Drunken Flower Room - Chapter 10

A journey that would take three days on horseback stretched to five due to the weight of two large carts of gifts. 

Zhou Gu had heeded the Duchness’s advice and hoisted the Huguo Duke Mansion’s banner, ensuring a peaceful journey without bandit attacks. They arrived smoothly in Jiangning County. 

When the carriage entered the city, night had already fallen. Naturally, Zhou Gu would neither visit the Su family at such a late hour nor lodge there directly. He instructed his steward, Zhou Xi, “Go with Guard Li to the magistrate’s estate and deliver the two carts of gifts prepared by my grandfather. Inform them I will pay a formal visit another day.” 

Zhou Xi bowed. “Rest assured, Young Master.” 

Nearby, Li Yan hesitantly asked, “Young Master, won’t you lodge at the lord’s estate?” 

Since he’d gone to the capital alone, Li Yan hadn’t been able to send word back about Zhou Gu’s return trip. The magistrate’s estate was unaware that he’d brought the young master himself. 

Zhou Gu shook his head. “I have my own arrangements. You needn’t worry.” 

“When will you visit the estate, then?” Li Yan pressed. 

“After I settle in. I’ll send a visiting card in advance,” Zhou Gu replied. He didn’t plan to visit the Su family immediately. He wanted to scout the situation first and perhaps enjoy a couple of days of leisure. 

Li Yan nodded and departed with Zhou Xi and the two carts of gifts. 

Meanwhile, the Huguo Duke Mansion guards had already prepared a courtyard for lodging, which Zhou Gu and his entourage proceeded to occupy after parting ways with Li Yan. 

On the same day, Lord Su finally returned to the estate after an official trip. What was supposed to be a three-day absence had stretched into over ten days. Upon hearing that Su Rong had injured her forehead and scarred her face, he rushed to her courtyard without even stopping to freshen up. 

The ¨matriarch watched him dash off and huffed, “Overindulgent fathers ruin their children!” 

Su Rong had been nursing her wound for ten days. The faint pink scar on her forehead had yet to fade. The bottle of Jade Satin Balm she’d been using was nearly empty, and she reckoned the scar would vanish just as the balm ran out, a perfect coincidence. 

Bored, she sat in her room cracking melon seeds while watching Wang Ma coach Yue Wan in embroidery. Yue Wan, struggling with her stitches, had never taken a liking to needlework. Growing up alongside Su Rong, she’d also failed to master the craft. 

Wang Ma sighed as Yue Wan’s attempt to embroider a bird ended up looking like a tangled ball of black thread. “It’s one thing if the Seventh Lady doesn’t excel at embroidery, whoever she marries won’t lack servants to do it for her. But you? You’re just a maid. If you can’t even manage the basics, how do you expect to make a decent handkerchief? Do you plan to serve the Seventh Lady your entire life without getting married?” 

“Of course!” Yue Wan grinned. “I’ll serve my Lady my whole life.” 

She continued cheerfully, “I’ll eat what she eats, wear what she wears, and she’ll take care of me. That’s better than marrying some smelly man and serving him!” 

Wang Ma was exasperated. “Let’s hope you keep that resolve. Don’t come crying about wanting to get married when the time comes.” 

Yue Wan was about to retort when Su Rong interjected, spitting out a melon seed. “Yue Wan, stop dreaming. When the time comes, you’d better find a husband. Don’t expect me to support you forever. All these years, my monthly allowance has been spent on you and Ah Fu’s food. That’s bad enough, but now your tastes are getting out of hand! You’ve gone from eating roast chicken from street vendors to demanding drunken goose from Drunken Goose Pavilion. As for pastries, you won’t touch anything but the Eight Delicacies from Fortune Pavilion. I haven’t even ‘made it big’ yet. If I did, would you demand moonbeams from the sky or dragon sinews from the sea?” 

Yue Wan looked sheepish. “W-well, Miss, if you could just marry into the Huguo Duke Mansion, wouldn’t that solve everything? They’re fabulously wealthy, after all. If you marry in, we’ll never go hungry!” 

Su Rong rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be dieting?” 

Yue Wan stood her ground. “You and Wang Ma lied to me! Yesterday, when I went to the kitchen for Eight Treasures Porridge, I asked the cooks if I was fat, and they nearly hit me. If I’m fat, then what does that make them?” 

