As Su Rong mentioned Shen Yi, Yan Huisheng brought up another person.
He said smoothly, "You have seen Qin Luan, the Eastern Palace’s female official, a few times. She came to me yesterday, expressing her desire to accompany you to Nanchu. I thought I’d ask for your opinion. Do you wish to take her in?"
Surprised, Su Rong asked, "She wants to accompany me to Nanchu?"
Yan Huisheng nodded.
Not understanding what she had done to receive such favor from the female official, Su Rong laughed and asked, "Cousin, what do you suggest?"
"If you consent to her company, I agree," Yan Huisheng answered.
Having considered the proposition, Su Rong said, "I do not know her very well."
"She’s the daughter of former Vice Censor Qin Yuan. You know of her, as you have seen the Qin family’s deeds. Before being exiled, her brother, Qin Ruo, entrusted her to Zhou Gu, which led to the altercation with Xie Lin and her subsequent presence in my Eastern Palace. If you did not understand Zhou Gu, you might assume that he is impulsive and that his clash with Xie Lin had unpleasant repercussions. But once you’ve understood him, you’ll see his intentions clearly. Zhou Gu dislikes complications and does not wish for the responsibilities of looking after her. He shrewdly orchestrated an altercation so that Qin Luan could avoid being a concubine for Xie Lin and instead be presented to our father and me at the Eastern Palace. This allowed Zhou Gu to ask a favor from me to assign her the post of a female officer and cast off his obligations." As he finished, Yan Huisheng laughed, "You see the extent of his cunning. He even made calculations at my expense, dumping the responsibility on the Eastern Palace."
Su Rong blinked a few times in realization. "Oh, I see."
If Yan Huisheng hadn’t enlightened her, she would indeed have been deceived by Zhou Gu. She remembered when she first met Zhou Gu in Jiangning County; they talked about his fight with Xie Lin. Back then, she recalls suggesting he help her out if anything like this were to happen again; he seemed quite at a loss for words.
She too, couldn’t help laughing. "Such scheming is truly formidable. He managed to save trouble and keep his word to his friend."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Qin Luan comes from a respectable family and is well-versed in the arts. In the inner quarters, she was carefully instructed by Lady Qin. Initially, it was hard for her to work as a servant, but after some instruction in the palace before being sent to the Eastern Palace, she turned out to be quite useful. At the least, she has not caused any trouble."
Hearing Yan Huisheng’s assessment, which seemed objective and fair, Su Rong rested her chin on her hand and thought, "Is her desire to go strong?"
"She wishes to save her family, but as you know, as long as my father occupies the throne, I can’t possibly vindicate the Qin family," Yan Huisheng replied. "If she desires to restore the Qin family’s standing, she might need to wait a few more years. She probably wishes to find another route by joining you."
Su Rong nodded, aware that if she were to accept Qin Luan, she’d have to alleviate any remaining concerns her side had. After all, if a girl willingly chose to accompany her to Nanchu, Su Rong would need to assure her.
After pondering for a bit, Su Rong suddenly asked, "How about that Qin Ruo?"
"Qin Ruo is quite talented," Yan Huisheng answered. "Unlike his blunt and somewhat naive father, Qin Yuan, being friends with Zhou Gu and entrusting him with his sister before he was exiled suggest deep thoughtfulness and intelligence."
Su Rong was intrigued. "What if I don’t want Qin Luan, but instead, Qin Ruo?"
Chuckles escaped Yan Huisheng as he pointed at her, "Are you planning on taking all the capable men from Daliang to Nanchu?"
Initially, Su Rong had paid special attention to Qin Ruo while reviewing the dossier on the Qin family. She hadn’t harbored any particular intentions back then or right before she came to the study, nor had she planned to sway the people she fancied to join her in Nanchu. However, since Yan Huisheng had offered her Qin Luan on his own accord, she preferred to have Qin Ruo instead.
She laughed as she looked at Yan Huisheng, "Cousin, as you’ve said, if the Qin family is to be vindicated, it will take years. After all, you can’t outright defy the emperor’s decree, can you? The charges that were pressed against them under his reign are deeply engraved in stone now and any reversal would compromise the emperor’s dignity. But you also mentioned that Qin Ruo is talented. If we abandon him to his fate thousands of miles away, his talent would go to waste. Wouldn’t it be better to let me take him away instead?"
Yan Huisheng was convinced by her reasoning. "Alright, if you can convince him, I will let him go with you."
With a beaming smile, Su Rong thanked him. "Then I appreciate it, cousin."
She stood to take her leave. "I won’t bother you any longer, cousin. I will come and bid you farewell before departing."
"No need. You are only staying in Capital City for three more days after all. As of now, one day has already passed. If there is no urgent matter, there is no need to see me again. I will escort you out of the city when you depart," said Yan Huisheng.
"Alright." Su Rong promptly left the study.
Outside the study, Qin Luan quietly waited a short distance away, oblivious to the conversation within. After all, the prince’s study was vast and situated in the farthest room. There were even multiple rooms outside, each guarded by one of the prince’s two attendants.
Upon seeing Su Rong, Qin Luan greeted her, "Lady Su Qi."
Su Rong nodded, not giving Qin Luan a chance to speak. She directly told her, "The Crown Prince has already discussed with me about you wishing to accompany me to Nanchu. Is it to save your family?"
Taken aback, Qin Luan hesitated before nodding and then she kneeled, "I beg for your mercy, princess."
Su Rong reached out to help her rise. "Get up first. I will give you a choice. Listen to it and then make your decision."
Having no choice, Qin Luan stood up as she couldn’t resist the force with which Su Rong pulled her up.
Su Rong continued, "You would know that your family has been exiled to a distant and cold region for approximately seven or eight months. Even with someone looking after them, unquestionably life has been hard. Especially for your eldest brother, Qin Ruo, who is talented but unable to use his abilities and also suffering. Before he left the capital and was exiled, he arranged for Zhou Gu to look after you. To avoid you becoming Xie Lin’s concubine or being bought by someone else as a maid, Zhou Gu cleverly sent you to the Eastern Palace. Since the workload of the Eastern Palace’s female officer would be far less burdensome than your previous duties, it might be the best alternative compared to you joining me in Nanchu, masterminding the rescue of your family. What do you think?"
Caught off guard, Qin Luan looked at Su Rong. "What about my other relatives?"
"It’ll have to be just Qin Ruo," Su Rong said.
Qin Yuan had passed away and the males within the five degrees of kinship of the Qin family had been sentenced to exile. Lady Qin and female family members were initially saved from being exiled due to Zhou Gu’s interference, being sentenced instead to slavery. However, Lady Qin was so worried for her son that she decided to go with him, and several other females who didn’t want to leave their families also chose to do the same. With dozens of members in the Qin family, she couldn’t afford to be too presumptuous and decide to save all of them from the law. It simply wasn’t possible.
Biting her lip, Qin Luan remained silent for a while before quietly asking, "Will my older brother agree?"
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