Chapter 144: True Villain

This investigation lasted from morning to evening, and Rong Luoge naturally knew about the falling out between Xu Chenghui and Song Hui, and looked at Que Cai and said: "I didn't expect Xu Chenghui to have such a strong personality; Qin Fengyi steers with the wind and acts prudently to protect himself, the two of them are rather interesting."

Que Cai laughed and said: "Having been in Dong Gong for so long, you should see clearly the current situation. If you keep messing around with Song Good Lady, you won't do anything to her because she's a Good Lady, but others aren't so lucky. Moreover, the Good Lady acts on the order of His Highness, with legitimate authority; even if Song Good Lady comes to cause trouble, there won't be any result."

Rong Luoge nodded, thought for a moment and said: "Tonight have the kitchen add two dishes for Qin Fengyi and Xu Chenghui."

Que Cai smiled, "Yes, I will go give the order right away."

Good Lady did this, and it clearly slapped Zhou Liangyuan and Song Good Lady's faces; tomorrow it will probably be even more lively.

After Que Cai left, Rong Luoge examined the roster Zhao Grandma had brought, the markings were clear, but for now she couldn't see who was connected to Consort Ming, so she asked Yuan Bao to continue investigating.

As the sky grew dark and the Crown Prince hadn't returned, Rong Luoge grew restless, wondering if nothing would happen in today's military drill.

While she was thinking that, Rong Xin, looking pale, hurried in: "Good Lady, the time steward sent word back: today's drill was a great success, the three main camps and the Imperial Dragon Guard fought evenly; His Majesty was very pleased and forced himself to watch the whole drill. Yet on the way back to the palace he fainted, and the Prince, following the sacred carriage, entered the palace; don't worry, Good Lady."

Rong Luoge's heart jumped; indeed, the thing they feared most had happened.

She looked at Rong Xin and said: "Immediately send a letter to Liu Guipin, instruct her to do whatever it takes to attend to His Majesty, and under no circumstances let Consort Ming be alone with His Majesty." She paused, "Liu Guipin cannot restrain Consort Ming; have her go ask the Empress to take the front line."

If Consort Ming were to seize the Taoist temple first, that would be bad news; the current plan is to have Liu Guipin, the Empress's own person, ask the Empress, so that before Consort Ming finishes her deployment, the Empress can smoothly enter the temple.

In this way, the Empress and Consort Ming would check each other, and she and Han Xinglan could act freely.

Rong Xin, knowing the matter was urgent, turned and left at once.

As soon as Rong Xin left, Rong Luoge felt extremely anxious, summoned Zhao Grandma, and asked her directly: "Grandma, are there reliable people in Hou Gong who can gather information?"

Zhao Grandma was startled, then quickly turned around and said: "Yes, what information does Good Lady want to investigate?"

Rong Luoge looked at her and said: "Ideally we can learn the situation of the Taoist temple; hope His Majesty remains safe."

After the drill, how His Majesty will arrange the three main camps and the Imperial Dragon Guard is still unsettled; Rong Luoge certainly doesn't want the emperor to collapse like that, as it would cause Han Xinglan many troubles.

Zhao Grandma listened attentively, though she still couldn't guess what Good Lady really thought, she knew the Taoist temple's situation concerning His Majesty was crucial: "I will arrange it right away, Good Lady, don't worry; His Majesty, as the sovereign of the nation, will surely be safe."

Rong Luoge nodded, "Thank you, Grandma, go."

The hall fell silent again, and Rong Luoge, unusually restless, felt agitated no matter what she did; she hadn't felt this in many years.

"Good Lady, Yuan Bao has returned," Que Cai entered, bowing back.

"Let him in," Rong Luoge said promptly, gathering her spirit.

Yuan Bao entered quickly, "I, the servant, pay respects to Good Lady."

"Stand up, how is the investigation going?" Rong Luoge asked.

Yuan Bao looked up at Good Lady and replied: "The one who started it is a kitchen maid."

"How did you find that out?" Rong Luoge asked, interested in this point.

Yuan Bao then said: "Good Lady, you are not very familiar with the kitchen. Although the kitchen has many people, it has its own set of rules; every position requires two people together, to supervise each other. I interrogated everyone one by one; all could prove that when they worked, another person was present, except for that kitchen maid. She claims she was just cleaning the kitchen stove, but that task wasn't hers alone, and no one can testify for her, so she is the prime suspect."

Rong Luoge hadn't realized the kitchen had such a system, and thought it reasonable; without it, how could Dong Gong ensure the Crown Prince's safety?

"And then?" Rong Luoge asked.

Yuan Bao continued: "I also don't want to wrongfully accuse the innocent, so after capturing the kitchen maid we locked her in the dungeon for interrogation, then took people to her home. There we found the house empty; it had been vacated about half a month ago. The more I thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed, so I investigated the family's background. After careful checking, I learned that the kitchen maid once had an older sister who entered the palace as a maid, served Consort Ming for a time, but later died in the palace."

Rong Luoge, intrigued, said, "Continue."

"I thought the matter interesting, so I spent a large sum to investigate. Indeed, the kitchen maid's left neighbor had more dealings with the family; vaguely I heard they mentioned that once the maid's older brother, when drunk, let slip that his big sister died unjustly, thanks to Consort Ming's sense of justice."

Rong Luoge mused, "How did that kitchen maid get into Dong Gong? If she were Consort Ming's person, there would be some trace."

Yuan Bao nodded, "I am already investigating that point. The kitchen maid, even after punishment, refuses to confess, so this will take more effort. I will go investigate the palace. The palace staff sent to Dong Gong were all selected by the Empress; to insert spies through the Empress's hand, only a few positions could be manipulated, and I am checking each one."

Rong Luoge was surprised that Yuan Bao was so capable, and said: "You did well, thank you for your hard work; this matter is of great importance, push yourself harder and uncover the truth as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Bao let out a long sigh of relief; receiving praise from Good Lady made him feel satisfied, and his position in Changxin Palace was now secure.

Yuan Bao, pleased, said immediately: "I will go right away, Good Lady, await my good news."

Rong Luoge nodded, "Good."

After Yuan Bao left, Rong Luoge thought that if this thread could be clarified, they might uncover a hidden foothold of Consort Ming, which would be excellent news for them.

Especially since the current situation is not very favorable to them…

Rong Luoge let out a long sigh, hesitating whether to conduct a night reconnaissance of Qi Wang Fu to see if any secrets could be heard.