Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Rong Tang had lunch at the Princess Consort's courtyard.

Initially dissatisfied with Rong Mingyu's arrangements, Rong Tang's spirits lifted as soon as he stepped into Wang Xiuyu's courtyard and saw the maids and servants presenting the list of gifts for the Princess Consort's approval.

His wedding with Su Huaijing was ostensibly to ward off misfortune, but privately, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Even more personally, it was Rong Tang's indulgence in pampering his beloved.

Money was no object for Rong Tang, and neither was it for the Ningxuan Wangfu. He intended to spend lavishly on Su Huaijing, aspiring to top any hypothetical leaderboard for splurging.

His generosity not only astounded the servants but even Wang Xiuyu, who doted on him endlessly, couldn't help but frown, "Enough, enough, the dowry is already more than sufficient."

Still unsatisfied, Rong Tang coquettishly insisted, "Mother, let's also include the pair of jade Ruyi Aunt gifted me two years ago."

Wang Xiuyu, worn down by his persistence, lightly patted his hand, half-joking, "Anyone who hears would think you're marrying a goddess, wanting to send her everything precious."

"That's exactly my intention," Rong Tang murmured under his breath.

Wang Xiuyu didn't catch his words, "What?"

"Nothing," Rong Tang replied with a smile, his gaze wandering over the gift lists.

The lists, written on four long red papers, trailed from the table to the floor. Thinking further, Rong Tang suggested, "Mother, about those estates in Longxi—"

"Stop right there," Wang Xiuyu cut him off with a stern look, "The income from those estates goes directly into your private coffers. You can give him as much silver as you wish, but don't even think about gifting the estates themselves."

Caught in his intentions, Rong Tang sheepishly quieted down.

Wang Xiuyu then coaxed him, "The wedding attire is ready and will be delivered tomorrow. Do you want to see it first, or should we send it directly to Su's residence?"

Rong Tang paused, blinking, suddenly realizing he had forgotten something crucial.

Although same-sex marriages were permitted in Dayu, grand ceremonies among noble families were rare. Rong Tang had never witnessed such a wedding in his past lives.

He had no idea what the wedding attire looked like!

The thought of Su Huaijing in a bridal robe and phoenix crown made him pale. Wang Xiuyu, noticing his expression, panicked slightly and gently took his hand, asking softly, "Tang'er, what’s wrong?"

Regaining his composure, Rong Tang inquired, "Mother, I forgot to ask you, what does Su Huaijing’s wedding attire look like?"

His voice trembled slightly, barely perceptible. Wang Xiuyu, puzzled, asked, "Didn't the embroideress show you the design? It's the 'Crane and Clouds' attire."

Hearing the name, Rong Tang sketched an image in his mind and blinked, "It's not a phoenix robe and crown?"

"What are you thinking about!" Wang Xiuyu chided him, "Since when do boys wear phoenix robes and crowns for marriage?"

Rong Tang queried, "So it’s not a skirt either?"

This time, Wang Xiuyu looked at him strangely, "If you really want a skirt, I can have the embroideress alter it—"

"No, no!" Rong Tang hastily interjected with an earnest desire for survival, "Don’t change it!"

Wang Xiuyu laughed and patted his hand, "Don't worry, we've chosen fine materials and designs for him. Your sweetheart won’t be wronged."

Rong Tang blushed slightly, caught off guard by her teasing, and called out in a sing-song voice, "Mother—"

Wang Xiuyu suddenly had an idea, "Then I won’t show you. We’ll send it directly to his house. If the fit isn't right, the embroideress can alter it on the spot. It'll be a surprise for you on the wedding day."

Relieved that it wasn’t a skirt, Rong Tang relaxed, no longer embarrassed by his mother’s playful remarks. He happily helped Wang Xiuyu organize for a while before she sent him back for a nap.

Rong Tang strolled leisurely back to Tanghua Courtyard, soaking in the warm spring sun. Passing by a pond, he fed the koi with a handful of fish food before returning to his courtyard.

Shuangshou had just returned and hurriedly greeted him, "Young Master."

Rong Tang inquired, "Did you deliver the message?"

“The news reached him, but Master Su didn’t say anything,” Shuangshou said.

Rong Tang paused in his steps, turned back to look at Shuangshou, his tone dangerously sharp, "He didn’t say anything?"

"He didn’t say anything," Shuangshou replied, somewhat confused, nudged not too gently by Shuangfu.

