Upon hearing this, Fen Ling thought it made sense. He, too, didn’t want his sister to be made to cry by everyone.
However, he was still a little worried, "What about His Highness the Crown Prince? He also mentioned he will see you off tomorrow."
Su Rong paused for a while, "I’ll go to the Eastern Palace now, to say goodbyes to him."
"Huh?" Fen Ling gaped, "Sis, it’s too late, isn’t it a bit inappropriate?"
"It’s okay, the Crown Prince might not have gone to bed yet." Su Rong instructed the coachman, "To the Eastern Palace."
The coachman flicked his whip, and redirected the carriage towards the Eastern Palace.
Just as Su Rong guessed, Yan Huisheng had not gone to bed. He was sitting in his study, dealing with official documents. Hearing the report that Su Rong had arrived and her carriage stopped outside the palace gate, he was informed that she asked if he had gone to bed. She said if he had, she would leave.
Yan Huisheng froze, looking out the window into the pitch-black night. He glanced at the hourglass; it was already past midnight. Why had she come at this hour? Was there an urgent matter? He promptly got up, left his study, and walked towards the palace gate.
Having arrived at the palace gate, Su Rong had already gotten out of the carriage. Standing by the front of the carriage, she smiled at him, "I was guessing that Cousin might not have gone to bed, but I thought disturbing you wouldn’t be right, so I did not go in, and just asked one of your servants instead."
"What’s the matter?" Yan Huisheng asked her.
"Nothing serious, I just decided to set off now." Su Rong rubbed her forehead, "Tonight, at the restaurant, I had dinner with those people from Jiangzhou. I felt upset being made to cry by the people from Chen Zhou. I was thinking that if I have to go through the same thing tomorrow morning, wouldn’t it be just as troublesome? So, I better leave tonight."
She sighed, "I didn’t want everyone to line up and cry while hugging me, so I came to tell you that I am leaving."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Alright."
Su Rong looked at him, "Is that all? Nothing else to be told? Can I leave now?"
Yan Huisheng laughed, "I already feel honoured that you came to inform me. As for instructions, keep the token I gave you safely and take care on your journey. Write to me regularly."
Su Rong nodded, "Alright."
Yan Huisheng thought for a moment and then said: "How about if I place Yun An at your disposal?"
"Huh?" Su Rong was surprised, "Yun An is such a valuable asset to you, why are you thinking of giving him to me?"
"Before you came to the capital, he returned from Jiangning County only to be dispatched by me to Nanchu. By now, he has a good understanding of the situation in Nanchu. Besides, his martial arts skills are no lesser than those of Fen Ling. That day, when you had to part with Fen Ling because of the Zhang Mao incident, it was evident that among the secret agents at your disposal, only Fen Ling proved to be of most use. Once you decide to dispatch him, there will be none left who are as capable. Hence, I am offering Yun Luo to you, so you can get him to do things that Fen Ling would be capable of doing," Yan Huisheng said.
Su Rong shook her head, "Cousin, no need. I understand Yun An’s value to you, otherwise, you would not have sent him to Jiangning County and then to Nanchu. I cannot accept him. Don’t worry, you have lent me an army of three hundred thousand, which is already more than helpful. Besides, apart from Fen Ling, I also have Fu Zhou. I’m not short of manpower."
Yan Huisheng looked at her, "Don’t worry. Once I hand someone over to you, I won’t use them to pass on messages."
Su Rong laughed, "You have lent me an army of three hundred thousand, and gave Zhou Gu all the secret agents in Nanchu, and I still need to be afraid of you passing on messages?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Huisheng also laughed, "Are you sure you don’t want him?"
"Yes, I really don’t." Su Rong said: "You should keep him!"
"As you wish." Seeing that she genuinely didn’t want Yun An, Yan Huisheng did not insist, "If Qin Ruo doesn’t go with you..."
"If he doesn’t want to go, then so be it. I won’t compel anyone into doing something against their will," Su Rong said.
