Chapter 6: Recruiting Soldiers and Buying Horses

Volume One, Chapter 6 Recruiting Soldiers and Buying Horses

Listen to how it's said; someone who doesn't know might think Mingcui is the master and Rong Luoge is the servant, and the scolding tone shouldn't be too obvious.

Rong Luoge, too lazy to waste words, said directly: "You can leave now; this Princess doesn't need a servant like you, who is heartless, immoral, and sees no respect or hierarchy. Go back to your Duchess of the State."

Cangyun was taken aback; seeing the once‑soft girl become so forceful made him a little pleased. Her temperament hadn't always been that soft—it was forced after she returned from Zhuangzi to the Guo Gong Fu.

Mingcui being sent by the Guo Gong Fu people meant she wasn't a fool. Hearing the Princess's tone so harsh, a bad premonition spread, and she subconsciously replied with a smiling face: "Princess, I am here to serve you, how could I go back?"

Rong Luoge didn't expect her to be so flexible; she sneered coldly, looked at her and said: "Mingcui, do you really think this Princess doesn't know what you came for? The Duchess of the State sent you to my side, didn't she, to spy on me, to keep an eye on me?"

Mingcui's face turned pale; the matter was indeed that, but stating it so bluntly made her feel a bit exposed.

"Princess, the Duchess of the State also meant well; you've been staying in the countryside for years, and you're bound to overlook the capital's customs. She's afraid you might make a mistake in the royal palace, so she specially sent a servant to remind you." Mingcui, of course, didn't want to go back; returning to the Guo Gong Fu would have a bad outcome.

A useless waste can only be abandoned.

Rong Luoge hadn't expected dismissing a servant to be so difficult; her expression turned cold, and she ordered Cangyun: "Go to the gatehouse and summon a few people. Since she doesn't want to leave on her own, have them escort her back to the Guo Gong Fu."

Mingcui's legs went weak; if she were escorted back, her days would be even worse. "Princess, how can you be so ruthless? I've served you for so long; even without merit, I've labored. Aren't you afraid this will spread and damage your reputation?"

How dare you threaten her!

Keeping such a servant will eventually become a serious internal threat; Rong Luoge still thought of giving her some dignity, but since the other side is so unreasonable, there's no need.

"A servant daring to threaten her master—this Princess has never seen such before. The Duchess Who Guards the State is reputed to run the household strictly and govern subordinates wisely; now it seems she's merely a hollow name." Since Rong Luoge married into the Guo Gong Fu, she only received two people: Cangyun, whom she brought herself, and Mingcui, plus a few rough servants, all of whom cannot enter the courtyard to attend.

From this we can see that the stepmother Chu Ke never intended the original owner to live a comfortable life.

Since no one is usable, Rong Luoge had to act herself; she lifted her foot and kicked the still‑whining Mingcui out, "If you don't leave, your life will end here."

Rong Luoge left some mercy in her kick; she only kicked her out of the room, not causing real injury, making the intimidation even stronger.

Mingcui indeed became frightened, blackened her face, crawled up, trembling legs, and said: "If I return to the Guo Gong Fu, I will report today's whole matter to the Duchess."

Rong Luoge didn't even glance at her, only looked at Cangyun and said: "Watch her; don't let her take anything she shouldn't."

Mingcui's hands and feet aren't clean, so she naturally has to guard some things; after all, she's now standing in for the original owner here, and her current money has no other source, so she must protect what she has.

Cangyun went to keep an eye on Mingcui; Rong Luoge finally could have a moment to relax.

She organized the current situation; the main task now is to retrieve the original owner's mother's dowry, which will be the basis for her future survival.

Then she must recruit soldiers and buy horses; having only Cangyun by her side is certainly insufficient. She can't trust anyone from the Guo Gong Fu or this royal palace; only people she hires herself can be trusted.

She needs to buy two maidservants, plus a few somewhat skilled lads and guards, since she plans to establish her own household; without her own people coming and going, running errands, gathering information, it's impossible.

Moreover, in this royal palace, sharing a roof with that dog Han Yifeng, she still has to guard against that despicable scoundrel.

After all, the one who could do that thing on the wedding night in front of his wife must be a pathological pervert. A royal daughter‑in‑law wanting a divorce isn't that easy; she must prepare for a protracted battle, and recruiting soldiers and buying horses is necessary.

Cangyun returned quickly, looking at the Princess cautiously and said: "Princess, is it really good to drive the person back? What if the Duchess uses this as an excuse to trouble you again?"

Rong Luoge looked at Cangyun and smiled: "She wouldn't dare. Cangyun, from now on I'll give you a good life; we master and servant will no longer be constantly mistreated as before. I've figured it out, you needn't worry."

"Really?" Cangyun instantly cheered, "When we were at Zhuangzi, the Princess was so happy; since returning to the manor she's been gloomy. It would be wonderful to be like before."

Rong Luoge watched Cangyun's happy expression and couldn't help sighing.

The original owner's days at Zhuangzi were frugal but indeed happy; with no one pressing down, it was naturally comfortable.

After returning to the Guo Gong Fu, things changed; she had to be cautious with the stepmother while still yearning for the vague, distant paternal love from her real father, naturally wanting to please them and earn a caring glance from her father.

Only regrettably…

That scumbag father, who would send his daughter away just so his new wife could have a fresh bride, could never have a benevolent fatherly heart.

Or rather, his fatherly kindness was never meant for her.

Take Rong Dai, for example; she's the Protector Duke's truly beloved daughter. The original owner, being an illegitimate child, is far inferior; this life is truly a joke.

Thinking this, Rong Luoge felt she couldn't cheapen that couple: "Go fetch the dowry list and show it to me."

Cangyun smiled, replied, turned and entered the inner chamber, and soon returned holding a large red dowry list.

Rong Luoge opened it and felt something was off; the list showed a fine dowry of 108 loads, which according to the list should be at least 30,000 taels, but could such a couple be so generous?

She stood up and headed to the storage room for dowries; opening her own dowry chest, she was instantly outraged—indeed the goods didn't match the list.

There were no gold, stone, or jade items as the list indicated, no various precious silks, nor any elegant furnishings like the rose‑wood four‑season brocade bed screen mentioned; not even a shadow of them.

The chest was packed with cheap, worthless coarse‑cloth garments and low‑grade utensils, altogether worth at most five hundred taels.

Rong Luoge was furious; that couple was truly disgusting.

The original owner's maternal family was far away; because she was soft‑tempered, she had little contact with them. After all, the Protector Duke intended to keep them apart, and the original owner listened to the scumbag father's words, truly…

But she is not the original owner; this matter cannot be suffered like that.

She returned to the main courtyard, wrote a letter for Cangyun to send to the Guo Gong Fu; if that couple refuses to give her the dowry exactly as listed, and also return the original owner's mother's dowry, she will have people carry the whole 108 loads of dowry and dump them in front of the Protector Duke's gate.

Let them see if they have any face!