Su Rong heaved a sigh. "So, it appears my mother arranged my marriage with the Duke Residence, not to ensure my protection, but to possibly secure me a refined marriage? After all, the daughter of a civil servant from Jiangning cannot possibly hope to marry a legitimate son of the Duke Residence."
Lan said, nodding her head, "We’ve already looked into your father’s life, meticulously so. However, your mother remains a mystery, her status remains enigmatic. I wonder why she solemnly chose to be a concubine."
"There must have been unavoidable reasons." Su Rong could never believe that her mother chose to be a concubine out of love. Even when her father stayed in Nuanxiang Pavilion, he slept on the couch and never shared a bed with her mother."
Lan asked, perturbed, "Even the Duke Residence doesn’t daunt her. Who is she, exactly?"
"But anyone who doesn’t fear them is someone to be avoided." Su Rong took another drink. "You know my father, he has the capabilities. Why do you think he spent so many years lurking in the small place of Jiangning? Probably to protect me. If he left Jiangning, he might not be able to protect me anymore."
Lan, alarmed, asked, "Is the governor aware of this?"
"He’s not a fool. How could he not know who he brought into his residence? Although my memories of my mother are scarce, I know she always feared inconveniencing others. Being a subordinate wife and living peacefully in the Governor’s Residence, at the very least, made sure she didn’t unwittingly entrain my father. She must have told him."
"If that’s the case, why don’t we ask your father?" Lan suggested.
"He feigns ignorance," Su Rong answered, exasperated. "Every time I bring up my mother, he looks heartbroken. He claims he doesn’t know how the betrothal to the Duke Residence came about and blames everything on my mother. I just gave up on it. Not putting him in a difficult spot is my way of being filial, right?"
"What about the madam?"
"She probably doesn’t know. Or maybe she knows a bit but pretends not to. Who knows?" Su Rong felt that every member of her family was somewhat abnormal, so it wasn’t surprising that she was being treated abnormally.
"But all these years, you’ve concealed that you’re often targeted for assassination. It’s safe to assume that the Governor is unaware. If he believes that he is protecting you while, in fact, you’re in constant danger, his efforts are in vain," Lan sighed again.
"That’s not necessarily the case," Su Rong explained. "After I burnt down Nuanxiang Pavilion, no one tried to infiltrate the Governor’s Residence to kill me. The assassins I’ve faced over the years attacked me unexpectedly outside the Residence. He might know something about what happened back then. After all, the human bones burnt in the fire in Nuanxiang Pavilion left traces that, if examined closely, can reveal the truth. However, he’s never questioned me about it, perhaps fearing that if he asked, I’d question him until I got clear answers."
Lan nodded her head, puzzled about the dilemmas Su Rong faced. Sighing, she said, "We’ve been holed up in this small place (Jiangning) for so long and you don’t let us go. We cannot go out to follow the clues; even now we still know nothing. You’ve spent a lot of silver and exerted so much effort to teach us things. Have we learned nothing?"
"Not exactly," Su Rong smiled faintly. "I’ve been waiting for the betrothal ceremony, wondering whether this marriage with the Duke Residence will work out. If it doesn’t, I have a plan, and if it does, I am prepared too. I can avoid a wasted journey either way."
"So, does it look like it will pan out now?" Lan asked.
"I hope so," Su Rong put down the empty wine bottle and told Lan the reason she came to see her. "I don’t want to let go of Zhou Gu. From this month on, get ready to open businesses in the Capital City. Additionally, use the businesses to quickly establish a network of messengers."
Lan’s eyes lit up, "Finally we can leave Jiangning?" She rubbed her hands together, "Remember, everyone has been waiting for a few years."
Su Rong nodded, "I know!"
Lan calmed down a little. "Zhou Gu has only been in Jiangning for a short while. You’ve only been with him for two days, right? So, in the short span of two days, you’ve already grown fond of him?"
"Maybe a little!" Su Rong had already finished a bottle of wine. She put the empty jar down and said in a low voice, "It’s hard to resist someone you like. I want to marry him."
Upon hearing her words, Lan immediately placed Zhou Gu on the list of important targets. "What about him? How does he feel about you? Does he want to marry you?"
Su Rong looked a bit upset. "He doesn’t seem too eager, but he doesn’t seem to absolutely reject the idea either." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Lan gave Su Rong serious advice. "You better be serious. Use some tactics. The children from such an illustrious family, especially those who are frequently in and out of the palace, have seen all sorts of beautiful women since childhood. You must make him fall in love with you first, to the point that he’s continuously at your heels. Otherwise, those nobles, nurtured since birth, are incredibly proud, and unless he is mild-mannered, not even the elder can control him."
Seeing that Su Rong didn’t respond, she added, "There are plenty of cases where men refuse to marry at the last moment, creating a scene by refusing to marry their betrothed. Punishment or kneeling in the ancestral hall doesn’t work. Unless he’s willing, things can get messy."
Su Rong considered her words. "What tricks should I use?"
Lan responded reluctantly, "I don’t know. The usual techniques a woman uses to attract a man? You need to understand what he likes, prescribe the right remedy, and gradually win him over."
Su Rong contemplated this advice. "Okay, I’m going. Grab two bottles for me to take with me."
"Are you going to drink it all and take some home? A bottle is worth a hundred taels of silver." Lan shot her an incredulous look. "You broke two bottles, drank one, and now you want to take two home? In one night, you’re spending 500 taels of silver? Little Lady, wine is hard to brew, with 36 steps involved! And this wine is so difficult to obtain. Once we leave Jiangning, one bottle will cost 200 taels, and you may not even be able to buy it. We’ll have to spend money left and right once we leave Jiangning. We’d better save some for earning silver."
Su Rong reassured her. "Don’t worry. Didn’t you just say I should attune my remedies to his passion? Zhou Gu seems to love the sweet scent of this wine. I want to take some back for him."
Lan couldn’t object to that. She reluctantly brought out another two bottles of wine, tied them together, and handed them to Su Rong. "Be careful on the way home. Do you want me to accompany you?"
"No need. Just give me a new set of golden needles," Su Rong said as she took the wine. She had found her needles missing; had they been there, she could have put her attacker to sleep and buried him underneath the osmanthus tree in the backyard. His luck saved him."
Lan immediately handed her a set of golden needles.
Su Rong packed up the golden needles, picked up the two bottles of wine, and left the distillery without delay.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
