Chapter 207: Volume 1, Chapter 207 — Her Luck Is Truly Something Else

"Your Ladyship, what do you mean by that? Would that Di Yue Nu still dare to come back?" Chu Ke no longer felt aggrieved; her fighting spirit erupted in an instant. If not for Rong Dai, why would her daughter have been forced by Rong Heng to marry Lin Gao Xuan? She and Di Yue Nu were truly irreconcilable enemies.

"Why couldn't she come back?" Rong Luoge gave a light laugh. "Madam, in the past that Di Yue Nu could only be kept by Rong Heng as an outside mistress, and the children she bore couldn't even be entered into the family genealogy. Who knows how much grievance she felt in her heart? If she could return in glory, wouldn't that sweep away years of pent-up frustration?"

Chu Ke's face went pale and blank for a good long while before she said, "If she really is a princess of Qingxuan, would she still come back to be Rong Heng's concubine?"

"If you divorce Rong Heng now, why would she need to be a concubine when she returns? She could directly become the Duchess of the State," Rong Luoge said. "Madam, you also know that my hatred for Di Yue Nu and her daughter runs as deep as the sea, and reconciliation is impossible in this lifetime. I naturally also do not wish to watch her return flaunting the title of Princess of Qingxuan and throwing her weight around, so I also need you, Madam, to sit in the position of Duchess of the State."

Chu Ke's thoughts surged, and for a moment her expression changed spectacularly. She took a deep breath and said, "Her dreaming of coming back to be Lady Rong is simply delusional! Your Ladyship cannot reconcile with her, and I am also irreconcilable with her. Then I shall not divorce. I refuse to believe that Di Yue Nu can still become Rong Heng's concubine after returning!"

She may not care about face, but Qingxuan still has a reputation to uphold!

Besides, if Di Yue Nu were to return with great fanfare, she would inevitably be eyeing the position of Duchess of the State. As long as she herself didn't budge from that spot, she could infuriate Di Yue Nu half to death. Just thinking about it now felt very satisfying.

"Not divorcing is only the first step. Next, you must also take out a portion of your wealth to donate to the clan, to win the goodwill and trust of the clan head and the other elders. That way, when Di Yue Nu returns with great fanfare, having the clan elders backing you up means Rong Heng won't dare write a divorce letter easily."

Chu Ke hurriedly nodded. "Your Ladyship speaks rightly. I've come to see things clearly now — wealth is but worldly possessions. If it can secure a good future for my children, I'd be willing even if it bankrupted me."

"That won't be necessary. Besides, my name carries a great deal of weight right now. When I severed ties with Rong Heng, I did not sever ties with the Chu clan. After you return, find the clan head and relay these words to him."

Chu Ke's eyes lit up. Right now, the Noble Consort was in high favor and pregnant. If she could bear His Majesty's eldest son, then she would rise through her child.

The Chu clan elders had already been full of complaints about Rong Heng severing ties with the Noble Consort. If she could now serve as the bridge between the Chu clan and the Noble Consort, then even if the clan wouldn't side with her regarding her situation with Rong Heng, they absolutely would not help Rong Heng oppress her.

Add to that the fact that her eldest son now had a decent future ahead of him — thinking it through, Chu Ke suddenly felt that she would have been incredibly foolish to divorce.

If she really divorced, not to mention the children suffering, her half a lifetime of hard work would have been making wedding clothes for someone else for nothing. She would truly be so furious she'd cough blood.

"I'll listen to Your Ladyship." Chu Ke stood up. "I'll go back and handle this matter right now. I won't let Your Ladyship down."

Rong Luoge watched Chu Ke brimming with fighting spirit, nodded in satisfaction, and said with a smile, "Regarding Di Yue Nu's matter, after you return, not a single word must be mentioned before the clan elders. You only need to say that Rong Yan's future is being looked after by me, that His Majesty values him, and add that I have no grievances with the clan — they will then know what to do.

