Chapter 235: Volume 1, Chapter 235 — This Matter Holds Great Promise

The consequences of Xue Mingli's death were extremely dire; Rong Luoge was so angry she couldn't even eat her dinner.

It was Han Xinglan who, upon hearing Shi An's words, came over from the front hall, looked at her, and said with a comforting smile, "It's just a small matter—how can you be this angry?"

Rong Luoge looked at Han Xinglan, unable to suppress her anger as she said, "How is this a small matter? These people are putting on a full show of force to go against His Majesty! I knew these people wouldn't let it go, but I never expected them to be this brazen."

Rong Luoge truly hadn't expected it—a human life, just gone like that.

She still had some impression of Xue Mingli, because the food, clothing, shelter, and daily needs of the Hou Gong all basically required going through him. Even knowing that this man's hands were not clean, his death should have been punished by the laws of the Owl Nation, not by being sent to the executioner's block by those masterminds behind the scenes.

"They're merely testing Prince Qi." Han Xinglan helped Rong Luoge sit down. "Xue Mingli is Yun Jing's nephew. Once he dies, everyone's gaze will fall on Yun Jing, and Yun Jing's daughter is the Princess Consort Qi, which directly implicates Prince Qi. Their ultimate goal is still to stop Prince Qi from taking over the Inner Court Manor."

Rong Luoge understood. She sighed and leaned against Han Xinglan. "I finally understand why you're frowning all day. Running into a pack of bastards like this, no one would be happy all day long. Forcing us to swallow this bitter loss—it's absolutely infuriating."

"I anticipated they'd make a move, so I made some preparations. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Han Xinglan glanced at Rong Xin, and Rong Xin immediately had someone bring in the freshly prepared dinner and set it on the table.

Rong Luoge watched as Han Xinglan served her dishes and ladled porridge. Though she still didn't feel hungry, she couldn't bear to refuse his kindness, so she sat down and ate slowly.

Han Xinglan looked at her and said, "When we decided to make a move on the Inner Court Manor, we should have anticipated this. You're still too soft-hearted."

Rong Luoge: …

"Xue Mingli's death this time is a show of force against Prince Qi—to see whether he dares to take it on." Han Xinglan continued, "If he dares, then I'd truly be impressed."

Rong Luoge gave a scoffing laugh. "Not necessarily. Prince Qi always plans his escape route before doing anything—he's the most selfish person. He may not care one bit about Xue Mingli's life. Back then, to protect Rong Dai, he used me as a stepping stone, and I never saw her show any guilt toward me."

"Things are different now. Don't forget that Noble Consort Ming and Zhaoqing are still in the palace."

Rong Luoge thought about it and her expression eased. "I'm so angry I've gotten muddled." She took a sip of porridge here. "You're right—there's still Noble Consort Ming and her daughter. He won't let go easily. If that's the case, then there's something to watch. If Prince Qi still takes on the Inner Court Manor, then it gets interesting."

"Mm, eat first. We'll talk after you've filled your stomach." Han Xinglan looked at her and said. He hadn't expected her to fly into such a rage over this matter either.

Rong Luoge ate quickly. After finishing, she sat for a short while, then Han Xinglan accompanied her outside for a walk to aid digestion. As her pregnancy progressed further, the Imperial Physician had urged her to keep walking every day so that delivery would go more smoothly.

The two didn't leave Yuzhao Gong; they simply strolled in slow circles within it.

"How is the glazed tile kiln coming along?" Rong Luoge asked.

"Nearly ready. Dong Gongli memorialized that the kiln will be opened in the next two days. I plan to go take a look," Han Xinglan said.

Rong Luoge gave a slight nod. "Good. Once the glazed tile kiln starts operating, it can divert some people's attention and give the Inner Court Manor a chance to catch its breath."

Rong Luoge paused briefly here, then looked at Han Xinglan and said, "It seems what we discussed before is unavoidable. I originally thought we could just leak a little about the glazed tile kiln, but now it looks like that won't do."

"You mean use the glazed tile kiln to completely divert their attention?"

"What do you think?"

Han Xinglan frowned slightly, looking at Rong Luoge. "It's not unworkable, but if we do that, we'll need to increase the guards at the private kiln."

"The glazed tile kiln is only a beginning. The Inner Court Manor matter needs to give Prince Qi a chance to catch his breath right now." Rong Luoge pressed her lips together. "Consider it giving Noble Consort Ming an explanation. Prince Qi stepping forward this time—Noble Consort Ming truly did a great deal. She put her heart into it, and we can't very well kill the donkey once the grindstone's done."

Han Xinglan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "How is that killing the donkey? Besides, we're not the ones forcing him."

After walking a couple of laps, the pent-up anger in Rong Luoge's heart dissipated, and she began to think seriously. "I think you're right—a diversion to strike elsewhere. Though the pressure on the glazed tile kiln will be a bit heavy, it's worth it. Besides, even if they know some of the inside story about the glazed tile kiln, it's useless. The real formula is in our hands—perfect for fishing."

"Fishing?" Han Xinglan grew interested. "How do you plan to fish?"

Rong Luoge thought it over and said, "I haven't figured it out yet, but anything made from glazed tiles is very valuable, and a full set is especially pricey. What kind of trap do you think we should set?"

For the moment, Rong Luoge truly couldn't come up with a good idea, so she could only look at the person beside her, wondering whether he had a good one.

Han Xinglan said upon hearing this, "If you want to divert their attention from the Inner Court Manor, the glazed tile kiln needs to produce an even bigger piece of news. It also has to affect these people's interests—otherwise, they won't care."

Hearing this, a flash of inspiration struck Rong Luoge's mind. "What if we recruit two families to partner up?"

"Partner up?"

Rong Luoge thought for a moment and used an analogy. "Have two families put in money and share the profits, but they don't participate in the firing of the glazed tile kiln."

"That's rather interesting. Glazed tiles are expensive, so the profits are large. If one could get into the glazed tile kiln, the profits alone would be tempting."

"Exactly. This is far more aboveboard than cooking black ledgers at the Inner Court Manor. The money comes from a legitimate source—royal property—so there's no fear of investigation." Rong Luoge thought it was feasible. "Besides, outside the Owl Nation, there are many other countries in this world, and overseas lies an unexplored world. Rather than letting these people keep their eyes fixed on the royal family's small patch of land, we might as well have them expand maritime trade and the court's territory."

Han Xinglan's footsteps halted. He turned his head to look at Rong Luoge. "Overseas?"

Rong Luoge nodded. "People always say there are immortal mountains overseas. I think besides immortal mountains, there must certainly be other countries. We could build a fleet and go take a look—there might be unexpected gains."

"First, we'd need money to build ships. Ships that can sail the open ocean aren't small vessels—the cost is enormous, and the court can't afford it right now," Han Xinglan said.

"Exactly. We open up the glazed tile kiln, and then we'll have money, won't we?"

Han Xinglan and Rong Luoge met each other's gaze, and their eyes lit up at once—it really did seem like a good solution.

He needed to think it through carefully.

This matter held great promise.