Chapter 203: Volume 1, Chapter 203: Hold Your Hand, Grow Old Together

"It's nothing." Rong Luoge shook her head and sat down on the stone bench with Que Cai's support. She hadn't expected Rong Ling Shan and Rong Yu to be sent back to the Chu family by Chu Ke—it seemed things were even more serious than she had anticipated.

She was not one to passively take a beating. For the Protector Duke to still be jumping around so actively at the juncture of two nations going to war—did he not worry at all about Di Yue Nu in Qingxuan Kingdom, or about Rong Lang who had sneaked back to Qingxuan Kingdom?

Not necessarily.

But for him to show not the slightest worry now and still have the energy to meddle in Rong Ling Shan's marriage—there was only one explanation: the Protector Duke must be in contact with Di Yue Nu.

Rong Luoge's eyes flashed. The original owner was one thing—after all, she had been sent away to an estate by Rong Heng as a child, and growing up on an estate, how much father-daughter affection could she have for this nominal father? But Rong Ling Shan was different. Rong Ling Shan had grown up at Rong Heng's knee, and he doted on this daughter.

But now?

Who would benefit from marrying Rong Ling Shan to Lin Gao Xuan?

Obviously, Rong Dai!

Rong Luoge vaguely grasped onto something. She turned her head to look at Que Cai. "Go to the front hall and take a look. If His Majesty has finished with court affairs, invite His Majesty to come to Yuzhao Gong."

"Yes, this servant will go right away." Que Cai hurriedly turned and left.

The more Rong Luoge thought about it, the more suspicious things seemed. If Rong Heng truly had made contact with Di Yue Nu, that would not be good news for Xiao Kingdom.

Qingxuan Kingdom was still fighting desperately against Xiao Kingdom even now. Did they truly have the confidence to defeat Xiao Kingdom? If not, why were they being so aggressive in starting the war?

Especially since the current ruler of Qingxuan Kingdom was Di Yue Nu's own elder brother. This restored ruler was going to war when his own foundation was still unstable—what was he relying on?

Rong Luoge was still thinking, her thoughts tangled and not yet sorted out, when Han Xinglan arrived.

"You had me hurry back in such a rush—what happened?" Han Xinglan looked Rong Luoge up and down, and only let out a breath of relief seeing that she looked well.

Rong Luoge grabbed Han Xinglan's hand and had him sit down, then sent everyone around them away before saying softly, "I have a very bold suspicion, but I don't know if it's correct. I wanted to talk to you about it."

"What is it?" Han Xinglan looked at Rong Luoge's grave expression, and his own face grew taut.

Rong Luoge then recounted in detail the matter of Rong Heng forcing Rong Ling Shan's marriage, adding the fact that Rong Lang had privately fled Xiao Kingdom earlier. "…So I suspect that Rong Heng very likely has contact with Di Yue Nu. I'm also worried now about whether someone has infiltrated the Military Ordnance Bureau under the Ministry of War. When I thought of this, I couldn't sit still, so I had you come back to discuss it with you."

"Your suspicion is not without reason. I just received word that the Marquis of Ningyuan privately persuaded Shi Li to join forces with him, and his target is the Military Ordnance Bureau."

Rong Luoge's expression shifted slightly. "If that's the case, then the Marquis of Ningyuan previously giving a branch family daughter to Rong Heng as a concubine would make sense. Without enormous benefit, how could the Marquis of Ningyuan be willing to sacrifice his reputation to do something so criticized by others?"

The two looked at each other, and Han Xinglan suddenly laughed. "Don't worry. Right now the most important thing is to take good care of yourself during pregnancy and give birth to a healthy child for me. I'll handle everything else."

Rong Luoge didn't know if it was because of pregnancy, but lately she always felt a bit on edge. Things she previously hadn't cared about at all now easily unsettled her mind the moment she thought of them. Especially with the Empress Dowager now paving the way everywhere for Su Ying and aiming her sword at the Emperor—if it were before, she would have faced it calmly and with full rationality.

But this time she felt an indescribable irritability and unease in her heart. This kind of emotional vulnerability was unfamiliar to her and troubled her greatly, yet for the moment she couldn't change it.

Thinking of this, the bit of fire in her heart could no longer be suppressed. Looking at Han Xinglan, she couldn't hold back her thoughts and spoke up. "Matters outside are easy enough to handle—have someone watch Rong Heng, and if we can find the way he contacts Di Yue Nu, we can follow the trail. But what about matters in the Hou Gong?"

Han Xinglan looked utterly bewildered. "What happened again?"

He thought hard. Nothing seemed to have happened lately—the palace had been peaceful and stable, hadn't it?

Even if there were minor incidents, they had been suppressed by Luoge. What big waves could possibly come of that?

Rong Luoge felt she was making a mountain out of a molehill, but still couldn't suppress the bitterness in her heart as she spoke. "What else could it be? It was Her Majesty the Empress Dowager who sent someone with a message, saying that His Majesty has passed the major mourning period and she wants to hold a proper welcome banquet for Miss Su. But I refused. I told the Empress Dowager that His Majesty said he would observe a full one-year mourning period for the Late Emperor, to be a most filial son."

Han Xinglan was stunned. He looked at Rong Luoge with teasing amusement—this was the first time he'd seen her display such undisguised jealousy. Before, she had always been composed and unhurried, even able to tell him quite rationally that if he wronged her, she would simply part ways with him amicably.

Sometimes when Han Xinglan thought about it, he'd get so frustrated he felt internally injured. But now, looking at her like this, the more he looked the more he liked it. His heart felt like a flower blooming, and he reached out and pulled her into his embrace.

Rong Luoge: …

"What are you doing?" Rong Luoge's face flushed red. She felt she was being very silly, yet she still wanted to make a fuss.

Something this silly—she had never done it before in either of her two lifetimes, so she couldn't help feeling a bit guilty.

"Luoge, I'm very happy, very glad."

Rong Luoge: …

You must have something seriously wrong with you.

"What's there to be happy about?" Rong Luoge said, burying her face in his chest, a bit embarrassed.

"How could I not be happy? Before, you never seemed to care much about these things. I always worried that one day you'd be unhappy and just run off."

Rong Luoge: …

Did she have wings? Could she fly whenever she wanted?

This wasn't the future, where taking a spontaneous trip was incredibly easy. Here, leaving home required a travel permit, settling down required household registration, and one careless mistake would make you an unregistered person caught by the authorities. Even if she wanted to leave, she'd still have to finish everything and have all matters in order first—how difficult was that?

Seeing Rong Luoge not speaking, Han Xinglan smiled and continued, "Someone like me, who grew up in the palace from childhood and has seen plenty of schemes, intrigues, and the unpredictability of human hearts—I never knew what it felt like to like someone. Someone like me, I didn't think I would ever like anyone. But ever since I had you, I came to know what it means to like someone."

Rong Luoge's face turned red. She quietly reached up to cover her face—someone her age who had lived two lifetimes, yet still had her heart set wildly pounding by those words.

It was truly absurd.

"You said there's no need for promises between us—if it works, good; if not, we part. The reason I agreed to you is because I know there won't be a day when it doesn't work between us. So don't worry. Between the two of us, whatever you say goes. One year of mourning, three years of mourning—whatever makes you happy."

"Luoge, my heart is not a stone, it cannot be turned. I only wish to hold your hand and grow old together with you."

Rong Luoge's heart kept pounding. No wonder everyone loved sweet words—they really did sound thrilling, made one happy, and made one's… heart flutter.