Chapter 323: Volume One, Chapter 323 – The Empress Dowager Can Govern the Empress

Volume One, Chapter 323 Empress Dowager Can Govern the Empress

In the court, as expected, the affair of the traitor in the Military Engineering Bureau caused a massive uproar; Han Xinglan had both eyewitness and material evidence, and on top of that, the incident of Song Huihe destroying the Empress's embroidered Ten-Thousand-Mile River and Mountain Map in the inner palace made Lord Ningyuan truly a little unable to hold his ground for a moment.

A gentleman keeps his weapons within himself, waiting for the right moment to act.

It is to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy at the crucial moment; Han Xinglan has endured for so long, and now finally strikes like thunder—how could he allow Lord Ningyuan to escape with just a few words?

His Majesty was enraged, and the entire court was shocked.

The charge of spying on the Military Engineering Bureau and planting eyes with malicious intent was placed on Lord Ningyuan, and he was immediately dismissed from office and imprisoned by the emperor for trial.

"Since I ascended the throne, I have revered the holy decree of the founding emperor, working with utmost diligence, daring not to take a single misstep. You esteemed ministers are the nation's heavyweights, yet now there are those who think not of sharing my worries, of serving the country, who are busy scheming for personal profit. How could I not kill him!"

Han Xinglan's angry voice echoed through the hall, deafening and startling everyone.

As time slipped by little by little, Rong Luoge sat in the Fengyi Palace, methodically arranging matters, as if today were just an ordinary day.

The sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze blew.

In truth, her heart was not calm; she used to spend a while playing with the child, but this morning she dispatched the wet nurse and others to take Kangkang to look for Princess Yile.

Rong Luoge sat upright in the inner hall, perusing the accounts of the Weaving Workshop. She estimated that if war truly broke out, the subsequent supply and military expenses would be a huge problem. As for the Glazed Tile Workshop, since Rong Yan had left with a caravan and had not yet returned, even though it had made a fortune, the money had not yet been secured. The Treasury's Ministry of Revenue might not release silver, leaving only Han Xinglan's private treasury, Xiao Shen's stockpiles, and the income she had been diligently generating from the Weaving Workshop in recent days.

Although she pursued an overall strategy of affordable cloth, there was also a portion of high‑end fabric, namely the small batch produced by the loom and jacquard machines.

Looking at the accounts now, indeed this segment's revenue is overall higher; although the sales of affordable cloth have risen considerably, the profit margin is extremely low, and after covering basic operating costs, the remaining profit is less than twenty percent—truly pitiful.

Rong Luoge shuffled the abacus, painstakingly tallying every silver she could muster; even with generous rounding, she could only produce three hundred thousand taels.

Too little.

Even with Han Xinglan's contribution, the maximum is five hundred thousand taels.

With five hundred thousand taels of military funds, if they were to wage a protracted war against the aristocratic families, they would inevitably lose, so they must be swift, precise, and ruthless—charging forward like a tiger to break through Suizhou City. Only then can they crush the aristocrats' morale; as soon as the families show any sign of fear, they will win.

Rong Luoge calculated the firepower allocation plan; the ammunition loaded onto the cannons was of utmost importance, for it was Han Xinglan's divine weapon in this battle, relied upon to intimidate the enemy, so the ammo could not be spared.

There were also close‑range hand crossbows, Fire Thunder as support, and the elite battalions under Xiao Shen that could take ten men each…

Rong Luoge scribbled and sketched; she knew Han Xinglan had certainly already made deployments, the two always thought in sync, and whatever she could think of, he could almost think of as well. All she could do now was to identify gaps and fill them.

After finishing, she sent Yuan Bao to the former court. Just as she exhaled a sigh of relief, Rong Xin hurried in, "Your Majesty, the Lady of Lord Ningyuan has submitted a petition to see Concubine Song Hui."

She's here!

Rong Luoge did not expect her to arrive so quickly; it seemed Lord Ningyuan truly was in trouble, and Han Xinglan had struck without mercy.

"Go tell the Lady of Lord Ningyuan that the palace has its own rules: to request an audience with a consort, one must submit a petition in advance so the palace can prepare. Now the Lady of Lord Ningyuan has submitted a petition and wants to see someone immediately—does she think the inner palace is her private garden?"

Since Han Xinglan has already acted, she could no longer give the Lady of Lord Ningyuan any face, letting her think there was still room for reconciliation.

She must make this villain pay.

Rong Xin's expression hardened. "Your Majesty, as you said, I will go now to inform the Lady of Lord Ningyuan."

Rong Xin hurried away, and Rong Luoge actually felt her heart race a bit at that moment; she steadied herself and smiled.

She hadn't realized after how many incidents she still felt nervous, showing that this matter truly held profound significance for the couple.

Soon, Rong Xin returned, her face sullen, stepping forward and bowing, "Your Majesty, the Lady of Lord Ningyuan has been kneeling at the palace gate without rising, repeatedly pleading for Your Majesty's mercy."

Rong Luoge paused in silence; it was a self‑sacrificial ploy, but she could indeed be ruthless.

Without cruelty there is no manhood; although she is not a great man, she cannot let her soft heart ruin Han Xinglan's grand scheme, so she said calmly, "Since the Lady of Lord Ningyuan is willing to kneel, then let her kneel."

