Su Rong and the Lady of the Duke arrived at the front hall, where the Old Duke of Protectorate and others had been waiting for half an hour.
With an apologetic face, Su Rong said, "I’m sorry, Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, I overslept and just woke up. I’ve made you wait for so long."
The Old Duke of Protectorate smiled and beckoned, "Not long." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Eldest Princess Shengan personally stood up, pulled her down to sit beside her, and examined her complexion, saying, "I heard from the housekeeper that when you arrived, you looked very tired. Have you been too busy these days?"
Su Rong was too embarrassed to admit that she was busy indeed, but her lack of sleep was due to thinking about Zhou Gu, so she could only nod, "Mm, yes, it’s been somewhat busy."
The Lady of the Duke glanced at her but didn’t expose her, leaving her with enough face, "You’ve slept for half a day in my room, and now, looking at you, you seem to have revived. When I saw you at noon, you looked just like a wilted little cabbage."
Upon hearing this, Eldest Princess Shengan immediately felt distressed, "Looking at you now, you still have dark circles under your eyes. Now that you’re not too busy, why not rest for a couple of days? Even a princess has days off."
"I do, I’ll take tomorrow off." Su Rong said with a smile, "I’m not leaving today, I’ll stay in the residence, and I’ll stay another day tomorrow, to spend time with Grandmother and both my mothers."
Eldest Princess Shengan immediately smiled, "That’s a good plan, we’ll ask the kitchen to stew some nourishing dishes for you, to properly replenish your strength."
The group chatted and laughed together.
After the evening meal, the Old Duke of Protectorate asked, "Any news from Zhou Gu yet?"
Su Rong shook her head, "No, it’s been half a month."
The Old Duke of Protectorate nodded, "Heavy snow sealed the mountain, plus the long distance, it’s normal to have no news. I heard from Duke Cui that when he left, he took quite a few people with him, and he had an army, so there shouldn’t be any major problems. You don’t need to worry about him."
Su Rong nodded, shaking off her own apprehensions, "It’s just that I miss him a bit."
The Old Duke of Protectorate was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily.
Both the Grand Princess and the Lady of the Duke were also amused and laughed.
The Grand Princess said cheerfully, "Naturally, you two are about to have your Great Wedding; it would be wrong if you didn’t miss him."
The Lady of the Duke was especially delighted; she had once seen with her own eyes what her son had been put through. Now that Su Rong had become the Princess, she treated Zhou Gu even better than before. She said with a smile, "If you miss him, he must surely miss you too."
Su Rong nodded repeatedly, certain that Zhou Gu must miss her. He promised her he would return in no more than three months, and breaking his first promise, he must be terribly frustrated. She could guess that it wasn’t just because of the heavy snow sealing the mountain; there was also the aftermath of the conflict in the Southern three states to deal with, and now with the added blizzards, he wasn’t the type to abandon the big picture and rush back carelessly.
True to his word, when Su Rong headed to the Zhou Residence, the Nanchu King was already at the Xie Residence.
Xie Yuan felt a headache coming on as soon as he saw him and really wanted to send him away, but there’s an old saying, "You don’t hit a man with a smile on his face," so he had no choice but to host the Nanchu King, have him for dinner, and let him stay at the Xie Residence.
Having spent so much time with the Nanchu King, Xie Yuan had come to understand that the man had an indeed clingy nature, with his own endearing qualities—even when he became a headache, it was impossible to stay mad at him. It’s no wonder that initially, Princess Zhenmin had agreed to a marital alliance with him for the sake of Daliang, and having broken off her affections, she fell in love with him during their time together.
Therefore, after Su Rong rested for a day at the Zhou Residence, the Nanchu King rested for a day at the Xie Residence.
When Su Rong received this news, she couldn’t help but laugh, "My father is really..."
The Lady of the House laughed as well, "Master Xie and His Majesty were once love rivals, saying they were enemies over a stolen wife isn’t far-fetched. Unexpectedly, there came a day when these two would address each other as brothers and His Majesty would even stay at the Xie Residence."
Su Rong said, "It’s because my Uncle Xie is generous and open-minded."
The Lady of the House nodded, then sighed after a moment, "Master Xie’s life really shouldn’t have been wasted like this. What a good man he is."
Su Rong also sighed, "It’s a pity, he said he wouldn’t marry, and so he didn’t marry."
She couldn’t force him to marry someone against his will; after all, a forty-year-old man isn’t considered old. Plenty of men at forty are still taking concubines and having children.
Thinking back, the Lady of the House recalled, "I once asked your mother in private. Because I knew that her relationship with your father was nothing but a ruse. I offered to help cover up her identity and arrange for her to marry Master Xie, but she rejected the idea, saying they once had feelings for each other, but now her heart belonged to another, and to force things would only be an insult to him and she did not wish to do that. I then suggested that maybe we should break Master Xie of this notion and persuade him to marry, but she shook her head, saying anyone could advise him except for her, she had no right to do so. She said to let Master Xie follow his own heart. After all, she didn’t have many years left, and if he was willing to stay with her, then let him be. There are many things to regret in a lifetime, why add to her short remaining years and prevent him from following his heart."
After finishing her story, the Lady of the House sighed again, "Your mother was a woman with a clear heart, and even though she concealed her identity and lived in hiding, I could tell that she was a noble lady of great birth. But I never expected that she would turn out to be Princess Liang Zhenmin. By her own strength, she saved Daliang’s Princess Zhenmin, and no matter how many years pass, she will be remembered in Daliang’s history books forever. Many women can only dream of such a legacy."
Su Rong rested her chin in her hand, "Yes, that’s why if Uncle Xie does not wish to marry, let it be. One’s own happiness is most important in life. My mother was just too caught up in righteousness, which led her to an early death, and the rivers and mountains were not even hers. My imperial uncle pleaded with her earnestly, and even though it was beneath a man’s dignity, he won the world. After all these years, with thousands in the Imperial Harem, he lived happily every day. After all, someone was always there to preserve the world for him, and he was lucky enough to have a good Crown Prince, ensuring the succession. He used to rely on my cousin, now on his son. No one has better fortune than him."
The Lady of the House couldn’t help but laugh, "The way you put it, that’s not entirely incorrect."
She said, "His earnest pleading was one aspect, but mainly, your mother couldn’t bear to see the rivers and mountains of Daliang—which the Crown Prince had exhausted his mind to protect—crumble. It was also because of where she came from, having been nurtured by the Imperial Court, she felt obligated to return the favor to the Imperial Court."
Su Rong pouted, "There are many who are nurtured by the Daliang Imperial Court. If I were my mother, I would have kicked him off his throne and taken the rivers and mountains for myself. If I had to exchange love and life, it had better be worth it."
The Lady of the House scolded her with a laugh, "Listen to how capable you think you are. Daliang is not Nanchu; there is no precedent for a woman to be the ruler."
"Then create one."
The Lady of the House tapped her forehead, "Enough, there’s no point talking about this. The soup from the kitchen is ready, I saw them bring it over, you better drink it while it’s hot."
Su Rong’s face fell, "Mother, do I have to drink it? I’ve been here for a day and a half, and I’ve had a lot of soup already."
"Who asked you to be so thin? This is what the Grand Princess ordered; your mother-in-law took great pains to have it prepared, you can’t ignore their kindness," the Lady of the House said.
Feeling resigned, Su Rong muttered under her breath, "When Zhou Gu comes back, I’ll make him drink soup at every meal too."
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