Chapter 33: Volume 1, Chapter 33: What Does the Crown Prince Mean by This?

The Crown Prince was sitting beside the fish pond drinking tea. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Rong Luoge walking in dressed in men's clothing, poised and completely at ease, without the slightest hint of awkwardness.

Her temperament was truly entirely different from what had been investigated. Recalling the files that described Rong Luoge as timid and cowardly, then looking at the person before him…

Rong Luoge strode in. Perhaps because she had met the Crown Prince quite a few times, and he had never displayed the lofty attitude of a crown prince, she felt fairly at ease facing him.

The man dressed in white sat there leisurely and comfortably, the hem of his robes swaying gently in the breeze. The line of poetry suddenly came to mind: "Fair as jade upon the path, a noble lord without peer in all the world."

Good-looking people really do make things easy on the eyes wherever they are.

"This subject's daughter greets Your Highness." Rong Luoge stepped forward to pay her respects.

"Please rise, Miss Rong. There is no one else here, so there is no need for such formality. Have a seat."

Rong Luoge rose and casually found a seat. Someone immediately served tea, then bowed and withdrew. In the blink of an eye, only the two of them remained in this rear garden.

Rong Luoge had something on her mind, so she looked at the Crown Prince and asked directly: "Your Highness is the noble heir to the throne—why would you appear in a place like Xi Cheng?"

To put it bluntly, only merchants set up quarters in Xi Cheng. To official families, no matter how wealthy the merchants were, they were still people who could not be brought to the table in their eyes.

"And why does Miss Rong appear here?"

Rong Luoge: …

Is this person a parrot?

"To avoid trouble, of course."

"Naturally, the same for me."

This conversation could not continue!

Rong Luoge picked up her teacup and took a sip to cool her temper.

Seeing Rong Luoge's face suddenly darken, Han Xinglan gave a light laugh. "Does Miss Rong think I'm deceiving her? I am not—I am telling the truth. Whether in the palace or in the Dong Gong, I can only ever be the lofty crown prince in others' eyes, with every word and action closely watched. That is why I sought out a place like this to relax a little. I simply never expected that Miss Rong would so coincidentally purchase the house next door."

Hearing the Crown Prince's words, Rong Luoge didn't quite understand the mindset of these wealthy and powerful people. So many people in this world schemed and scrambled to climb upward, all for the power and influence they yearned for.

But that had nothing to do with her. She set down the teacup she had been cradling in her hands, and only then continued: "This time, thank Your Highness for telling me about Liu Yuniang's background."

"A trivial effort, nothing compared to the importance of the blueprints Miss Rong provided," Han Xinglan said with a smile.

Rong Luoge looked at Han Xinglan, truly unable to fathom this person's depths. Despite his constant gentle, warm smile, the fact that he sat securely and unmoving in the crown prince's position—that Consort Ming and Han Yifeng had failed to bring him down all these years—showed his ability.

She certainly did not dare underestimate him. But since their first interactions, the Crown Prince had consistently shown her goodwill, and she genuinely could not bring herself to treat him with a cold face.

"As long as it is of use to Your Highness, that is good."

"Naturally it is of use. But first the items must be forged before anything else. My subordinates are not optimistic—they don't think they can be forged."

Hmm?

Rong Luoge was not happy hearing this. "Rest assured, Your Highness—just follow the blueprints. As for the gunpowder formula, apart from the copy with Chief Escort Luo, I have another version here. The proportions differ, so the final effect will also differ."

Han Xinglan's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Rong Luoge and said: "How does Miss Rong know so many things? As it happens, the State of Xiao also has alchemists researching these matters…"

"Alchemists mainly practice alchemy to deceive people. What proper things could they produce?" Rong Luoge said with a frown. There were certainly those who devoted themselves to researching pills in earnest, but the majority were nothing but frauds stealing a reputation.

Only after saying this did Rong Luoge realize something was wrong—the current Emperor also enjoyed alchemy.

She gave a light cough, and seeing that Han Xinglan showed no intention of taking offense, she quickly moved past the remark and added: "Your Highness need not worry. Once the items are made, you will know I was not deceiving anyone. Moreover, these are but crude and simple things—not worth much."

Hearing this, Han Xinglan glanced at Rong Luoge again. Seeing that she showed not the slightest nervousness in her words, it was clear she spoke sincerely—meaning the things she had produced were not important items.

But Rong Luoge showed no intention of elaborating, and Han Xinglan was not in a hurry. Through his several dealings with Rong Luoge, he could already discern aspects of her temperament.

This person responded to softness but not force, and was unwilling to owe anyone a favor. Since he had helped her today, she certainly would not let him suffer a loss.

With this in mind, Han Xinglan did not bring up these matters again. Instead, he turned to discussing the Ming family's affairs.

"It would be best if you did not involve yourself in the Ming family's matters. Yu Liu's background has not yet been fully investigated, and Consort Ming's intentions in having her follow Ming Zan remain unknown. Now that Yu Liu has already exposed herself, just let Lady Ming take over from there."

Rong Luoge looked at Han Xinglan with some surprise, not expecting him to give her such guidance. Since he was offering such a sincere reminder, she naturally lowered her guard a little and repeated what she had previously said to Ming Yuhua.

"I keep suspecting that Yu Liu is connected to Di Yue Nu, but I have no evidence and no people under me, so I can't find out anything. Moreover, my mother's death back then has always felt somewhat off to me, so I want to investigate the matter." Rong Luoge felt that to truly sever ties with the Zhen Guo Gong Fu, she needed to find out exactly how the original owner's mother had died.

Death from complications of childbirth and subsequent illness—she did not believe a word of it. If that were truly the case, how could the Protector Duke have turned right around and married Chu Ke into the household?

There must be things she still did not know. Finding out the truth could also serve as repayment for borrowing this person's body.

Han Xinglan had not expected Rong Luoge to speak of such matters. After a moment's thought, he said: "Do you need my help?"

Rong Luoge shook her head. "Not for now. If a day truly comes when I need Your Highness's help, I would ask you to lend a hand then. Luoge would be endlessly grateful."

"Miss Rong is too polite." Han Xinglan waved his hand with a smile. "We are neighbors from now on. If there is anything you need, just come and let me know."

Rong Luoge certainly would not take these words at face value. Short of absolute necessity, she would not ask the Crown Prince for help—favors were hard to repay.

Observing Rong Luoge's expression, Han Xinglan knew she probably had not taken the words seriously. He lowered his gaze slightly, and when he raised his head again, he looked at Rong Luoge and said: "The State of Xiao is now frequently at war, with constant friction against Qingxuan. The soldiers at the border suffer from the endless campaigning, yet conditions are harsh and miserable. I wonder if Miss Rong might have any good solutions?"

Rong Luoge glanced at the Crown Prince with some surprise, hesitated a moment, and then said: "Such matters of state and military affairs—how could this humble woman presume to speak of them?"

Wait—what did the Crown Prince mean by this?

Making some equipment was one thing, but now he wanted her to devise strategies too?