Su Rong was thoroughly cheerful, "There must be a lot of girls who like him, right?"
She couldn’t imagine that Zhou Gu would be a man without admirers. It simply wasn’t possible.
Nurse Zhao laughed and nodded, "Of course. Young Master Zhou is handsome and charming. Unlike some other boys who bully girls, he may be playful around his tutor, but that’s because he resists the old Duke’s pressure for him to join the army. His manners are always impeccable."
Su Rong asked, "I heard that Duanhua Princess is quite taken with him?"
Nurse Zhao was surprised, "Miss Seventh, how did you know about Princess Duanhua?"
"Zhou Gu told me."
Laughing, Nurse Zhao said, "Oh, I see, Young Master Zhou was the one who told you." She nodded, "When the Empress Dowager was still alive, Duanhua Princess always enjoyed playing with Young Master Zhou. However, Zhou Gu didn’t like her, believing her to be spoiled and prone to tears, so he always avoided her. Now they’ve grown up, I guess she’s more determined."
She looked at Su Rong, "Princess Qingping only has this one daughter, Duanhua Princess. If you were to be engaged to Zhou Gu, she would certainly cause trouble for you. I’ve heard she hasn’t given up on Zhou Gu."
Su Rong said, "She has already tried. Zhou Gu was worried she would disrupt my coming-of-age ceremony, so she’s been intercepted."
Nurse Zhao was stunned. "Young Master Zhou is quite decisive. But this will probably provoke Duanhua Princess. Being the Emperor’s only niece, she is quite pampered."
She paused, "However, Duanhua Princess is afraid of the Crown Prince. Miss Seventh, you saved the Crown Prince’s life. If Zhou Gu can’t keep her at bay, don’t worry. You could ask the Crown Prince for protection. I’m sure he would help."
Su Rong raised an eyebrow, "I’ve already given him a dagger as a token of my gratitude, I owe him nothing. How can I keep on bothering the Crown Prince?"
She continued, "If the Crown Prince is targeted for assassination, doesn’t that prove some unrest within the imperial court? It could be very turbulent. Does he have time to deal with these minor issues? I heard our current Emperor is not as wise as his predecessors. Is he suppressing the Crown Prince and supporting other princes? Is the Emperor creating internal strife because he’s reluctant to relinquish power?"
Nurse Zhao looked uneasy, lowering her voice, "Miss Seventh, be cautious about what you say. Those words couldn’t be spoken randomly."
Su Rong laughed, "Isn’t this just a conversation in private at home? Nurse Zhao, you wouldn’t go and report me, would you?"
"Of course not." Nurse Zhao shook her head, understanding Su Rong considered her as family. She sighed, "Your words are true, Miss Seventh. When the Empress Dowager was alive, she often advised the Emperor. After her death, there was no one left to warn him. I also heard that the Crown Prince has been in a difficult position in recent years."
"Is the Crown Prince as reported? Truly modest, upright, elegant, and accomplished? Is there any flaw?"
Nurse Zhao nodded, "The Crown Prince is indeed excellent, and every praise is deserved. But who can be perfect? It’s only natural to have some minor shortcomings, yet they don’t overshadow his virtues."
Su Rong said, "Then I made the right choice in saving him."
Nurse Zhao nodded, "The Emperor is displeased with the Crown Prince’s popularity and intentionally suppresses him while supporting the older and second princes. He chose noble wives for the two princes. The first princess’s wife is from the Marquis Nanping Residence, and the second princess’s wife comes from the Pingxi General’s Residence. Nanping oversees a region, and the Pingxi General controls an army of 100,000. Now the Crown Prince is at the age of marrying and nobody knows what the Emperor will do. Judging from his attitude towards the Crown Prince these years, I’m afraid the Crown Princess’s family background won’t be prestigious."
"Wouldn’t that be ridiculous? If the Crown Princess’s background is inferior to the first and second princess’s wives, wouldn’t that be a laughing stock?"
Nurse Zhao sighed, "The Emperor is the ruler. Though the Crown Prince is the heir, he is still subordinate to the Emperor. They are father and son and also sovereign and subject."
Su Rong raised an eyebrow, "If the Emperor goes too far, wouldn’t the Crown Prince resist?"
"That’s where the Crown Prince meets difficulty, how should he resist? It’s challenging to find a balance. The relationships between fathers and sons and between rulers and subjects have been complex since ancient times. And it is much more challenging for those in the Crown Prince’s position." Nurse Zhao changed her tone, "However, the Crown Prince is not incompetent. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have held on to his position for so long."
"Ah, life is tough for everyone." Su Rong felt that one’s origins didn’t matter. Even someone like the Crown Prince would have to fight to survive, "Let’s go back to talking about Zhou Gu!"
Nurse Zhao chuckled, "My interactions with Young Master Zhou haven’t been many, what I can tell are stories from his childhood."
"Let’s hear about his childhood."
Nurse Zhao nodded and shared several interesting stories about Zhou Gu’s childhood in and out of the Eastern Palace.
Su Rong listened with great interest.
After talking about Zhou Gu for half an hour, Nurse Zhao continued to instruct Su Rong in etiquette, who studied more seriously than the previous day. She felt that she ought to take her lessons seriously, given Zhou Gu’s petition to her on her behalf that morning.
At the end of the day, Nurse Zhao told Su Rong: "The message you asked me to pass on has been delivered to Yun An, the Crown Prince’s messenger. He will send a hawk to the Crown Prince for instructions. The hawk messenger is very fast; within a few days, we should have a response. Miss Seventh, please wait."
Su Rong nodded, "Alright, there’s no hurry."
After all, she had been targeted for assassination since she was young. If she was impatient to know who wanted to kill her, she would have died from anxiety long ago. She was nothing if not patient. Those who wanted to kill her couldn’t sleep well at night, not her.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, four or five days had passed. It was already two days before Su Rong’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Zhou Gu woke up early that day and practiced martial arts in the yard for an hour. Not seeing Su Xingze, he guessed that Xingze was occupied with some matters and decided to stay in his room. He took out a book with the intention of stealing some leisure time.
Just as he was getting absorbed in his book, Su Xingze arrived.
Zhou Gu sighed inwardly. He greeted Su Xingze with a smile as he walked in, "I thought you were busy today, Su brother, and I could steal some free time."
Su Xingze smiled, "I do have some matters to manage today. My sister’s coming-of-age ceremony is in two days and there’s a lot of preparation needed. Mother can’t handle it all herself, so I decided to help. I came specifically to let you know. In the next two days, Su Rong will also stop her etiquette lessons and spend time with you. Is that okay?"
Zhou Gu wanted to say "Great!", as time with Su Rong was fun while time with Su Xingze was always about serious matters. He was pleased, but he couldn’t express his feelings or put his thoughts into words. So he laughed and nodded, "Brother Su, you take care of your business. I’ve been in Jiangning County for quite some time and familiarised myself with everything here. I don’t need any company."
Su Xingze nodded, made some more idle talk, then left.
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