Drunken Flower Room - Chapter 40

Su Rong originally intended to let Prefect Jiang and his wife wait for an entire day. After venting her frustration, she planned to let the matter go. However, as they descended Phoenix Mountain, Zhou Gu suddenly declared, “I’m tired. Let’s not go back. We’ll find a place nearby to stay.” 

Su Rong was surprised. “We’re not going back?” 

Zhou Gu nodded, rubbing his sore shoulders. “Sleeping on that cursed tree made my whole-body ache. I don’t want to move anymore.” 

Su Rong was at a loss for words. A noble son is a noble son — even coming from a military family, he remained a privileged young master. He had never endured hardships, so struggling to sleep on a tree was not surprising. 

She could only offer, “For your first time sleeping in a tree, not falling off is already impressive.” 

Zhou Gu shot her a resentful glare. “Terrible idea.” 

Su Rong, who had slept soundly through it, shrugged. After a hearty meal, finding a big tree to nap under the cool shade felt heavenly. “You’re just not used to it yet. Once you are, it’s no different from a bed.” 

Zhou Gu snorted. “You seemed to have slept quite well. I woke up three times, and each time, you were still fast asleep. You slept for a solid hour and a half.” He shook his head incredulously. “Do you often climb trees just to nap?” 

“There’s too many bugs on the ground. It’s safer to sleep in a tree,” Su Rong explained. “I used to sneak out and play a lot. At noon, I’d get too lazy to go home, so I’d nap in a tree. After a while, it became a habit.” 

Zhou Gu looked at her. “If you were uncomfortable, why didn’t you wake me?” 

Zhou Gu wasn’t about to admit he didn’t wake her because she looked so peaceful sleeping. Instead, he turned to one of his guards. “Find an inn nearby. We’re not going back tonight. Send someone to notify the Lord’s household.” 

After a brief pause, he added, “And reassure Lord Su and Lady Su that Su Rong is safe.” 

The guard acknowledged the order and left promptly to make arrangements. 

Su Rong watched the two guards depart and didn’t intervene. “Prefect Jiang may be a third-ranked official, and he brought the heir of the Nanping Marquisate, Ning Chi, with him. Ignoring them like this — won’t that make enemies?” 

Zhou Gu scoffed. “Then let it. Why should I care?” 

With a cold sneer, he added, “If Jiang Sheng weren’t a court official, just based on what his daughter said to me, I’d have killed her on the spot.” 

Su Rong thought about the illustrious Hu Guo Duke’s household and Zhou Gu’s privileged position. She realized it made sense. If Jiang Sheng weren’t a government official, offending Zhou Gu would have dire consequences. Zhou Gu wouldn’t even need to lift a finger himself — there would be plenty of people willing to take care of matters on his behalf. 

Su Rong sighed. Power and status were truly valuable things. Unfortunately, she had neither. 

“What are you sighing about?” Zhou Gu asked. 

Su Rong replied sincerely, “I’m just envious of your status. It must be nice to be born into such privilege.” 

Zhou Gu: “…” 

He wanted to quip, “You didn’t do too badly yourself, becoming my fiancée.” But he held back, remembering her mother had passed away. He wasn’t sure how his grandfather had arranged the engagement, so he kept quiet. 

That night, they stayed in a small town near the base of Phoenix Mountain. 

After sleeping in a tree, Zhou Gu didn’t complain about the humble inn. He washed up and went to bed without fuss. 

Su Rong, having napped during the day, couldn’t sleep at night. Once Zhou Gu was asleep, she quietly slipped out of the inn without alerting anyone. Under the cover of night, she made her way to a nearby tavern. 

The tavern was called Laughing Welcome, and its owner, Lady Lan, was a charming woman two years older than Su Rong. She was just about to close up when she saw Su Rong walk in, looking surprised. 

“So late at night? What brings you here? Did something happen?” 

“I’m craving wine. Bring me a jar.” 

Yesterday, when Lord Su and Zhou Gu were drinking, Su Rong wanted to join them. But at the time, Lady Su had reminded her to maintain her pretense of being a proper young lady, and since her true nature had yet to be revealed, she had to hold back and not touch a drop. 

Lady Lan frowned, unconvinced. “Craving wine doesn’t mean you had to come all this way to find me. Something must be up. Did you sneak out behind Madam Su’s back again? Aren’t you afraid she’ll catch you coming home late and scold you?” 

Su Rong shook her head. “Not this time. Someone’s accompanying me. She knows I’m out.” 

Lady Lan raised her brows in curiosity. “Oh? And who is this person that gives you so much leeway with Lady Su?” 

“My fiancé.” 

Lady Lan was stunned. “What fiancé?” 

“My mother arranged the match. He’s the youngest son of the Hu Guo Duke, Zhou Gu.” Su Rong didn’t wait for Lady Lan to press for more details. She gave the answer upfront, then chuckled. “Surprised? Someone like me, with a prestigious fiancé?” 

Lady Lan’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open. She was genuinely stunned. “The youngest son of the Hu Guo Duke? Zhou Gu?” 

“Yes, him.” 

It took Lady Lan a long moment to process, her expression doubtful. “Is this for real? How come you never mentioned it before?” 

“I didn’t think it would happen, so I didn’t bother to bring it up.” 

Lady Lan’s curiosity grew. “And now he’s here to see you? Where is he?” 

“After a day of playing, he’s resting at the inn.” Su Rong took another sip of wine. 

Lady Lan couldn’t help but gape. “You left your fiancé behind at the inn and sneaked out to drink? Aren’t you afraid he’ll catch you?” 

“I’m not.” Su Rong’s face darkened as she recalled something that made her angry. “Chen Zhou spilled everything I did to him. Even if Zhou Gu catches me sneaking out, it’s nothing compared to what he already knows.” 

Lady Lan glanced at Su Rong’s recently healed face, her expression turning serious. “You ran into Chen Zhou again?” 

“Yeah. Just my rotten luck,” Su Rong grumbled, clenching her jaw at the mention of his name. 

Lady Lan wasn’t interested in Chen Zhou’s affairs. She was more curious about Su Rong’s fiancé and leaned in with a gossiping tone. “Hey, I heard that Zhou Gu once fought with someone over a woman. His rival was a prince, right? Tell me honestly your fiancé, coming from such a noble family, isn’t he a bit of a scoundrel? A complete playboy?” 

Su Rong thought about it. Zhou Gu’s reputation had indeed suffered greatly because of Qin Luan. If she hadn’t met him in person and heard his side of the story, she might have believed those rumors too. But after learning the truth, she realized that Zhou Gu had been wrongly accused. 

She downed another mouthful of wine and smiled faintly. “He’s actually very good.” 

Lady Lan looked utterly floored. In fact, she seemed even more shocked than when she found out about Su Rong’s engagement. “Wait — you said he’s very good? Did I hear that right? You?” 

It was hard to blame her. Su Rong had never praised anyone her entire life. Even Su Xingze, who was universally admired, had never received a word of praise from her.