Chapter 260: Volume 1, Chapter 260 — The Noble Consort Is About to Give Birth

"Bring me the roster to look at." Rong Luoge's interest was piqued.

Rong Xin immediately went to fetch the roster and presented it with both hands.

Rong Luoge took the roster and slowly opened it; the booklet was quite thick, so it seemed the number of candidates this time was not small—she estimated there must be several hundred for the preliminary selection alone.

No wonder everyone wanted to be emperor.

If she were a man, she would want to as well.

Rong Luoge flipped through them one by one, and when she reached the places the Empress Dowager had marked, she looked carefully and could not help but smile—the people the Empress Dowager had added were all from families on good terms with the Su family; it seemed the alliance between the Marquis of Anding and the Su family would soon be broken.

The main purpose of the Marquis of Anding's alliance with the Su family back then had been directed at her, this Noble Consort, but neither Song Huihe nor Su Ying had managed to bring her down, and with Su Ying temporarily leaving the palace, the alliance was already in peril.

Now that the selection had begun, both the Song family and the Su family were biding their time, ready to strike.

Quite amusing.

It was just unknown whether, after the results of the selection came out, those two families would still be able to laugh.

"Let it be as is, distribute the list and have the Imperial Household Department handle the matter," Rong Luoge said, looking at Rong Xin. She paused here, then asked, "How are the newly selected officials for the Imperial Household Department?"

"His Majesty had Prince Qi select scholars from past years' imperial examinations who were awaiting official appointments. This servant heard that because of this matter, Prince Qi has been impeached many times in court," Rong Xin said.

Rong Luoge raised her brows slightly, feeling that the current Prince Qi was very off—had he gone from one extreme to another?

However, whether Prince Qi changed or not had nothing to do with her, and even if Prince Qi managed the Imperial Household Department, she stayed deep in the Hou Gong and would not meet him; as long as he did not drag Han Xinglan down, she could not be bothered to pay attention to him.

However, every aspect of the Hou Gong had to deal with the Imperial Household Department, so she had simply let Consort Xu take over this matter back then—not only could she enjoy peace and quiet, but she could also avoid any appearance of impropriety with Prince Qi.

When Han Xinglan returned, Rong Luoge had just finished organizing the roster and was about to have Rong Xin pass down the order to send it to the Imperial Household Department. Seeing Han Xinglan come in, she smiled and asked, "Didn't you say you wouldn't be back for the noon meal?"

Han Xinglan looked at Rong Luoge's belly. "The Imperial Physician said the birth is due in the next few days. I've been restless, so I came back to see you and set my mind at ease."

Rong Luoge had Que Cai lay out the meal, then took Han Xinglan's hand and sat down at the table before saying, "What is there to worry about? The Imperial Physician now takes my pulse once a day, and everyone in Yuzhao Gong, from top to bottom, is on standby at all times. There's no need to worry."

Han Xinglan nodded, but this kind of worry could not be suppressed—when you had someone in your heart, especially at the critical juncture of life and death that was childbirth, how could he attend court and handle affairs with peace of mind? Given any free moment, he could not help wondering how she was doing now.

Only, there was no need to tell Luoge, lest she divert her attention to worry about him.

"By the time of the selection, you should have already given birth. My meaning is that you don't need to concern yourself with the selection—just focus on taking good care of your health," Han Xinglan said, looking at her with a smile.

"Fine, isn't this what we agreed on long ago? With something like the selection, no matter what I do as a Noble Consort, those people outside will see me as a thorn in their side. If I wash my hands of it, they won't worry about me secretly tripping them up." Rong Luoge had no desire to involve herself in such matters—it drained both energy and effort, and whether she did well or poorly, she would get no credit.

Han Xinglan also smiled at her words and looked at Luoge, saying, "I want to keep you out of it, so that if any of the candidates entering the palace this time suffer any grievance, it will have nothing to do with you."

