Offering Eunuchs in the palace some benefits has always been an unwritten rule. Previously in the Dalang Imperial Palace, every time Qin Luan entered the palace, she did the same.
The Eunuch declined, "Miss Qin, you are too kind, such a trivial matter, how could I accept your..."
Qin Luan firmly handed it over to him, "Thank you Eunuch for leading the way. I have only recently arrived in Nanchu, and I am inexperienced. The Princess personally promoted me, and I am afraid of letting the Princess down. I hope you can provide more guidance in the future."
The Eunuch could no longer refuse, smiling as he accepted, "Thank you, Miss Qin. If you say so, I will accept it."
Qin Luan also showed a smile.
The Eunuch delivered Qin Luan to Xie Yuan’s place, then returned to the Imperial Study Room.
Upon returning to the Imperial Study Room, the Eunuch immediately took out the silver ingot given by Qin Luan and reported her exact words to Su Rong.
Su Rong had just changed out of her regular clothes and was planning to leave the palace, she raised her eyebrows when she heard this.
The Eunuch cautiously looked at Su Rong, "Princess, did I do something wrong? Should I not have said those things to Miss Qin?"
"No, you didn’t," Su Rong smiled, "Such a trivial matter, mentioning it does no harm."
She brushed her sleeve and sighed, "It’s just Qin Ruo’s sister, she’s a bit too clever for her own good. I saw it when we were in the Eastern Palace of Dalang; full of schemes, her and Qin Ruo, they are truly different."
Qin Ruo was reliable, but Qin Luan made her feel uneasy. A woman can be clever, but too much cleverness, deep thoughts, and numerous plans make her concern for her relationship with Zhou Gu quite unappealing.
But she still has some capabilities. When the Qin Family had fallen, she managed to seek Zhou Gu’s help through Qin Ruo and moved to the Eastern Palace, avoiding suffering with the Qin family. She also took the opportunity to express her desire to come to Nanchu with her, showing her scheming mind. Although she did not agree to her, remembering that she had a brother, Qin Ruo, she brought Qin Ruo to Nanchu. Round and round, her brother also arrived in Nanchu, proving that her schemes were not futile.
Even now, though she missed out, being remembered by her during the promotion of the Ministers of Rites and Revenue’s daughters and receiving an official position still got her into her Imperial Court. Although the process was different, the outcome turned out to be the same.
The Eunuch offered the silver and tentatively asked, "If Miss Qin enters the palace again in the future, I will pay more attention to her."
"Keep the silver," Su Rong waved her hand, "Just report the matter and that’s enough."
She tidied up and walked out of the Imperial Study Room, Lan Zhi and Bi Qing followed.
Lan Zhi whispered, "Master, Miss Qin still doesn’t quite understand you. If she truly knew you, she would know that there are no such servile traitors around you. When we were in Jiangning County, no one around you would betray you. Any disturbance would be reported to you, let alone now in the Royal Capital. An Eunuch who serves in the Imperial Study Room, can he really be bribed with just a silver ingot? Miss Qin is too naive."
Bi Qing nodded and whispered, "This Miss Qin, as Master said, is too clever for her own good, it’s hard to tell if she’s too smart or foolish. Moreover, Master, you have faced constant assassination attempts since childhood; now as the Crown Prince, security is even tighter. She treated a little Eunuch as just another ordinary servant, thinking a silver ingot would buy his silence, what was she thinking—it’s impossible."
Su Rong laughed, "It seems she hasn’t truly let go of Zhou Gu."
Lan Zhi and Bi Qing exchanged glances, worrying about the Master of the Imperial, this matter happening right under the Master’s watch. It’s tough for the Master not to act on her behalf."
"It’s settled, if I miss her, I miss her. I’m using her people, and as long as they do a good job, that’s all that matters." Su Rong felt that for Qin Ruo’s sake, she could tolerate being somewhat kind to Qin Luan.
Lan Zhi and Bi Qing fell silent upon hearing this.
By then, Zhou Gu had already arrived at the Cui Residence and met with Duke Cui, informing him of his plans to leave the Royal Capital for the Southern three states.
Duke Cui furrowed his brows immediately, "Why so sudden? You didn’t mention this a few days ago."
Zhou Gu explained briefly, then sighed, "Indeed, it’s sudden. That’s why Su Rong was angry with me and sent me to seek help from you, grandfather, to bring more people. You know, my men are largely gone, and new Hidden Guards haven’t been trained yet."
"Hmm, the Princess has considered thoroughly. If the Southern three states indeed have the Nangong Family’s trump cards, you certainly shouldn’t take too few people, especially, you must take the Tiger Talisman to secretly deploy good soldiers." Duke Cui pondered, "Don’t be too arrogant. The Nangong Family has entrenched itself in Nanchu for many years, even if they have retreated from Nanchu after a defeat, some deeply hidden cards wouldn’t necessarily be exposed and withdrawn, perhaps waiting for a day to strike from behind."
Zhou Gu nodded, "That’s exactly what I’m worried about."
"Originally, the people Xingzhi brought were mostly for you, but after the conflict, you returned to the Royal Capital and didn’t keep them with you. Now you’re taking them all away." Duke Cui thought for a moment, then added, "Let your uncle and aunt from Evil Ghost Sect join you. It’s better than leaving them idle in the Royal Capital to eat and cause trouble."
Zhou Gu immediately declined politely, "They are quite unruly. Maybe it’s better not to?"
Duke Cui chuckled, "Don’t be fooled by their usual unruliness, but unruly people have their unique advantages when traveling. When they were younger, they traveled everywhere with Little Yanjin. Only when Little Yanjin had to enter school did they reluctantly return to the family. Their experience in Jianghu is extensive and will be beneficial for you while you are on the road."
Zhou Gu nodded upon hearing this, "Alright, since grandfather, you say so, I’ll take them. But are they willing to go with me?"
"Definitely willing." Duke Cui instructed someone behind him, "Go call those two unruly ones here to see me."
Someone responded and immediately left.
Cui Yuanbin and Liao Yuying didn’t leave the residence today, mainly because they had grown tired of the Nanchu Capital and didn’t feel like going out. But staying in the residence bored them as well—one lying on the bed daydreaming, the other lying on an Imperial Concubine’s chair pondering where to go tomorrow.
When Duke Cui sent someone to call them, the two glanced at each other. Cui Yuanbin lazily got up and asked the messenger, "What does uncle want with us?"
He speculated it was because they looked displeased since they hadn’t gone out today, grabbing the opportunity to lecture them.
The messenger smiled and said, "The Fourth Young Master is here."
"Oh, Zhou Gu is here, huh." Cui Yuanbin immediately perked up and also felt relieved, "Then he certainly isn’t going to lecture us."
Liao Yuying glared at Cui Yuanbin, "Let’s go quickly, don’t keep uncle and Zhou Gu waiting."
Thus, the two briskly made their way to the meeting.
Upon seeing them, Duke Cui went straight to the point, "Pack up and follow Zhou Gu out for a bit. Listen to whatever Zhou Gu tells you on the trip. You’re going to handle important matters with him, don’t cause him trouble. If you mess up his business, you don’t need to come home anymore. Go wherever you want to go."
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