Zhou Gu lingered at the Eastern Palace for half an hour.
Before leaving, he couldn't resist his curiosity and asked, "Your Highness, may I ask? If we find her, do you want to reward her?"
"Hmm." Yan Huisheng nodded.
"How do you plan to reward her?" Zhou Gu asked again.
Yan Huisheng looked at him but said nothing.
Zhou Gu raised his hands, "Okay, okay, I get it. No more questions. I'll go now."
He turned and left unhesitatingly. Shortly after stepping out the door, he thought of something, turned back, and popped his head inside to ask Yan Huisheng, "Your Highness, may I ask one more favor?"
"Go on."
"Um..." Zhou Gu scratched his head, "Could you... Could you possibly treat Qin Luan...a bit better?"
"Hmm?" Yan Huisheng raised his eyebrows.
Zhou Gu chose his words carefully, "By better, I mean ensuring she's not bullied, that she has plenty to eat, and a peaceful day-to-day life."
"Okay." Yan Huisheng agreed.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Now I'll truly leave." And this time, Zhou Gu left without looking back.
After his departure, the study fell quiet. Yan Huisheng stood up and moved to the window. After a while, he ordered, "Have the housekeeper come here."
Little Chengzi responded and ran to fetch him.
Before long, the housekeeper arrived and said, "Your Highness, do you have orders?"
"Test Qin Luan, to see if she's capable of being a maid of the Eastern Palace." Yan Huisheng didn't look back as he spoke, "I hear she's smart. Have her strictly educated so she knows her place. If she wants a comfortable life, she should be more serious. I won't wrong her for the sake of Zhou Gu's face. If she's ungrateful and dares to think about the impossible, Zhou Gu's face won't matter then."
The housekeeper complied.
Once Zhou Gu stepped out of the Eastern Palace, he let out a sigh of relief. Outside, he saw a servant boy from his residence and raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing here?"
The young boy quickly explained, "The lady sent me here to ensure you didn't make trouble at the Eastern Palace."
Zhou Gu understood and rolled his eyes, "I really should thank my mother. She doesn't trust me at all." With that, he swung himself onto his horse, "Let's go, back to the residence."
The servant boy hurriedly followed him.
Upon returning to the Duke Residence, Zhou Gu headed straight to the Duchess' quarters.
The Duchess saw that her son had returned without any signs of depression, indicating that girl, Qin Luan probably didn't enter his heart. She felt relieved and didn't bring up Qin Luan or her own actions. She just said, "Be careful on your way to Jiangning tomorrow. Have the guards display the flag from the Duke Residence so as to avoid any foolish mountain bandits from attacking you."
Zhou Gu thought to himself that he definitely would not display the flag of the Duke Residence. If any bandit dared to provoke him, he would take the opportunity to wipe them out.
"The gifts for the Su Family and Lady Su Qi are extremely valuable, there cannot be even a single error. If you dare to damage them, see if I don't let your grandfather beat you till you can't get out of bed." The Duchess warned her son strictly seeing as he stayed silent, knowing full well what he was thinking.
"Okay, I understand." Zhou Gu wasn't afraid of being beaten, but he hated being bedridden afterward. Hearing her words, he reluctantly agreed.
"Further, when you meet the Su Family and Lady Su Qi, you must be polite and respectful. Don't act out." The Duchess worriedly admonished him. "Even if you don't like her, don't make it too obvious. After all, she's a young lady. As a man, you should think about the feelings of a woman. That's basic politeness and etiquette. Don't let people say that the Duke Residence lacks etiquette."
Zhou Gu couldn't help himself, "Mother, are you saying that even if I don't like her, I have to pretend that I do?"
"I'm not asking you to pretend to like her. I'm saying that even if you don't like her, don't lose your composure and treat her coldly. We in our household have no such manners. The marriage arrangement was made by your grandfather. Even though she is of low social status, it's not her fault. You cannot look down on a person because of their low social status. No matter what others are like, we of the Duke Residence have no such practice."
"Understood." Zhou Gu nodded.
"Remember, the liking between people depends on fate, mutual interests, among other factors. Some are infatuated at first sight, while others gradually develop feelings over time. Your dislike might be due to a personality clash, different interests, or some other reasons. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that the lady is bad. Anyway, if she does not treat you badly and doesn't speak coldly, you should not embarrass her in public."