The Nanchu King and Ye Xiang, both the ruler and his subject, were very excited.
During the upheaval of the Nangong family in Nanchu, both had faced death several times. No one understood better than they did, that waiting for the day where Su Rong could defeat the Nangong family and Dawei, causing the Nangong family to retreat from Nanchu, and Dawei to lose and offer up cities, horses, gold and so on, was no mean feat. They had hardly dared to dream of this day before.
The civil and military officials standing behind the Nanchu King and Ye Xiang were also very moved. At the beginning, almost everyone thought their majesty was doomed. Even Ye Xiang had abandoned the Royal Capital. Nanchu was facing a regime change, and they were helpless. All they could do was to avoid being corrupted by the Nangong family, and preserve their own lives. Who would have thought that there would be a day like this, when the princess would terrify Dawei, and the revival of Nanchu would lie on the horizon.
Admiration arose in their hearts, but they were also worried. Given the princess’ prowess, and the rumored large number of talents by her side, they didn’t know how their future under the princess would be, or whether they’d be purged from the Imperial Court after the princess returned to the Royal Capital.
Su Rong’s retinue finally arrived at the Nanchu Capital, after waiting for countless people.
From afar, she could see the Nanchu King and the civil and military officials who had lined up to meet her at the gate of Capital. The procession was neatly arranged, very impressive. She had good eyes, and could see that Qin Ruo, who was now wearing Nanchu’s official uniform, was among the crowd. The fifth-rank uniform indicated that the Nanchu King had given him a fairly high position for someone new to the Nanchu Imperial Court. After all, the fifth rank was no small matter.
"Oh, is that Qin Ruo? It seems that the father-in-law is quite generous." Zhou Gu naturally saw Qin Ruo clearly, "Are Nanchu’s government positions this easy to obtain?"
Su Rong turned her head and looked at him with amusement, "If you don’t become my royal consort and instead become an official in Nanchu, your position would probably be higher than Qin Ruo’s, taking into account your bravery in protecting my father’s life these past few months. He should be able to give you a fourth rank position."
Zhou Gu was instantly dissatisfied, "What do you mean? Who’s not going to be your royal consort? Don’t you dare back out now!"
Su Rong smiled, "Oh, I wouldn’t dare, it’s just a hypothetical scenario."
Zhou Gu was not satisfied, "Even as a hypothetical scenario it’s not okay. Why don’t you use Zhang Yun as a comparison? We’ve been together all along, what rank could he achieve?"
"Hmm, considering his contributions, he’s not much different from you, he could also achieve rank four." Su Rong was very objective, "After all, Nanchu is currently lacking talents. You can see that although the officials are neatly arrayed, their numbers are not many, just a few dozen people. The Nangong faction and the Royal Family faction had left so many positions vacant, waiting to be filled. Now is the time to reward achievements and promote beyond normal regulations. A fourth rank position for someone just entering the Imperial Court is extremely high, but not impossible to give, especially in these special times."
Zhou Gu nodded, "That’s true."
He stared at Su Rong, "Don’t think that when you return to Nanchu, you can just forget about me. I’m telling you, we need to discuss the matter of me becoming a royal consort further. And also, I’m the only one for you, that’s not negotiable."
Su Rong didn’t know what had given him the wrong impression that made him feel so insecure and restless. He always seemed to think that she would regret her decisions. Perhaps it was all blameable on her younger cousin, Cui Yanjin. He was always worrying and going to Zhou Gu to say things about him having a bad temper. He implied that Su Rong would not want him, and his constant negative talk had undoubtedly affected Zhou Gu, even though it made him want to hit Cui Yanjin.
She couldn’t help but laugh, "Who’s discussing with you? As for my royal consort, of course, I have the final say."
Zhou Gu was taken aback.
While they had said all this, they had arrived at the city gate. Su Rong dismounted, and saw that Zhou Gu had also leisurely got off his horse. Although the expression on his face was controlled well, he was clearly dissatisfied with her last remark. Thinking this was amusing, she let go of the reins and walked over to take his hand.
Zhou Gu gave Su Rong a glance, allowing her to take his hand.
Su Rong, holding Zhou Gu’s hand, stood in front of the Nanchu King and the civil and military officials of Nanchu, smiling and calling out, "Father."
The Nanchu King was extremely excited. He responded with two ’ah’s, quickly stepped forward, wanting to embrace Su Rong, but seeing that she was holding Zhou Gu’s hand, he didn’t know where to start. So, he just stood in front of her, excitedly looking at her face, barely able to string his words together, "It’s good that you’re back... It’s good... Was it tiring on the road? Did everything go well? Did you encounter any trouble? Why are you a few days later than expected?"
Su Rong answered all his questions, "The journey was not tiring, it went very smoothly, we didn’t encounter any trouble. The reason for the delay was because my senior sister is pregnant, so we couldn’t travel very fast or shake her too much."
The Nanchu King suddenly understood. Tears of joy welled in his old eyes, "Good... good..."
He restrained himself from reaching out and withdrew his hand. His gaze moved to Zhou Gu, "Are the injuries on both of you healed?"
Zhou Gu withdrew his hand from Su Rong’s grasp and embraced the Nanchu King in one motion. He chuckled, "Father-in-law, do you want to hug me? Just do it, no need to pay a silver piece. Our injuries healed a long time ago. Thank you for your concern."
Su Rong: "..."
How did Zhou Gu learn to be this slick?
The Nanchu King was taken aback for a moment, but was soon warmed up by Zhou Gu’s embrace. He patted his back and was very excited, "As long as your injuries are healed... I heard your situation was very dangerous and I was extremely worried. I couldn’t sleep peacefully. Now you’re safely back."
Zhou Gu was all smiles, "Our luck is great, our destiny is great, or as the old saying goes, ’A righteous man will be aided by heaven’, right?" He released the Nanchu King and pull Su Rong close, "You can also give father-in-law a hug."
Su Rong sighed in her heart that Zhou Gu really knew how to curry favor on both sides without compromising either. This single embrace not only secured his position in front of all the civil and military officials of Nanchu but also saved her father from stuttering and the embarrassment of being too overwhelmed by his emotions. This prevented her father from feeling that he had lost his dignity and face as a king in front of Xie Yuan.
She obediently hugged the Nanchu King, also looking cheerful. She softly whispered in his ear, "Father, Xie Yuan is watching you. You’re not acting appropriately."
The Nanchu King stiffened, both his body and face. All the excitement in him rapidly faded away like the tide.
Su Rong patted his back, not really paying attention to him. She only patted twice casually and didn’t give him time to recover or digest. She released him mischievously and introduced the person behind her, "Father, this is my uncle Xie, Xie Yuan, the man who raised me since I was a child. You two know each other, right? After many years of not seeing each other, you must have a lot to talk about?"
The Nanchu King thought, compared to her son-in-law, his daughter was a defective cotton-padded jacket. She was considerate, but not towards him.
With a stiff smile on his face, he greeted Xie Yuan, "Brother Xie, it’s been a long time. You are just as elegant as before!"
Xie Yuan appeared much more natural. He smiled lightly, "King, there’s no need for the honorific ’brother’. Simply calling me ’teacher’ would suffice. After so many years, I never thought the king’s governance of Nanchu would be so disappointing. If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have let Xiaoqi come to Nanchu. She almost died in Yuan Zhao’s hands because of your kingdom."
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