The Old Duke and the Grand Princess Shengan’s entourage stayed in Jiangzhou for ten days. Only then, with Su Xu’s heart unwilling to part and wishing to follow, did they bid farewell for ten miles before setting out and leaving Jiangzhou.
Before the Great Lady departed, Su Xu, with teary eyes, held her hand and said, "My lady, you must remember to miss me."
The Great Lady rolled her eyes inwardly. At her age, she still had to deal with such youthful antics without shame. During her stay in Jiangzhou, Su Xu spent every night in her room, not minding her restless sleep, and could not be driven away—it was as though they hadn’t seen each other for eight hundred years and as if she would never return after eight hundred years.
Moreover, he had repeatedly reminded her not to become too comfortable and forget home; she had a husband to think of, and a son yet to find a wife—he urged her not to leave and never come back.
At this time, Su Xu seemed barely to spare a thought for his daughter, only afraid that his wife would never return.
Seeing that the Great Lady did not respond, he continued to hold on to her. "My lady, did you hear what I said? If you dare not to come back, I would resign from my post and come to find you."
The Great Lady responded irritably, "I heard, I heard."
Su Xu shed tears. "My lady, I want to go too."
The Great Lady was speechless. "Stop crying, you’ll make our in-laws laugh."
Su Xu couldn’t help himself anymore and pressed on, "My lady, how long will you stay before you come back?"
"A year or two."
"I don’t believe it."
The Great Lady really wanted to retort, "Believe it or not," but looking at this pitiful man crying as if the whole world had abandoned him, she felt both annoyed and amused. "I didn’t see you this clingy before. I stayed in the Capital City for so long, and I didn’t notice you missing me then."
"That’s different, my lady. The Capital City is not far at all, but Nanchu is really too far," Su Xu complained. "Xiaoqi, that brat, always lures people to Nanchu. Why couldn’t she abduct me as well? I petitioned the Crown Prince, and he replied, saying that Xiaoqi had told him the Su Family is his root in Daliang, saying I could still serve Daliang for twenty more years, wuwuwu... That heartless little thing, always thinking of you and not caring for me or her elder brother. Being an official is so hard. Now that Master Xie has been taken to Nanchu by her, he doesn’t return either. No one helps me anymore. I’m so tired."
"Alright, alright, I’ll write to you often," said the Great Lady, having had enough. She gestured to others, "You all, come here, drag him back for me."
The Mistresses all came out to see her off and, hearing this, looked at each other uncertainly. In the end, obeying the Great Lady’s order, they came together and pulled Su Xu away. "My lord, it’s getting late. Please let the Great Lady set off! The Old Duke has already been in the Carriage for quite a while, and it is inappropriate to continue holding her back."
Su Xu, with tears staining his robes, choked up. "My lady, please write often. Come back soon. Even if you don’t miss me, think more of your son. He hasn’t taken a wife yet."
The Great Lady both exasperated and amused, handed him a purse she had embroidered. "Take this, I embroidered it for you. I’m leaving now."
She turned and boarded the carriage, commanding, "Let’s set off immediately."
Fearing Su Xu might go crazy and drag her out of the carriage, she thought, what do husband and son matter? Her darling daughter was now the Princess, the future Queen of Nanchu. She needed to see with her own eyes her Great Wedding, her coronation, give birth to a beautiful child, and then spend a couple of years with her before returning.
What year and a half! Pah, she was merely placating him. She had traveled such a long distance; how could she return so soon?
As for her son, if he was capable, he could marry on his own, and if not, he could wait for her return to discuss it. After all, it’s never too late for marriage, whether at eighty or marrying an eighteen-year-old.
Su Xu watched as the Great Lady left without a hint of reluctance. As the procession moved farther away, he shook off the Mistresses and squatted on the ground, crying," I knew it. She has no heart. I knew it when I married her. She does not realize at all how much I like her."
Mistresses: "..."
Oh dear, after all these years, it was the first time they saw the master lose his composure like this, the first time they heard him speak his heart out.
The Eldest Aunt couldn’t help but say, "Master, will you ever be satisfied? If you like the madam so much, why did you take us in?"
"She’s restless in her sleep, has no feelings for me, and even resents me for holding her hand and pressing on her feet when we sleep. She’s so magnanimous that she insisted on getting concubines for me. If that’s the case, I accepted," Su Xu said through his tears.
Eldest Aunt: "..."
She remembered back when she first entered the household, it seemed like the master wouldn’t touch her. Then, after about six months or so, he had a change of heart, slept with her, and not long after, he brought in the second aunt, then the third, fourth... until the Seventh Aunt, before he finally stopped.
Back then, the madam seemed quite pleased, saying that a large family was a prosperous family and such.
She also squatted down and said, "Master, stop crying. You’re now the Inspector of Jiangzhou. If today’s events got out, it would be humiliating."
"She left me without a second thought, not even feeling sorry. What does a loss of face matter to me?" Su Xu sobbed deeply, "During these past ten days, she kept promising to return soon. I just don’t believe her. She’s definitely toying with me. She won’t come back for years."
The Second Aunt came closer and said, "Master, you must think positively of the madam. At the very least, she was willing to humor you. In all these years, I’ve never seen her humor you."
Su Xu’s sobs choked off.
"That’s right, Master. Try to see the brighter side. After all, you still have us to keep you company," the Third Aunt added, trying to console him.
The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Aunts chorused in agreement, "Exactly."
Everyone surrounded to comfort Su Xu, who eventually stopped crying but still appeared listless.
Meanwhile, inside the departing carriage, the senior madam was both angry and amused, "This guy, he didn’t even like me that much when we were younger. Now that he’s old, it’s just ridiculous."
The wet nurse attending her said softly, "Madam, the master does adore you."
The senior madam scoffed, "In the first two years after our Great Wedding, he was stubborn, as was I. I was even more headstrong than he, often getting into fights with him. Eventually, I had enough of him and took charge to find him concubines. He got so angry he ignored me for half a year, so I ignored him too. Then, one day he went on official duty, heard about my past someway, and when he came back, he had changed. I found it quite good. What’s the point of so much romantic love in life? Life’s so long. So, just like that, so many years flashed by, and who would have thought that in his old age, he’d still have the same heart as before."
The wet nurse laughed, "A man’s heart can be easy or hard to grasp depending on the situation. The key is, madam, you never tried to hold on to the master’s heart. It’s common knowledge that the master is lecherous, even our Seventh Miss believes that."
Speaking of Su Rong, the senior madam beamed with a smile, "Who cares what he does? At least he has the Mistresses for company, meanwhile, I’m off to accompany my daughter."
The wet nurse chuckled, "Once we get to Jibei, we should speak with The Old Duke and spend more time with the Grand Young Master. We have plenty of time, so we can take our time on the journey."
The senior madam nodded, reluctantly agreeing, "Fine then, I’ll spend a few more days with him."
If it were up to her, spending time with a son was nothing compared to her daughter.
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