Rong Tang "hmmphed" quietly to himself, his safety talisman still in his side pouch. He pinched it in frustration.

Ungrateful, after all the effort he had put in to secure benefits for him that morning, even considering transferring the estate into his name.

Yet, when he heard that Rong Tang was confined to the mansion, he didn’t utter a single word.

Feeling slightly aggrieved, Rong Tang suppressed these thoughts and asked Shuangshou about something else, “Did you hear any interesting news in town today?”

Shuangshou then ushered him into the room and poured him a cup of tea.

Rong Tang took a sip, his eyebrows slightly furrowing.

He wasn’t much of a sweet tooth, nor did he have a habit of drinking tea in the modern world. He preferred carbonated drinks and juices while studying. After crossing into the book, his options were limited to tea or plain water.

It didn’t taste good, but as a person of a large household, not drinking tea was not an option.

It was rare that the tea leaves from Su Huaijing’s place suited his taste. Rong Tang had become fastidious about his tea, only to find himself back to square one, having to drink the bitter tea of the royal mansion.

Rong Tang felt a bit annoyed, thinking this little brat did it on purpose.

He thought it would have been better not to give him that small jar of tea leaves at all. To give and then measure it precisely for just six days was infuriating. And knowing he liked it, Su Huaijing didn’t think to send another jar with Shuangshou today.

Rong Tang, visibly annoyed, placed his tea cup on the table with more force than he realized, causing a bit of tea to spill over the edge.

He looked at Shuangshou and said, "Go ahead."

While Shuangfu was slightly alarmed, Shuangshou, as if oblivious, dutifully recounted the recent events in the capital to Rong Tang.

Firstly, there had been an issue with the Jinwu Guard.

Rong Tang’s mood shifted to focus on the matter at hand, asking, "What happened?"

Shuangshou explained that among the twenty-four teams of the Jinwu Guard, responsible for security patrols in the capital, three team leaders were the sole sons of the Left Xiao Guard General, Ding Wei Shan.

Ding Lai Bao, known for his extravagant and idle lifestyle and living off his father's merits, held a nominal position as team leader. He was infamous for his misdeeds and for harassing local merchants.

The merchants had long been silently enduring Ding Lai Bao's abuses without dare to speak out. The incident Shuangshou mentioned occurred over a month ago but had only recently come to light.

Last winter, a farmer unable to survive the harsh conditions died, leaving his daughter to sell herself on the streets to afford a burial. A young master from a trader's family, out on a study excursion, saw her and, moved by pity, intended to buy her to serve as a maid for his mother. However, Ding Lai Bao happened upon the scene, took a fancy to the girl’s looks, and brazenly abducted her in broad daylight.

Anyone else committing such an act under the Emperor's nose would have faced severe consequences, but Ding Lai Bao not only escaped punishment but succeeded in his abduction.

He took the girl to his residence, where he brutally assaulted her for three days. When she was released, her body was covered in injuries. Returning to the spot where she had tried to sell herself, she found only her father's bones, picked clean by stray dogs.

Distraught, the girl took her own life by crashing into the front gate of the Xiao Guard General's mansion.

On the first day of March, when the school was on break, the young master learned of this tragedy and, filled with sorrow and anger, brought the case to the attention of the Prefect of the Capital. Ding Lai Bao is currently under arrest and under investigation.

The second matter was more elusive and unsubstantiated.

It was said that a group of heroes arrived from outside the city. These heroes, disciples of a reclusive master, were committed to upholding justice. Coming from the south, they struck fear into corrupt officials and wealthy bullies wherever they went. In the areas they visited, any corrupt official was beheaded, and their ill-gotten wealth was distributed among the people. Consequently, these heroes were revered by the populace. In some southern towns, people even spontaneously erected temples in their honor to celebrate their deeds.

Coincidentally, the incident involving Ding Lai Bao’s abduction of a civilian girl leading to her death coincided with the arrival of these heroes. Soon, there were voices in the capital hoping that these heroes would take care of Ding Lai Bao.

After hearing these two incidents, Rong Tang initially froze, then felt an indescribable tremor of realization.

The system, after listening to everything, remained silent for a while before speaking up softly: "[Host, now I understand how you lost in your previous two lives.]"

"[He really understands you well.]"

Rong Tang took a sip of his tea, calming the excitement in his heart, and collected his thoughts.

In his previous two lives, the first incident involving Ding Lai Bao never surfaced. Left Xiao Guard General Ding Wei Shan remained in his position until the end of the year, only to be taken down by Xu Huaijing the following autumn for obstructing the Second Prince.