"Yes, I know you have me in your heart and consider everything for my sake. I'm quite happy—let's do it this way. I just looked at the revised roster from the Empress Dowager's side today, and it's rather interesting. I don't think it needs any further changes—let's leave it as is."

Han Xinglan met Rong Luoge's sly smile and shook his head helplessly. "You just want to see the Su family and the Song family fall out with each other, don't you?"

"Your Majesty is right—you are truly sagacious."

Han Xinglan: …

What nonsense.

But as long as she was happy, that was fine.

"Someone needs to be found to oversee the selection. The Empress Dowager will certainly show her face—what about your side?"

"Just let Consort Xu assist the Empress Dowager. Whatever the Empress Dowager says goes; tell her not to overmanage—just have her do whatever the Empress Dowager instructs," Rong Luoge said thoughtfully. "Oh, Consort Xu isn't even necessary—Your Majesty could simply issue an edict and have Lady Zhenshen oversee it, wouldn't that do?"

Consort Xu showing her face would easily offend people and invite resentment; better to let the Empress Dowager and Song Huihe join hands now—those two would likely start competing against each other from the very start of the selection.

Now that would be entertaining.

Han Xinglan rubbed his forehead—this was truly watching the fun and not caring how big the trouble got, but it wasn't unfeasible. After a moment's thought, he said, "Let's settle it this way."

Rong Luoge smiled happily at Han Xinglan. "Everything is going my way now, and I'm happy about everything. Having you protect me is truly wonderful."

Han Xinglan chuckled at her words. "You say that as if I didn't protect you before."

"That's different." Rong Luoge said gleefully, "With love, even drinking water fills you up."

Han Xinglan: …

"Don't go saying that kind of thing outside."

"I only say it to you—others don't have the fortune to hear it even if they wanted to."

Han Xinglan looked at Rong Luoge, knowing she couldn't do anything to him right now, so she was teasing him for all she was worth!

Once she gave birth and finished her confinement, he'd see how he dealt with her!

His Majesty issuing an edict for Lady Zhenshen to assist the Empress Dowager in overseeing the selection was truly big news in the Hou Gong—it set things abuzz at once, and when the news spread outside the palace, the people outside turned their thoughts over several times as well.

Noble Consort Rong was about to give birth and certainly could not manage this matter; His Majesty's heavy reliance on Lady Zhenshen showed that this person's place in His Majesty's heart was not to be underestimated.

The Marquis of Anding let out a long breath, feeling that the stifling frustration of the past few months had finally been vented a little.

On the evening before the selection was to begin, Rong Luoge went into labor. During the first half of the night, her belly began to ache intermittently, but her pain tolerance was very high, so she did not disturb the sleeping Han Xinglan.

Han Xinglan was busy with matters at the glazed tile kiln, planning an expansion and the subsequent construction of a market district—this was a major undertaking with considerable opposition in court, and these past few days he had come home every day with brows furrowed in thought over countermeasures.

Rong Luoge wanted to let him sleep a little longer, but unexpectedly, the one in her belly was impatient—before the second half of the night even arrived, the pain became unbearable. She wanted to get up and call for Rong Xin and the others, but Han Xinglan sensed her movement and sat up immediately. Seeing Rong Luoge covered in sweat, his expression changed. "Someone, summon the Imperial Physician!"

The entire Yuzhao Gong was ablaze with light; every Imperial Physician of note from the Imperial Hospital came to stand by, and even those who had gone home on leave had the palace gates urgently opened to summon them back.

The delivery mama immediately had people boil water. The delivery room had long been prepared; now the doors were opened, sun-dried bedding was laid out, and only then was Rong Luoge helped inside.

Han Xinglan paced constantly outside the delivery room, his expression dark. Listening to Rong Luoge's stifled cries of pain from within, he made the decision to cancel court for the first time.

He would stand guard here himself, to ensure the safety of both mother and child!