Chapter 318: Volume 1, Chapter 318 — Everything Needs a Reason

At this time, inside Qi Wang Fu, Noble Consort Ming was offering prayers in the small Buddhist shrine. Bai Zhuo entered with light steps and, seeing the Consort with her eyes closed murmuring sutras, stood quietly to one side waiting.

Soon, Noble Consort Ming opened her eyes and, without turning her head, spoke: "Is something the matter?"

Bai Zhuo stepped forward gently and bowed to reply, "Consort, the Princess Consort is outside requesting an audience."

Noble Consort Ming frowned slightly, "Do you know what it is about?"

Bai Zhuo then said, "The Princess Consort wishes to return to her maiden home and has come specifically to seek the Consort's instruction."

Noble Consort Ming said without lifting her head, "Why does she want to return to her maiden home for no reason?"

Everything needs a pretext.

Bai Zhuo shook her head slightly, "This old servant does not know either. The Princess Consort did not say why."

Noble Consort Ming lowered her eyelids for a long moment before slowly saying, "Go tell the Princess Consort that I am unwell and need someone by my side to attend to me. Have her wait a while before returning to her maiden home."

Bai Zhuo did not understand and looked at the Consort in confusion.

Noble Consort Ming sighed softly and looked at Bai Zhuo, "You have heard about the Military Ordnance Bureau, haven't you?"

Bai Zhuo nodded, "This old servant has indeed heard a little, but didn't many people say it was false? This old servant also finds it hard to imagine what a cannon is. Some say a single shot can collapse a city wall — isn't that just nonsense? That Fire Thunder from before was powerful enough, and even it couldn't blow open a city wall."

Noble Consort Ming had never seen what a cannon looked like either, but she understood the Emperor's temperament well. Since he dared to release such news, he most likely had the confidence to actually build it.

She looked at Bai Zhuo and asked, "Before Fire Thunder appeared, who could have imagined that the things Daoist priests used for alchemy could possess such power? His Majesty has never spoken falsehoods. This matter is likely seven or eight parts true."

Bai Zhuo drew in a breath upon hearing this, "If there truly is something this formidable, then... then wouldn't that..."

Bai Zhuo did not dare to say any more.

Noble Consort Ming had a terrible headache. She raised her head to look at the Bodhisattva Guanyin. If there truly was something this formidable, she feared the world really was about to change.

Noble Consort Ming had accompanied the Late Emperor for a lifetime. In her heart she knew best: in his youth, the Late Emperor also had grand ambitions, wanting to overthrow the great houses and truly unify the realm.

Unfortunately, though the Late Emperor had such ambition, he lacked such strength. The great houses of Xiao State were bound together like a single rope, and the imperial army could not defeat them. Thus, even though the Late Emperor was unwilling to bow, he had no choice but to bow. In decades of contention with the great houses, the greatest achievement was merely preventing the great houses' power from expanding further — and nothing more than that.

Why did the Late Emperor favor her? Was it truly because of her beauty? Perhaps that was part of it, but the greater reason others did not know, though she knew it clearly in her heart: it was because her maiden family was not one of those centuries-old great houses. Her maiden family would not make His Majesty feel suffocated.

Those consorts from powerful families, sooner or later, whether by illness or accident, all slowly disappeared within the Hou Gong. Noble Consort Ming was domineering her entire life, yet she alone survived to the end — not only because she had her own methods, but more so because of the Late Emperor's favoritism.

Now the situation was different again. If the current His Majesty were someone who could not tolerate others, she would absolutely not have urged her son to lay down his sword. But His Majesty was broad-minded and cherished his reputation. Coupled with the fact that after the Late Emperor passed, she and Rong Luoge had joined forces several times and come to understand each other somewhat. After much deliberation, she was willing to decide to let her son pledge allegiance to His Majesty.

Looking at it now, her choice was not wrong.

As for her daughter-in-law, Noble Consort Ming did not particularly like her, but since she had already been married into the family, she could not divorce her without cause.

At a time like this, for Yun Shizhuang to want to return to the Yun family, Noble Consort Ming could already guess a few things. She would absolutely not permit Yun Shizhuang to return to the Yun family and help them do anything.

Chancellor Yun's stance was still hard to say. She could not push her son back into the ranks of those suspected by the Emperor.

Bai Zhuo saw the Consort begin her prayers again and quietly withdrew. The Consort certainly had her reasons for doing this; she only needed to relay the message to the Princess Consort.

Attending to the sick was a grave duty for a daughter-in-law serving her mother-in-law. The Princess Consort would surely not dare to be negligent.

Leaving aside how anxious and helpless Yun Shizhuang felt at being unable to return to her maiden home, and not mentioning how unbearable Rong Dai's days at Qi Wang Fu were, at this time ripples also arose in the palace.

"Your Ladyship, the Empress Dowager suddenly felt unwell and has sent for an Imperial Physician." Rong Xin hurried into the hall to report.

Rong Luoge looked up upon hearing this, set down the brush in her hand, and asked, "Suddenly felt unwell?"

Rong Xin nodded, "Yes, they say after the Empress Dowager finished her meal she felt unwell. Virtuous Consort Su was also in Fu Ning Palace and was alarmed at the sight, so she had someone go fetch an Imperial Physician."

Rong Luoge frowned slightly, "And then?"

"Your Ladyship, it may be that this servant is overly suspicious, but the Imperial Physician summoned to Fu Ning Palace this time is not the Director, but an unfamiliar face who does not frequently enter and exit the Hou Gong."

Rong Luoge was indeed somewhat surprised to hear this. She looked at Rong Xin and said, "Have someone go to the Imperial Hospital and look into this Imperial Physician's background." She paused, then continued, "Immediately have someone secretly watch this Imperial Physician. Do not alert him — just see what he does. If there is any discovery, report back at once."

"Yes, this servant will have it done right away." Rong Xin hurriedly withdrew.

Rong Luoge was quite surprised. The entire Hou Gong used to be like a sieve. She and Han Xinglan had patched it up several times and managed to fill most of the holes, but the one place she never expected was the Imperial Hospital.

Fortunately, she had always been cautious and had people secretly watching Su Ying and Fu Ning Palace. She had not expected it to actually give her a surprise.

Han Xinglan was fishing outside, and now she herself was forced to fish within the Hou Gong as well.

This year's summer seemed particularly fleeting. Busy with the Weaving Workshop's affairs, it seemed to pass in a flash. Add to that the matter of manufacturing cannons, and in the blink of an eye it was already late autumn.

With winter approaching, this year's New Year would likely not be a peaceful one either.

Rong Luoge listened to her son babbling in the courtyard. A few days ago he had been struggling to learn to walk, and now for some reason he refused to take a single step.

Rong Luoge had never raised a child in her previous life and knew little about how to raise one. Later the wet nurse told her that most children only begin learning to walk at one year of age. There were also robust ones who walked before turning one, but those were very few.

A child like Kangkang who occasionally dared to take a few steps holding onto the heated kang was truly a rarity among rarities. That he now refused to walk was not strange either — after all, it was not yet truly time for him to learn to walk.

Only then did Rong Luoge realize this, and for a moment she did not know whether to laugh or cry. Lately she had been reading books on child-rearing. How to properly raise a child was a new subject for her, one she needed to study earnestly.

After all, this was her weak point — no experience, first time being a mother.

Her work environment in her previous life virtually never involved dealing with children, and she had no family or friends, had never seen anyone else raise a child. She had not realized that the knowledge required for raising a child was also extremely complex and intricate.

"Your Ladyship, Noble Consort Xu has urgent business and requests an audience." Que Cai entered the hall and bowed to report.