Chapter 322: Volume One, Chapter 322  I Take the Blame for You

Volume One, Chapter 322 I Take the Blame for You

Rong Luoge was right; it wasn't just that she hadn't thought of it, everyone truly hadn't thought of it.

Han Xinglan said to Rong Luoge, "Hand the people around Consort Song Hui and Consort Su De over to Shi An An for interrogation; he works a bit faster."

Rong Luoge nodded in agreement, "Alright, now?"

Han Xinglan raised his voice to summon Shi An An and gave a few orders; Shi An An promptly responded and turned to go.

Rong Luoge looked at Han Xinglan and said, "In this way, whatever the interrogation yields, the two of them cannot suspect that I secretly set a trap to frame them."

Han Xinglan laughed at the words, "That's true, I'll take the blame for you."

Rong Luoge was in an excellent mood; if this matter proceeds smoothly, the days of the couple will become increasingly harmonious.

Not only was Rong Luoge happy, Han Xinglan was also delighted; after not seeing each other for so many days, once they were in the tent they truly sensed how much he had been thinking of her.

After a night of spring breezes, she lazily got up in the morning.

Rong Luoge watched Han Xinglan get up to attend court; she clutched the brocade quilt and said to him, "I wonder if Shi An An has finished the interrogation over there."

"It should be about done; they're just palace staff from the Hou Gong, not anyone particularly tight‑lipped," Han Xinglan said after putting on his inner robe, turned to Rong Luoge, and lightly brushed his lips against hers, "Don't overthink it, go back to sleep a while longer."

Rong Luoge, unusually lazy and unwilling to move, nodded, "If the interrogation is finished, will you cause trouble at this morning's court?"

Han Xinglan nodded, "Prolonged delay easily breeds complications; if the evidence is truly conclusive, I will expose both internal and external palace matters."

"I understand," Rong Luoge nodded. She needed clarification on how to control the Hou Gong; the couple, one from the former court and one from the Hou Gong, had to steer the helm together. Thinking of this, she added, looking at Han Xinglan, "The Su family is sending out news; I suspect that if you cause trouble with Prime Minister Su today, there may be some complications."

"It's fine. If the Su family backs down and cuts ties with Lord Ning Yuan, I'll step back out of respect for the Empress Mother's face. If the Su family remains obstinate, I won't keep retreating."

Speaking of the Su family, Han Xinglan's expression turned sour; the Su family's actions made him upset. This is the last chance he gives them, and also the last chance for his own Empress Mother.

If in this matter the Empress Mother still sides with the Su family, he can only ask her to recuperate in another palace, far from the capital.

She is his birth mother; after repeatedly tolerating and yielding, he will no longer continue to be lenient.

Han Xinglan went to the outer hall, where Shi An An and others attended to his changing; Rong Luoge, behind the pearl curtains, listened as Han Xinglan asked Shi An An, "How is the interrogation going?"

Rong Luoge also perked up, half‑sitting to await Shi An An's reply.

"Regarding His Majesty's reply, at first they were very stubborn and refused to confess, but by the latter half of the night they could not endure the punishment and confessed. Consort Song Hui had previously embroidered a Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains painting, originally intended as a gift to His Majesty, but she didn't expect that at that time His Majesty was mourning the Late Emperor, so Consort Hui missed the chance. Later, from Virtuous Consort's mouth we learned that Gou Shuyi was currently embroidering the Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains painting; Consort Hui became angry, and under the pretense of going to view it, deliberately damaged the embroidered picture."

Rong Luoge, listening to Shi An An, realized it matched her expectations; indeed Su Ying had incited, and Song Huihe acted.

When she devised the plan, she didn't anticipate that Song Huihe would be so impatient, striking before the painting was finished, nor that Su Ying would fail to wait until the last moment to send a letter to Song Huihe. It seems Han Xinglan's actions indeed made them sense danger, prompting them to act early, which caused the subsequent scheme to change entirely, and it happened to collide with Han Xinglan's hands.

Rong Luoge thought to herself, this is also fate's karmic retribution.

Han Xinglan's voice with Shi An An faded away, and Rong Luoge lay down for a while longer, then simply got up.

If today the former court's Han Xinglan causes trouble, I fear that shortly after the court session, both the Su family and the Song family will send petitions into the palace.