Chapter 152: Killing with a Soft Knife

Rong Luoge replied, "I received the decree and arrived at the Hou Gong; His Majesty arranged it so, and I dare not speak further. However, if the Empress Dowager wishes to know, I will later ask His Majesty."

Empress Dowager listened to Rong Luoge's soft‑knife words, her displeasure becoming more evident, "As His Majesty's consort, you alone entered the Hou Gong first; how can the court officials guess His Majesty's intentions? For His Majesty, you should also persuade him more. Now, bring Song Good Lady and the others in."

Hm?

The Empress Dowager had fallen out with Han Xinglan, knowing Han Xinglan would not obey her, so she threw the matter to her, hoping to make it go her way, getting Song Huihe into the Hou Gong to add to her frustration.

If it fails, the emperor will vent his anger on her for meddling, siding with the Empress Dowager; if the two have a poor relationship, the emperor will naturally come to dislike her.

The Empress Dowager's move isn't very clever, but it's extremely disgusting.

Rong Luoge's smile faded; she lifted her head to look at the Empress Dowager and, unhurriedly, began, "What the Empress Dowager says, I also think is appropriate, but there is another issue. In my haste to enter the Hou Gong, I could only reside in the desolate, remote Yuzhao Gong. Where will the others live? The new emperor's concubines cannot be placed in the most remote chambers of the Hou Gong; if that spreads, how will His Majesty keep any face before others?"

If you let me bring people in, I'll make space for you.

The Empress Dowager did not expect Rong Luoge to react so quickly, and to dare use these matters to shut her up; moreover, this is a legitimate issue, so even in her petulance the Empress Dowager could not lash out over it.

Now her good son is still very attentive to Rong Luoge; if she harms her, she cannot guess what he would do.

Having held palace authority for years, the Empress Dowager, after a change of mind, looked at Rong Luoge and said, "Do as the palace rules dictate."

Rong Luoge listened to the Empress Dowager's words, light as a feather; the words sounded righteous, but without handing over the treasure seal and refusing assistance, how could she make anyone relocate the palace?

The Empress Dowager is deliberately making it difficult for her.

Rong Luoge immediately showed a grateful expression, "Empress Dowager truly cares for His Majesty, understanding the great righteousness. Since that is so, I dare ask: the Funing Palace has already been prepared for the Empress Dowager by His Majesty; when would it be appropriate for you to move there? With you setting an example for the Grand Consorts, the other Grand Consorts will certainly not trouble the concubine. Empress Dowager, you are truly a good person."

The Empress Dowager made her displeased; she naturally would not back down, and everyone is now displeased.

The Empress Dowager's expression indeed darkened, but once Rong Luoge mentioned that the emperor had already prepared the Funing Palace, the Empress Dowager could not flare up, though her mood was truly terrible.

"Rong Good Lady, you have just entered the palace and are already impatiently shooing me away? What are your intentions!" the Empress Dowager slammed the table and said.

Rong Luoge stood up, looked at the Empress Dowager, and still respectfully said, "Empress Dowager, please calm your anger. I thought you were allowing the other Dong Gong concubines to enter the Hou Gong, having prepared for a relocation. I have no other intention, but if the Empress Dowager wants the Dong Gong concubines to enter the palace yet refuses to free up chambers, how can they be accommodated? Please give your instruction."

In the Hou Gong, the high‑rank concubines of the major palaces already reside; Song Huihe and the others truly have nowhere to stay, that is a fact. If the Empress Dowager dared say to send Song Huihe and the others to those remote chambers, she would indeed have them moved, and then she would surely make a name for the Empress Dowager.

As an Empress Dowager's Grand Consort, one should courteously make space for the new emperor's women; standing still and not moving, and placing the new emperor's women in remote chambers is fundamentally against protocol.

Rong Luoge bets the Empress Dowager would not dare do that!

Sure enough, the Empress Dowager fell silent.

Rong Luoge felt relieved inside; some people are just despicable, always treating others like soft persimmons to squeeze, never fearing they might get pricked.

Yan Yin was extremely worried; she hadn't expected the matter to spiral like this, fearing the Empress Dowager might not step down, and immediately said, "Rong Good Lady makes a valid point, but Grand Consort Ming is causing a lot of trouble, and the Empress Dowager cannot force the issue, lest she be accused of abusing power; the Empress Dowager is also in a dilemma."

Rong Luoge, after hearing Yan Yin's words, thought to herself that it was fitting for someone who had served the Empress Dowager for decades to be so loyal.

But Yan Yin's remark made some people feel rather uncomfortable.

She worries the Empress Dowager might be accused of abusing power; if Rong Luoge undertakes this, how would others speak of her when the news spreads?

Is her reputation not important?

No, her reputation is extremely important; after all, she already bears the stain of a separation, and any further flaw would make a comeback far too difficult.

But Yan Yin would not think that way; she only thinks of the Empress Dowager.

Rong Luoge, showing no outward sign, gently said, "Since that is so, I will report back to His Majesty and ask him to adjudicate."

Even if Rong Luoge were to do this, she would not let the Empress Dowager think it easy; after she says that, whatever they do thereafter, they will think it is Han Xinglan's intention.

The Empress Dowager was infuriated by Rong Luoge's shamelessness—does even a trivial matter require dragging the emperor out?

"If Rong Good Lady can't even decide on such a small matter, then the affairs of the Hou Gong can't be handled properly either," the Empress Dowager said with a stern face.

Is she threatening me with palace authority? Rong Luoge truly isn't afraid.

"Empress Dowager says that the concubine indeed does not dare to decide on her own; you know His Majesty's temperament—if he learns the concubine acted on her own, he would certainly blame her. The concubine truly does not dare to act independently," Rong Luoge thought, pretending to be a pure lotus, a false saint—who wouldn't?

The Empress Dowager is at odds with her son, cannot control him, and now wants to take it out on her?

Don't even think about it!

The Empress Dowager, furious, her face darkened, lifted the tea before her.

Rong Luoge, upon seeing this, obediently rose and took her leave.

Yan Yin, seeing this and feeling anxious, stepped aside to send Rong Good Lady out. Once they reached the hall entrance, Yan Yin whispered, "Good Lady, don't be upset; these past days have been full of incidents. Grand Consort Ming is constantly at odds with the Empress Dowager; it will settle after a while."

Rong Luoge looked at Yan Yin and sighed, "Aunt Yan, I know you are a good person and that you are right, but you also know I truly cannot act against His Majesty. I am a person who has undergone a separation; I have no standing, so I can only obey His Majesty."

Yan Yin, hearing Rong Good Lady's words, also felt sorry for her.

Rong Luoge, upon seeing, said softly, "The Empress Dowager and His Majesty are mother and son; even if they have a temporary displeasure, mother and son do not hold grudges overnight. Now His Majesty is facing difficulties everywhere; if the Empress Dowager were to step back and voluntarily relocate to Funing Palace, how could His Majesty not be grateful to the Empress Dowager? Aunt Yan, His Majesty is truly in a bind, and you know Grand Consort Ming's side—everyone at court is watching, and His Majesty cannot make a mistake."

Rong Luoge also knows the art of winning hearts.

The Empress Dowager kills with a soft knife, but Rong Luoge is different; she draws a blade and chops the melon—decisive and swift.