Zhou Gu got straight to work. After having breakfast, he planned to meet with the Minister of Rites.
The Nanchu King looked at Su Rong.
Su Rong waved her hand, "I won’t go, I’m going to see the Queen."
The Nanchu King nodded, "Very well."
Su Rong asked: "Regardless of how I handle this, you have no objections, right?"
The Nanchu King frowned, "Correct, do as you please."
Su Rong stood up and left.
The Nanchu King also stood up and said to Zhou Gu: "Let’s go, I will personally escort you to the Ministry of Rites. They are in great need of an Assistant Minister. You can fill this vacancy!"
Zhou Gu laughed, "Father-in-law, I’m a fourth-rank official."
"Hmm, for a future prince consort, a Fourth Rank is nothing," said the Nanchu King. If Zhou Gu didn’t want to experience each of the Six Ministries, he could have stayed with Su Rong, governing the country. But Zhou Gu wanted to experience each of the Ministries. A newly appointed official couldn’t surpass Ye Guixue, otherwise it wouldn’t feel right.
Zhou Gu sighed. Being a Fourth Rank official was quite significant. If he were in Daliang, he would have to start as a Fifth Rank and work his way up. He lamented, "My father-in-law, you are too kind to me."
The Nanchu King patted his shoulder, "Since you traveled such a long distance for Xiaoqi, I naturally have to treat you well. What we’re doing now is just the start, there’s a long journey ahead."
Zhou Gu laughed. Even though he left the capital city of Daliang and was a bit far from home, he had to admit that in the half year since he’d left, he hadn’t felt homesick at all.
When the two arrived at the Ministry of Rites, they heard the sound of chanting. The Minister hurried to greet them and said, "Your Majesty, what brings you here?"
The Nanchu King said "No need for formalities", he pointed to Zhou Gu and said to the old minister, "Sir, this is Zhou Gu. Your Ministry is short-staffed, right? I am sending him here. From today, he will fill the vacancy of Assistant Minister in your Ministry. Please take good care of him."
Of course, the Minister of Rites recognized Zhou Gu. He was also there to greet the Princess when she returned. He could barely hide his astonishment when he heard the news, "Lord Zhou, you are going to be the Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Rites?"
It was hard to believe that the future prince consort, known far and wide for his formidable skills with the double-handed sword, was joining his ministry.
Zhou Gu quickly sidesteped the old minister’s formalities and paid his respects, "Minister, indeed, I am here to fulfill my duties, whatever tasks you have, don’t hesitate to assign them to me."
He quickly adapted to his new status, referring to himself as an underling.
The Minister was about to modestly refuse but seeing the earnest expression on Zhou’s face and the serious demeanor of the Nanchu King, he was filled with doubts and surprise, "Your Majesty, why did Lord Zhou come to the Ministry of Rites? There are plenty of vacancies in the other six ministries..."
"Isn’t your Ministry in need of more people?" The Nanchu King looked at him, "Especially with the Princess’s royal wedding approaching. It requires a lot of manpower." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
"Even so, we don’t need Lord Zhou. His abilities would be wasted in this position," said the Minister of Rites, who hadn’t seen Zhou Gu before but had certainly heard of his many accomplishments this past year.
"For his own wedding, Lord Zhou wants to be hands-on." The Nanchu King replied.
Zhou Gu added next: "Yesterday, the Princess told me that we are to marry within six months. Aware of the burden this places on you, the Minister, she dispatched me here to help. Additionally, she will allocate more staff to assist you in preparing for the event."
The Minister of Rites suddenly widened his eyes. Six months? Was the Princess joking?
When he saw Zhou Gu’s confident expression, he too was unsure if he could pull it off. If they were to be wed in six months, they would not be able to delay the wedding any further. Who could guarantee he would be ready in time?
He immediately bowed, "Good, good. Lord Zhou’s arrival at the Ministry of Rites is my honor. Your Majesty, please come in, and you too, Lord Zhou."
After sending Zhou Gu to the Ministry, the Nanchu King was keen to assess the preparations. He, with Zhou Gu, led by the Minister of Rites, entered the Ministry.
After leaving Qinzhen Hall, Su Rong went to the sleeping palace, the former residence of the Nanchu King, sealed off by the Imperial Guard for the past two or three months.
Standing outside the sleeping palace, Su Rong ordered the Imperial Guards, "Open the palace gates."
The leading guard complied immediately, waving his hand to open the sealed palace gates.
Su Rong took a step forward and entered. Seeing that she had come alone without any attendants, the head of the guard, fearing she might be at disadvantage, took a few soldiers with him to follow her.
When Queen Nangong Xin took over the Nanchu King’s sleeping palace, she naturally had her attendants move in as well. She had thought that when the Nanchu King returned safely to the palace, he would be furious to find out that she had taken over his sleeping quarters and would want to kill her. However, two to three months had passed and he had not come. He had sealed the place off without even wanting to see her face.
She was ill and had been seen by the Imperial Doctor. She was well-fed but was isolated, with no visitors.
Nangong Xin didn’t think the Nanchu King was being merciful or sympathetic, Chu Rong never showed her pity.
Gradually, she understood his intentions - he was probably waiting for Su Rong to return to the palace and then leave her at her mercy.
Her heart was calm. She had seen Su Rong’s portrait, heard many of her stories, and read reports on her provided by spies. They were very detailed. In fact, Nangong Xin had been observing Su Rong for as long as she had been sending people to kill her. From Su Rong, she did not see a trace of Princess Zhenmin’s gentle demeanor, except for their striking resemblance.
Since she didn’t leave, didn’t join the Nangong family in leaving the royal capital, didn’t leave the Royal Palace, and stayed behind alone, she had long since resigned herself to whatever fate had in store for her. She had already envisioned what her outcome would be.
There were only two possibilities - she would either be tortured by Su Rong, or killed. Regardless of her fate, she had no regrets.
The palace gate was opened, and the faces of the attendants who followed the Nanchu Queen changed. In fact, before the Nangong Queen and the Liu’an Prince discovered that the Nanchu King was missing, and before Nangong Xin moved into the sleeping palace, she had dismissed a group of attendants. Those willing to leave did so, others stayed behind. There were only seven or eight people left attending to her. They had no other place to go and did not want to leave. Even those loyal to her were prepared for the worst, fearing the day of judgment. Even though they had prepared for it, they were still terrified and panicked.
One of them went inside to inform Nangong Xin, "Y-Your Majesty, the Princess is here!"
Nangong Xin was sitting in front of a mirror, fixing flowers in her hair. She naturally heard the commotion outside. She said ’hmmm’, "So, she is here. What are you panicking for? I gave you a chance to leave. If you chose to stay, you shouldn’t regret it."
The attendant instantly regained her composure, "I do not regret staying with you, Your Majesty."
Her life was saved by the Queen. She had served the Queen for many years. Despite the Queen’s temper, she never unnecessarily punished anyone. Of course, this excluded those she had sent to Jiangning County in Daliang to carry out assassinations. No one in the palace was unjustly harmed by the Queen.
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