Chapter 147

Because Wang Xiuyu needed to remain at the Ningxuan Palace to check the accounts and oversee the removal of her dowry, Rong Tang gave it some thought and ultimately decided to stay the night and help her the following day.

He sent someone back to deliver the message, washed up, and got into bed. But no matter how he turned or shifted, he simply couldn’t fall asleep.

Part of it was because he hadn’t been back in so long. The other reason: he’d barely eaten a bite at dinner.

He was famished.

Just as Rong Tang was debating whether to simply starve through the night or get up and find something to eat before bed, a waft of fragrance drifted in from the doorway.

The young prince started slightly as he heard the wooden door being tapped gently from outside, then pushed open.

He turned to look. A few candles had been lit in the room, soft enough not to dazzle, but bright enough to see by.

Su Huaijing, still in his court attire, entered with a white porcelain bowl in his hands. He set it down on the table with a slight bow, then turned to him. “Tangtang, would you like a midnight snack?”

Rong Tang’s stomach let out a pitiful gurgle.

So much for trying to tough it out. Pleased and a little surprised, he flung back the covers, got out of bed, and trotted over to the table. Sitting down, he looked up at Su Huaijing. “What are you doing here?”

Late summer was stifling, and his pyjamas were thin. Yet even so, the heat in the air clung oppressively to the skin. Su Huaijing picked up a palm-leaf fan and sat beside him, fanning him slowly as he answered, “I missed you.”

Rong Tang was momentarily stunned. Then, his ears flushed pink, and he muttered under his breath, “Say something believable.”

It’s only been one night. What’s there to miss?

Su Huaijing replied, “I’m not you. I don’t go around lying to people.”

Rong Tang: “…”

He fell silent, shooting Su Huaijing a sharp glance.

The latter paused, then quickly softened his tone with a smile. “Truly, I missed you. I couldn’t sleep alone at home. Besides, you and Mother are both here in the palace. I couldn’t quite rest easy.”

The real reason, of course, was that he’d spoken a little longer with the servant who’d returned to Yong’an Lane with the message. And heard that Rong Tang had barely touched his dinner.

Su Huaijing knew Rong Tang too well. He disliked troubling others and had always been careless with his health. Faced with the choice of getting out of bed to ask the kitchen for something or simply going hungry, he would almost certainly choose the latter.

Infuriating. And yet, Su Huaijing couldn’t bring himself to scold him.

On the table sat a bowl of hot, fragrant rice wine soup with glutinous rice balls. It wasn’t much. Just enough to settle his stomach without being too heavy this late at night.

Rong Tang picked up a small spoon, gently stirring to cool it down. “Did you make this?”

Su Huaijing nodded. “Everyone else was asleep. I didn’t want to trouble them.”

He was still wearing his court robes. The Censorate and the Imperial Court of Justice. Two of the most austere and impartial institutions in the realm. These robes weren’t just formalwear; they symbolised power and authority.

Yet here he was, wearing them as he carried food laced with the warmth of domesticity.

Rong Tang couldn’t help thinking of the dish of squirrel fish Wang Xiuyu had personally ordered to be taken away earlier.

So close, yet so distant. He and Su Huaijing were nothing like any other married couple of this era.

His heart softened. In a quiet voice, he asked, “Have you eaten?”

Su Huaijing replied, “There was a meal prepared at the office. I had a little, just enough to get by. I’m not hungry.”

The very next moment, Rong Tang said, “Then go get another spoon. We’ll eat together.”

Su Huaijing raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “I just said I’ve eaten and I’m not hungry. Did you mishear me, Tangtang?”

Rong Tang retorted with perfect righteousness, “You said you were just getting by. How good could it have been? Hurry and get a spoon. Otherwise, if I eat all of this by myself, I’ll need time to digest it, and who knows when I’ll get to sleep?”

His feigned impatience and bossy little act were especially endearing. Su Huaijing looked at him for a couple of seconds, then lowered his head with a soft laugh, stood up, and said, “Then I have no choice but to obey my husband.” And off he went to fetch another spoon.

The two of them shared the bowl of sweet soup, then took a walk around the courtyard before returning to bed, their stomachs full and content.

