Zhou Gu opened Zhang Yun’s letter, skimming through it. Once he finished, the corners of his mouth twitched as if he was utterly speechless.
However, he had to admit that he felt somewhat comforted.
Even if things are tough now, was this any more challenging than the days when he dared not sleep, alternating care for his father-in-law with Zhang Yun, fearing any attack from the Nangong Family assassin at any moment? Back then, each day passed with fresh wounds added to old ones. He was still alive, and he had the chance to marry the Princess. Now as a husband to the Princess, even if the affairs of the Ministry of Housing were terribly chaotic, there would be a day to solve everything completely. It doesn’t seem like a big deal anymore.
He placed the letter aside and looked at Su Rong. Seeing she was staring at him with somewhat strange eyes, he asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want to say something?"
Su Rong asked directly, "Are you regretting it and wanting to run back to Daliang?"
"No," was Zhou Gu’s straightforward reply.
"Really?" Su Rong looked at him incredulously, even she had thoughts of running away, so he never thought of fleeing, even once?
"Really." Zhou Gu maintained composure. Even though he had entertained the thought for a moment on the first night just after stepping out of the Ministry of Housing, it had quickly vanished upon her embrace and her words of sympathy. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Su Rong looked at him seriously, "If you really want to run..."
"I’ve already said no." Zhou Gu pulled her into his arms and held her tight, complaining, "You shouldn’t listen to Zhang Yun’s nonsense. I don’t regret it. How could I bear to leave you and also my father-in-law?" He paused, "Alright, even if I had such thoughts for a moment, I immediately dismissed them. No one else can be your husband except me. Even if it meant dying in this position, I would still be your husband."
Su Rong: "..."
He makes a persuasive case.
She gently patted his back, "I haven’t finished speaking, why so anxious? I was going to say, even if you really want to run, it’s too late. I won’t let you go, I would tie you up by my side."
Zhou Gu was immediately pleased, he loved such words and said with a cheery smile, "If you can talk like this, talk more."
Su Rong burst into laughter, reaching out to poke his waist.
Zhou Gu took a deep breath and held her hand, whispering in her ear, "Dear, don’t you know a man’s waist cannot be touched randomly?"
Hearing Zhou Gu’s slightly restrained and flirting tone, Su Rong scoffed and lifted her head to kiss his neck, turning the flirtation back on him, "Dear, don’t you see you are tempting me to devour you all at once?"
Zhou Gu: "..."
She’s really becoming clever!
He held her waist with one hand and her face with the other, pinning her onto the desk, on top of the scattered patterns.
After their playful skirmish ended, when Zhou Gu brought Su Rong to the bed, she was already disheveled, her face flushed, her breath shaky and slightly panting.
Zhou Gu was also barely holding himself together. He released Su Rong, turned around and headed to the bath.
As Su Rong lay down on the bed to calm down, a glance caught her attention. Tomorrow, she would have to face Fen Ling and account for the crumpled pattern. She only had herself to blame for her lack of self-control.
When Zhou Gu returned after his bath, Su Rong was already somewhat sleepy. He tiptoed to extinguish the light and saw the pattern on the table, realizing that it was no longer usable. But it couldn’t be thrown away either. Without this pattern, some of the work for the Ministry of Rites couldn’t be carried out.
He stood there for a while, resigned himself to fate and went to fetch paper and pen. He retraced the pattern. Fortunately, Fen Ling didn’t bring back too many for Su Rong to see. Although he was not an expert in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, he had enough knowledge in all these fields, so it didn’t take too much effort.
While making the sketch, he thought to himself that it was indeed a self-inflicted pain. He must have been blinded by the moment, taken in by her intentionally alluring words, forgetting their intimate deeds on the table that led to the ruin of the pattern.
Su Rong, in her drowsy sleep, was disturbed by the light of the lamp and the slight movements. She saw Zhou Gu was seriously working at the table and asked, "Zhou Gu, why are you not sleeping and working on something?"
Zhou Gu answered reluctantly, "Go back to sleep."
"You haven’t said what you are doing," Su Rong asked sleepily.
Zhou Gu sighed, "I am retracing the patterns that Fen Ling brought back yesterday. We can’t just give them back as they are, so I decided to draw new ones."
Su Rong uttered an acknowledgment and regretfully said, "It’s all my fault."
"Why is it your fault?" Zhou Gu asked while still focusing on his work, fearing a mistake. He tried to pacify her, "It’ll be done quickly. You go back to sleep, dear."
"Hmm." Su Rong replied and went back to sleep.
After retracing all the patterns in one go, Zhou Gu put the pen down, massaged his wrist, relaxed his whole body, and yawned. He extinguished the light and lay down on the bed.
As soon as he lay down, Su Rong, who wasn’t really asleep, rolled over into his arms and found a comfortable position.
Zhou Gu looked at her in the moonlight. Her face was pink from sleep, peaceful and beautiful, her breath steady. He held her contentedly and closed his eyes.
The following day, when Su Rong woke up early in the morning, she ran to the table first to check the patterns drawn by Zhou Gu, marveling, "Zhou Gu, you are so good."
Feeling rather proud, Zhou Gu raised an eyebrow, but said modestly, "It’s okay! Simple."
Su Rong grumbled, "It’s not simple at all. I couldn’t do it. I found out yesterday that there was no other way, so I thought Fen Ling would have to use it as it was, and if necessary, he would have to figure out something. But you are so skillful."
"Do you think we can present crumpled patterns like the ones under us?" Zhou Gu collected the original patterns and put them into a box by the bedside. Both knew very well what intimate actions took place on these patterns. Su Rong was thick-skinned, and though he wasn’t, he couldn’t get over the guilt he felt inside.
Su Rong understood his feelings and laughed gleefully. She hugged him and said, "Next time, don’t be so playful."
Speaking such words, it was unclear whether she was speaking to herself or to Zhou Gu.
Zhou Gu pushed her away and protested, "It’s early in the morning and I have to attend the court session. Stay away from me, and don’t provoke me."
Su Rong stuck out her tongue playfully at him and then turned around to wash and dress.
Seeing her acting like a little girl, Zhou Gu was both exasperated and amused.
Fen Ling also had to attend the court session, so he came early to collect the patterns he had shown to Su Rong the day before. Su Rong handed over the patterns to him without any change in her expression, not saying anything.
Fen Ling looked at them and was immediately surprised, "Sister, these are not the ones I gave you yesterday. Despite being identical in design, they have different penmanship."
Su Rong replied seriously, "The patterns you brought back yesterday weren’t nice. Zhou Gu found them ugly after looking at them. So, he redrew them himself."
Fen Ling: "..."
He was stunned, "You mean, my brother-in-law actually had time to sit down and redraw a few patterns because they were ugly? Doesn’t he get tired after a whole day of work in Ministry of Housing?"
"Yes, he does get tired, but the ugly patterns were an eyesore, and he couldn’t sleep because of them. There was nothing else he could do." Su Rong made up a story.
Fen Ling sighed, realizing for the first time that his brother-in-law was such a perfectionist.
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