Rong Xin whispered, "Your Majesty, the people coming and going outside are all high officials of the court; if they see this, it may harm Your Majesty's reputation."

Rong Luoge chuckled lightly, "Rong Xin, think about it: this time the Lady of Lord Ningyuan dares to use such a self‑sacrificial ploy to pressure me. If I bow and give in, next time she will only push further, doing even more extreme things. These aristocratic ladies live such comfortable lives that they seem to think whatever they want is within arm's reach."

This world belongs to the Han dynasty; she is now the mother‑figure Empress of the realm, and they as a couple cannot retreat—one step back would be a bottomless abyss.

What does bearing a bad reputation matter? With the Empress's reputation known abroad, and the common folk being ignorant children, they will naturally discern right from wrong.

Rong Xin, hearing this, hurried, "It was my mistake; I will go now to clarify things with the Lady of Lord Ningyuan, we cannot let her truly tarnish Your Majesty's name."

Rong Xin stormed off, and Rong Luoge smiled lightly as she watched her back.

Although the news of the Lady of Lord Ningyuan's request to see the Empress had not spread, Song Huihe still received word; she immediately sent someone near her to the palace gate to check, and once she got the information, she promptly came to the Fengyi Palace to request an audience with the Empress.

At this moment, Song Huihe was still uneasy about the destruction of the River and Mountain Map, fearing the Empress might truly interrogate her; but seeing her mother kneeling outside the palace gate gave her a bad foreboding, and she was determined to meet her mother.

Since the Empress began repeatedly replacing the inner palace staff, the Song family's informants inside the palace were almost completely eliminated. Moreover, now entry to the inner palace gates requires a Fengyi Palace token, so even informants trying to gather news find it difficult, as they cannot leave the palace.

Song Huihe arrived in a blaze of anger.

Rong Luoge deliberately kept her waiting in the main hall for a full half‑hour before emerging from the inner hall to meet her.

Song Huihe's eyes seemed about to blaze; upon seeing the Empress appear, she forced herself to hold back her fury and stepped forward to pay her respects, "Concubine, I pay my respects to the Empress Mother."

Rong Luoge sat on the throne; although she was not wearing the Empress's formal attire, her everyday robe embroidered fully with phoenixes still exerted great pressure.

"Concubine Song, rise. What brings you here in such haste to see me?" Rong Luoge asked calmly.

Song Huihe, seeing the Empress's pretentious demeanor, felt her suppressed anger about to explode, yet she retained some composure and forced out a smile, "Concubine, I learned that my mother is outside the palace gate seeking an audience; I humbly ask the Empress to grant me a chance to see my mother."

Rong Luoge listened, looked at Song Huihe, furrowed her brows, and said sternly, "Concubine Song, the case of the destroyed Ten‑Thousand‑Mile River and Mountain Map has not yet been resolved. As a suspect, you should remain calmly in Yunhua Palace until the matter is clarified. Moreover, the palace has its own rules: an external woman seeking an audience with an inner‑palace consort must submit a petition three days in advance. I am merely following palace protocol."

Song Huihe listened, her face turning black with anger, and said to the Empress, "Empress Mother, my mother is of advanced age; her urgent desire to see me must be due to an emergency. Please be lenient."

What palace rules? It's really just the Empress's word; she is deliberately stalling and refusing to be lenient.

Rong Luoge listened, looked at Song Huihe, and said word for word, "Concubine Hui, you know how I conduct affairs; I have never used my position for personal gain. When I was in Dong Gong, I never made things difficult for you; after moving into the inner palace, have I ever caused you trouble? I have never troubled you, so why must you now trouble me? The palace rules stand, so return now."

Song Huihe could no longer contain her anger, and shouted at the Empress, "Empress Mother, I have only this small request; will you not lift your hand in generosity? If this spreads, it could damage your reputation as well."

Rong Luoge, furious yet mocking, looked at Song Huihe, rose from the throne, stood before her, and lowered her voice, "Song Huihe, do you truly not know what has happened? I doubt it. Let me tell you frankly: your father's spying on the emperor's movements and planting eyes in the Military Engineering Bureau has already been exposed. How do you think His Majesty will deal with it?"

Song Huihe was startled, a chill running through her heart, and looked at the Empress with suspicion. Her father had always been cautious; how could this be?

But the Empress spoke with solemn certainty, and since her mother was indeed outside demanding an audience, even kneeling for length, she guessed something was definitely wrong at home, yet she did not expect it to be such a major incident!

"Empress Mother, you are deceiving me, aren't you? I know I sometimes act improperly, perhaps offending you in some respects, but in a matter like this, you cannot…"

"Concubine Hui!" Rong Luoge interrupted Song Huihe, "Don't you already know what kind of temperament I have?"

Song Huihe certainly knew!

It was precisely because she knew, that she feared; the Empress was so composed, and when she said those words, her expression was as if she were mentioning a mere ant.

This feeling is terribly awful; what does it indicate?

It shows that the Empress is not afraid of the Song family, even holds a bit of contempt for them; where does the Empress get her confidence?

It must have come from the Emperor.

Thinking of the Emperor, Song Huihe's complexion grew even worse.

Her mind was in chaos, knowing that pleading with the Empress was useless, she staggered outward, determined to see the Empress Dowager!

If the Song family truly collapses, could the Su family still remain untouched?

She cannot control the Empress, but the Empress Dowager can!