Drunken Flower Room - Chapter 24

Su Rong glanced at Ning Chi, her mind turning over the implications of seeing the heir to the Nanping Marquisate boating alongside Jiang Yunying. Since when did the Jiangzhou Prefecture and Nanping Marquisate become so close? Could it be that the Prefect’s wife was eyeing Ning Chi as the next potential husband for Jiang Yunying? 

The Jiangzhou Prefect was a powerful official, and the Nanping Marquisate wasn’t a hollow title either, it wielded real authority. If the match were made, it would indeed be a strong alliance. 

Su Rong gave Ning Chi a serious once-over. He was quite handsome, young, and carried himself with a steady demeanor, neither frivolous nor careless. If her guess was correct, it seemed the Prefect’s wife had finally sharpened her judgment. 

Withdrawing her gaze, she reached out to hold Zhou Gu’s arm, pressing down on the hilt of his sword. She deliberately let the blade sink slightly, nicking Jiang Yunying’s skin and drawing bl00d. Jiang Yunying let out a shriek, and only then did Su Rong let go. 

With a soft smile, she said gently to Zhou Gu, “Zhou Gu, she spoke out of ignorance and didn’t recognize you. Please, let this go for now?” 

Zhou Gu’s face remained frosty as he growled, “I’m not one to forgive so easily.” 

Su Rong soothed him with a sweet tone, “Why not have the Prefect himself come and apologize to you? Isn’t there a saying, ‘If a child is uneducated, it’s the father’s fault’? She’s just being foolish. Killing her would be unnecessary.” 

Zhou Gu snorted coldly but finally withdrew his sword. Eyeing the bl00d-stained blade, he grimaced with distaste, pulled out a handkerchief to clean it, then tossed the cloth away before sheathing the weapon. 

Jiang Yunying, her life spared, collapsed weakly to the ground. Ning Chi stepped forward immediately to support her. 

Su Rong was in a good mood. What a day to finally vent her frustrations! A casual remark from her had sent Jiang Yunying into a spiral of rage, and Zhou Gu had dealt with her so decisively. The memory of today would probably haunt Jiang Yunying in her nightmares. Let’s see if she dares to provoke her again in the future. 

And as for the Prefect’s wife, who had berated Su Rong’s stepmother so mercilessly years ago, well, that same woman would one day come groveling to make amends. 

In this moment, Su Rong truly grasped the importance of “climbing high branches,” a lesson her stepmother constantly preached. Her fiancé was turning out to be exceptionally useful. 

As she watched Jiang Yunying leaning against Ning Chi, trembling with shock, Su Rong chuckled. “Sister, you can eat recklessly, but you can’t speak recklessly. My fiancé is none other than Zhou Gu, the young master of the Duke Protector’s household. He’s far from the sort of person you described…” 

She deliberately left the insult unsaid, but as her words sank in, shock rippled through the group’s expressions. Su Rong sighed theatrically. “He came all the way to Jiangning to attend my coming-of-age ceremony, and yet you insulted him so harshly. He’s never been spoken to like this before.” 

With a warm gaze, she added, “Sister, you’d better hurry back now that you know his identity. Let the Prefect decide how to handle this.” 

Jiang Yunying was utterly speechless, her mind churning in chaos. 

Three years ago, when Su Rong had “ruined” her engagement, Jiang Yunying’s mother had stormed into the Lords’s household in a rage. The Matriarch had calmly declared that Su Rong couldn’t possibly have lured Jiang Yunying’s fiancé, because Su Rong already had an excellent fiancé of her own. Naturally, Jiang Yunying’s mother hadn’t believed it. How could a concubine’s daughter from a Lords’s household have such a remarkable fiancé? She had gone on to insult the Matriarch mercilessly and even pressured her husband to create trouble for the Lord. 

Now someone explain to her, how was Zhou Gu, the young master of the Duke Protector’s household, engaged to Su Rong, a mere concubine’s daughter? 

Ning Chi and the rest of the group were equally stunned. 

Ning Chi finally spoke, “So it’s Young Master Zhou.” 

The Duke Protector’s household was a first-rank noble family, standing a tier above the Nanping Marquisate. Even as the heir to the Marquisate, Ning Chi couldn’t expect Zhou Gu to defer to him. Not only was Zhou Gu of noble birth, but his grandmother had been the Emperor’s most beloved elder princess, and he had grown up with unrestricted access to both the imperial and crown prince’s palaces. It was no wonder he carried himself with such confidence. 

Zhou Gu said nothing, his expression still cold. 

Ning Chi, undeterred, inquired politely, “Where might Young Master Zhou be staying in Jiangning? I’ll escort Jiang Yunying home first, and perhaps we can meet another day to chat.” 

Zhou Gu was tempted to retort, “Who wants to chat with you?” But considering Ning Chi’s title, he decided against outright rudeness. Offending the heir of the Nanping Marquisate unnecessarily wouldn’t do him any favors, even if he didn’t fear such consequences. After a brief pause, he glanced at Su Rong and answered, “The Lord’s household.” 

Ning Chi nodded and added, “I’ll make sure to visit you and the Lord soon.” 

Zhou Gu gave a nonchalant nod. 

After summoning a carriage for Jiang Yunying, Ning Chi and the group left the riverbank, their boating excursion abandoned. 

Watching them leave, Zhou Gu frowned and asked Su Rong, “Do you know when the Nanping Marquisate and the Jiangzhou Prefecture became close?” 

Su Rong replied, “Jiang Yunying withdrew from her second engagement a year ago and reportedly stayed home for six months. Now she’s out again. It must have happened during that time.” 

Zhou Gu nodded thoughtfully. He knew the Nanping Marquisate had married a daughter into the family of the First Prince, effectively aligning itself with him. If the Jiangzhou Prefecture were seeking a marital alliance with the Marquisate, it could mean they were also planning to support the First Prince. 

Turning to his shadow guard, Zhou Gu instructed, “Get word to the Crown Prince about this potential alliance between the Nanping Marquisate and the Jiangzhou Prefecture.” 

The shadow guard responded promptly. 

Zhou Gu then turned back to Su Rong, clearly done with the matter. “Weren’t you planning on boating? Shall we continue?” 

“Of course,” Su Rong said cheerfully, her mood brighter than ever. She beamed at him. “Zhou Gu, you’re amazing!” She glanced at the sword at his waist and added, “Your sword is incredible. So sharp.” 

Zhou Gu arched a brow at her. “Not as sharp as your tongue. One remark from you, and a Prefect’s daughter lost her composure completely.” 

He had to admit, beneath her soft and delicate exterior lay a razor-sharp wit that could strike where it hurt most.