Chapter 173: The Crown Prince of Xiliang Is Established

After the Regent agreed to let Su Wan treat him, she was able to move freely within the Regent’s residence.

A servant led Su Wan to the door of the study, then retreated.

Luo Cheng was standing guard at the door. When he saw Su Wan and Gu Huaizhi approaching, it was as if he had spotted a savior. He hurried over, his steps quick and anxious. “You’ve finally arrived! The master has been in the study since yesterday and hasn’t come out until now. He didn’t take the medicinal bath last night, nor did he take his medicine.”

“You shouldn’t have indulged him. Why didn’t you inform me of this earlier?”

The Regent’s repeated indulgence and retreat had emboldened Su Wan, and she no longer feared him in the slightest. She raised her hand and pushed open the door. “I’ll go take a look.”

Inside, the windows were tightly shut, and the light was a bit dim.

The Regent sat in a round-backed chair, leaning against the backrest, with his hands folded over his abdomen. The interplay of light and shadow cast deep contours on his face.

Stacks of official documents were placed on the desk, and a finely crafted document was spread open in the middle.

Her abrupt entrance did not elicit any reaction from the Regent.

Su Wan glanced over and, upon seeing the contents of the document, her pupils constricted.

This was a document sent by the envoys of Xiliang, announcing their intent to confer the title of Crown Princess and inviting the Great Zhou Kingdom to attend the ceremony.

The Regent had just learned that his mother might be the Empress of Xiliang, and the people he had sent to investigate had yet to return with any information. Yet, news of the Crown Princess’ conferral had arrived first.

Gu Huaizhi had mentioned that the Regent knew the Empress of Xiliang had a prince and a princess, but at the time, he hadn’t realized the Empress might be his mother.

Now, with this speculation, and a high likelihood of it being true, receiving this document must have caused him great distress.

That’s why he had stayed in the study for an entire day and night.

“You shouldn’t mistreat your body like this.”

Su Wan walked around the desk and took hold of the Regent’s wrist. He suddenly opened his eyes, bloodshot and fierce, shooting a sharp glare at her.

Seeing her young face, the Regent was momentarily stunned. It took him a while to come back to his senses. He withdrew his gaze, slowly closing his eyes, and shook off Su Wan’s hand, with a deep frown creasing his brow.

His head throbbed with pain, as if a sharp knife was scraping the meridians from his brain.

He pressed his hand to his forehead, and his body was stiff from sitting too long.

The Regent spoke coldly, “I will cooperate with you.”

“Sitting idly for an entire day and night, not soaking in the medicinal bath, not taking your medicine, skipping your meals—this is what you call cooperation?”

Su Wan was quite annoyed at her disobedient patient. She firmly held his wrist to check his pulse, and since his condition was stable, she restrained her temper from flaring up.

In a rather frustrated tone, she said, “Back then, she left everything behind in the Great Zhou Kingdom, making a clean break to start anew in Xiliang. She is the Empress of Xiliang, and it’s impossible for her palace to remain empty, or for there to be no heirs to inherit the throne.”

“What we can do is live our own lives peacefully, without interfering with each other.”

When Su Wan first learned of the news, it took her some time to process it.

Although she didn’t understand why her mother had abandoned her lover and child, and hadn’t inquired about them for over ten years since returning to Xiliang, the decision had already been made. It was unrealistic for a reigning Empress to be without a man or children by her side.

Since that’s the case, let’s keep things as they are.

“Your health is not suited for long journeys. Are you planning to send an envoy to Xiliang?”

Su Wan looked at his slightly pale face, noticing the illness lingering between his brows, and softened her tone. “You are the Regent of the Great Zhou Kingdom. If you go there in person and someone senses anything, it would be detrimental to both you and her.”

“Annoying.” The Regent picked up the document and tapped it against her head, his gaze full of disdain, and his voice cold. “Who gave you the audacity to make decisions for me?”

Su Wan caught the document and calmly replied, “You did.”