Yan Huisheng laughed, "What I meant was, he is indeed talented and it would be a waste if he remained in that desolate place. If he doesn’t want to go with you, it might be just because he can’t leave the Qin family behind. You can take my token, go to the local government office, ensure the well-being of the Qin family, and then convince him to follow you."
"I see, no problem." Su Rong quickly nodded, "Thank you, Cousin, for being so considerate."
Yan Huisheng looked at her. By now, everything that needed to be said had been said. He walked up to her and hugged her, "Dear Cousin, take care."
Su Rong hesitated briefly, then smiled, "Cousin, you too, take care."
Yan Huisheng let go of her, "Don’t spoil Zhou Gu too much."
Su Rong blinked, "Wait until you have a favored Crown Princess, and then tell me this. I’ll see if you indulge her or not."
Yan Huisheng laughed helplessly, "Go on then!"
Su Rong turned around and jumped back into the carriage. After settling down, she peeked out and waved, "Cousin, you should head back!"
Yan Huisheng nodded. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Su Rong drew the curtains, and the carriage drove away.
Yan Huisheng watched as the carriage receded into the distance, blending into the night. It turned a corner and disappeared down the long street. He stood there, motionless, for an extended period.
Little Quanzi had waited for a while and seeing that the Crown Prince had not returned to the residence, he came out and stomped his feet, "Your Highness, it’s freezing out here. Please take care of your health and go back to rest!"
Yan Huisheng hummed in agreement and then stood silently for a while longer before finally tearing his gaze away. He then turned around and reentered the palace gate.
In the carriage, once they were far from the Eastern Palace, Fen Ling quietly said to Su Rong, "Sis, His Highness the Crown Prince is in love with you."
Su Rong glanced at him but did not respond.
Fen Ling chuckled, "My sister is so wonderful; it’s only natural that she attracts admirers. You saved His Highness’s life, it’s not surprising that he’s in love with you."
Su Rong didn’t want to bother with him.
Reading the mood, Fen Ling wisely shut his mouth.
The carriage returned to the Xie Residence. Since the secret agents had passed on the message earlier, Yuewan and Wet Nurse Zhao had already packed up and were waiting for Su Rong’s return.
Upon seeing Su Rong, the Lady Dowager glared at her, "Didn’t we agree on leaving tomorrow? Why are you in such a hurry? You didn’t even wait for the city gate to open."
Su Rong sighed and explained the reason to her.
The Lady Dowager tapped her forehead, "Alright then, go. If you’re leaving, hurry up and go. Don’t keep dawdling."
Su Rong was a little surprised, "Mother, shouldn’t you be saying you will miss me and then cry a lot?"
"Get lost." The Lady Dowager showed her distaste, "Didn’t you say once you have established a foothold, you will bring me to Nanchu for a visit? What’s there to miss about you? Just be careful and take care of yourself, and then think about coming back for me."
Su Rong laughed, "No problem."
"Your sisters have already gone to bed. I didn’t let anyone wake them up to avoid them tearing up and becoming red-eyed around you," the Lady Dowager added. "If you’re leaving, then hurry up!"
Su Rong took the initiative to hug the Lady Dowager, "Mother, please take care. If there are minor troubles that you feel bad about troubling His Highness the Crown Prince with, you can find help from the Duke Residence, Shen Residence, or the residence of Princess Qingping. If all else fails, you can seek Xie Lin. He can also help you."
"I know. Who has so much excess food that they would dare to cause trouble for us for no reason? Those with discerning eyes can see it clearly." The Lady Dowager waved her hand at her, "Quit your nagging."
For the first time, Su Rong found herself being scolded as naggy by her, and found it somewhat amusing. She let go of her, "Alright, then I’m leaving. I borrowed an army of three hundred thousand from the Imperial Court. I will be heading to Nanchu. Whoever doesn’t obey, I will fight them. So, you don’t have to worry about me every day."
Upon hearing this, the Lady Dowager instantly laughed, "Alright."
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