Summer nights were stifling, and Rong Tang’s health was delicate, so he couldn’t sleep on bamboo mats. He kept worrying Su Huaijing might overheat and hinted several times, indirectly, about whether he might prefer to sleep in another room.

Su Huaijing merely replied, “A calm heart keeps cool.”

Rong Tang quietly rolled his eyes. You don’t look remotely calm, he thought.

Still, he didn’t call him out. The summer breeze filtered in through the gauze windows, accompanied by the gentle hum of insects. All in all, it was a peaceful and pleasant night.

Sleep crept in gradually. With his eyes closed, Rong Tang began murmuring to Su Huaijing about Wang Xiuyu’s remarks at dinner earlier, genuinely admiring her composure and foresight.

At last, he voiced his own lingering doubt. The so-called main villain of the tale paused briefly, then smiled and replied in a warm tone, “Why would Mother harbour even the slightest scheming thought toward you?”

Because where there is no intent to scheme, there is no suspicion, no fear.

She hadn’t been tricked by Rong Tang. She’d simply never once believed he would deceive her.

Even if, hypothetically, he had deceived her, the goal had only been to bring home a husband. And for someone who had made Su Huaijing go to such lengths, how could Wang Xiuyu not do everything in her power to win him back?

The bonds between mother and son were never as straightforward as common sense would suggest.

Even Rong Mingyu’s so-called performance over the past twenty years was hardly flawless. He hadn’t truly deceived the Wang Fei. She had merely chosen not to confront or settle accounts with him, and so indulged and doted on him instead.

Now that she no longer wished to love, it was only natural that she would begin planning from her and Rong Tang’s perspective, ensuring they came away from this duchy estate with enough benefit.

Rong Tang narrowed his eyes slightly at the thought.

Su Huaijing asked softly, “What’s on your mind, Tangtang?”

Rong Tang replied, “Why is Mother suddenly willing to divorce?”

More than twenty years have passed… why now, of all times? Did something happen, or did she discover something she wasn’t meant to?

Su Huaijing understood. He fell quiet for a moment, then said gently, “At the beginning of the year, Mother stayed in the palace for a while. Perhaps she overheard something then… or perhaps she was wronged.”

Afraid that Rong Tang might lose sleep if he continued to dwell on the matter, Su Huaijing gently patted him and said soothingly, “Perhaps it’s precisely because Mother couldn’t stop worrying about you for the past twenty years that she kept choosing to tolerate and yield. Now that we’re living outside the residence, away from the intrigues of the inner household, it’s as if a heavy weight has been lifted from her heart. It wouldn’t be impossible for her to willingly agree to the separation. Tangtang, there’s no need to fret too much.”

Rong Tang didn’t quite believe him, but from his own perspective, there was at least some truth to it. So, he didn’t argue. He merely rubbed his head against the pillow, voice small and dispirited. “Mother’s been so good to me… how could I have only just realised?”

He was almost curled up like a little quail when Su Huaijing chuckled and coaxed, “Look at it another way. The very fact that you’ve only realised it now proves that Mother’s love never came with pressure.”

Wang Xiuyu’s love had always been quiet, unobtrusive. She never made a show of it, never demanded anything in return. Whenever Rong Tang needed something (perhaps even before he knew it himself) Wang Xiuyu had already seen to it.

It was all so subtle, woven seamlessly into everyday life like spring water leaving no trace. Since mother and son didn’t live in the same courtyard and didn’t see each other often, it was perfectly normal that he hadn’t noticed.

In his previous two lives, Rong Tang had been preoccupied with his missions and assisting Sheng Chengli, paying little attention to domestic affairs. Besides, the Wang Fei was an exceptionally intelligent and strong woman. Other than Rong Mingyu, few had ever glimpsed her softer, more vulnerable side. On the surface, she and Rong Tang had always been proper, affectionate, and respectful. But they had never truly confided in each other as the closest of kin might.

Now, with more time together and Rong Tang gradually becoming more emotionally aware, Wang Xiuyu had slowly begun to show the tender, fragile side of a mother.

She was the strong one… and also the weak one.

Rong Tang sniffed but said nothing.

Su Huaijing continued to pat his back gently, coaxing him in a near whisper for a long time before Rong Tang finally drifted off to sleep.

