Su Rong left Su Xingze in Daliang to ease Yan Huisheng’s heart and allow the Su Family to securely establish roots in Daliang. There would be no need to relocate with her, and traveling too far would only add to the hardship. Her actions aimed to strengthen the alliance between the two nations for their generation and those to come.
Zhou Gu was indeed an unexpected occurrence in her plan.
Grand Tutor Qin thought of Su Xingze and paused, giving way to an admission, "Su Xingze genuinely is talented."
This moment forced him to admit, "Xie Yuan’s way of educating is superior to mine."
At least Su Rong hadn’t lost her senses in love and declined the position of Nanchu King. Instead, she was willing to stay in Daliang with Zhou Gu. The woman Xie Yuan has nurtured, Su Rong, proved more mature than the Zhou Gu he had schooled.
Su Rong smiled, "The Grand Tutor is too modest."
She gazed at the Grand Tutor, filled with genuine respect, "The Crown Prince fully embodies the education and responsibilities of the heir to a kingdom. In comparison, I can be quite capricious. Fortunately, Zhou Gu is even more so, which makes my capriciousness seem insignificant. Although this angers you, to me, it’s a fortunate thing. Otherwise, due to my youthful ignorance, I might miss him and live to regret it."
She bowed, "You are indeed, greatly admirable, tutor."
Grand Tutor Qin choked, his face involuntarily twitched, struggling to keep his composure, "Are you sure you’re complimenting me and not mocking me?"
Su Rong sincerely replied, "No, I genuinely admire you."
Grand Tutor Qin snorted, "You have a good judgement of character. Zhou Gu, that raw jade, after my ten years of polishing, has ended up in your hands."
He sighed deeply, "Is it that good to be a king’s consort? Rumor has it that he’s been showing off the marriage contract to everyone he meets. He seems quite pleased indeed. He truly is a sheltered lad."
Su Rong laughed softly, "He didn’t exactly flaunt it, he just showed a bit of his true character in front of his close relatives. My king’s consort will rule alongside me in the future, we will govern Nanchu together, ensuring the peace of the citizens and the prosperity of the state. Grand Tutor, rest assured, I won’t squander his talents or confine him within my royal palace."
Grand Tutor Qin scanned Su Rong with his gaze, "You better keep your word; otherwise, you would waste him."
Su Rong nodded solemnly, "I swear."
"There’s no need to swear," Grand Tutor Qin waved his hand, "Him giving up his well-laid path for you proves that he truly cares for you, which is enough. However, clever people are often deceived by their cleverness. Both of you are smart, but remember this: he has journeyed far and wide for you, abandoning home and career. By now, he has burned all his bridges and left himself with no way out. Should you two have any disagreements or if your relationship crumbles, remember, he’s not here for your wealth and status; he’s here for you. If you can make allowances for him, prevent him from regretting his decision, you would truly be worthy of him."
Su Rong secretly heaved a sigh, it seemed Grand Tutor Qin’s words hold more weight than those of the Duke. She nodded and said seriously, "Grand Tutor, rest assured, as long as he stays true to me, I will stay true to him. Though I am a princess and future queen of Nanchu, I will never engage in the practice of keeping multiple consorts, there will only be him. He is my king’s consort, we should be understanding towards each other. If we have any political disagreements, and I’m unable to persuade him, that means he’s right."
Grand Tutor Qin burst into laughter, his frustration subsiding considerably, "Good, with your confidence, I think, the boy has indeed not erred in choosing you."
Su Rong smiled faintly, a trace of laughter appearing on her face.
The Grand Tutor waved, "Stop the carriage! This is good enough. The Xie Residence is not on my way, you should return quickly!"
The coachman obeyed and halted the carriage.
Su Rong gave a final bow, "Grand Tutor, until we meet again. If there’s anything you want to scold Zhou Gu for, perhaps you can write it down in a letter and send it to Xie Residence on East Fourth Hutong. I’ll make sure to deliver it to him."
Grand Tutor Qin nodded, "I do wish to scold him. Fine, I will deliver you a letter tomorrow for you to pass on to him."
Laughing, Su Rong told him it was "no trouble at all" and exited the carriage.
As she watched the carriage carrying Grand Tutor Qin depart, she stood still for a while before getting into her own carriage that had been following her. She instructed, "Head to the Eastern Palace to see Qiuying, then pick up Yuewan and the wet nurse, Zhao."
Fen Ling nodded, intrigued as he saw the smile on her face, "Sister, what did Grand Tutor Qin say to you?"
Su Rong leaned back against the carriage and briefly described her banter with Grand Tutor Qin.
Having listened until the end, Fen Ling chuckled and said, "Sister, now I understand. Both the Duke and Grand Tutor Qin are really worried about you. They don’t want you to let your brother-in-law down."
Su Rong didn’t respond. She wondered what gave people the wrong impression that she was disloyal. Perhaps it was the aftermath of breaking off her engagement?
Fen Ling asked softly, "Sister, hypothetically, if you were not married to my brother-in-law, but were married to the Second Young Master Ye or someone else as your royal consort, would you consider taking in male concubines for the sake of balancing political power?"
Su Rong rolled her eyes at him, "What do you think?"
Fen Ling looked at her in innocence, "How would I know?"
If he knew, why would he be asking her?
Su Rong shot him an annoyed look, not bothering to reply to his question.
Fen Ling stroked his chin and mused, "The business of the Qingquan Building is so good because many noble ladies and wives patronize it. Apart from Princess Qingping, all of the princesses maintain a few male pets. While women don’t openly maintain a harem like men, when women indulge in men’s company, it indeed lures them in, the more, the merrier."
Su Rong had to admit he was right. "You’re talking about the proverbial knife hanging over one’s head when dealing with lust. If there are too many knives to count, wouldn’t one inevitably fall on one’s own head?" She shook her head, "I wouldn’t do it. Even if Zhou Gu wasn’t in the picture, and it was just Ye Guixue or someone else, even if it’s not my favorite person, but still someone I appreciate, once I’ve chosen someone, I wouldn’t want to indulge in having multiple consorts and partners."
Fen Ling sighed, "Sister, you’re truly virtuous."
Many people in the world are frivolous, and those with wealth, power, and influence, man or woman, will tend to stray for various reasons, creating a chaotic atmosphere. But they don’t consider themselves wrong; on the contrary, they feel self-satisfied. Someone like his sister, who manages to avoid this, is truly a breath of fresh air.
That being said, Lord Thursday has indeed done a remarkable job in picking his thorny peach blossom, his sister.
Su Rong glared at him, "Shut up, you. There’s no need for your compliments."
Fen Ling just chuckled and stopped talking.
The carriage arrived at the Eastern Palace, where the Crown Prince’s carriage had already arrived. But the Crown Prince didn’t go inside; instead, he waited by the entrance.
Su Rong disembarked from the carriage, smiling as she said, "Cousin, were you waiting for me? It’s an honor to have you wait for me twice in one day."
Yan Huisheng chuckled, "I just wanted to see if you were scolded by the Grand Tutor."
"No, I wasn’t. You should know the Grand Tutor. Even though he’s angry at Zhou Gu, he also knows scolding me won’t help. After all, I won’t be returning Zhou Gu to him." Su Rong laughed.
Yan Huisheng laughed out loud too, "Yes, I worried needlessly about you being scolded."
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