Chapter 308: Volume 1, Chapter 308: Locking People Up

Rong Luoge was busy with the cannon matter. Han Xinglan had already investigated the wet nurse's situation clearly. Looking at the evidence in hand, his expression was dark and heavy, his right hand clenched tightly together, veins bulging.

Shi An watched from the side, heart pounding with fear, not daring to make a single sound.

"Shi An."

"This servant is here."

"Bring these two people out of the Hou Gong without alerting anyone. Imprison them first."

"Yes." Shi An immediately led his men and vanished into the night.

The palace gates leading to the Hou Gong were silently opened. Shi An led his men waiting at the palace gate, and soon a young eunuch brought out two palace maids.

Shi An's eyes fixed on them, and he said flatly, "Let's go."

"Chief Eunuch, where are we going?" one of them gathered her courage to ask. Having done something to feel guilty about, she was frightened at this moment—could the matter have been exposed?

But looking at the Chief Eunuch's expression, it didn't seem like it, and for a moment she was even more uneasy.

"I've found you a new assignment. Recently, the duties of people in the palace will all be adjusted. Your superiors think highly of you and are preparing to send you to serve in the Inner Court Office." Shi An wore a smile on his face, but deep in his eyes it was ice-cold.

If he didn't need to avoid alerting anyone, why would he bother wasting words to coax them.

The two women were first startled, then overjoyed. The Inner Court Office?

That was a good place, unlike serving in the Hou Gong where one had to be careful about everything. Moreover, serving in the Inner Court Office came with more perks. The two immediately followed along.

After walking a few steps, one of them suddenly remembered to ask, "Chief Eunuch, we haven't packed our belongings yet."

"No matter. I'll take you to see the place first. It won't be too late to come back and pack tomorrow," Shi An said.

Though the two had some doubts about why Shi An would personally come for such a matter, the pleasant surprise was so great that they got carried away with excitement. Halfway through, someone came to report a matter to Chief Eunuch Shi. Chief Eunuch Shi handed them over to his subordinates and went off to attend to business himself. The two women felt even more reassured—it seemed Chief Eunuch Shi was indeed just passing through.

After Shi An had this person take the two away, he said to his subordinates, "Go help them pack their belongings. Make sure to pack everything clean and thorough. If anyone asks, just say they've been transferred to serve at the Front Hall. Say nothing more."

"Yes."

Now that people in the Hou Gong could not easily come and go, saying they had gone to serve at the Front Hall left no way for anyone to verify. If they had said the Inner Court Office, the Inner Court Office would send people into the Hou Gong every month to deliver goods to the various palaces, and if someone encountered an acquaintance, the lie would inevitably be exposed.

By the time everything was done, the sky was already growing light.

Two palace maids disappearing from the Hou Gong was not a big deal, especially since they had gone to serve at the Front Hall—it would only make people envious.

Only the people behind these two women felt uneasy, unable to determine whether it was a coincidence and they had truly gone to serve at the Front Hall, or whether something had gone wrong.

"Your Majesty, the two have been imprisoned separately. This servant has given orders that no one is permitted to speak with them. Each day they are given only a little water and food—not enough to starve them, but not enough to give them the strength to do anything else," Shi An reported with a bow.

His Majesty keeping these two was clearly to use them as witnesses, so naturally he could not let them die or meet with any accident. To keep them alive and well, they could only be starved half to death—neither the strength to escape nor the strength to take their own lives, let alone do anything else.

Han Xinglan nodded. "Watch them carefully."

Shi An nodded in acknowledgment.

Only then did Han Xinglan rise and head to Fengyi Palace. In Fengyi Palace, Rong Luoge had already drawn out the first batch of blueprints and was making revisions.

Seeing Han Xinglan arrive, she smiled and said, "You've come at just the right time. I was just looking for you. The blueprints are ready—you can have Official Kang's side try making them."

"This fast? Didn't you say half a month?" Han Xinglan asked in great surprise. Only ten days had passed.

Rong Luoge said, "Things went smoothly, so it was easier. Besides, there's more to come later—this is just the first preliminary batch."

Han Xinglan took them and examined them closely, asking Luoge whenever he came across something he didn't understand. Rong Luoge explained to him in detail, and the two talked for another good half a day.

After finishing one section, they realized they hadn't eaten yet. Han Xinglan immediately took Rong Luoge to eat. At the dinner table, the two continued their conversation, and by the time the meal was finished, Han Xinglan had basically understood everything.

After the meal, he then told her about the capture of the two palace servants. "We still can't move against the people behind this for now, but once our cannon is built, there won't be anything to hold us back. When that time comes, I will certainly give you justice."

Rong Luoge was quite surprised, not expecting it to be this fast. "Who are the people behind this?"

"One is someone of Virtuous Consort Su, the other is someone of Consort Hui Song."

Rong Luoge wasn't surprised at all. "I guessed it was them, just didn't have the evidence. I figure they saw me working with Kang Shufei and Lady Qiongzhang on the Weaving Workshop, and they grew anxious, so they went after the child, thinking that without a son, my position as empress would be unjustified."

"Don't worry about them. Not making a move now is simply to avoid alerting the snake," Han Xinglan said with a frown. "It's just a grievance for you."

"What's so grievous about it? The good thing is that our son is fine." Rong Luoge thought for a moment before speaking. "I just don't know whether the Empress Dowager knows."

Han Xinglan shook his head. "The Empress Dowager doesn't know."

Rong Luoge breathed a sigh of relief. If the Empress Dowager knew and still indulged Su Ying in doing this, she truly would have no way to continue sharing a palace with the Empress Dowager.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was unaware, so this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair could continue pretending to be harmonious.

Han Xinglan met Rong Luoge's gaze, feeling a trace of bitterness in his heart. He reached out and held her hand, saying softly, "Don't worry. If Mother really has such thoughts, I will ask her to retire to a separate palace."

Rong Luoge paused upon hearing this, then said, "The Empress Dowager wouldn't be so cruel. After all, it's your child, and the only child at that right now. No matter how much she dislikes me, she wouldn't go after a child. Besides, if you were to send the Empress Dowager to a separate palace, what would the court officials and the common people think? Let's not speak of this matter again. However, if the day truly comes when we must settle accounts with the Su family, it would be best for the Empress Dowager to step aside temporarily. When that day arrives, I will take the child and accompany the Empress Dowager to the separate palace."

Han Xinglan held Rong Luoge's hand, looking at her, and after a long while said, "I will make a move against the Marquis of Ningyuan first. If Chancellor Su knows what's good for him, he'll know what to do, and then you won't have to go. If he stubbornly resists and refuses to turn back, I won't show mercy either."

Rong Luoge nodded to indicate she understood. She would not be soft-hearted enough to say anything on behalf of the Su family. Struggles for imperial power had always been built on piles of white bones. She pitied others, but who would pity the emperor and her?

Weren't they all just eager to trample her underfoot, wanting Han Xinglan as emperor to bow submissively to these aristocratic families?

"When the time comes, I'll listen to you."

Han Xinglan nodded, then looked at Rong Luoge and added, "In the coming days, I'll be keeping an eye on the Military Ordnance Bureau. You stay put in the palace."

Rong Luoge was taken aback, then said, "You're going to watch over it personally?"

Han Xinglan nodded. "To catch a fish."