Before stepping into Nanchu, Su Rong pondered upon what kind of attitude Ye Xiang should adopt towards her; definitely not too delighted, after all, she didn’t choose Guixue. Even if he supported her, it would be out of reluctance. However, after saving Ye Xiang’s family, upon meeting him and owing a life-saving grace, his attitude would be nothing but respect, always supportive of her.
She felt that she was rather lucky at times.
Even on the journey, she was anxious and wished she could sprout wings and fly to Wanren Mountain. Seeing her gloomy face all day, Fen Ling, if not scared of confronting the Liu’an Prince with only his secret guards, wished to abandon the fifty thousand cavalry. He comforted her during the soldiers’ break, "Miss, don’t you think your life is like a picture book sold in the marketplace?"
She was puzzled and asked, "How is my life like a picture book?"
Her life was not meant for amusement at all.
Fen Ling explained, "Your status as the Nanchu Princess and Zhou Gu, the son of the Duke whom you love, although having different paths, were bound by mutual affection and wanted to overcome all the difficulties together. This is similar to the main male and female characters of a picture book, who after trials of tribulation and human nature, eventually will have a happy ending. Hence, Miss, I believe there is no need for excessive worry."
Upon hearing this, Su Rong was rendered silent. What could she say? Such words were quite comforting. She gathered herself and responded, "I hope your words of propitiousness will come true, and may providence be kind."
"Certainly." After his smooth talk with no basis, Fen Ling secretly prayed numerous times in his heart. After all, not all picture books have endings full of joy; some are tragic. Nonetheless, he would rather forfeit ten years of his own life to ensure a complete ending for his sister.
The Nanchu King asked about Ye Xiang and Guixue, "Where are they? Why didn’t I see them?"
Su Rong replied, "We initially took two separate paths. He took the shortcut leading fifty thousand infantry, and I took the main road leading fifty thousand cavalry. Yesterday I received a message that they were intercepted halfway by Nangong Yin’s fifty thousand soldiers."
"Where were they intercepted by that old man Nangong Yin?" the Nanchu King asked.
"At Fengming Ridge, two hundred miles away."
"It appears that Nangong Yin fears Chu Qian, unable to kill us with his fifty thousand soldiers, and upon receiving information, also marched with his soldiers," commented the Nanchu King.
"Yes, that should be the case. But, they have fortunately run into Guixue," said Su Rong, considering it a lucky coincidence. Hopefully, it was because her prayers were heard by the heavens, ensuring Zhou Gu and her father’s safety. Otherwise, if unfortunate, Death Valley would be filled not only with Liu’an Prince’s soldiers but also Nangong Yin’s soldiers arriving in succession. A single misstep would mean they would certainly face death without chance of escape.
Taking a deep breath, she thought of Zhou Gu and could not wait to reach the tent and watch over him.
As the Nanchu King lay on the stretcher, upon noticing soldiers wearing Daliang armor, he abruptly asked, "Are all these soldiers brought from Daliang by you?"
"Yes," Su Rong turned to her father and said, "I borrowed three hundred thousand soldiers from Daliang Emperor and the Crown Prince, to be returned after five years."
Though the Nanchu King had heard this from Fang Yue, he was still stunned when he heard it from Su Rong herself, "How did you borrow so many soldiers?"
Zhang Yun was also curious. He initially expected her to bring, at most, one or two tens of thousands of soldiers from Daliang; it was not a small number anyway. To his surprise, she had brought three hundred thousand, which was an enormous number.
"I should thank Zhang Ping, your father, for this," Su Rong glanced at Zhang Yun, "He had privately raised an army of three hundred and fifty thousand, a number beyond the jurisdiction of the imperial court. After his death, the Jibei Army surrendered to the imperial court. With the surplus soldiers, Daliang could not afford their maintenance, and the old Duke suggested I borrow three hundred thousand soldiers from the imperial court."
Chuckling, the Nanchu King said, "The old Duke, no wonder he offered this idea."
With an appreciative sigh, he added, "Was it for his grandson?"
"Perhaps?" Mentioning Zhou Gu, Su Rong smiled, "The old Duke didn’t want anyone to look down on his grandson. Ye Guixue, who you fostered for me, has the large Ye Xiang Residence backing him. But what does Zhou Gu have when he comes to Nanchu with me? The number of secret guards with him is limited, to prevent being labeled as a useless prince. To boost his confidence and chances, the old Duke suggested this idea. Of course, this idea was not solely for his grandson, but also for Daliang and me. After all, the treasury of Daliang is empty, and I need soldiers for my safety and to eliminate the Nangong Family and the Liu’an Prince. Therefore, Daliang lending me soldiers and me maintaining them for Daliang, is a win-win deal. Why not?"
"Truly ingenious." The Nanchu King was impressed, "The old Duke is certainly deserving of his reputation."
"Well, it didn’t occur to me, then," acknowledged Su Rong. No matter how clever she was, she dared not think of taking three hundred thousand soldiers from Daliang. Compared to the experience of the old Duke, she was still young and inexperienced.
"Zhou Gu is good. Your judgment is commendable." The Nanchu King praised Zhou Gu, noticing that he had been unharmed throughout the journey except for that day. It was just due to having no other choice that Zhou Gu had to fight and got injured. The previous day, he even confessed to the king that he had some regrets. If he knew about Liu’an Prince’s powerful force of fifty thousand soldiers, he wouldn’t have taken him out of the Palace.
He felt guilty for not protecting him well and did not pay attention to his own state. Compared to his real father, he felt that losing Zhou Gu would be a greater loss for Su Rong, right? Her actual father had not even been seen yet, and there were no sentiments attached. However, this young man was the person she fervently loved. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Smiling, Su Rong replied, "Of course, my judgment is naturally good."
Without any hesitation, she continued, "He is the one I’ve decided on and is going to be my husband, your only son-in-law. You should treat him well in the future, just like you would treat me."
"Rest assured, one son-in-law equals half a son; I’ve managed to get a free son. As a father, I naturally would treat him well, as well as both of you," the Nanchu King reassured.
Contentedly, Su Rong nodded, "Alright, as long as you’re not confused."
The Nanchu King: "..."
He couldn’t afford to be confused.
During their conversation, the group arrived at the camp. Fen Ling saw them and approached, pointing out, "Miss, your camp is over there, Young Master Gu has already been sent there."
Su Rong nodded, "Alright."
She hurriedly left for her camp without any further concern for the Nanchu King.
The Nanchu King didn’t mind. It was enough to know Zhou Gu was safe. His daughter, though didn’t hug him, and he also didn’t dare to hug his daughter, recognized him as her father and had many informal conversations with him, which pleased him.
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