Chapter 53: Volume One, Chapter 53 Consort Ming Furious

Volume One, Chapter 53 Consort Ming Furious

"This is also something I can't figure out, so I came to ask you," Rong Luoge had already guessed a few things, but to stir up Consort Ming's pool, she had to first ask Ming Yuhua for help.

What she said is all true; Prince Qi did indeed go to see Liu Yuniang. She didn't deceive Ming Yuhua; she merely told her about it, letting her know that perhaps Prince Qi hadn't intervened before, but now he has reached out.

Ming Yuhua, though loud and boisterous, fell silent for a moment after hearing Rong Luoge's words, her eyes slightly reddening. She was full of distress and didn't know whom to tell. Rong Luoge knew all her embarrassments, and although this person is sharp‑tongued, she had indeed helped her, so she couldn't hold back and said: "We haven't wronged Aunt, nor have we wronged Cousin. Why are they doing this? My mother is so angry she's fallen ill, and she's still lying in bed now."

Rong Luoge, seeing the usually combative Ming Yuhua suddenly on the verge of tears, let out a slight sigh and asked, "Don't be sad; people's hearts in this world are impossible to read. Look at me—my own father still schemes against me. In comparison, aren't you far happier than I am?"

Ming Yuhua found Rong Luoge's comforting angle rather unusual, and she opened her wound to show her—how thoughtful.

"You don't know, when I was little, Cousin treated me very well; we were also cousins. Back then, Father and Aunt would sometimes laugh and say that I should marry Cousin in the future, and I took it seriously."

What a pitiful child. Rong Luoge looked at Ming Yuhua and wondered how a joking remark could be taken seriously.

"My mother asked my father about Liu Yuniang, but he refused to explain. My mother quarreled with my father, then entered the palace and went to see Aunt; I don't know what Aunt said, but my mother returned ill with anger. I still don't know what to do, and now you tell me that Cousin went to see Liu Yuniang..." Ming Yuhua couldn't hold back; tears fell one by one, feeling utterly wretched.

Rong Luoge frowned slightly, "Great General has always been deeply attached to Lady Ming; why can't the matter be clarified?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't feel so bad," Ming Yuhua wiped her nose, perhaps feeling embarrassed, took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed her tears. "Tell me, did my father really change his heart?"

Great General and Lady Ming are a loving couple; the household doesn't even have a concubine, and all their children are legitimate. Moreover, Lady Ming hails from the Zhao clan of Jiangdong, and over the years in the capital their match as a well‑born, affectionate couple has been evident to all.

"I don't know that, but Liu Yuniang has been by Great General's side for seven years; I think you shouldn't harbor too many fantasies," Rong Luoge said, looking at Ming Yuhua, "What about your two older brothers?"

"Eldest brother thinks there may be hidden motives; second brother confronted my father, and my father beat him and locked him up," Ming Yuhua said, feeling even more distressed. Her second brother had never been beaten since childhood, yet because of Liu Yuniang's matter he was the one who got beaten.

Rong Luoge's brows furrowed even tighter; she sensed something was off but couldn't pinpoint it. After thinking, she looked at Ming Yuhua and said, "I think the crux of this matter still lies with Consort Ming; your father probably has an unspeakable secret he can't reveal."

"What unspeakable secret could make my mother fall ill and have my second brother..." Ming Yuhua sniffed, "Tell me, what should I do now?"

"Aren't you afraid, but what if Consort Ming and your father, because of what you did, trouble your mother again?"

"My family is on the brink of collapse; how could I possibly manage all that?" Ming Yuhua, though fond of Cousin, looked at the state of her household and couldn't help venting some resentment toward Aunt and Cousin; in her heart, of course, mother and brother mattered more.

"I have a method," Rong Luoge said, looking at Ming Yuhua, "It's not very proper, but at least it can let you vent."

Ming Yuhua's eyes lit up, "You speak!"

"Very few people know about Liu Yuniang's matter now, especially those inside the palace," Rong Luoge added.

Ming Yuhua's eyes brightened slightly, "I understand."

Rong Luoge was startled; she hadn't finished speaking, and now she wondered what she had understood.

"No one in our family can cure Aunt, but there are people in the palace," Ming Yuhua sprang to her feet, "Aunt is at odds with the Empress; if the Empress learns of this, Aunt certainly won't target Mother any more, and might even ask Mother for help then."

Rong Luoge hadn't intended for Ming Yuhua to pass the news to the Empress; she only wanted Ming Yuhua to spread the information within the Hou Gong and observe the effect.

She didn't know that Ming Yuhua's way of thinking was unlike the norm, with tremendous destructive power.

"If you were to send the news directly to the Empress, wouldn't your father scold you?" Rong Luoge reminded conscientiously.

"I'm not afraid; he treated Mother that way, how could I do nothing? Clearly they're the ones at fault," Ming Yuhua retorted angrily.

"I think you can avoid appearing personally; rumors spread from person to person, and in the end no one will know where they originated."

Ming Yuhua has always acted with integrity; she once targeted Rong Luoge in the same way, and now, hearing Rong Luoge's words, she said, "Why hide the beginning and end? I'm not scared."

"Aren't you afraid, but what if Consort Ming and your father, because of what you did, trouble your mother again?"

Ming Yuhua hesitated this time; before she could confidently answer 'no,' now…

She looked up at Rong Luoge, then said, "I understand, thank you."

Ming Yuhua lifted her foot and left; Rong Luoge smiled, intending to use Ming Yuhua's hand to aggravate Consort Ming, of course while ensuring her safety.

It's just that she doesn't know how big a storm Liu Yuniang's matter could stir up inside the palace.

If that still doesn't work, she could revisit the Di Yue Nu affair, since Di Yue Nu's identity is linked to the Qing Xuan Kingdom and likely can't withstand deep digging.

Perhaps she can enlist someone's help to uncover the truth; Rong Luoge is not the type to take blows passively—if others try to deal with her, she'll certainly strike back.

She only hadn't expected the turmoil caused by Liu Yuniang's case in the palace to be far larger than she imagined; Ming Yuhua's actions were indeed swift, because she had often entered the palace before—Consort Ming is her paternal aunt, so her palace access is easier than others'.

Thus the news naturally spread in quickly.

In Fengyi Palace, the Empress, hearing Yan Yin's words, smiled lightly, "Who let the news out?"

Yan Yin, the Empress's former chambermaid who entered the palace and remained loyal, shook her head and said, "We haven't traced it yet; we only know the news came from the Imperial Kitchen."

"Imperial Kitchen?" the Empress mused, "The Imperial Kitchen is crowded and noisy; countless people come and go daily, so it's indeed a good place for messages to travel."

The Imperial Kitchen manages the meals for the Emperor and the entire Hou Gong; with so many masters of white and red tables, plus junior eunuchs fetching water and tending fire, countless nobles visit daily to request meals.

"Exactly, Consort Ming is raging now, saying anyone who dares gossip will be dealt with," Yan Yin said with a smile, "But the endless chatter is hard to stop."

Consort Ming isn't the ruler of the Hou Gong; her words lack the Phoenix decree.