Chapter 181: Volume 1, Chapter 181: How to Deal with Su Ying

Qin Zhaohua hesitated for a moment but still nodded. "I once met her once."

Xu Shuyuan, seeing Qin Zhaohua like this, sensed that the matter might not be so simple, and said to him, "Oh, is that so? Then what impression do you have of Miss Su?"

Qin Zhaohua slightly lowered his eyes, and only after a long while did he say, "Miss Su is quiet and reserved. That time, I was attending a banquet with my mother, and Miss Su appeared together with Old Madam Su. With my status, I naturally could not strike up a conversation with her, but I once observed her from afar. Miss Su handles her words and actions with considerable method."

Xu Shuyuan listened to Qin Zhaohua's words and pondered carefully. Methodical? That meant someone at the banquet might have spoken to make things difficult for her, or she had encountered some situation, but Su Ying had deftly resolved it all.

If that was the case, she was indeed not someone to be underestimated.

"Even if that's so, what of it? Entering the palace is not the same as casually showing one's face outside. Others may not know, but how could you and I not know?" Xu Shuyuan spoke unhurriedly. "In terms of family background, there is Lady Zhenshen in the palace, and how is she now? If His Majesty values you, family background and looks are all secondary."

Qin Zhaohua heard the reasoning in this, but ultimately could not let it go. He sighed and said, "Behind Su Ying is the Empress Dowager."

Lady Zhenshen came from a marquis's household, but had no one in the palace. Su Ying was different—her own aunt was the Empress Dowager. That was a rather formidable backer.

"Having the Empress Dowager's care is indeed much more convenient, but whether this Miss Su can even enter the palace is still up in the air. No need to rush."

Qin Zhaohua's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and in the end he let out one more line: "Su Ying was raised from childhood under Old Madam Su's knee, and in the capital she has always kept herself spotless and never involved herself in gossip. People had long been saying that the Su family was raising Su Ying this way to aim for the empress's seat. I had previously dismissed it as rumor, but now that the Empress Dowager is letting Su Ying enter the palace, I fear this talk may not be false."

Xu Shuyuan had naturally heard this talk as well, but had never paid it any mind. She scoffed, "Attempting to use public opinion to force His Majesty's hand—the Chancellor's household's ambitions are a bit too grand. This time, His Majesty's enthronement did not even confer any reward upon Chancellor Su, not even earning the title of Duke of Grace. That is likely the real reason they are so eager to send Su Ying into the palace."

"Sister Xu makes sense. Now that you put it that way, I feel like I'm not so nervous anymore."

"What are you nervous about? What does Su Ying entering the palace have to do with us? Even if she enters the palace, it's just one more mouth to feed. Since she put on the airs of someone who dislikes socializing and devotes herself to reading the sages' books while outside the palace, she won't change her tune once inside. Putting on that lofty air with her reputation as a talented lady—that would already put her a step behind."

What kind of temperament did His Majesty have? They had been in the palace this long—could they still not know?

Aside from being patient with Noble Consort Rong, His Majesty had not so much as glanced at any of them to this day. Moreover, His Majesty's relationship with the Empress Dowager was not exactly harmonious. Whether Su Ying would have any fortune after entering the palace remained to be seen.

Qin Zhaohua returned from Xu Shuyuan's place feeling somewhat more relaxed. She was not afraid of Su Ying entering the palace; she was afraid that after Su Ying entered, the Empress Dowager would meddle in their affairs in order to support Su Ying. If that happened, their current comfortable days would come to an end.

She was naturally unwilling to let that happen.

In Yuzhao Gong, Rong Luoge ate and drank well. After taking the medicine from the Imperial Hospital, her morning sickness had also eased considerably, and her complexion had grown rosy.

Han Xinglan returned from the Purple Radiance Hall and saw Rong Luoge leaning against a soft couch, leisurely holding a book and reading. He gazed at her for a moment, and the corners of his lips slowly rose.

After becoming emperor, things were even more exhausting than before, and time was even tighter. Piles of court affairs awaited him, especially when memorials from various regions were submitted—some matters that caught his eye inevitably put him in a foul mood.

But Rong Luoge was in Yuzhao Gong. Her temperament was clearly not one to settle down and keep house, yet for his sake she stayed confined in this deep palace, keeping a candle lit for him. No matter when, as long as he returned to Yuzhao Gong, she would be there waiting for him.

This feeling was wonderful.

Rong Luoge set down the book in her hands and looked up at the person standing before her whose eyes lacked focus, clearly lost in thought about who knows what at this moment.

She set down the book and slowly walked over, reaching out to wave her hand before his eyes.

Han Xinglan snapped back to his senses, caught her hand and held it in his palm, and said with a smile, "How are you feeling today?"

"A bit better than yesterday. Not vomiting as badly, and I can eat a little more." Rong Luoge followed Han Xinglan's steps. "And you—have things in court been going smoothly?"

Han Xinglan pinched the bridge of his nose, pulled Rong Luoge to sit down together, and only then said, "Just waiting for Xiao Shen's battle report. It will likely be a while longer."

Rong Luoge nodded. That was certain—the army had to depart and reach its destination, and only after fighting a battle against the enemy could a memorial be sent back to the capital. That would definitely take time.

Rong Luoge asked him, "Do you want to eat something more?"

Han Xinglan shook his head. "Not hungry. It's getting late. Settle down early—I'm going to the study to handle a few memorials."

Rong Luoge nodded. Just as he was about to leave, she suddenly recalled the matter of Su Ying and asked him, "What are your plans regarding Miss Su?"

Han Xinglan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Rong Luoge. He had thought she did not care, and had felt an indescribable sense of disappointment in his heart. Hearing her ask this, he immediately perked up.

"And what are your thoughts?"

Rong Luoge heard this and said with a smile, "Any thoughts I have are fine?"

Han Xinglan looked at her with a smile. "Go ahead."

Rong Luoge had seriously thought about this question. Now that Han Xinglan asked her, she said directly: "Logically speaking, whether there is one more or one fewer person in the provisions and management makes no difference. But Su Ying is the Empress Dowager's own niece, and that is somewhat constraining for me. If she must stay in the palace, the Empress Dowager will certainly meddle in Hou Gong affairs in the future, and then the conflict between me and the Empress Dowager would likely become very sharp."

Han Xinglan had not expected Rong Luoge to be so direct. He was momentarily startled, then smiled. "It's still hard to say. Chancellor Su has not made any moves yet. We'll see once they take action."

Rong Luoge understood somewhat. "If it's for the sake of court balance, Su Ying staying in the palace is not out of the question. But if she stays, at the very least the Empress Dowager must declare that she will not interfere in the affairs of Hou Gong."

She had never had much patience to begin with. If the Empress Dowager kept causing trouble for her over Su Ying and truly provoked her, even she did not know what she might do.

Before, when she had no child, she could leave the moment she wanted to. Now that she had a child, she had far more concerns. Once a person had ties, from a certain perspective, it was not necessarily a good thing.

She also did not want her relationship with Han Xinglan to become strained over this later, so she had to take preventive measures and let him know her stance. Only then could she decide what attitude to adopt toward the Empress Dowager and Su Ying.