The carriage departs from the Eastern Palace.
In the carriage, Su Rong gestures at her shoulder to Yuewan.
Yuewan understands, is delighted to serve Su Rong, and quickly approaches to massage her shoulders, while saying: "Miss, didn’t you accept the female official, Qin?"
Su Rong nods, "I did not."
Yuewan asks, "Why is that?"
Su Rong replies, "A woman of the Eastern Palace, is already good enough for her current status, but she is not satisfied, her ambition is a bit too large. I don’t like to keep ambitious women by my side. Plus, I don’t approve of her using the Crown Prince as a stepping stone to get from the Eastern Palace to Nanchu."
She says, "Rather than have her, I’d prefer Qin Ruo, who has suffered in the harsh, cold places. When someone is at their wit’s end and someone pulls them out, they’ll be more loyal once they join."
She shakes her head, "Qin Luan is not in my scope to help."
Yuewan nods, "I see. What Miss said makes a lot of sense."
Su Rong feels her massage strength is not enough, "Press harder, it feels like you’re just tickling me."
Upon hearing this, Yuewan immediately exerts her full strength, pounding away.
Su Rong relieves her aches, closes her eyes, and enjoys immensely.
"Miss," Yuewan complains, "Your shoulders are so thin that it hurts my hands when I hit them. You’re too skinny."
She had massaged Su Rong’s shoulders often before. Su Rong, though she looked skinny, used to have a bit of flesh. But now she feels as if there’s only bone left under her palm.
Su Rong hums in acknowledgement, "I’ll gain it back."
Beyond Zhou Gu, everyone else considered her to be too thin. Those days, she was held every day by Zhou Gu, and he never complained about it.
As she returns to Hutong in the East, it’s already late. The dowager madam is waiting for her. Seeing her return, she gives her a disapproving look, "Why did you come back so late?"
Su Rong wraps her arm around her playfully, "I had dinner at the palace before I came back."
The dowager madam, lets herself be led inside by her, "Hurry up and bathe, then drink your medicine promptly and rest."
Su Rong nods.
After bathing and drinking her herbal soup, Su Rong lies on the same bed with the dowager madam, and tells her,"Mother, tomorrow day, the day after tomorrow day and early the day after that, I will have to leave."
The dowager madam had already lain down, but at these words, she sits up immediately, "Hadn’t they said you could stay for ten days?"
Su Rong sighs, "The situation within the Nanchu Dynasty isn’t too good. At the Eastern Palace today, I heard the Crown Prince say some things. I need to leave early to avoid any dream-like complications."
Hearing this, the dowager madam wishes she could leave with Su Rong at once, but her daughters at home aren’t married yet and need her. She can only say, "Alright, important matters come first. If you need to leave, then go. Anyway, you would have to leave sooner or later."
Su Rong removes the pillow in between them, turns, and hugs her, "Wait until my sisters are all married, and I’ve managed to establish a foothold in Nanchu. I’ll send for you to come visit Nanchu with me."
The dowager madam is reassured, "Okay, this is what you’ve promised."
"I’ve promised." Su Rong assures her.
The dowager madam is satisfied, feeling appreciated, and pats her hand, "Go to sleep, stop being coy. You’re a grown-up now."
Su Rong, holding onto her, closes her eyes.
That night, Su Rong heeds the lessons she learned from the night before, hugging the dowager madam tight, thus leaving her unable to move, and she sleeps the night without kicking off the covers, swinging her arms, or throwing her leg across the entire bed to occupy it all.
When she wakes the next morning, Su Rong feels refreshed and rejuvenated.
The dowager madam, though she slept uncomfortably, feels content at heart, having been held all night without a fuss by her daughter who apparently didn’t find it irksome.
After breakfast, Su Rong visits the Duke Residence.
As soon as the old Duke returned to the Residence yesterday, he told Grand Princess Sheng An that Su Rong would come for lunch today. Grand Princess Sheng An is delighted and instructs her servants to prepare everything early in the morning, while she eagerly waits for Su Rong to visit.
Su Rong, compared to yesterday, arrives quite early. After her arrival, she pays her respects to Grand Princess Sheng An and the Duchess, and is surrounded by a group of enthusiastic ladies.
Her visit this time is different from before. This time, she is officially Zhou Gu’s fiancée.
In response to the inquiries of Grand Princess Sheng An and the Duchess, she answers individually. After lunch, Grand Princess Sheng An and the Duchess request a private conversation with her.
They both express the same sentiment, asking her to treat Zhou Gu kindly.
Su Rong thinks, from the old Duke, to Grand Tutor Qin, to Grand Princess Sheng An, and the Duchess, even her own mother dowager madam, they all tell her since she chose Zhou Gu, she must treat him well in the future. They are really worried about her.
She repeats her words, smiling at the two, "Rest assured, as long as he doesn’t betray me, I will never betray him. Even if I ascend to the throne of Nanchu, I will have only him as my royal husband, just the one man."
Grand Princess Sheng An pats her hand while laughing, "Good child, Gu’s affection for you is purer than gold. He gave up his future in Daliang to follow you to Nanchu, considering you the most important thing in his life over everything else. He would never betray you."
The Duchess also says, "I know my son best. Ah, he truly likes you very much indeed. There are many things a person can discard in this life, but for him, you are the one thing he can’t let go of. After you called off the engagement, he tried several times to move on, every time he failed. Now that you have succumbed to your feelings for him and given him the marriage contract again, he will undoubtedly treat you well in return."
Su Rong nods, "I trust him, I will be good to him, and cherish him properly."
"With your words, we’re at ease." Grand Princess Sheng An wipes her tears, "That child, oh, we’re accused of spoiling him too much. But in reality, from a young age till now, he’s spent very few days with us. Earlier he spent most of his time in the Eastern Palace and soon, he’ll be going to Nanchu. The only time he’s spent at home was after you called off the engagement and he was in a state of depression."
The Duchess also wipes her tears with a handkerchief, "That’s right. You two must write us regularly."
Looking at these two women, Su Rong feels their deep love for Zhou Gu. She nods, "Once I’ve established myself in Nanchu, you two along with my mother are welcome to visit Nanchu. By then, I’ll send someone to fetch you. It may be a long distance, but it’s just a two or three-month journey. We can enjoy the trip with a physician and an elite guard accompanying us. It’s not impossible."
She doesn’t think that Grand Princess Sheng An, being older and frail, can’t go anywhere. On the contrary, she believes that while she’s still able to travel, she should step out of the capital city to see the world beyond, instead of spending her entire life tucked away in her little world.
The eyes of Grand Princess Sheng An light up, and she laughs through her tears, "Yes, yes, we will definitely go."
Now, she’s full of hope for the future trip to Nanchu. Having heard Su Rong’s promise, she is determined to see the place where her grandson will live in the future within her lifetime.
The Duchess also smiles, "We’ve made a deal." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The three women huddle around Su Rong, talking for a long time, until the old Duke can’t wait any longer and sends someone to call Su Rong to his study. Only then do the two women let her go.
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