Chapter 171: Volume 1, Chapter 171 — The Emperor's Provocation

It was not only Han Xinglan who longed for this child; in truth, Rong Luoge herself also yearned for a child. Firstly, a child was the crystallization of their love, their shared hope. Secondly, this child would allow Rong Luoge to legitimately ascend to the position of empress—being a Noble Consort and being an Empress were different.

As a Noble Consort, she did not even feel fully confident before the Empress Dowager, relying entirely on Han Xinglan's backing for the Empress Dowager to show any restraint.

But if she became Empress, she could legitimately take hold of the Hou Gong's authority, and whatever she did afterward would be entirely proper.

This child was not merely the crystallization of their love; to Rong Luoge, it carried even greater weight.

Though she did not particularly value the identity of Empress, if she wanted to stand as equals beside Han Xinglan, the position of Empress was something she absolutely had to have—only thus could she silence the court officials.

"Can't sleep?" Han Xinglan sensed Rong Luoge beside him constantly tossing and turning, so he simply sat up and looked at her, asking.

"A little." Rong Luoge did not rise. She looked at Han Xinglan and spoke softly, "It still doesn't feel quite real."

Han Xinglan smiled. He felt the same way. He had waited a long time for this child, and now that it had finally come, he shared her sense that it felt unreal.

Han Xinglan lay down beside Rong Luoge and drew her into his arms. "Sleep. You need to rest well right now. When you wake up, you'll know it's real—no one is tricking you."

Listening to Han Xinglan's tone as if coaxing a child, Rong Luoge was torn between laughter and tears. She closed her eyes and said, "Don't let word of this get out for now. With the army's departure imminent, don't let everyone get distracted."

Han Xinglan nodded. "Alright, I'll listen to you."

Rong Luoge pillowed her head on Han Xinglan's shoulder and finally drifted off to sleep.

Once Rong Luoge's breathing grew light and even, Han Xinglan rose quietly and went to the study. He opened the scroll Rong Luoge had drawn during the day—he would need to share more of her burden from now on. A pregnant woman was always exhausted; he could not let her overexert herself.

Han Xinglan had only intended to finish up Rong Luoge's remaining work, but as he read on, he became absorbed. Looking at the breakdown of production steps she had written, transforming the Official Manufacturing Bureau into an assembly-line production system—this concept was very novel, but as the notes stated, if each craftsman focused on only one step, once they achieved proficiency through repetition, the speed would inevitably increase dramatically.

To Han Xinglan right now, this was undoubtedly the thing he needed most urgently. He stayed up through the night reading the scroll by candlelight, then paced the study with his hands behind his back, his footsteps growing faster and faster, his expression growing more and more relaxed.

This was exactly what he wanted. No matter what he needed, it seemed she could always find a way to ease his worries.

His emotions surging, Han Xinglan strode back to the bedchamber, lifted the curtain, and looked at the sleeping Rong Luoge. He sat on the edge of the bed and studied her face—only upon this careful scrutiny did he realize she had grown much thinner, and her complexion was not as lovely as before.

He could not help feeling a pang of guilt. In the early days of his reign, there had been so much to do, and it was she who had shouldered much of the pressure for him—not only keeping the Hou Gong arranged in perfect order, but also easing his worries over court affairs.

Han Xifeng lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to the center of Rong Luoge's brow. Only then did he lower the curtain again and, taking the scroll, headed to the front hall. Today was destined to be another busy day.

First, the matter of paper armor had caused a stir in the court. Whether this thing could be successfully made and how effective it would be—opinions were divided, and no one would know until the first batch of paper armor was produced and tested by soldiers.

Now the Official Manufacturing Bureau was to be rebuilt as well. The Minister of Works, Wu Lu, was summoned into the palace before dawn. After he entered the palace and saw what His Majesty showed him, he immediately clapped his hands in approval.

Han Xinglan knew that the Ministry of Works and the Official Manufacturing Bureau had never seen eye to eye; the two departments constantly schemed against each other in private. Wu Lu had pledged his loyalty back during the Dong Gong era, and now it was his time to step forward.

"I entrust this matter to you, my dear minister. I wonder—can you do it well?" Han Xinglan looked at Wu Lu and asked.

Wu Lu considered for a moment before asking, "Your Majesty, I would like to know—are we to build an entirely new Official Manufacturing Bureau, or renovate the existing one?"

Han Xinglan looked directly at Wu Lu and said, "The imperial army is about to march, and the treasury is strained. If I do not allocate you silver, can the Ministry of Works accomplish this with its current resources?"

Wu Lu thought for a moment and said, "If it is only paper armor for now, I can manage it."

This was His Majesty handing him a merit on a silver platter. As long as the sky did not fall, he was determined to get the job done well.

Han Xinglan breathed an inward sigh of relief, and his expression toward Wu Lu grew much warmer. "Rest assured, my dear minister—this is only a temporary difficulty. Once we bring private merchants under the Ministry of Works later on, your burden will certainly lighten considerably. For now, devote all your effort to producing paper armor. Before the army marches, make as many as you can."

Wu Lu's heart skipped a beat. "Your Majesty, are we not going to wait for the Official Manufacturing Bureau to produce some first and test them?"

Han Xinglan said, "As long as you follow the procedures in the manual and do not cut corners, it will surely succeed."

Hearing His Majesty's resolute tone, Wu Lu suddenly felt a surge of boldness as well. If His Majesty had such confidence, why shouldn't he? The drawloom from before had brought him enormous benefit—he had great faith in His Majesty.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will oversee this matter with all my effort and will absolutely not disappoint you." Wu Lu resolved to roll up his sleeves and throw himself into the work. This was a golden opportunity for the Ministry of Works to finally hold its head high.

For so many years, the Ministry of Works had been the lowliest of the Six Ministries. Who would give them a second glance? Now they finally had a chance to turn things around.

Wu Lu was so fired up that he left the palace with a glowing red face.

Han Xinglan smiled inwardly, then sent Shi An on a trip to the Official Manufacturing Bureau, letting it slip that the subsequent production of paper armor would be handed over to the Ministry of Works. He needed those people at the Official Manufacturing Bureau to understand that he, the emperor, could still function perfectly well without them.

Those curs thought he was a newly enthroned emperor, easy to fool—making paper armor and still demanding all sorts of conditions. Let's see how much longer they'd dare to jump around now!

When the Official Manufacturing Bureau held a monopoly, there had naturally been no way to deal with them. But Han Xinglan was never one to be at the mercy of others. If the Official Manufacturing Bureau dared to trip him up, he could simply start from scratch and build another Official Manufacturing Bureau!

Xiao Shen had the sharpest nose. The moment he got the news, he hurried into the palace and said to His Majesty, "Your Majesty, set aside one thousand sets of paper armor for me first. I plan to form a light cavalry unit to advance with light gear."

Xiao Shen had dealt with weapons his entire life. The moment paper armor appeared, he pondered it overnight and realized it was an excellent thing—its light weight made it ideal for cavalry.

A suit of armor, even the lightest, weighed at least several dozen jin, adding considerable burden to a horse when riding. But paper armor?

It was more than twice as light as iron armor. If he formed a paper-armored cavalry unit, they would have ample stamina for long-distance raids. In battle, whoever saved energy and time would inevitably hold the upper hand.

Xiao Shen had not even left the capital yet, and he was already fantasizing about the uses of a paper-armored cavalry. Of course he had to come reserve them first—absolutely no one else could beat him to it, especially the Three Great Camps, whose noses were sharper than dogs'. They'd catch the scent and come knocking at the door.