Chapter 344: Borrowing the Empress

Volume One Chapter 344 Borrowing the Empress's Auspicious Words

These days the two of them have been busy with their own affairs, rarely finding time together; now that the Suizhou Victory is over, Rong Luoge's side is also temporarily settled, and tonight truly turned out to be a somewhat wild night.

When he was Crown Prince he was suppressed and even threatened; after ascending the throne he is constantly restrained, every step must be taken with extreme caution, but from now on this emperor can finally be true to his title.

All the effort, all the endurance, all of it, was for today.

After indulging, the two nestled together speaking; Han Xinglan looked up at the top of the tent and said, "The craftsmen from various regions report that the gentry families hide many people, only fifty or thirty households count as one household. In some places even a hundred rooms are merged into one household, a thousand men share a register; the powerful clans gather their families together, practically treating the court as nothing."

Rong Luoge, leaning on Han Xinglan, gently urged him, "From now on the era of hereditary titles and offices is ending; in the future all ministers and nobles will be granted and appointed by His Majesty."

Rong Luoge's voice was soft, yet those words struck a chord in Han Xinglan's heart.

He indeed has that plan; he will gradually reclaim the authority of the noble families, appoint local officials to govern the regions, thereby strengthening this emperor's power.

"The biggest problem now is that we don't know how many commoners the Owl Kingdom actually has; as you said, the populace hides in great numbers, so verifying the household registers is also urgent," Rong Luoge said.

"We can't rush this for now; otherwise those noble families might fight to the death. At present the most important thing is to use the Suizhou Victory to intimidate these families into submitting to the court and voluntarily surrendering their authority. Though I'm not afraid of sending troops into battle, our treasury is too thin; a prolonged war would be unsustainable," Han Xinglan sighed.

Rong Luoge, hearing this, thought for a moment and said, "Earlier I had Song Huihe persuade the Marquis of Ningyuan; if the Marquis were to voluntarily submit now, it would be a huge blow to the noble families."

Han Xinglan looked at Rong Luoge, "Can Song Huihe actually persuade the Marquis of Ningyuan?"

"I haven't heard back from Song Huihe yet, but I guess the problem isn't serious. After all, Song Huihe and Su Ying have completely fallen out, and now Prime Minister Su has added insult to injury by having the Marquis of Ningyuan imprisoned. I don't think they'll ever cooperate again." Rong Luoge considered and spoke, "These days, whether it's the Empress Dowager or Su Ying in the palace, they've both been very compliant, so they must have learned some information. The channel at the Imperial Hospital is still active, isn't it just for this matter?"

Han Xinglan, hearing this, looked at Rong Luoge, "Tomorrow I'll send someone to inquire about the Marquis of Ningyuan; if he is willing to turn back, that would indeed be good news."

A tyrannical emperor who slaughters indiscriminately is far more detestable than a benevolent ruler; artillery intimidates from the front, and then Han Xinglan uses gentle yet firm methods to win hearts. Perhaps they can obtain what they want without resorting to war.

"If the Marquis of Ningyuan dies stubbornly, that's fine; if he fails, there's still Prime Minister Yun." Rong Luoge continued, mentioning the matter of Grand Consort Ming bringing Yun Shizhuang to surrender, "I sense that Yun Shizhuang wants to defect to us, and hopes to use her surrender to protect her family's lives."

Yun Jing and Su Mubai have long been at odds; although both are prime ministers, Yun Jing used to dominate Su Mubai. After all, when the Late Emperor was alive, Crown Prince Han Xinglan was not favored by his own father, let alone the Su family.

Later, after the Late Emperor passed away and Han Xinglan ascended the throne, Su Mubai revived by invoking the emperor's external family name, and at that time Yun Jing acted prudently, avoiding direct confrontation with Su Mubai. From this, one can see that he is a flexible person who keeps the bigger picture in mind.

Knowing full well that the great houses are about to collapse, Yun Jing probably won't sink with this ship to the sea floor.

If the Marquis of Ningyuan and Yun Jing can each lead their clans to submit to the emperor and hand over their fiefs to the court, then the rest of the gentry's submission will be only a matter of time.

Every beginning is hard; the more critical the moment, the less they can rush.

Han Xinglan turned his head to look at Rong Luoge, "I understand; I'll test Yun Jing's stance. Sleep now; we'll discuss tomorrow."

Rong Luoge was indeed a bit tired; leaning on Han Xinglan she closed her eyes, knowing there are more tasks tomorrow and she truly needs to restore her spirit.

Shi An called from outside; hearing the voice, Han Xinglan opened his eyes, quietly sat up, trying not to disturb the person beside the pillow.

But even after slowing his movements, Rong Luoge still opened her eyes.

He lowered his head, looked at her, and lightly brushed her lips, "You keep sleeping; I'm going to the morning court."

Rong Luoge really didn't feel like moving, smiled at him and said, "Today's court will surely be especially lively; I hope we can use the lingering might of the Suizhou Victory to shock the ministers in one blow today."

Han Xinglan laughed, "Alright, borrowing the Empress's auspicious words."

Rong Luoge, from behind the tent, watched Han Xinglan change clothes; Shi An and the others deftly helped him don a dragon robe, and the crowd surrounded him as he walked out.

When they reached the doorway, Han Xinglan suddenly turned around and looked toward the tent.

Rong Luoge reached out and gently shook the tent in response, then saw Han Xinglan stride away.

The first morning sunlight streamed into the room; after finishing breakfast, Rong Luoge was on the warm couch playing with her son. Since that sudden incident where he took a few steps, now he refuses to walk at all, having fallen in love with a new game, rolling back and forth on the couch, able to roll from one end to the other, and he is endlessly delighted by it.

"Your Majesty, Consort Hui wishes to see you," Que Cai entered and bowed beside the Empress.

Rong Luoge glanced at the wet nurse, told her to look after the child, then got up to leave. This person really doesn't wait for words; she mentioned it to Han Xinglan last night, and she's here today.

The news of the Suizhou Victory was released by Rong Luoge through her attendants.

The two most interested in the news were Song Huihe and Su Ying.

She wasn't currently interested in Su Ying's thoughts, but she was very interested in Song Huihe's side.

"Your Highness, I, the concubine, pay my respects to the Empress," Song Huihe entered from outside, approached the Empress and bowed; her complexion was not good, the Suizhou Victory news made her very anxious.

"Consort Hui, rise and sit," Rong Luoge laughed.

Consort Hui had no mood to sit and speak; she couldn't even sit down, and looked at the Empress asking, "Your Majesty, has the Suizhou city gate been breached?"

Rong Luoge nodded, "Yes."

Song Huihe verified the news; her expression grew increasingly conflicted, and finally, with resolve, she looked at the Empress and said, "Your Majesty, I wish to leave the palace to visit my father; please grant me permission."

Rong Luoge looked at Song Huihe, "Consort Hui, it's not that I forbid you to go; you already persuaded him last time, but the Marquis of Ningyuan still hasn't responded, so I fear he has no intention of turning back."