The old Duke felt that it was a good thing to drill the Jinglu troops while waiting for Su Rong. It didn’t matter where they were, they were still soldiers.
Hence, under the military drill plan of the old Duke, the one hundred thousand Jinglu troops were trained to the point of exhaustion, sweating heavily and panting under the cold weather.
The old Duke personally supervised, so the soldiers couldn’t slack off.
Upon hearing that Su Rong had arrived, the old Duke looked at the sky and said, "Let’s call it a day!"
The soldiers almost jolted with joy.
The old Duke walked out to greet Su Rong, while instructing his men to invite her into the military camp. He thought to himself that the girl was quite quick, arriving a day earlier than he had anticipated.
When Su Rong heard the noise in the military camp dying down, she was led into the camp. After walking a distance, she saw the old Duke coming towards her. Quickening her pace, she came forward, greeted the old Duke, "Old Duke."
"Why don’t you call me ’Grandfather Zhou’ anymore?" asked the old Duke.
Su Rong immediately complied, "Grandfather Zhou."
The old Duke looked at her, "Shouldn’t you be calling me ’Grandfather’?"
Su Rong: "..."
Was this the intimidating aura that she had heard about?
She smiled, somewhat embarrassed, "Isn’t it a bit early to be using that title now?"
The old Duke snorted, "Is it? If you hadn’t withdrawn Zhou Gu’s marriage proposal before, now probably half of the traditional betrothal rites would have been completed."
This was a subtle way of reprimanding her for all the trouble she had caused.
Su Rong touched her nose, "I was wrong."
The old Duke snorted again. Seeing that she was dusty and weary, with a weak aura, and remembering that she had been seriously injured and probably hadn’t recovered yet, he said, "Why are you in such a hurry to travel when your injury hasn’t healed yet? Let someone take you to rest and bathe first."
Su Rong nodded.
The old Duke looked at Fen Ling, found that he still looked decently healthy, and said, "You, stay here. You can go later."
Fen Ling nodded quickly.
Knowing that Su Rong was coming, the old Duke had already ordered the preparation of two camps. Someone led Su Rong to her tent.
The old Duke turned and walked in, Fen Ling followed. He heard the old Duke ask, "So, Zhang Yun really defected with twenty-five thousand Jibei soldiers?"
"It’s not just twenty-five thousand, there are also the forty thousand more troops he had. More than twenty-nine thousand in total," replied Fen Ling.
The old Duke nodded in realization, "Yes, that’s it. So many troops."
Fen Ling nodded. "Zhang Yun killed Zhang Ping, took the twenty-nine thousand troops, and arrived in Longxi County. My sister sent people to clear the road of snow to welcome him. He firmly defected to our side."
"Come in, and tell me the details," the old Duke gestured as he walked towards his tent.
Fen Ling nodded, following closely behind.
Indeed, Su Rong was worn out from continuous travel. After she entered her tent and bathed, she noticed that it was still early, and she was not hungry yet, so she decided to just sleep.
She had arrived just after lunchtime, and she slept until dinner time, only waking when the call for mealtime was sounded in the military camp.
After she woke up, she washed her face, left her tent, and headed to the old Duke’s tent.
The old Duke’s tent was not far and she reached after just few steps. Upon seeing her, the guard bowed to her, "Miss Seven, please come in. The old Duke has been waiting for you."
Su Rong nodded and walked in. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
The old Duke was reading a letter. Seeing her arrive, he gestured for her to eat first.
There were several dishes already on the table, and more food and drinks were being brought in. Su Rong sat down, but even though she was a little hungry, she didn’t reach out for the chopsticks. Instead, she poured herself a cup of tea, waiting for the old Duke.
Seeing her not eating, the old Duke quickly finished reading the letter. He didn’t reply immediately, but folded the letter and went over to her, laughing and scolding, "Such a well-behaved girl."
Su Rong laughed, "I dare not misbehave."
After all, things were different now compared to the day she had come to cancel the engagement. On that day, she had planned to sever all ties and go their separate ways. But now, having stolen his grandson away, she felt a bit guilty.
The old Duke snorted, "Let’s eat first!"
Only after the old Duke picked up his chopsticks, did Su Rong pick up hers. When she did, she noticed that all the dishes on the table were her favourites. It must have been the old Duke who specifically ordered them for her. Looking up at the old Duke gratefully, she saw him simply tapping the table, "Eat your meal."
Su Rong nodded and smiled.
After the two finished their meal quietly, the servants cleared the table, and then the old Duke started questioning Su Rong, "Do you know why I asked you to meet me?"
Su Rong nodded, "I have some ideas."
The old Duke looked at her, "When that little boy came to Changzhou a few days ago, he had the betrothal letter in his chest, showing it off for a long time. He even feared that I might tear it if I so much as looked at it. He probably values that letter even more than his grandpa, right?"
Su Rong forced a laugh, "No way, at any time, the grandfather is more important."
The old Duke didn’t like her being glib, "My grandson is worthless, pestering you, and in the end, he pinned himself to you. I, an old man, can’t hold him back. Since his life was saved by you, I have to accept."
Su Rong quickly said, "He also saved my life, so, we can consider ourselves even."
Her affection for Zhou Gu had nothing to do with the debt of saving lives. It was just about the timing of when she told him about the breakup with Ye Guixue. She didn’t want him to be tormented any longer, and she didn’t plan to let go of him again.
After all, in one’s life, who knows if one can even live for a hundred years? Why live a lonely and desolate life when you can have a lover? She figured it was good to be open-minded for once.
The old Duke nodded, "There’s a cause for every effect. The two of you do seem to be destined."
He looked at Su Rong, "I just want to ask, what position will you put that boy in when you ascend the throne?"
Su Rong seriously replied, "The position of a king’s husband."
"He would indeed be the king’s husband." The old Duke stared at her, "You’re playing dumb, girl. You understand my meaning."
Su Rong laughed, "Grandfather Zhou, what do you think of your grandson’s temperament, abilities, and methods?"
"Compared to Ye Guixue, he is not lacking. If he were a little older, things would be different." The old Duke had no reluctance in praising his grandson, except in front of Zhou Gu himself.
Su Rong emphasized again, "I am talking about his temperament, abilities, and methods."
"Temperament? He is not bad at all. However, he indeed is one not to be trifled with, and can be very possessive. As for abilities and methods, he is second to none. When he is determined, he is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his objectives, always persevering until he hits a wall." The old Duke implied that Su Rong had not made Zhou Gu hit the wall, and she gave up on her previous decision too easily. She was not principled enough.
"So you see, you know that with him being the king’s consort, in that position beside me, how could I arrange his role? He would arrange his own position very clearly." Su Rong was helpless, "You should be asking, how does he arrange my role?"
The Old Duke: "..."
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