Chapter 125: Volume 1, Chapter 125: Rong Luoge Persuades Consort Liu

Han Xinglan looked at Rong Luoge. "Perhaps Consort Ming means to use this as bait..."

"Bait to lure you into a trap?" Rong Luoge immediately chimed in.

Han Xinglan gave a slight nod.

Rong Luoge was puzzled. "Then the loss truly would be far too great. If Consort Ming's husband is also in on it, then Ming Yuhua, who knows nothing of it, would be heartbroken beyond measure."

All this time Ming Yuhua had been grieving over her parents' situation—only to find out they were putting on an act?

Why not tell Ming Yuhua?

If their conjecture was true, then there could be only one explanation: Ming Yuhua's temperament was not quite steady, and she had been somewhat careless in the past, so they dared not confide such a plan to their daughter.

Perhaps the intention was good, but being caught in the middle, with Ming Yuhua so denied by her own family, watching her grieve time and again—even if she ultimately learned their purpose, she would likely find it hard to let go.

The marriage between the two families was settled quickly, and the wedding was held even faster. Not only was Consort Ming eager to win over Xiao Shen, but Han Xinglan also did not want to keep dragging things out with them and wished to accelerate the process.

The wedding was held on a grand scale. As the Crown Prince, Han Xinglan would not make an appearance; the emperor was already deeply wary, and if he showed up, the emperor would likely suspect him of courting Xiao Shen.

Prince Qi, however, as Ming Yuhua's older cousin, did not avoid suspicion and even attended in person to offer his congratulations.

Rong Luoge, as a mere Good Lady, certainly would not show her face either. She gave her wedding gift to Ming Yuhua in private and made no mention of her conjecture with Han Xinglan, simply wishing her a good marriage.

On the day she married, Ming Yuhua boarded the bridal sedan chair in tears, but once she entered the bridal chamber she let out a long breath and put on a genuine smile.

Rong Luoge was right—this was, after all, the most important event of her life. Even if there was an element of spite in it, she still wanted to give it a try. What if her luck happened to be good?

And at the same time, Rong Luoge had also established contact with Liu Yingying.

Liu Yingying's time in the Hou Gong had not been going smoothly. The empress had indeed given her a push back then and helped her get what she wanted—His Majesty's favor—but who could have expected that Consort Ming, a woman past her prime, would be so formidable, turning right around and coaxing the emperor back?

Since that time, she had not seen His Majesty for nearly a month. She had also gone to Fengyi Palace to seek the empress's help, but the empress had not relented.

Liu Yingying did not know what the empress was wary of, but her current circumstances were far from good.

Without the emperor's favor, Consort Ming's targeting of her was entirely unreserved, and her days grew increasingly difficult—especially when her stipended provisions were being docked and inferior goods substituted for quality ones.

She reported the matter to Her Majesty the Empress, hoping the empress would uphold justice for her, but the empress merely had her docked provisions restored, while those responsible faced no punishment whatsoever.

With that being the case, how could those people ever be afraid?

Liu Yingying was now trapped in a vicious cycle in the Hou Gong, and for the time being she had no way to break free.

It was at this moment that Rong Luoge came looking for her.

Liu Yingying naturally knew of this Good Lady of the Dong Gong. Her rise to prominence was even more renowned than her own—this was the Former Consort of the Qi Prince, and a divorced one at that. It was said that after entering the Dong Gong, she had earned the Crown Prince's deep favor.

Rumors were, after all, just rumors. When Liu Yingying finally met Rong Luoge, she could not help but be startled, thinking to herself that faced with such a beauty, even if she herself were a man, she would likely be moved.

The place where the two had arranged to meet was very secluded—a small pavilion behind the Linglong Pavilion where Liu Yingying resided.

This small pavilion could only be reached by passing through Linglong Pavilion, so there was no fear of anyone coming to eavesdrop.

Liu Yingying tried her best to appear calm. The environment she had grown up in since childhood had been harsh. In order to grow up safely and to exact her revenge, she had always suppressed herself; reading people's expressions was second nature to her.

Yet she could not quite see through the Good Lady Rong before her. The other party had clearly been the one to initiate the meeting, but now that the two of them were seated here, Liu Yingying—who ought to have held the dominant position—felt an indescribable sense of being suppressed.

"For what reason does Good Lady Rong wish to meet with me?" Liu Yingying spoke up first.

Hearing this, Rong Luoge gave a faint smile and looked at her, speaking softly: "Consort Liu has been in the palace for quite some time now; I imagine you are already familiar with life in the palace. Are you accustomed to it?"

Liu Yingying was of course not accustomed to it, but none of that could be said aloud. She smiled and replied, "Thanks to His Majesty's grace, things are passable."

"Consort Liu is a clever person. Since I have sought you out, you should know that I am fully aware of everything about your current situation—so why bother lying to me?" Rong Luoge smiled with even greater composure. "I have come today with sincerity."

Liu Yingying's heart tightened. She frowned and looked at Rong Luoge. "What does Good Lady Rong mean by that? I don't understand."

Rong Luoge was not annoyed at this. She smiled and continued, "Speaking of which, Consort Liu and I are in the same boat—both of us lost our birth mothers early and had to make a living under a stepmother's hand. I do not wish to live that kind of life again, and I imagine Consort Liu does not either. Consort Liu, in the flower of her youth, was willing to enter the palace—for what purpose, you and I both know full well. Yet right now, I fear Consort Liu is not getting what she wants, is that not so?"

Liu Yingying's expression shifted slightly, but she stubbornly refused to concede. "Good Lady Rong is a clever person, and those words carry some sense. But since you know what I want, with your current status, what help can you possibly offer me?"

"A person's life spans several decades; why should Consort Liu fixate on this short year or half before her? Shouldn't your gaze be set further ahead?" Rong Luoge looked at her and said, "How do you know I cannot give you what you want? Does Consort Liu not wish to know why Consort Ming was able to win back His Majesty's favor?"

Consort Liu's heart skipped a beat, her expression shifting unpredictably—clearly half-believing, half-doubting, her mind filled with suspicion.

Rong Luoge observed Consort Liu's expression and knew that although she still had misgivings, she was already tempted.

To commit herself in the bloom of youth to an old man like the emperor—was it for his age? Was it so he could be a father to her?

Of course not.

What Consort Liu sought was the emperor's favor and the power that imperial favor would bring—the power to make the stepmother who had once oppressed her bow her head. That was the greatest desire buried deep in her heart.

Nothing was more satisfying than watching those who had once bullied her kneel at her feet.

"Why?" After hesitating for a long while, Liu Yingying ultimately could not suppress the longing in her heart and asked the question.

She did not want to wait on the empress's empty promises, stuck here waiting for the right moment. Waiting and waiting—when would the moment ever come?

Rong Luoge recalled what Han Xinglan had told her. A faint gleam flashed in her eyes as she leaned slightly forward and lowered her voice: "You think Consort Ming, already a woman past her prime, could truly keep His Majesty's devotion through her looks alone? Of course not!"

"Then what does she rely on?" Liu Yingying asked, somewhat urgently. If it was not beauty, there had to be some other shortcut.

If Consort Ming could take that path, why couldn't she?