Su Rong was speechless. “The kitchen staff are all on the heavier side, and you went there to ask? Really?” 

Wang Ma added dryly, “You just couldn’t go a day without eating and wanted an excuse. So you sought validation in the kitchen and now feel justified in overeating.” 

Yue Wan giggled awkwardly. “I’m just a little round-faced. I’m not that fat. Fine, I’ll stop reading so many storybooks and work harder from now on.” 

The three were still chatting when Lord Su burst into the courtyard. “Rong! Rong, where are you?” 

“Father, I’m here!” Su Rong leaned out of the window and waved. 

Magistrate Su rushed inside, bypassing Wang Ma and Yue Wan to stand before Su Rong. He inspected her face closely, exclaiming, “It’s ruined! Your face is ruined! How could you be so careless? How many times have I told you? Fight if you must, but always protect your face!” 

Su Rong held up the balm from the table. “Don’t worry, Father. With this ointment, the scar will fade in no time.” 

Lord Su squinted at the label in his daughter’s hand. “Jade Satin Balm?” 

Su Rong nodded. 

Magistrate Su’s expression instantly darkened. “That stuff costs a fortune, nearly a thousand gold pieces for one bottle, right? Even I’ve never used something so extravagant. You… you really know how to burn through money.” 

Su Rong met his gaze evenly. “Would you rather let my face stay ruined?” 

“Well, no, of course not.” Lord Su sighed heavily, but the thought of the expense still stung. “That little scoundrel from Zhou Chen! It’s fine if he wants to fight, but doesn’t everyone know not to aim for the face? Why did he go for your face?” 

Su Rong waved off his indignation. “Actually, it wasn’t entirely his fault. I started it. I slapped him first, and then he shoved me. I hit my forehead on a stone pedestal, and, well, I lost my temper and beat him up until he looked like a pig’s head.” 

She raised her hand to interject, “And don’t worry, he didn’t get off lightly. The doctor prescribed him three bottles of Jade Satin Balm.” 

In other words, the Su family wasn’t at a loss, she only needed one bottle. 

Lord Su’s indignation cooled, and he even seemed mollified. “Serves him right,” he muttered. 

Su Rong agreed. “Exactly. He had it coming. He had the gall to say that if no one else would marry me, he’d take me. What a delusion! Daring to flirt with me? I made sure he learned why the sky is so blue.” 

Lord Su froze. “Um, Rong… You’re a young lady; you really shouldn’t talk so roughly. Referring to yourself as someone’s great-aunt isn’t exactly ladylike.” 

Su Rong: “…” 

Fine. This was her father, upright and proper to a fault. 

“At least your face can be saved. As long as there’s no scarring, it’s worth the money!” Lord Su declared solemnly. “But next time, protect your face!” 

Su Rong nodded. This time had been an accident. She hadn’t noticed the stone pedestal nearby during the fight. The resulting blood had scared Zhou Chen so much that he didn’t dare fight back while she pummeled him. 

After a moment’s pause, Lord Su asked tentatively, “By the way, did you hear about the fight between the Huguo Duke’s young master and the little prince from Rui’an Manor?” 

“Yes, I heard,” Su Rong replied casually. 

Lord Su studied her expression and saw that she was utterly indifferent. Relieved, he said, “Well, you know how it is with young men. Full of energy and a bit reckless, youthful exuberance and all that. I’m sure things will settle down after you’re married.” 

Su Rong raised an eyebrow. “Father, do you know why my mother arranged this engagement with the Huguo Duke’s family?” 

“How would I know?” Lord Su shrugged. “Something about her owing them a favor, I think.” 

“What kind of favor?” 

“No idea.” 

Su Rong gave him a long look. 

Under her gaze, Lord Su fidgeted. “When I met your mother, she was all alone with nowhere to go, so I took her in.” 

“And you never asked her about it later?” 

“Well…” Magistrate Su hesitated. “You know how your mother was. She always kept things to herself. If she didn’t want to talk, no one could pry it out of her.” 

Su Rong stared at him for a moment longer before relenting. “Forget it.” 

Her mother had only revealed the existence of the engagement on her deathbed. At the time, Su Rong had been too distracted to notice her father’s reaction. But she vividly remembered the shock on the faces of the First Madam, her eldest brother Su Xingze, and the other concubines and sisters in the household. After all, who would have thought that a mere concubine’s daughter like her could be betrothed to the Huguo Duke’s legitimate grandson?