Su Rong was taken aback. When Zhou Gu returned to the Capital City, she going with him?
She looked at Zhou Gu, wouldn’t that be inappropriate?
When Zhou Gu impulsively suggested this, he, too, quickly sobered up at her stunned silence and was momentarily lost for words.
He remembered how unwilling he was to marry Su Rong before he left the Capital City, even snapping at his grandfather and incurring his wrath. Now, only a short month later, he was inviting Su Rong to accompany him back to the Capital. Although he was doing it for the rare books in the Book Pavilion, it was a fact that he was no longer resistant to Su Rong, and he felt like he was slapping himself in the face.
Seeing him fall silent after his proposition, Su Rong couldn’t help but laugh. "Brother Zhou, you were just speaking off the top of your head, weren’t you?"
Zhou Gu looked at her, paused for a moment, slightly awkward, "I was speaking off the cuff, but it’s not entirely impossible," He tried to rationalize it for Su Rong, "Your elder brother is heading to the Capital to take exams, it isn’t that unusual for you to accompany him as his sister, right?"
Su Rong had no intention of accompanying Su Xingze to his exams. She was worried that her antics might distract him and affect his performance. She shook her head, "I won’t be accompanying him."
"Why not?" Zhou Gu was surprised at her decisive refusal. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"My elder brother wouldn’t be at ease if I accompanied him to his exams." Su Rong pointed to her own forehead.
Zhou Gu remembered the scar on her forehead that had healed before he arrived. He thought about her tendency to make enemies and engage in fights, and was momentarily speechless. "True. If you were to go to the Capital, your elder brother would probably have to worry about you half the time."
Su Rong nodded, "So, let’s wait for the right opportunity!"
Zhou Gu also nodded. He knew that the "opportunity" she spoke of mostly referred to their engagement. Once he married her, she would be able to go to the Capital. Another possibility was that if Su Xingze did well in the exam and stayed in the Capital to serve in the government, she might also go there.
If it was up to him marrying her, it would take at least a year. However, if Su Xingze could stay in the Capital after doing well in his exam, that would certainly be quicker.
Just as the excitement within him began to wane and he was about to say something, someone rushed in from outside and asked from the doorway, "Is Young Master Zhou here with you, Miss Su?"
"Yes." Su Rong responded.
The person at the door immediately bowed, "The master has asked me to request Young Master Zhou to come to the front."
Su Rong looked at Zhou Gu.
Zhou Gu put down the travelogue he was reading and stood up. "As expected, I couldn’t avoid it. I’m heading to the front. You..."
"I’ll just keep reading." Su Rong waved her hand at him.
Zhou Gu nodded and left the hall, heading towards the front courtyard with the servant.
After Zhou Gu left, Su Rong continued to read her book, thinking she could slack off. But, Yuewan soon returned and called her, "Miss, our lady has requested you to join the elders in the garden for a meal. The banquet for the men has already started in the front hall, and the banquet for the women is about to begin. They are waiting for you."
After saying this, Yuewan reproached Su Rong, "You know, you removed your makeup too early. Are you planning to go out there completely bare-faced now? Or should you quickly put on some makeup? Should I call Wet-Nurse Zhao over?"
"There’s no need to call Wet-Nurse Zhao." Su Rong sighed, put down her book, and resignedly accepted her fate. She knew the lady wouldn’t allow her to slack off all day. She turned around and entered her room, "I’ll do it myself."
She didn’t need to change her clothes. She put on some makeup again, although compared to Wet-Nurse Zhao’s meticulous technique, Su Rong’s own makeup was extremely simple. After her face was made up, she put on the peachwood hairpin that Zhou Gu had given her.
Because Yuewan didn’t possess crafty hands and Su Rong never asked her help, she didn’t master these skills, and could only watch as Su Rong did everything herself. However, that didn’t stop Yuewan from being a keen observer. After Su Rong had finished getting ready, Yuewan expressed her admiration, "Ah, miss, you are very pretty. A little touch-up like this makes you look so good. None of the ladies who came today, despite their fancy clothes, can outshine you."
Su Rong looked at her own reflection in the mirror and was satisfied. When she dressed up, she looked radiant. When she dressed down, she looked elegant and delicate. Either way, she was a naturally beautiful woman, the kind who didn’t need to do anything other than rely on her looks.
That’s why she had always been very careful to protect her face. Even when begging, she could get a bowl more than anyone else.
The lady and her servant left the east wing and headed towards the garden. When they arrived, they saw that the women had all taken their seats and the food had been served.
As soon as Su Rong appeared, all the women looked at her. Upon seeing her change her appearance in such a short time, the lady gave her a stern look. But since Su Rong looked good no matter how she dressed, the lady didn’t make a fuss about it.
