Chapter 297: Volume One, Chapter 297  Informant

Volume One, Chapter 297  Informant

Rong Luoge fastened her sleeve shirt and said, "Then let her come in."

She tidied up before leaving the sleeping hall; Gou Jing was sitting on a chair outside, looking a little unsettled, with a hint of panic in her brows.

"Gou Shuyi, why did you think of coming to my palace today? Did something happen?" Rong Luoge walked over and asked.

Gou Jing didn't know what she was thinking, but hearing the Empress's voice startled her into standing up at once; after rising she realized she had lost composure and quickly bowed to apologize.

Rong Luoge said, "No need to be so nervous; sit down and speak."

She felt Gou Jing's condition was off; such a situation usually meant a major incident, and for her it wasn't a good thing, yet it had to be faced.

Rong Luoge's mind flashed to recent Hou Gong affairs, and she hadn't heard of any incident; could it be that their group was having internal strife?

That was plausible, because Han Xinglan had begun to divide court factions by profit; the Glazed Tile Workshop was a good example, and now he intended to annex the Imperial Manufacturing Bureau. Han Xinglan tossed out this big pie—a massive, market‑based, integrated commercial hub. Once built, everyone would know it would become a money bag.

Now Rong Luoge, together with Kang Shufei and Madam Qiongzhang, runs a Weaving Workshop; the first batch of cloth is about to hit the market. Some patterns had already been sent out; Rong Luoge displayed the samples at the capital's most famous silk brocade shops, allowing only viewing, not sale.

When the hype rises, these fresh colors and patterns unavailable elsewhere will whet appetites, and they will begin supplying. Priority goes to the silk brocade shops that previously displayed the samples. Moreover, Rong Luoge's arrangement with the shops is profit‑sharing: the shop receives a percentage of the sales, which naturally spurs them to vigorously promote their goods.

The patterns are new, the colors are fine; even if the price is a bit higher, someone will buy. These items aren't meant for ordinary folk, so the price needn't be low—if it's too low, the noble ladies won't purchase.

Now she and Han Xinglan, working inside and out, have handled matters steadily, causing many stirrings in the court, especially those led by Marquis Ningyuan, who strongly opposed and even claimed that His Majesty was competing with the people for profit.

Competing with the people for profit?

It's a joke!

Whether it's the Glazed Tile Workshop or luxurious fabrics, which of them is for the common people?

Marquis Ningyuan is merely looking for trouble, slapping labels at will. With Prime Minister Su drumming up side issues, the court's chaos is understandable; fortunately, Xiao Shen and others oppose him, and with Han Xinglan's hardline stance, the ruler‑minister relationship has become a tug‑of‑war.

Rong Luoge mused that if she could forge a real cannon, then those aristocratic families would have nothing to use against Han Xinglan.

Under absolute might crushing them, those families would become dust beneath the wheels of history.

They now dare to wrestle with the Emperor because they possess such strength, believing they can spar with the Emperor without disadvantage and consider themselves equal to imperial authority.

But these people seize vast peasant lands, enslave the populace, dominate commerce, all for personal profit.

If this continues, the nation will eventually be shrouded in smoke, with the people rising in rebellion.

Han Xinglan now aims to reclaim the lands held by the aristocratic families, curtail their privileges, free the many private slaves under them, so these people can obtain their own status, their own land, and stand upright to live properly.

Rong Luoge isn't exactly a person of great altruism, yet she can't help applauding Han Xinglan's actions. She comes from later generations and is accustomed to equality, but Han Xinglan is not; his ability to achieve this earns admiration.

Gou Jing didn't know what the Empress was thinking at that moment; after sitting down uneasily, she was at a loss for words, her hands clenched tightly, her complexion faintly turning pale.

Rong Luoge, seeing this, asked, "If you encounter a difficult, unsolvable matter and need me to uphold justice for you, you may speak plainly."

Gou Jing was startled, looked up at the Empress, never expecting such words, and felt an extremely complex emotion.

The Empress clearly knows they are not of the same faction, yet she is still willing to help her.

She steadied herself, looked at the Empress and said, "There is something; the concubine doesn't know how to phrase it, but if I don't speak up, I fear that if trouble later arises, I won't be able to eat or sleep peacefully."

Rong Luoge sensed something amiss, looked at Gou Shuyi's expression gravely, and asked, "Gou Shuyi, did something happen to you in the palace?"

Gou Jing nodded, took a deep breath, and recounted in one go the words she heard behind the artificial hill, then relaxed, looking at the Empress: "Empress, the concubine tells no falsehood; those were exactly what I heard, and I felt frightened, unable to sleep well all night. There are only two places in the palace with wet nurses, and I… the concubine cannot conceal her conscience and pretend ignorance."

Rong Luoge was shocked; the wet nurses of Fengyi Palace were personally selected by Han Xinglan, each with a clear lineage, and they would never dare risk the extermination of nine clans to harm his son. Yet Gou Jing heard everything clearly, so Rong Luoge could not be blindly arrogant.

She thought for a moment and asked, "Have you told anyone about this?"

Gou Jing shook her head quickly, "The concubine would never tell anyone; no one has heard it."

"Well done. If this matter is true, Gou Shuyi, you will have achieved a great merit, and I will petition the Emperor on your behalf for recognition." Rong Luoge said, looking at her.

Gou Jing rose immediately and said, "Empress, the concubine seeks no merit; I only wish to remain peacefully in the palace."

Rong Luoge, gauging her, smiled and asked, "Gou Shuyi, are you not living well in the Hou Gong?"

"Fine," Gou Jing whispered.

"Then what kind of good do you still desire?" Rong Luoge asked with a smile.

After the tension eased, Gou Jing calmed, her mind clearing, recalling her earlier plan; now was a perfect chance, and she could not retreat, so she clenched her teeth and said, "Empress, when I entered the palace my family warned me to heed Virtuous Consort Su, but my temperament clashes with Virtuous Consort Su; I truly do not wish to collude with her, and I ask the Empress to see through this."

Rong Luoge guessed correctly; Gou Jing indeed intended to switch sides, yet she wouldn't believe her solely from those few words, and asked, "Why did this idea arise suddenly?"