Su Rong visited the old Duke’s study, where the Duke handed her several manuals.
He sighed, "You girl, I know you need to leave soon, and there’s not enough time to teach you more. These manuals contain my notes and others’. Take them, and read them in your spare time!"
Su Rong picked them up, knowing these manuals were valuable. She said immediately, "I don’t need to take them with me. Give me half a day, and I’ll read them all in your study. I can remember."
The old Duke slapped his forehead, "Right, I forgot, you do have that ability."
In Changzhou, when he instructed her, he discovered her exceptional memory, making her able to remember everything she saw. Therefore, he was thrilled and wished to impart all of his lifelong learning from the battlefield to her.
He waved his hand, "You better get reading then!"
Better that she doesn’t take them, so he can leave them for his successors.
Su Rong read quickly, and half a day passed in the blink of an eye. She had memorized everything she read. Observing that the day was coming to an end, she stood up, massaged her forehead, and bid farewell to the old Duke.
The old Duke said, "Stay for dinner."
Su Rong laughed, "I’ll have dinner at the Shen Residence to visit my Uncle and Aunt Shen."
The old Duke knew her time was limited, so upon hearing this, he didn’t insist, "Alright, you can go!"
All that needed to be said was said, so there was no need for further conversation. As a result, Su Rong promptly left the Duke’s Residence before dinner.
Sheng An, the eldest Princess, and the Duchess felt a bit reluctant to see Su Rong leave, so they agreed to send her off at the city outskirts in the morning after tomorrow.
When Su Rong arrived at the Shen Residence, Shen Xian had just returned home. He had seen Su Rong earlier today in the Council Hall at the palace, but didn’t say much due to the crowd. Seeing Su Rong rushing to visit him and his wife, he laughed, "Your Aunt Shen guessed that you would come over this evening. She personally prepared a range of dishes and repeatedly instructed me to come back for dinner. Good guess, you did come indeed."
Su Rong chuckled, "Aunt Shen cooked personally? I’m in for a treat."
Upon entering the Shen Residence, Lady Shen hurried to meet them. As she was wiping her hands with a handkerchief, she said, "I’m covered in kitchen smoke. You men go ahead and talk. I’ll go change my clothes, and we can start eating."
Su Rong reached out to hug Lady Shen, who promptly pushed her away, "Get away, I’m covered in cooking smoke."
Unable to hug her, Su Rong had to go to the living room to talk with Shen Xian.
Shen Xian asked Su Rong, "You seem different compared to your last visit. Do you have good news with that lad from the Duke’s Residence?"
Su Rong laughed, "Did you figure it out all by yourself? Or do you have inside information?"
Shen Xian said, "After the Duke returned to the Capital City, he’s been attending court every morning and seems cheerful. He used to only appear for grand ceremonies in the early morning sessions. If it were only because Zhou Gu had gained fame from his deeds in Nanping, the old Duke, with his personality, wouldn’t flaunt this much. I suspect there’s some other good news."
He speculated, "All clear-eyed people can see Zhou Gu’s feelings for you. Everyone in the Duke’s Residence cherishes him. Although the old Duke doesn’t say anything, the effort he puts into Zhou Gu outmatches that for his other grandchildren."
Su Rong laughed, "Your perceptiveness is impeccable."
She briefly explained her reengagement with Zhou Gu and shared the consensus they had reached with the Duke’s Residence.
Shen Xian chuckled and sighed, "You carted off the old Duke’s most cherished grandson, and yet he’s still able to laugh."
"Perhaps it’s because the old Duke thinks that as the queen consort of Nanchu, I won’t overshadow Zhou Gu by confining him to the royal palace. Also, I was able to quell the Zhang Ping rebellion without shedding a drop of blood, sparing us a bloody battle. In exchange for his grandson, despite the pain it causes him, he still chose to let Zhou Gu fulfill his desire because he loved him," Su Rong suggested. "The old Duke has removed the knot in his heart. Since he’s satisfied with me, he naturally feels relieved."
Shen Xian nodded in agreement, "That makes sense."
He asked, "Has Xie Yuan gone to Nanchu?"
"He has."
Shen Xian sighed, "Since he left that year, he hasn’t set foot in this city again."
Su Rong said, "But he went to Nanchu. For me. Uncle Xie has long since let go of his feelings for my mother. It’s familial affection now. His refusal to step foot in the capital is not because it’s a heart-wrenching location, but because after helping my dad reorganize Jiangzhou, he didn’t have spare time to come to the capital. The situation in Nanchu is critical, and he’s worried about me. He wanted to go ahead and do his part, not to mention alleviate my worries."
Shen Xian couldn’t help but laugh. "Alright."
He reflected, "I wonder if I’ll see him again."
"Of course, you will. Both you and Uncle Xie are in your prime, with long lives ahead of you. There are decades yet to come," Su Rong reassured.
Shen Xian laughed, "I hope so."
Madame Shen changed into a clean dress and came over quickly. Sitting beside Su Rong, she held Su Rong’s hand, asking about recent happenings and why she had lost so much weight.
They spent an hour enjoying dinner, and then Su Rong sat for another half-hour before finally bidding farewell, with Madame Shen reluctantly watching and instructing her to take care of herself, and leaving the Shen Residence.
The next day, before she got up, a whirlwind of a person charged into Xie Residence and into Madam Xie’s courtyard without any impediment.
Madam Xie had already risen. Seeing Duanhua, she greeted her with a smile, "Oh, the princess has come? Xiaoqi was talking about going to visit the Princess and the Prince Consort and to play with you this morning."
Duanhua complained, "I was worried she wouldn’t come. I heard she’s leaving tomorrow. I couldn’t wait, so I came early despite her lack of conscience. She didn’t think of me at all."
Madame Xie laughed, "Go in and wake her up. She’s still in bed."
Duanhua nodded and rushed into the room.
Su Rong was awake and putting on her clothes. Seeing Duanhua rush in, she quickly said, "I would definitely visit you before I left. How could you not trust me at all?"
She took the initiative to appease her.
Duanhua snorted, "Our friendship, how much do you think it’s worth?"
Su Rong touched her nose, quietly finished dressing, got out of bed, and hugged her, "Alright, alright, it’s my fault. I should have visited you the moment I arrived in the capital city."
Duanhua wasn’t unreasonable; she knew that Su Rong was a person of great undertaking. Their statuses were different; Duanhua only wished to marry a good man, but Su Rong wasn’t the same. She was going to Nanchu to claim the throne. She understood that Su Rong’s visit to the capital was for important business. Before her visit, her parents had instructed her to tell Su Rong that if she had time, she could come over to the Princess Residence for a meal. But if she didn’t, it would be enough just to see her and not interrupt her important tasks.
She felt Su Rong and muttered, "Why have you become so thin? Don’t you eat every day?"
Su Rong said helplessly, "I suffered a serious injury and almost lost my life. I’ll recover in time."
Duanhua gasped, "That’s really dangerous."
She lost all her temper instantly.
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