Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

Zilanyuan

After two days of rest, Lin Rong's complexion had improved a lot, but she still looked somewhat haggard.

At that moment, she was taking her medicine when Su Jing'an walked in. Seeing her haggard appearance and the medicine in her hand, he couldn't help but show a worried expression. "You're sick."

Lin Rong slowly put down her bowl. "Why are you here, sir? Weren't you on a case?"

Su Jing'an quickly composed himself, walked over and sat down beside her, "It's all taken care of."

"That's good."

"You were sick, why didn't you send someone to inform me?"

“You’ve been so busy lately that you haven’t had time to come home. I imagine the case must be quite difficult, so I didn’t want to distract you. Besides, it’s not a serious illness; a few doses of medicine will do the trick.”

"No, that's not true..." Qinghui wanted to retort, but was stopped by a look from Lin Rong, so she didn't continue.

Su Jing'an saw it, but said nothing.

Then, Lin Rong asked, "Master, is there something you need?"

"The transfer order has been issued. The Emperor wants me to return to the capital within a month."

"A month? Isn't that too rushed? The journey alone will take about ten days."

"Since it is the imperial decree, we can only obey. Tell the servants to pack quickly, and we will set off back in half a month." Then, thinking of something, he added, "Let Shiyu and Rou'er help you."

"Okay," Lin Rong replied, without giving a deep thought to the meaning behind his last sentence.

"By the way, find an opportunity to discuss the marriage with Mrs. Gu."

"Marriage? Whose marriage?" Lin Rong asked, looking completely bewildered.

"Wan'er and Gu Mingxuan's."

Lin Rong was somewhat surprised, thinking that the matter was over and done with, but then she said, "Aren't we about to return to the capital? This..."

"Gu Mingxuan is very likely to pass the imperial examination next year. Even if he doesn't make it into the top three, he will definitely be on the list. Wan'er will not lose out by marrying him."

Lin Rong looked troubled.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"I'm afraid Wanshan won't agree."

"Since ancient times, marriages have always been arranged by parents and matchmakers. How could she possibly be unwilling? Besides, if Gu Mingxuan passes the imperial examination, she might not be a good match for him. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked you to arrange her marriage now."

"Then I'll have a chat with Mrs. Gu tomorrow."

"No rush, wait a couple of days. Send her a message first and see how the Gu family reacts."

"it is good".

"Then you should take good care of yourself. I still have some official business to attend to. I'll go back to my study first and come over for dinner."

"it is good".

Su Jing'an glanced at her with a complicated expression before leaving.

After he left, Granny Li couldn't help but say, "Madam, this old servant knows you resent the master, but so many years have passed, it's time for you to let it go."

"When we got married, he promised me that he would never take another concubine. But he not only took Concubine Liu, but also had a concubine's daughter. That's not all. But his concubine's daughter not only wanted to ruin Rou'er's reputation, but also wanted to kill Rou'er. And what did he do? Cough cough," Lin Rong coughed involuntarily in her excitement.

Granny Li hurriedly stepped forward and gently patted her back to soothe her. "Madam, please don't be agitated. It was my fault. I will never mention it again."

Hearing her words from outside the door, Su Jing'an felt a mix of emotions before walking away.

After leaving the courtyard, he instructed, "Have the young lady go to the study."

“Yes,” Liu Tian replied.

Fifteen minutes later, Su Qianrou arrived at the study and saw Su Jing'an handling official business, so she called out, "Father."

Su Jing'an then looked up at her and said, "You're here. Please sit down for a while. I'll come over after I finish processing this document."

"Okay," Su Qianrou said, and then sat down to the side.

Soon after, Su Jing'an finished his business and sat down next to her. "I heard your restaurant opened and business is very good."

"Hmm, it's alright."

“I’ve heard all about it. There was a long line of customers at the door, and some even started queuing before dawn just to get a table.”

"Dad still has time to pay attention to these things."

“These past few days, everyone in the government office has been talking about it, so it’s hard for me not to know… By the way, do you think it’s possible to have someone cook a meal at the government office? They’ve been working hard on cases lately, and I’m about to leave office, so this is a good opportunity to treat everyone to a meal.”

"How many people?"

"About 200 people."

"Okay, I'll discuss it with Linlin."

"Ok".

Su Qianrou thought of something and asked in surprise, "Did Father just say that you were going to leave your post?"

"Yes, His Majesty has issued a decree ordering me to return to the capital."

"Why so suddenly? What happened?"

"It's not entirely sudden. More than a month ago, Grand Tutor Song revealed to me that the Regent intended for me to return to the capital to take up a post, but the imperial edict was only issued today."

"Then we have to go back too."

"Yes, we'll set off in two weeks."

"Is it in such a rush?"

"There's no other way. The imperial decree requires you to return within a month. By the way, you shouldn't go out during this time. Stay at home and help your mother. She's not feeling well, so don't let her overwork herself."

"Dad has gone to see Mom."

"Yeah, you guys are the same. Your mother is sick and you didn't even tell me."

"I'm just seeing how busy you are."

"No matter how busy I am, I will always find time to come back and visit."

Su Qianrou was somewhat surprised. She hadn't noticed before, but now she realized that he seemed to treat Lin Rong differently. She tentatively asked, "Does Father know why Mother is sick?"

“I don’t know, your mother never said anything,” Su Jing’an said, feeling somewhat disappointed.

“If I say that Mother fell ill because of poisoning, Father will believe me.”

"What? You mean your mother was poisoned?"

Su Qianrou nodded.

"Who poisoned me?" Su Jing'an's eyes changed, becoming sharp.

Su Qianrou shook her head. "I don't know, I haven't found out yet."

Su Jing'an fell into deep thought, his brows furrowed, and then asked with concern, "Is there a cure for your mother's poison?"

"The poisoning has been cured, but Mother has been poisoned for seven years, so her health is inevitably affected."

"Seven years, what have the doctors been doing? Seven years have passed, and not a single one has been able to find anything."

"You can't blame them for this. This kind of poison only appears in Lingnan, so it's normal that they can't detect it."

"Lingnan?" Su Jing'an was somewhat surprised, then asked, "Who found out that your mother was poisoned?"

“One of my new maids is a girl whose grandfather was originally a royal physician. After he retired, she followed him to learn medicine, so her medical skills are quite good.”

"She can't cure your mother either."

"No, it can only be treated gradually."

Upon hearing this, Su Jing'an remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Su Qianrou didn't disturb them, picked up her teacup, and took a sip of tea.