That evening, a banquet was held at the Marquis Nanping Residence.
Zhou Che felt very ashamed. He arrived too late to help Nanping avert the crisis yet was partaking in the victory celebration anyway.
Although Marquis Nanping was gravely injured, he was already able to get out of bed and move around. He partook in the victory banquet, looking at his two sons. The crisis at Nanping this time had shown him to be quite useless as a father. Nanping City was saved by the joint defense of his two sons. He felt both ashamed and comforted. From this day forward, he could truly breathe easy.
The wife of the Marquis was greatly moved. She hadn’t expected, in an critical moment, that it would be Ning Chi who would save Ning Ze. She felt ashamed of her past behavior towards him, and made a resolution to treat Ning Chi as her biological child from now on.
Everyone aside from Zhou Gu and Zhou Che was still recovering from injuries, and therefore unable to consume alcohol. They all substituted tea for wine, watching the two brothers raising their cups to each other.
Ning Yao was in the confinement period after childbirth and couldn’t participate. The wife of the Marquis and Su Rong, the only two female family members present, sat together and chatted quietly.
The wife of the Marquis showed both respect and closeness for Su Rong. "Miss Su, are you planning to proceed to Jibei?" she asked.
Su Rong shook her head, "No, we’re thinking of returning to Capital City."
The wife of the Marquis was surprised, "Not going to Jibei? What about Zhang Ping..."
"If I’m not mistaken, Zhang Ping and Zhang Cheng have likely split their forces into two. One will go to the Capital City to seize power, while the other will come to Nanping to seize this valuable territory, to strengthen their forces," Su Rong said, "The danger in Nanping has been averted, but I’m afraid Capital City is in danger."
The wife of the Marquis was alarmed, she glanced at Zhou Che, who was drinking with Zhou Gu, "Is there enough military support in the Capital City? I heard that apart from the hundred thousand troops brought by the Third Young Master of the Zhou Family, it seems that the Second Young Master still has another hundred thousand troops coming to assist Nanping?"
"That’s correct." Su Rong nodded, "So naturally, it’s insufficient. Capital City, at most, has two hundred thousand soldiers, one hundred thousand of them are the Jinglu Troops under the control of the Emperor," she shook her head, "As you know, the Emperor’s Jinglu Troops are not very strong, mostly just for show. On the other hand, Zhang Ping is said to have two hundred and fifty thousand troops under his control. Even if they mobilize all the soldiers in the Capital City, they’re still not enough and are bound to suffer losses."
Upon hearing this, the wife of the Marquis said, "So, you’re planning to leave soon?"
"Yes, we plan to leave Nanping tomorrow," Su Rong replied.
Upon hearing this, the wife of the Marquis was somewhat reluctant to see them leave. "You haven’t rested at all."
Su Rong knew she was reluctant to part with her son, "Why not let Ning Ze stay in Nanping with you for a few days? Anyways, I won’t be going to Nanchu right away. When I come out from the Capital City and go to Nanchu, he can join me."
Immediately, the wife of the Marquis shook her head, "There’s no need. Following you has broadened his horizon and led to his tremendous growth. If I keep him at home, the prolonged comfort will harm him. Let him go with you!"
Su Rong smiled. The foresight in a parent’s love for their child was indeed deep. The wife of the Marquis was such a wise and loving mother. She nodded, "Then he will go with me. Don’t worry, when he is with me, he will be utilized when needed and protected when necessary."
The wife of the Marquis nodded repeatedly, "I am clear about your abilities, Miss Su. I am fully confident."
Su Rong said, "However, you must know that going to Nanchu is still very dangerous."
"I understand this." The wife of the Marquis nodded again, sighing lightly, "But if one stays at home, sheltered from every storm, what kind of life would that be? Life can be risky. I will pray for him every day."
She looked at Ning Ze as he joined Ning Chi in conversation. Seeing the two brothers laugh together, an uncommon scene as they hadn’t got along this well since their childhood, she also began to laugh. She leaned towards Su Rong and lowered her voice, "Miss Su, there’s one more thing."
"Go on."
The wife of the Marquis whispered in her ear, "I heard that the fifth lady of the Duke Residence isn’t engaged yet?"
Su Rong nodded, "Yes, she isn’t engaged."
"Do you think...could my son try asking for her hand in marriage?" the wife of the Marquis asked.
Su Rong looked at her surprisingly.
The wife of Marquis had nothing to hide, she spoke softly, "You know the history. He isn’t my biological son. And being the eldest legitimate son, I always felt uneasy. I always wanted to seek the best for my own son. Therefore, I not only didn’t treat him honestly, but I also tried to trip him up at every opportunity. But things are different now. I am now his stepmother, and traditionally, marriages are arranged by mothers. So, it’s time for me to step in. I have been thinking about which girl from Nanping would be a suitable match for him, but to no exact conclusion. But now, seeing the refined gentlemen of the Zhou Family, I started thinking about the unengaged daughter of theirs."
"Does your son know about your thoughts?" Su Rong asked.
"I just recently had this idea. I wanted to ask you first, after all, you know the Duke Residence better," the wife of Marquis said, "The Duke Residence is a prestigious family, I don’t know whether we could match them."
Su Rong paused to think, then said, "First ask your son, then you can try."
She hesitated for a moment, "However, when I was in the Capital City, I heard that a selection of beauties is to be held next spring to choose a wife for the Crown Prince, and to fill the harems of the princes. The Fourth Prince has reached a marriageable age, but he hasn’t married yet."
The wife of the Marquis felt a stirring in her heart and lowered her voice, "Are you implying that the lady of Duke Residence might be chosen as the Crown Princess or the wife of the Fourth Prince?"
"I truly can’t be sure about that. If we’re talking about suitable candidates to be the Crown Prince’s wife, the fifth lady of the Duke Residence is extremely suitable. The Grand Tutor Qin has mentioned her in front of the Crown Prince a few times, but the Crown Prince expressed no urgency," Su Rong shook her head.
"This..." The wife of the Marquis sighed, looking at Su Rong, "I’m not too familiar with the young ladies of the various residences in the Capital City. Apart from the fifth lady Zhou, do you think there are any other maidens with good character and beauty?"
Su Rong laughed, "There are plenty. However, I wasn’t in the Capital City for a long time and only interacted with a limited number of young ladies. The one I’m most familiar with is Duanhua, the Princess."
"I heard that Princess Duanhua is very arrogant?" The wife of the Marquis, who is now genuinely considering for Ning Chi’s future, didn’t dare to think about Duanhua.
Su Rong laughed, "The Princess is indeed a bit arrogant, but she’s still very adorable."
Seeing that wife of the Marquis was genuinely working on the marriage arrangements for Ning Chi, Su Rong suggested, "Apart from the decree of the parents and matchmaker’s words, the couples’ consent to each other is also important. My mother is currently in the Capital City handling the marriages of my sisters. She herself is not very familiar with the Capital City, so the wife of the Minister of Personnel, Mrs. Shen, is assisting her. In a short period, she managed to finalize the marriages of my three sisters. Mrs. Shen is very skilled at understanding people. Why not let me act as a go-between and ask Mrs. Shen to assist, help select candidates for the eldest son, and arrange private meetings when he goes to the Capital City. The final decision could then be made according to his own preferences."
Upon hearing this, the wife of the Marquis was instantly intrigued, "If that’s the case, that would be wonderful. Thank you, Miss Su."
Su Rong smiled and shook her head, saying "no need for thanks", then raised her jujube tea, toasting with the wife of the Marquis.
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