Drunken Flower Room - Chapter 28

Su Rong thought to herself: The only reason Zhou Gu wasn’t upset about being forcibly detained is because of his impeccable manners.

She decided not to argue further with her mother and instead shifted the topic to her encounter with Jiang Yunying, particularly emphasizing how Zhou Gu had drawn his sword over a single remark.

Upon hearing this, the Madam’s face immediately changed. “How can you be so unlucky?”

Su Rong: “…”

Truly a family resemblance. She had felt equally unfortunate when they had crossed paths with Jiang Yunying on the very first outing.

However, after hearing that Su Rong had escaped unscathed and had even used Zhou Gu’s presence as a bargaining chip to send Jiang Yunying running for her life, the Matriarch was visibly relieved. The possibility of Jiang’s parents coming to the Lord’s Manor in the next few days to apologize to Zhou Gu and settle an old score greatly improved her mood.

Feeling better, the Madam poked Su Rong’s forehead with a finger and said firmly, “Let me tell you this: if Zhou Gu decides to call off the engagement, you’ll never find a better match than this one in your lifetime. You’d better think carefully about how to handle this!”

Su Rong, well aware of this reality, saw that her mother’s temper had eased and grinned. “Mother, don’t worry too much. Who are you? If this doesn’t work out, you’ll just find me another one, right? And if all else fails, we can always count on my elder brother’s connections.”

The Madam gave her a long, resigned look, too tired to argue further. She rolled her eyes, stood up, and walked out.

Having survived this round, Su Rong let out a long sigh of relief. She flopped onto her bed, muttering, “Getting older really does make you more short-tempered. Maybe she should take that herbal medicine the doctor prescribed for reducing internal heat for a few more days?”

Yue Wan nodded in agreement. “Miss, every time the Madam scolds you, I can’t help but think she’s making some valid points.”

Su Rong glared at her. “Go look over the account books.”

Yue Wan gasped in horror. “Miss, now that Young Master Zhou is staying here, doesn’t that mean we don’t have to study the account books anymore and can just spend our days keeping him company?”

“That’s true for me, but you still have to study them.” Su Rong’s voice was merciless. “After all, Zhou Gu is such a catch. I need to figure out how to hold onto him. Even if he wants to call off the engagement, I have to fight for it.”

Yue Wan: “…”

“Miss, I thought you didn’t care about this engagement with the Duke Protector’s family?”

“That was before.” Su Rong rolled her eyes at her. “How was I supposed to know Zhou Gu would turn out to be this great?”

“Then why did you take him fishing?” Yue Wan was dumbfounded. She vividly remembered the moment she had rushed out of the cabin upon hearing the commotion. Witnessing her mistress’s stunning display of fishing prowess and Zhou Gu’s utterly shocked expression had left her in disbelief. She had genuinely thought Su Rong had given up entirely at that point.

“He woke me up and made the request. Could I refuse?” Su Rong waved it off nonchalantly. “Anyway, go study the account books.”

Yue Wan was on the verge of tears. “Miss, I’m just not cut out for that kind of thing.”

Su Rong encouraged her, “Just try. Nothing in this world is too difficult if you put your heart into it. Your mistress is already working hard for the bright future of the both of us. How can you just laze around like a freeloader and not put in any effort?”

Yue Wan had no response and reluctantly shuffled off to her task.

The Madam had meticulously prepared the guest courtyard for Zhou Gu’s stay, sparing no expense to ensure his comfort. The furnishings and decorations used were of the highest quality, even better than what Lord Taishou himself had in his quarters.

As Zhou Gu had predicted, Lord Taishou had already coordinated with Zhou Xi, returned the rented property, and arranged for Zhou Xi and the accompanying guards to stay in the manor as well.

By the time Zhou Gu arrived at the guest courtyard, Zhou Xi was already waiting for him. As Zhou Gu walked in, Zhou Xi greeted him warmly, “Young Master, how was your day?”

Zhou Gu glanced at him, then nodded. “Not bad.”

Zhou Xi was surprised. Not only was Zhou Gu not upset, but he even offered a comment of “not bad.” For most people, “not bad” might truly mean average, but coming from Zhou Gu, it was practically high praise.

Though Zhou Gu hadn’t personally joined in the fishing, he had stayed close by the entire time and felt that he, too, had absorbed the smell of fish. “I need a bath.”

Zhou Xi immediately responded and arranged everything at once.

After bathing, Zhou Gu sat at the table, sipping tea.

Zhou Xi, who had not yet met Su Rong, asked timidly, “Young master, is Miss Su decent?”

Zhou Gu paused in his movements. “Mm, not bad.”

Zhou Xi’s heart lifted. “Does that mean you’re no longer considering calling off the engagement?”

Zhou Gu set down his teacup. “We’ll see.”

Zhou Xi, noting that the idea of a breakup wasn’t as resolute as before, took this as a good sign. He thought to himself that he’d send a letter to the old Duke later to share the news.

Just as he had this thought, Zhou Gu’s face turned stern. “Now listen. While you’re out with me, you work for me and me alone. No running off to snitch to my grandfather. If I catch you doing it, I’ll toss you into the river to feed the fish.”

Zhou Xi: “…”

Zhou Gu raised an eyebrow. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re supposed to be the steward Grandfather assigned to me for after I get married, right? And yet you dare defy me?”

Zhou Xi cupped his hands and said, “I wouldn’t dare. Of course, I’ll listen to you, Young Master.”

After all, Zhou Xi thought to himself, the old Duke only cares about results. He never said I had to report to him daily.

Zhou Gu was satisfied and asked, “Have you found the person I told you to look for?”

Zhou Xi shook his head. “Not yet. We’ve searched many households, but we haven’t located the dagger.”

Zhou Gu instructed him, “Then investigate something else for me. When did the Marquis of Nanping’s household and the Jiangzhou Magistrate’s family become so close? And when did Ning Chi arrive in Jiangzhou?”

Zhou Xi was puzzled, not understanding why Zhou Gu was suddenly curious about this.

Zhou Gu didn’t bother explaining. “Go ask Zi Ye.”

Zhou Xi acknowledged the order and pulled Zi Ye aside to interrogate him about the events of the day. After listening, he was stunned. He hadn’t expected them to run into the Marquis of Nanping’s heir, but what truly caught his attention wasn’t Ning Chi, it was the dynamic between Su Rong and Zhou Gu.

Zhou Xi knew better than anyone how rare this was. Despite Zhou Gu’s reputation, including his infamous scuffle with Prince Xie over a woman, he had never truly gotten along with any woman. Although admirers surrounded him since childhood, Zhou Gu found them either too delicate, too dull, too rigid with rules, or too clingy and annoying.

Zhou Xi whispered, “Miss Su actually fell asleep while boating on the lake?”

Zi Ye nodded.

Zhou Xi was even more astonished. How could any young lady fall asleep in the presence of Zhou Gu’s face? Unless she had absolutely no romantic feelings for him or wasn’t even slightly affected by his charm.

For a moment, he grew worried, wanting to ask, “Could it be that Miss Su doesn’t fancy the Young Master?” But realizing Zi Ye wouldn’t have the answer, he swallowed his words. Instead, he focused on carrying out Zhou Gu’s orders to investigate the Marquis of Nanping’s household and the Jiangzhou Magistrate.