Chapter 7: Response

Zhou Gu went directly to the Crown Prince's study room.

The Crown Prince, Yan Huisheng, is the legitimate son of the Empress and the heir to the Eastern Palace. He has been established as the Crown Prince since birth and is now nineteen.

The Emperor has many sons, and the Crown Prince is not the oldest, he is just the legitimate son. He has two elder half-brothers and three younger half-brothers, all of similar age.

Therefore, the Crown Prince has been very aware since he was a child that as the heir, everyone in the court and the imperial harem is watching his every move, expecting no mistakes. This responsibility has made him become cautious and prudent from an early age.

Compared to the other princes, Yan Huisheng is known for his self-discipline, integrity, and good upbringing. He is polite, modest, and highly respected by all.

At this moment, he was discussing state affairs with Grand Tutor Qin in his study. When he heard that Qin Luan, who was sent from the palace, had arrived, he gave a light hum and said without lifting his head, "Let the housekeeper arrange it as he sees fit."

After the housekeeper left, Grand Tutor Qin looked at Yan Huisheng. "Now that His Majesty has given you a palace maid, will you accept her?"

Yan Huisheng shook his head, "Just as usual."

Since the Crown Prince's thirteenth birthday, the palace has been sending trained palace maids to him. He has never used them and, as time passed, the palace still sent some each year. The Crown Prince accepted these women, but he never let any of them near him. However, this is a secret of the Eastern Palace.

Grand Tutor Qin tentatively suggested, "Your Highness, you are no longer a child. It's about time for you to have a woman to attend to you."

Yan Huisheng shook his head, "I have no interest."

Grand Tutor Qin's face changed instantly.

Yan Huisheng glanced up at him, chuckled, and said, "Grand Tutor, you misunderstood, I am not uninterested in women, just not interested at this time."

Grand Tutor Qin let out a sigh of relief, "His Majesty intends to select a consort for you this year. Do you have any potential candidates in mind for your princess consort?"

Yan Huisheng paused for a moment, but did not respond.

Grand Tutor Qin observed and analyzed, "If Your Highness has a preferred candidate, you should make plans early. If His Majesty makes a pick that you do not like, the situation would be quite challenging. Now is a good time to make your wishes known to the Empress so that she can help with the matter."

Yan Huisheng twiddled his fingers but still said nothing.

Then, Grand Tutor Qin added, "The Crown Prince's wife should come from a noble family. Since the wives of the first and second princes come from Marquis Nanping Residence and the Pingxi General's Residence respectively, all noble households, the social status of your chosen wife must not be inferior. It would otherwise be difficult to suppress the first and second princes."

Furthermore, "It would be best to marry a daughter from Duke Residence. The fifth daughter of Duke Residence is still unmarried."

"Duke Residence has Zhou Gu, there's no need for a marital alliance." Yan Huisheng promptly rejected.

"If not from Duke Residence, there are also the Prime Minister's Residence, King Rui'an Residence, Marquis Cheng'an Residence, and Princess Qingping Residence to choose from." Grand Tutor Qin offered several alternatives in succession, "Any of these families can be of great assistance to Your Highness."

"What if I choose none of these families?"

Grand Tutor Qin was startled. Suspecting something bad, he cautiously asked, "Your Highness, are you interested in a girl, but she comes from a humble family with a lower social status?"

"You could say that."

Grand Tutor Qin's heart skipped a beat. He suggested, "You could take her as your concubine."

Yan Huisheng pressed his forehead, "We will discuss this later!"

Grand Tutor Qin could only stop there.

At this moment, someone outside reported, "Your Highness, Young Master Zhou is here."

Yan Huisheng gave a nod, "I know."

Grand Tutor Qin frowned, "This Zhou Gu, ever since the incident where he snatched someone, was beaten up by the old Duke and has been recovering from his injuries for days. He hasn't been here for a while. Did he come because of Qin Luan?"

Yan Huisheng did not know either, "We will know once we see him."

Shortly thereafter, Zhou Gu arrived at the study. The moment he saw Grand Tutor Qin, his scalp started to tingle. He wanted to turn around and leave, but once he heard Grand Tutor Qin's cold hum, Zhou Gu touched his nose and came in to pay his respects, "Crown Prince, Grand Tutor."

His greeting was much more serious than the lazy ones he usually gave in front of the old Duke.

With a smile, Yan Huisheng asked, "What brings you here?"

Zhou Gu instantly stated, "I'm not here because of Qin Luan, Your Highness, please do not misunderstand."

Yan Huisheng raised his eyebrows, gave a light "Oh," and chuckled to himself, "Then what are you here for?"

Zhou Gu scratched his head, glanced at Grand Tutor Qin and felt uncomfortable with him standing there. Intent on swiftly finishing what he had to say and leave, he explained, "When I was a child, my grandfather arranged a marriage for me to a girl in Jiangning. Now, my fiancée is about to have her Coming-of-age Ceremony. Jiangning sent a letter, and my grandfather asked me to go there personally to attend her Coming-of-age Ceremony."

"Jiangning?" Yan Huisheng was taken aback.

"Yes, Jiangning." Zhou Gu did not show any signs of impatience in front of Yan Huisheng. "I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm just here to inform Your Highness. I'll probably be gone for about a month. Don't miss me, Your Highness."