Today’s elders were all kind, and none of them had any ill feelings towards Su Rong, so the atmosphere was very good.
In front of others, Su Rong only needed to be polite and obedient. Therefore, based on her performance today, many elders praised her for growing up, becoming sensible, and being steady. They were all kind words.
As Su Rong was being praised, the lady felt just as appreciated and held herself even straighter than usual.
Someone asked the Duchess, "Has Xiaoqi’s marriage been completely finalized? What did the Duke Residence say?"
After all, everyone had seen Zhou Gu send Su Rong the hairpin today. The eyes of those present were sharp, and the hairpin that Zhou Gu had brought was clearly not bought. It was rather crude, clearly handmade. This sentiment was rare.
The Duchess smiled and said, "It hasn’t been completely finalized yet. Such a major event requires thorough discussion with the old Duke."
Everyone nodded, agreeing.
The Duchess glanced at Su Rong, changed her tone, and laughed, "Although the Duke’s Residence is highly esteemed, our family does not like clinging to others. Although the marriage contract has been set long ago, we still need to consider Xiaoqi’s opinion. Both her father and I prioritize her wishes."
The implication was that if Xiaoqi herself was unwilling, this marriage would not happen. It wasn’t completely dependent on the Duke Residence’s opinion.
An old lady sighed on hearing this, "It has always been the command of parents and the word of matchmakers, you and her father both spoil the child too much."
The Duchess laughed, "How can our own child not be spoiled?"
Everyone present looked at the Duchess. As a lawful mother, she had done an exceptional job. She was famously indulgent with Su Rong in Jiangning County, and it wasn’t limited to Su Rong, she was never harsh to any of the other daughters of the Su Residence.
Someone asked quietly, "Xiaoqi is the youngest and has already had her Coming-of-Age Ceremony, has the oldest one’s marriage been decided yet?"
"Xingze is not in a hurry."
"Oh, I’m not talking about Xingze, I mean your oldest daughter."
The Duchess shook her head, "There’s no hurry for her either."
"She’s already seventeen, isn’t she? How can there be no hurry?" This lady didn’t know why the Duchess still hadn’t made plans for her older daughter’s marital arrangements. Most families would have started discussing it when the girl was thirteen or fourteen.
Of course, the Duchess wouldn’t disclose her plan. She blamed it on Governor Su, "My husband said that after Xingze’s examination, we would start selecting a suitor."
Upon hearing this, everyone understood. Su Xingze had great ability. If he became a scholar this year, the threshold of the Su family would surely be raised by a step, and the marriages of the younger sisters would naturally rise with the tide.
"That makes sense, it’s not a problem to wait a few more years. Marriage is a lifelong matter for a girl, so naturally it must be carefully considered." An experienced old lady nodded in agreement.
The ladies then started discussing the Autumn Examination based on this topic.
Someone asked, "When will Xingze head to the Capital City?"
"It’s planned he will go with my dear nephew Zhou. A few days after Xiaoqi’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, maybe three or five days!" The Duchess said.
The old lady nodded, "There are still two months before the examination, many examinees started traveling there last month. It is indeed time for Xingze to set off. Going earlier will allow him to acclimate to the Capital City’s climate."
The Duchess nodded in agreement, "Exactly."
That day, the whole Su Residence was bustling until midnight, and it was only then that everyone dispersed, and the Su Residence quieted down.
Xie Lin drank too much and was helped back to his courtyard. Zhou Gu had also had quite a bit to drink, but he remembered the travelogue he had left in Su Rong’s room, so he came to the East Courtyard to fetch it.
The Duchess was checking the ledger of gifts with Su Rong in her room, with one servant reading out the entries, and Moon Bend copying them down.
As Su Rong had been forced to practice writing by Su Xingze since she was little, Moon Bend also had nice handwriting.
The Duchess was grinning from ear to ear, "Your Coming-of-Age Ceremony has been very profitable. Just Jiang Sheng alone gave quite a generous gift. 5000 taels of gift money, three shops, an estate on South Mountain, and a fifty-acre orchard. The compensation that wasn’t accepted last time was given this time as a gift. I didn’t hesitate to accept it for you."
Su Rong was very satisfied, lazily slumping in her chair, "I’m glad my Coming-of-Age Ceremony came first, so I have gifts to receive. If my ceremony had been delayed by a couple of days, maybe I wouldn’t have received anything. It shows I’m lucky."
If it had been just two days later, by then the Jiang Family would have been eradicated, their property confiscated, and wouldn’t she have missed it then?
"Why?" The Duchess didn’t understand, she didn’t know yet about the Crown Prince’s intention to deal with the Jiang Family.
Su Rong thought it wasn’t yet appropriate to spread the word, so she just smiled at the Duchess, "You’ll know in a few days."
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