Chapter 38: Volume 1, Chapter 38: Absolutely Will Not Let You Suffer a Loss

"So that's how it is." Rong Luoge recalled the several times she had seen the Crown Prince—there was not the slightest sign of frailty, only that first time when he was injured...

Thinking of the matter of his injury, who had injured the Crown Prince?

Rong Luoge previously had little interaction with the Crown Prince and naturally would not have concerned herself with such matters, but now that she thought about it, she found it all very peculiar.

To dare assassinate the Crown Prince—this was no small matter, yet the Crown Prince had no intention of making it public or reporting it to His Majesty, truly something difficult to understand.

"In any case, now that Prince Qi can leave the palace, although I might be overthinking things, you as the Former Consort of the Qi Prince should still be careful," Ling Yuying said with concern. After all, Rong Dai and Rong Luoge were sisters, and some friction between them was inevitable.

"I know, thank you." Rong Luoge said with a smile. Ling Yuying was more or less her first friend; she had not expected her to care so much.

"Now you know this place too. If there's anything you need my help with, just send a letter here and I'll contact you when I get the message," Ling Yuying said softly. "We who are princess consorts, you know, don't have much freedom ordinarily. If you don't want to have any entanglements with the imperial family, come find me here. If you're not afraid, going directly to the Prince Liang residence works too."

"You're not afraid that my showing up at your door will drag you into gossip," Rong Luoge said with a laugh.

"What's there to be afraid of? Can't you have friends after a divorce?" Ling Yuying's father was the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, upright and staunch by nature, and she naturally had something of her father's spirit.

"No need for now, we'll talk about it later. If I have any business I'll come send a letter here," Rong Luoge said. Ling Yuying might not be afraid, but she did not want to cause trouble for her. "If there's anything you need my help with, just say so."

Rong Luoge gave her the address of her old residence. Xi Cheng was too far, not as convenient as the old residence. "My personal maid is there. For now, to avoid trouble, I'm not staying there."

Ling Yuying asked in surprise, "You didn't go back to the Guo Gong Fu?"

"I'm not going back. Go back and wait for the Protector Duke to sell me off again?"

Hearing Rong Luoge refer to her own father as the Protector Duke, Ling Yuying recalled what the Protector Duke had done and nodded. "You shouldn't go back. He never raised you, so there's not much affection there. You took the blame for Rong Dai once, so that debt of gratitude can be considered repaid."

Rong Luoge smiled at her words. Perhaps that was what friends were—always thinking from your perspective on your behalf.

"Speaking of which, there's something I'd like to ask your help with. Do you know any ancient scripts?" Rong Luoge asked, thinking of the characters on the seal.

"Show me, what ancient script?"

Rong Luoge did not take all of it out—not because she distrusted Ling Yuying, but because she was worried that if Ling Yuying couldn't recognize it herself and took it to others for help, word would inevitably leak out.

"These." Rong Luoge took out two characters for her.

Ling Yuying looked at the two torn characters and said, "Where did you get these? Someone tore them like this—not easy to recognize. Let me have a look."

Rong Luoge coughed softly. Not having the heart to lie to her, she simply chose not to explain.

Fortunately, Ling Yuying only grumbled a couple of sentences and had no intention of getting to the bottom of it. She held the two small slips of paper and studied them carefully for a good while before saying, "This isn't the script of the Owl Kingdom. I don't recognize it specifically. If you're willing, I can ask my father to find a friend at the Hanlin Academy to help identify it."

Just as Rong Luoge had guessed, Ling Yuying was indeed warm-hearted and eager to help. She said, "That works too. Sorry for the trouble."

"It's nothing." Ling Yuying put the items away. "Wait for my message."

Rong Luoge had no other business and rose to take her leave. Ling Yuying happened to have other matters as well and did not keep her, only saying, "Be careful living on your own. Prince Qi doesn't do things by the book, and I'm worried he might hold a grudge and act against you."

Rong Luoge had made Prince Qi lose so much face; given his temperament, he might not just let it go.

Moreover, the reason His Majesty had agreed to the divorce at the time was also because Rong Luoge had spoken of the matter openly at court, essentially forcing His Majesty to deal with it. But in his heart he inevitably harbored some displeasure toward Rong Luoge, so if Prince Qi really did something, His Majesty would likely turn a blind eye.

Rong Luoge thanked her. "I know. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

After leaving Ling Yuying's place, Rong Luoge had no other business for the time being and thought to head back to Xi Cheng first. After all, she had yet to deliver what she promised the Crown Prince, and she needed to get that done first.

"Miss Rong? What a coincidence running into you here. Where are you headed? Shall I give you a ride?"

Rong Luoge looked at Luo Xian sitting in the carriage, not expecting to run into him here either. What kind of day was this—always running into people. "No need, Chief Escort Luo. I still have some other business to attend to."

Luo Xian looked at Rong Luoge's outfit, the corner of his mouth twitching. She had just earned a large sum of silver from him last time, so she definitely wasn't short of money. He just didn't know what she was up to, dressed like that.

"No trouble at all, it's on my way. Please get in, Miss Rong," Luo Xian said with great enthusiasm. After all, this one was a cash cow—building a good relationship was important.

Rong Luoge didn't want to argue with Luo Xian on the street, so after a moment's thought, she got in the carriage.

"Where does Miss Rong want to go?" Luo Xian asked, his face smiling so broadly it looked like a steamed bun.

Rong Luoge's mouth twitched. With He Huai and the others around, it wasn't hard for Luo Xian to find out her Xi Cheng address, so she simply told him directly.

Luo Xian asked in some surprise, "Why did Miss Rong move to Xi Cheng? That area isn't very peaceful."

Seeing that Luo Xian's surprise didn't seem feigned, it appeared that He Huai and Jing Chu hadn't told him. Rong Luoge was quite satisfied and looked at Luo Xian, saying half-jokingly, "To make a living. I'll inevitably be doing some business in the future, so naturally it's more convenient to move to Xi Cheng. Chief Escort Luo is one of us, so I won't hide it from you. I just hope you won't tell anyone about my current residence."

"Of course." Luo Xian sighed. "I heard about what happened to you, Miss Rong. Prince Qi is truly despicable. If you want to do any business in the future, just say the word. As long as old Luo here can help, I won't hesitate."

Rong Luoge felt that Luo Xian's attitude was somewhat different, as if they could trust each other implicitly. In truth, they had only done a single deal together—it shouldn't be like this.

"Nothing for now, but if there is, I'll definitely come find Chief Escort Luo," Rong Luoge said.

Luo Xian was a little disappointed, but quickly smiled again. "No matter. With good business like last time, as long as Miss Rong remembers me, that's enough. Don't worry, I'll definitely give you a fair price. I absolutely won't let you suffer a loss."

"Alright." Rong Luoge had originally intended to cooperate with Luo Xian long-term, but she didn't have anything else on hand at the moment.

Hearing Rong Luoge agree so readily, Luo Xian was clearly pleased and said in a low voice, "Be careful lately, Miss Rong. I hear many foreign merchants have arrived in the capital, and they're all lodging in Xi Cheng."

Rong Luoge's eyes flickered. "Foreign merchants? From where? Could Chief Escort Luo reveal a thing or two?"