This time, to push Shen Feiyi into the emperor’s sight, Xu Huaijing not only created such a background to gain public favor, but also moved ahead to deal with Ding Wei Shan.

If Rong Tang wasn’t mistaken, Xu Huaijing planned to position Shen Feiyi in Ding Wei Shan's place.

Rong Tang thought he had been bold enough, but Xu Huaijing proved to be even more audacious.

How dare he take such a risk... The emperor’s favor is fickle, and one wrong move could lead to disaster.

Moreover, in this life, Xu Huaijing had severed his relationship with the Second Prince through Qin Pengxuan. How did he convince the Second Prince to follow his plan?

Rong Tang felt a sense of melancholy. The tea he sipped unconsciously went down his throat as he pondered how far he could have gone in Xu Huaijing's place.

A public opinion battle was inevitable for the second matter, but for the first…

For many years Ding Lai Bao had committed numerous misdeeds. It was shocking enough that someone could safely bring this matter to the Capital Prefect’s court, let alone actually getting Ding Lai Bao arrested and jailed.

Rong Tang was slightly bewildered: "Doesn’t the main antagonist have a growth process?"

He was only seventeen. How come Xu Huaijing now seemed no different from the nearly twenty-year-old Xu Huaijing Rong Tang knew from his last life?

Rong Tang, thoroughly bewildered, went for a nap only to have a series of nightmares.

In one, Xu Huaijing transformed into a crane with long legs and a long neck, chasing Rong Tang and pecking at him with a sharp beak. In another, the main antagonist, having ascended the throne, tied Rong Tang to the dragon throne with a golden chain. Kneeling on the ground, Rong Tang saw Xu Huaijing in his dream, coldly laughing with murderous eyes: “Who gave you the audacity to think of marrying me? Huh?”

Rong Tang woke up sweating, feeling the dream was baseless and absurd.

Xu Huaijing, although not excessively doting, could at least be considered a genuinely kind person. Ever since Rong Tang returned from the outskirts and saw Xu Huaijing, who almost took a dark turn but was then pacified, Xu Huaijing has been nothing but gentle and obedient.

Rong Tang silently scolded himself for overthinking just because he didn't receive any tea leaves, painting Xu Huaijing in such a negative light.

After calming himself, Rong Tang decided to go to the study to transcribe scriptures.

Just as he was about to drink some tea to moisten his throat, he was surprised by the faint sweetness of the tea.

Rong Tang paused, putting the cup aside, looked around, and took another sip.

He wasn’t mistaken; it was indeed Xu Huaijing’s tea, a flavor he had never found anywhere else.

Hadn't they run out of it? Or did Shuang Fu secretly keep some?

Puzzled, Rong Tang stepped out to find Shuang Shou preparing tea in the study, the unique aroma of Xu Huaijing's tea enveloping the room.

“What’s this…?” Rong Tang asked, confused.

Shuang Shou, smiling, suggested, “Young Master, why don’t you check the desk first?”

Rong Tang, feeling as if he was still dreaming, walked to the desk and found a letter under a paperweight.

The bold and powerful calligraphy on the envelope was beyond Rong Tang’s ability to replicate, exuding a natural and unrestrained elegance.

[For Tang Tang’s Eyes Only]

Rong Tang picked up the envelope in a daze, still able to smell the fresh ink, suggesting it was written just today.

Shuangshou laughed, "Master Su specifically instructed me to first brew a pot of the royal mansion's tea for you, young master. If you don’t like it, only then should I use Master Su’s tea leaves. He gave a whole big jar of it, enough for us to drink until he returns to the mansion!"

Rong Tang: “...And this letter?”

Shuangshou: “Master Su said that you are shy and might avoid me for a few days if I spoke for him. That's why he waited a bit and wrote this letter himself to give to you.”

“Speaking of waiting, I waited outside his study for a whole incense stick’s burning!” Shuangshou laughed as if he was the one getting married, “Master Su’s sincerity towards you, young master, is not the slightest bit false!”

Rong Tang was dazed for a moment, flipping the envelope in his hand back and forth, not quite understanding what Su Huaijing was up to.

It wasn't until Shuangshou left that Rong Tang cautiously opened the letter, catching sight of four words:

Tangtang, my husband—

Rong Tang quickly stashed the letter away: “...Damn it!”

Author’s note:

The answer is: Writing a love letter!!! You little juice…