When Su Rong returned to the courtyard, Yuewan emerged from her room, seeming rather drowsy.
She rubbed her eyes as she spoke, "Miss, how come your walk with young Master Zhou took so long today? I’ve been waiting till I’m weary."
Su Rong glanced at her and patted her head, "If you’re tired, go to sleep. Why are you waiting for me? When did I ask you to wait?"
Yuewan nodded and heaved a sigh, "You never asked me to wait, indeed. But didn’t the Lady say I should also learn manners? When I accompany you into Duke Residence in the future, if I don’t have good manners, I won’t be able to hold my ground."
For all these years, as her mistress, she too didn’t follow the conventions due to Su Rong’s unconventional character.
Su Rong pinched her cheek, "You may learn other rules, but there’s no need to learn to wait for me to go to sleep. I have the final say on this."
Yuewan nodded sleepily but curiously asked, "Miss, what were you doing with young Master Zhou today? You didn’t get back until late."
"I took him to visit the Night Market." Su Rong decided not to scare her and waved her hand, "You should go to bed now!"
Yuewan responded with an "Oh," took a couple of steps away, and then turned back to say lamentingly, "Miss, every time you go out, you always bring me back something to eat."
Su Rong spread her hands, "At this late hour, aren’t you afraid of gaining weight?"
"Yes, that’s true." Yuewan muttered and returned to her room.
Su Rong found it amusing. She entered her room and, as she did every time after returning from outside, took off her outer garment, threw herself onto the bed, and promptly fell to sleep.
She had not a care in the world and fell asleep easily. But when Zhou Gu returned to his guesthouse, he found it impossible to sleep.
He became angry at the thought that Su Rong had actually taken him to the Qingquan Building, but he was also somewhat worried that Su Xingze would scold her. The martially skilled Ziye had been sent away by him so he couldn’t go and check on the brother and sister. What if he was discovered? That would be awkward.
He tossed and turned in bed until dawn, finally falling asleep when the day was about to break.
The next day, the wet nurse who Su Xingze had hired for tutoring came. Su Rong, without any objections, began learning manners with the wet nurse. Over the years, she indeed didn’t have good manners, and she knew it. Whether or not she would abide by the rules in the future was one thing, but knowing them was another. Therefore, she started to study seriously. At the very least, as the Lady had said, she should present herself properly when it was necessary, to avoid embarrassing herself when she went to the Capital City.
Zhou Gu slept till almost noon. After learning that Su Xingze was waiting for him in the outer room, he felt a bit embarrassed. He came out and said, "Brother Su, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting."
"It’s fine." Su Xingze shook his head. He knew Zhou Gu must have had a restless night and didn’t ask why. He simply said, "Haven’t you always wanted to meet Master Xie? Master Xie returned last night. I’ll take you to see him today."
Zhou Gu’s eyes brightened, "Great!"
Just as he was about to step forward and leave with Su Xingze, he paused, scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Brother Su, I need to tidy up a bit. Could you please wait a moment longer?"
"No rush." Su Xingze nodded.
Zhou Gu immediately returned to his room to freshen up and change his clothes. When he came out again, he looked refreshed.
Xie Yuan was about the same age as Su Xu, but perhaps because he hadn’t dissipated his health in wine and women and had been leading a disciplined life alone for many years, he looked much younger than Su Xu. He didn’t put on weight with middle age and was still handsome and refined.
When Zhou Gu saw Xie Yuan for the first time, he was stunned. The legendary Xie Yuan actually looked so young. Considering that the Grand Tutor Qin of Eastern Palace praised Xie Yuan highly and Grand Tutor Qin had a full-grown beard, he had thought that Xie Yuan might be of similar age.
He respectfully gave his regards, "Junior Zhou Gu, glad to meet Master Xie."
Xie Yuan appraised Zhou Gu and was surprised. The young Master Zhou of Duke Residence described in rumors was so well-behaved. He responded with a smile and a polite wave of his hand, "Young Master Zhou, please, no formalities needed."
Zhou Gu straightened up, "Junior has long admired your reputation, Master. It is an honor to meet you today."
Xie Yuan laughed, "Is the old Duke in good health? It’s been more than a decade since I last saw him."
"My grandfather is healthy. He has mentioned you to me, saying it’s a pity that you couldn’t stay in the Imperial Court." Zhou Gu responded.
Xie Yuan laughed and shook his head, "Those who serve the state and the people don’t have to be confined to the Imperial Court. Even though I’m staying in Jiangning, I never left the common people. I do not regret it."
Zhou Gu nodded, "Under the administration of Uncle Su and you, Jiangning County is peaceful and prosperous - truly a good place to live. The doors are not locked at night, no lost articles are found on the roads, and there are no riots, no refugees, no beggars. The common people are well-fed and well-clothed. Had I not seen it myself, I could not have imagined there could be such a harmonious place in the world. Master, what you have said is absolutely right."
"As for the ’no beggars’ part, I can’t take credit for that." Xie Yuan gestured for Zhou Gu to sit, "It’s all due to Su’s good governance."
Zhou Gu greatly admired this, "I once discussed this issue with Uncle Su, but he said it was your achievement. Both of you are truly modest."
Xie Yuan laughed aloud, "This old Su!"
He turned to Su Xingze and asked, "What has Xiaoqi been doing lately?"
Su Xingze gave Zhou Gu a look, "She is learning to be the lady of the house and learning manners."
Xie Yuan nodded and laughed again, "It’s rare that she is willing to settle down and study seriously. Over the years, she has learned all kinds of miscellaneous things, but she never wanted to learn or follow rules. She was always the defiant one."
Su Xingze didn’t comment. In the past, she didn’t want to study because she didn’t think Duke Residence would keep their promise. But now that he had hired a wet nurse for her and she was studying rules without resisting, it showed that she cared about Zhou Gu and the marriage to Duke Residence.
Xie Yuan looked at Zhou Gu again, "For many years, we didn’t see anyone from Duke Residence, so we thought that the engagement between you and Xiaoqi was not going to be honored."
Zhou Gu seemed uncomfortable, "Though I’ve known about this engagement since I was a child, I never dwelt on it because of my young age. My grandfather takes promises seriously, so the engagement will be honored. It was just that the timing was not right. He was afraid that Duke Residence, being so high-profile, would disrupt the tranquility of Jiangning County if we started our interactions too early."
Xie Yuan nodded with a laugh, "The old Duke’s consideration is exactly right; it turns out we had misunderstood."
He laughed again, saying, "Xiaoqi has been unconventional since she was a child, unlike ordinary girls. She doesn’t enjoy being confined in the harem, learning to read and write, embroidering, painting. She’s only interested in the life outside the high walls. Master Su and his wife couldn’t control her; only I could persuade her to listen a bit. As one of her teachers, most of the time I didn’t have the heart to restrain her, and I indulged her too much. This led to her character that can’t be disciplined as she grows older. So I thought if this engagement with Duke Residence, which is a high-profile family, was to be broken, it may not necessarily be a bad thing for her. After all, in a high-profile family, there are many rules."
Zhou Gu quickly said, "Duke Residence, compared to the other grand residences in the capital, doesn’t really have strict rules." He paused, then added sheepishly, "I am often scolded by my grandfather for not adhering to rules."
Xie Yuan smiled slightly, "Now I know that the old Duke keeps his promises. Since he sent you here, he obviously intends to honor the engagement."
Zhou Gu breathed a sigh of relief.
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