The next day dawned bright and clear. It was the sixth month, and the lotus flowers in the pond were in full bloom. After breakfast, Rong Tang went to Wang Xiuyu, and the two of them headed to the storeroom to take inventory.

The person now managing the rear courtyard was Rong Mingli’s wife, Madam Rong, from the second branch. Even though her heart ached to see such large quantities of possessions being moved out of the residence, there was nothing she could do. This was something Duke Ningxuan had agreed to personally. Moreover, Wang Xiuyu remained the official mistress of the household, and Madam Rong had no standing to object to the Wang Fei’s decisions.

The bustle, however, soon alarmed a few of the younger masters and misses who were up early.

Rong Zheng and Rong Ning came running, looking thoroughly confused. Upon seeing Wang Xiuyu, they bowed respectfully and greeted her, then saluted Rong Tang before asking in hushed tones, “Da ge, what’s going on?”

Rong Tang, following Wang Xiuyu’s earlier instructions, lifted Rong Mingyu’s reputation to the skies. “Father was worried that zumu and Mother might be short of funds living outside the residence and might end up scrimping and saving. He’s always been devoted to Mother and was also concerned that with time, and so many people in the household, the storerooms might lack proper oversight. If rats got in or something important was misplaced, it would be a great loss. So, he simply told Mother to take her dowry to the separate residence for safekeeping. That way she can be at ease and won’t be in want, and zumu won’t be neglected either.”

Wang Xiuyu stood off to the side, lazily watching the servants move things. When she heard Rong Tang say this, a faint smile flickered in her eyes. There was an unmistakable air of pride about her.

The fine morning weather seemed to lift everyone’s spirits. Even Rong Zheng and Rong Ning looked especially well-featured in her eyes.

She walked over to a trunk she’d already checked, had it opened, glanced inside, and casually picked out two items. Smiling, she called out, “Zheng’er, Ning’er.”

The pair froze for a moment, inexplicably uneasy. They exchanged glances, then stole a look at Rong Tang.

He had already seen what Wang Xiuyu was doing. With a soft smile, he nodded. “Mother’s calling you.”

Only then did the two of them dare step forward.

Wang Xiuyu placed an item in each of their hands. “This pair of dongzhu earrings was a gift from Her Majesty the Empress. Ning’er, now that you’ve reached the age for marriage, I’m giving them to you as part of your dowry. If you don’t wish to marry, then treat it as an extra accessory—something elegant to wear when attending gatherings with the noble ladies.”

Rong Ning was utterly flustered, frozen for a long while before hurriedly thanking her with exaggerated sweetness.

Rong Zheng, on the other hand, was slow to react. Wang Xiuyu handed him a seal stone of the finest mutton-fat white jade, saying it was a treasure the Emperor had bestowed on Rong Mingyu when he was ennobled. She was passing it to Rong Zheng for the future. Whether he entered court service or started a family, it was something respectable to his name.

Rong Zheng backed away in panic, visibly flustered. “It’s too valuable. This ought to belong to da ge—how could I dare accept it?”

Rong Tang took a few quick strides forward and plucked the seal stone from Wang Xiuyu’s hand, pressing it into Rong Zheng’s. “A gift from an elder shouldn’t be declined. If you keep being this timid, you’ll suffer countless losses in future.”

“This…” Rong Zheng still hesitated.

Rong Tang had already turned to Wang Xiuyu with a sweet, teasing smile. “With so many treasures in Mother’s hands, surely there’s something left for me?”

Wang Xiuyu shot him a glare. “You little miser.”

“I have to keep a household running. It’s hard work. Mother, have pity on me,” Rong Tang said, clinging to his act.

There was no resisting him. In the end, of the ten carts laden with dowry that were moved out of the residence, one rolled straight to Yong’an Lane.

Red silk fluttered from the cart… festive, lavish, brimming with joy.

So, when Su Huaijing returned from duty that evening and neared home, he overheard a few neighbours gossiping at the mouth of the lane: “Have you heard? That family in the lane’s taken a concubine! Boxes and boxes of dowry being carted in. What a spectacle!”

Su Huaijing: “…?”

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