pressing issues.
The outcomes ranged from serious injury to death.
Yet despite this, she chose to go ahead.
He gently held Su Rong’s hand, feeling her delicate and boneless grip. The girl he loved was not deeply affectionate, yet she performed actions as if she would sacrifice everything on his behalf.
How could he not love her?
He genuinely loved her, very, very much.
His whole life, he would be trapped in a cage named Su Rong, yet he would willingly accept it without wishing to escape.
Just as Su Rong predicted, the falcon she released found Capital City in time. It circled over the Eastern Palace, made a quick dive, then, following the scent of superior sandalwood, landed by Yan Huisheng’s window outside his sleeping palace.
It was night, and Yan Huisheng was having dinner, when the hawk pecked at his window beam. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
A guard immediately noticed and tried to catch the hawk. The hawk stayed still, allowing the guard to capture it without resisting.
Intrigued, the guard carried the hawk inside to report. "Crown Prince, a hawk has landed by the window. It appears to be a messenger hawk. There’s a letter tied to its leg."
Yan Huisheng immediately dropped his chopsticks upon hearing this. "Bring it in."
The guard placed the hawk in front of Yan Huisheng.
Yan Huisheng glanced at the obedient hawk. The hawk also looked at Yan Huisheng, cooing. Yan Huisheng’s gaze moved to the letter tied to its leg. He signaled the guard to untie the letter.
The guard untied the letter attached to the hawk’s leg, checked it for poison, then handed it to Yan Huisheng.
Yan Huisheng opened the letter, recognized the familiar handwriting, and smiled. He then looked again at the obedient hawk. "She is quite able, even training a hawk. This is a good messenger for delivering letters."
However, his attention returned to the letter. After reading the rest, he could no longer smile.
The content was of great concern. If Pingxi General’s Residence in Jibei was planning to mobilize troops, and if they planned to start with Marquis Nanping Residence, how would Nanping, with only thirty thousand soldiers, resist?
Especially since, although Su Rong was succinct in her letter, she clearly stated that if Zhou Gu was correct, the Imperial Court must immediately send troops. Otherwise, if Nanping was compromised and Zhang Ping’s power was boosted, the consequences would be unthinkable.
In reality, what he feared the most wasn’t Zhang Ping, but Dawei. If Dawei took advantage of Zhang Ping’s rebellion and invaded, Daliang would be in crisis.
Especially since Su Rong hadn’t returned to ascend the throne in Nanchu. The Nangong Family and the Royal Family wanted to kill her and would probably make trouble during this period, preventing Nanchu from assisting Daliang. In that case, Daliang would be in danger.
The consequences of Zhang Ping rebelling were too serious, to the point where Yan Huisheng felt a cold sweat on his back.
After tucking away the letter, Yan Huisheng looked at the hawk again, who was now eyeing the food on his table, especially the meat. He got up and ordered his guard, "Give all this food to the hawk as a reward, and take good care of it."
The guard complied.
After storing the letter away, Yan Huisheng immediately ordered his men to prepare a carriage, but instead of going to the palace, he went to the Duke Residence.
If he went to the palace immediately to inform the emperor, then the second prince, Yan Lin, would likely hear about it and might pass the information on to Zhang Ping. He could not underestimate Yan Lin. Even after all these years, he still had informants in and outside the palace. Yan Lin remained untouched because of this, his men still in power, free of any entanglement. Caution was needed at this time.
Going to the Duke Residence was different, as he wasn’t worried about leaks from there.
Zhou Gu had been away for some time and hadn’t sent a single letter back. Thus, while the old Duke Residence could stand patiently, the eldest princess, Sheng An, and the Duchess couldn’t. Day after day, they looked forward to hearing from Zhou Gu.
Especially since Su Rong had escorted the Ning siblings back to Nanping, going in the same direction as Zhou Gu, they hoped even more fervently for their news.
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