Apart from that, you must also bitterly air your grievances. Make clear how Rong Heng, for the sake of his outside mistress's daughter Rong Dai, forced Ling Shan to marry Lin Gao Xuan, and also explain clearly the matter of how Lin Gao Xuan schemed to cause Rong Yan's broken leg back then. Only by letting the clan know that you and Rong Heng have already severed all bonds of affection, but that you have no choice but to swallow your grievances for the sake of the children and the Chu family's face — only then will the clan lean more toward you."

Chu Ke nodded repeatedly as she listened. The Noble Consort's psychological tactics were formidable — it was no injustice that she herself had lost to her hands back then.

After Chu Ke left in a whirlwind of energy, Rong Luoge's smiling face slowly darkened.

When she had mended her relationship with Chu Ke, it was firstly because of Rong Ling Shan; secondly, because Chu Ke knew her place; and thirdly, she still needed to keep her around to spar with Di Yue Nu.

She simply hadn't anticipated that Rong Heng would be this scummy, this shameless — selling off one legitimate child after another. She truly didn't understand how men's brains worked. Was a secretly kept mistress really that enticing?

It all came down to the war between Xiao State and Qingxuan. Whether victory or defeat, the ruler of Qingxuan would seek to show goodwill to Xiao State, and at that point, Di Yue Nu — this younger sister who had borne children with Rong Heng — would be a ready-made bridge.

Letting Di Yue Nu marry Rong Heng would amount to a de facto political marriage. By that time, Chu Ke would become a stumbling block, and Rong Luoge would also have to guard against Rong Heng making a ruthless move against Chu Ke to eliminate this obstacle.

Once Rong Yan returned from this campaign with Xiao Shen, his official position could be moved up. As long as Rong Yan could stand on his own two feet and have enough strength to stand against Rong Heng, then Chu Ke would have greater room to survive, and she herself could more conveniently cross swords with Di Yue Nu.

If Di Yue Nu's identity hadn't been exposed before, it would have been far too easy for Rong Luoge to deal with her. But now she had become a princess of Qingxuan, and back then she had seen the opportunity and fled quickly. Rong Luoge had been a step too late to act — otherwise there would be no such trouble today.

Fortunately, it could still be remedied.

Rong Luoge had been sitting for a while and felt a bit stuffy, so she rose to take a stroll outside the hall. Rong Xin immediately hurried to follow, bringing a jade-white silk cape embroidered all over and draping it over her ladyship. "Late autumn in the capital is too cold. Your Ladyship, please take care of your health."

Rong Luoge nodded and walked outward along the corridor within the hall, passed through the palace gates of Yuzhao Gong, and continued along the small paths of the palace.

Seeing her ladyship leave Yuzhao Gong, Yuan Bao immediately led several young eunuchs to follow, dispatching a few people ahead to clear the way while he himself stayed close behind her ladyship, afraid that some blind fool might come blundering into her.

Rong Luoge felt Yuan Bao was making a mountain out of a molehill. Not to mention that her own martial prowess was quite good — even with her current status, who would be stupid enough to make a move in broad daylight?

However, since it was their show of loyalty, she didn't refuse.

Leaving Yuzhao Gong, she strolled at a leisurely pace. After walking a while, she suddenly noticed people approaching from ahead. She looked up and gazed into the distance — it seemed like quite a crowd, rather lively — so she turned and asked Rong Xin, "Who is up ahead?"

They were still some distance away and couldn't be seen clearly. Rong Xin immediately sent a young palace maid to check. The maid soon returned and reported, "Your Ladyship, it is Lady Su from Funing Palace, along with Lady Zhen Shen, Lady Luo Ronghua, and Lady Zhou Jieyu, come out to enjoy the flowers."

Rong Luoge fell silent. Her luck was truly something else — she rarely stepped out of the palace, and the one time she did, she ran into all her enemies at once.

Meanwhile, the people on the other side were already walking toward her. Rong Luoge didn't dodge out of the way — the palace maid going over to scout would certainly have alerted them.

Besides, why should she run? If anyone should run, it would be the others!