Chapter 326: Volume 1, Chapter 326 Su Ying's Shamelessness

Yuan Bao walked outward, and halfway met Virtuous Consort Su coming in; he stepped aside, waited until Virtuous Consort Su passed, then lifted his foot and continued onward.

Su Ying had often visited the main hall of Fengyi Palace; back then her aunt was still the Empress, but now everything feels strange upon returning.

Except for the lofty throne, which is unchanged, everything else has changed, the people as well.

"Your Majesty the Empress, I, the concubine, pay my respects," Su Ying said as she stepped forward and bowed to the Empress.

Rong Luoge looked at Su Ying, could not read her mind, and said, "Virtuous Consort, rise. What business brings you to see me at this hour?"

After rising, Su Ying looked up at the Empress, her face showing a hint of hesitation before steadied, and said, "Empress, I have visited Consort Hui; seeing her condition is truly worrisome, so I wish to request a favor from you."

Rong Luoge raised an eyebrow, "Virtuous Consort, what favor do you wish to ask for Consort Hui?"

Su Ying despised Rong Luoge's lofty demeanor the most; in terms of lineage, Rong Luoge was far inferior, yet she could not deny her own good fortune.

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask when Consort Hui can see Madam Song. I heard Consort Hui say it was because Madam Song disregarded palace rules and rashly requested a meeting, so you forbade mother and daughter from meeting; does that mean they can meet once the time is right?"

Listening to Su Ying's words, Rong Luoge was on the verge of laughing in anger, thinking how absurd it was to say she disregarded palace rules and rashly sought a meeting, that she forbade them to meet, and now asks whether they may meet once the time is right.

Su Ying is not pleading for Song Huihe; she is using Song Huihe's matter to gather information.

She always knew Su Ying could adapt, but didn't expect her to be so shameless and bold, speaking nonsense openly, treating her as a fool.

Rong Luoge smiled wryly, "I truly did not expect Virtuous Consort to be so perceptive; first you informed Consort Hui about the Ten‑Thousand‑Mile Landscape Painting, oh, I know, Virtuous Consort had good intentions, discovering such an interesting embroidered picture just to share with Consort Hui. Who could have thought Consort Hui had embroidered such a picture before? As a result, a kind heart caused a misunderstanding, ruining Gou Shuyi's months of hard work in an instant."

Su Ying's face turned slightly pale, then an unnatural redness appeared; she tried to stay calm and said, "Empress, I truly did not know Consort Hui had ever embroidered such a picture before."

"Is that so? Then perhaps I should summon Consort Hui for questioning?" Rong Luoge looked at Su Ying and asked directly, certain Su Ying would not dare comply.

At the time Su Ying had not yet been selected to enter the palace under the pretext of accompanying the Empress, she already intended to get close to Song Huihe; before she left the palace, Song Huihe had already embroidered the Ten‑Thousand‑Mile Landscape Painting, so she didn't believe Su Ying truly didn't know.

Even if Song Huihe tried to conceal, Su Ying's cleverness could pick up clues.

Indeed, she heard Su Ying say unnaturally, "Your Majesty, why reinterpret my words five times? Since you are unwilling to be lenient, I will consider that I never said it."

Rong Luoge sneered, "Virtuous Consort, you think yourself clever, but don't treat everyone as fools. After this incident, do you think Consort Hui can still be kept in the dark? I think once Consort Hui is in trouble, she will recall past events; do you think she might remember something she had forgotten?"

Su Ying clenched the handkerchief, could not sit still, stood up and took her leave.

Rong Luoge used to dislike Song Huihe, but compared with Su Ying, Song Huihe seemed much cuter.

After they left, Que Cai, seeing the Empress's displeased expression, said, "Your Majesty, shall I have someone convey the matters Virtuous Consort brought here to Consort Hui?"

Rong Luoge shook her head, "No need, Song Huihe isn't truly foolish; she will doubt Virtuous Consort herself. If someone from Yunhua Palace comes to secretly gather information, just tell the truth."

This also counts as giving Song Huihe a chance.

Whether it's the Ningyuan Marquis's manor or Song Huihe, as long as Han Xinglan has the upper hand, it's not hard to deal with.

The only tricky part is the Empress Dowager and her niece; the Empress Dowager is Han Xinglan's birth mother; both Rong Luoge and Han Xinglan must be extremely cautious regarding the Empress Dowager.

Even though Han Xinglan has little feeling for his birth mother, she still raised him, protected him, and that limited guardianship allowed him to grow well.

Han Xinglan is sentimental and would not truly take harsh action against his birth mother, so only if there is a chance for Rong Luoge to obtain a fatal leverage.

As long as the Hou Gong has the Empress Dowager and Su Ying for a day, there will be no peace.

Using Song Huihe's hand to bring down Su Ying is not impossible.

Rong Luoge pondered how to arrange this; Su Ying's sabotage should naturally be known to Song Huihe, but Song Huihe must not realize it was deliberately let known.

Song Huihe is suspicious; if she knows the info came from her, she would doubt herself first and would not act against Su Ying easily.

Only if Song Huihe believes she discovered the information herself will she feel justified to act as she wishes.

Fanning the flames, pushing the tide, such shameless tactics are not exclusive to Su Ying.

Rong Luoge looked at Que Cai and asked, "I recall the Song family's planted nail in the palace left a hidden stake, right?"

Que Cai replied immediately, "Yes, at that time you feared it might be needed later, so you didn't move it."

Rong Luoge chuckled, "That's exactly using it. Slip the information silently to the nail, let her know the Song family's current hardships, then that the Song family faces great disaster while the Su family remains splendid. Also, let her know the Ningyuan Marquis is imprisoned, and Prime Minister Su has not said a word to help him."

"Yes, I'll handle it right away," Que Cai said, rushing to comply. The task was not difficult; she merely marveled at the Empress's cleverness—who could have thought that hidden stake would become a dagger in her hand.

After Que Cai left, Rong Luoge pondered the Empress Dowager's side; the Empress Dowager had not acted yet, and to her surprise she had not even seen Consort Hui. She had thought the Empress Dowager would not miss this opportunity to trouble herself.

If the Empress Dowager truly remains rational on this matter and even sides with Han Xinglan regarding the Su family, then allowing her to enjoy her later years in the palace is not impossible.

If the Empress Dowager still favors the Su family, then she cannot be blamed.