The veins on the Regent’s forehead throbbed, and his headache grew worse.

Seeing that he restrained himself from throwing her out, Su Wan couldn’t help but laugh softly and began to flatter him. “I’m just giving you advice. People always look forward, we can’t live in the past forever. Someone as wise as you must understand this, right?”

The Regent, unable to tolerate her any longer, snapped, “Luo Cheng, escort Young lady Su out.”

“I’ll leave on my own, no need to escort me!” Su Wan put the document back on the desk. The coronation ceremony was scheduled for the end of December.

It was currently September, a little over three months away.

Rushing with all speed, traveling day and night, it would take two months to reach Xiliang’s capital. If they followed the normal pace, it would take over three months, meaning they had to set out soon.

As she walked out of the study, Su Wan instructed Luo Cheng, “Prepare the medicinal bath for the Regent. Once he’s done, make sure to prepare some food for him.”

After a brief pause, remembering how the Regent had begrudgingly tolerated her, she curled her lips and added, “If he refuses to eat, just let me know, and I’ll pack my things and move into the Regent’s residence.”

She said this loudly enough for the Regent to hear. The veins on the back of his hand bulged with anger, and he was nearly ready to tie Su Wan up and feed her to the fish. With a stern face, he angrily ordered, “Luo Cheng, bring the medicinal bath!”

“Yes, Master, I’ll bring it right away!” Luo Cheng hurried off.

A mischievous glint flashed in Su Wan’s eyes. The Regent might appear aloof, but inside, he was soft-hearted.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind, and she sighed with frustration. “Huaizhi, am I really that annoying?”

The Regent, who seemed like he didn’t care about his own well-being, was surprisingly cooperative just to prevent her from moving into the residence.

Gu Huaizhi chuckled, “Of course not. If you weren’t likable, Godfather would have tied you up and thrown you into a pond long ago.”

How could she be allowed to cause a scene on his turf?

Su Wan clasped her hands behind her back, and her dark, gleaming eyes fixed on him, with a bright smile, she asked, “So, you like me, then?”

Gu Huaizhi looked into her eyes, which held a flicker of light that captivated him.

After a moment of silence, he gave a soft, low “Mm” in response.

Su Wan’s eyes widened in shock.

She hadn’t expected Gu Huaizhi to respond at all.

Su Wan’s eyes curved into a smile, and she lifted her chin slightly. “I’ll allow you to like me. After all, I’m so likable, it would be hard for you to go against your heart and not like me.”

Gu Huaizhi pinched her pointed chin, his gaze dark and deep. “Thank you, Lady, for your generosity.”

Su Wan rubbed her chin. “How does it feel?”

Gu Huaizhi didn’t answer; instead, he pinched her cheek lightly.

“Not bad.”

Su Wan glared at him angrily.

Gu Huaizhi’s lips curled into a smile.

Su Wan, too lazy to bother with him, decided to go to the front hall to wait for Luo Cheng.

Suddenly, Gu Huaizhi grabbed her hand and gave it a strong tug. Su Wan fell into his arms before she could react, and he caught her by the arm.

He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

Su Wan’s cheeks flushed red, and she completely forgot to be angry.

“Let’s go.” Gu Huaizhi released Su Wan and, quite composed, held her hand as they walked to the front hall.

Su Wan, feeling a bit dazed, followed his lead like a fool.

“Did you talk to Godfather?” Gu Huaizhi asked, helping her sit in a chair.

“I tried to get him to let things go.” Su Wan finally regained her senses, brushing aside the loose strands of hair from her forehead, and sighed. “The envoys from Xiliang brought a document inviting the Great Zhou Kingdom to attend the Crown Princess’s conferral ceremony. Historically, the conferral of a crown prince or princess has never involved inviting foreign countries to observe.

“Unless there are two underlying messages. First, it signals the importance they place on the heir. Second, it suggests the possibility of an alliance. The question is, what exactly is Xiliang’s intent?”