Chapter 68: Volume 1, Chapter 68 — She Was Afraid of Kicking Someone Off the Bed with One Foot

Fu Shuangshu looked at Yun Shizhuang's dispirited appearance and ultimately could not bear to see her good friend so upset, so she said, "The Dong Gong never used to take in anyone, but now that there is a Good Lady, shouldn't a Crown Princess also be chosen? If His Majesty has such intentions, Shizhuang, you would still have a good chance. If you could become the Crown Princess, then Rong Luoge would have to bow and curtsey before you to pay her respects in the future—just thinking about it is satisfying."

Yun Shizhuang felt as though she had swallowed a fly, but the imperial edict had already been issued, and no one had a way to kick Rong Luoge out of the Dong Gong. After thinking it over, she said, "This matter isn't something you and I can accomplish just by talking about it. In the end, it still depends on His Majesty's intentions."

"Then I'll go back and ask my mother. The other princes have all already married and started families; the Crown Prince can't keep dragging things out like this. Now that there is a Good Lady Rong, adding a Crown Princess as well would be perfectly justified." The more Fu Shuangshu thought about it, the more right it seemed. As long as Yun Shizhuang became the Crown Princess, what was there to fear from a mere Good Lady like Rong Luoge?

Yun Shizhuang's eyes glinted. If the court officials could jointly submit a memorial, the Crown Prince's wedding would surely not be far off.

She could not just give up like this; she had to at least try.

Yun Shizhuang and Fu Shuangshu parted ways, each returning home to gather news and see whether they could give things a push from the sidelines.

On the other side, Rong Luoge looked at Han Xinglan and felt somewhat awkward too. She had forgotten—she was now a Good Lady, the Crown Prince's consort. Now that the imperial edict had been issued, it was all proper and legitimate. If Han Xinglan treated her as if she did not exist and did not stay overnight in Changxin Palace, then she would remain a laughingstock.

Han Xinglan looked at Rong Luoge's uncomfortable expression and said with a smile, "It's just to fool outsiders. Don't worry, I won't do anything to you."

Rong Luoge breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, "I know, I understand. You don't even like me—we're just cooperating. Fine, fine."

Han Xinglan: …

Rong Luoge had originally planned to set up an extra soft couch in the inner hall. The Crown Prince could sleep on the bed and she would sleep on the soft couch. Though the soft couch wasn't very comfortable, she couldn't very well let the Crown Prince sleep on it.

Who knew that before she could even figure out how to bring it up, Han Xinglan had already changed into sleepwear, gone straight into the bed curtains, sat down, and even beckoned to her.

Rong Luoge's expression stiffened. Even though she said nothing would happen, lying on the same bed together was still strange and very constraining.

Given her particularly uninhibited sleeping posture, she was genuinely afraid that after falling deeply asleep she might kick the person off the bed with one foot.

"The Dong Gong is not an entirely safe place. There are eyes planted here by others as well, so the act must be played through completely. I'll have to wrong you." Han Xinglan sighed softly, looking somewhat apologetic.

Rong Luoge had wanted to refuse, but seeing Han Xinglan's guilty expression, she felt that perhaps she was making too big a deal out of it.

She hesitated briefly, and Han Xinglan already had someone bring in an extra set of bedding. She had no choice but to swallow her objection.

Never mind, never mind. The bed was so big that with the two of them lying side by side, there was room for two more people in between. There was nothing to worry about, right?

Rong Xin came in, gently let down the melon-vine-patterned bed curtains, and withdrew with a smile, leaving only a single lamp in the corner. Inside the curtains, it immediately grew dark.

The person beside her had shallow breathing, and in this dim environment, that presence felt especially strong.

Rong Luoge wrapped the brocade quilt tighter around herself and quietly shifted inward, deciding to break the somewhat awkward silence. "Has Your Highness looked into the matter regarding Liu Yuniang?"

Once the conversation turned to serious business, the atmosphere immediately became much more proper.

Han Xinglan listened to Rong Luoge's slightly taut voice, the corner of his mouth curving upward, and only then said, "The Qiongchuan merchant caravan does indeed have some connection to her. It hasn't been fully figured out yet. Qiongchuan is too far from the capital, and passing messages back and forth takes a lot of time. We have to wait."

Rong Luoge recalled that seal, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Prince Qi secretly went to see Liu Yuniang, and Liu Yuniang is indeed Yuliu, the one serving beside Consort Ming."

"How do you know?"

Rong Luoge fell silent for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. "I overheard it."

Han Xinglan gave a light laugh. "Eavesdropping is very dangerous. Let Hu Xi bring people to do it from now on. What else did they say?"

Rong Luoge always felt that Han Xinglan's focus was invariably different from hers. She steadied herself before continuing, "From what Prince Qi implied, Consort Ming should have instructed Liu Yuniang to become Ming Zan's kept woman, wanting to use the kept woman's identity to get close to Di Yue Nu. Moreover, the relationship between Prince Qi and Rong Dai is not simple either—it's not a straightforward case of a man and woman in love. It should be that Consort Ming and her son want to obtain something from Di Yue Nu, which is why they set up these two schemes."

Rong Luoge was already more than half certain they were after the seal, but she couldn't be completely sure yet. Besides, she and the Crown Prince had not reached a point of full trust either; she still needed to leave herself a way out. So after some hesitation, she still did not mention the seal.

Han Xinglan had not expected the matter to have such twists and turns. He frowned slightly, gazing at Rong Luoge through the faint night. "It seems there must be something on Di Yue Nu that attracts that mother and son."

Rong Luoge nodded, then realized that Han Xinglan might not be able to see her nodding, so she spoke up: "One night, after I went to secretly investigate Di Yue Nu's residence, I was ambushed on the way back. The next day, I learned from the young servants around her residence that someone resembling the person who ambushed me had been seen entering and leaving that house."

Han Xinglan's expression turned cold. "You were ambushed?"

Rong Luoge heard the somewhat icy tone in Han Xinglan's voice and didn't know what he was angry about, so she said, "It might be Di Yue Nu suspecting me, though it's nothing strange. I've formed a bitter enmity with Rong Dai, so it's possible Di Yue Nu wanted to vent on behalf of her daughter and came after me."

"It may not be that simple." Han Xinglan listened to Rong Luoge's casual tone—either she didn't care because she could protect herself, or she cared but what could she do about it? No one could protect her, so she could only protect herself. "For your safety, from now on if you enter or leave the Dong Gong, I will have people protect you in secret."

Rong Luoge turned her head upon hearing this, thought for a moment, and simply sat up. "No need, I can protect myself."

"Luoge, you are my Good Lady now. Protecting your safety is also my responsibility." Han Xinglan also sat up, gazing at the woman opposite him who was frowning slightly under the dim lamplight. He paused, then added, "Rest assured, it's not that I want to send people to watch you. I'm simply concerned for your safety."

Rong Luoge found it a bit strange hearing him call her by her name like that, but given their current situation, addressing her this way didn't seem wrong either.

She took a breath to suppress her odd feelings, and then thought that she was now a Good Lady of the Dong Gong—if she were assassinated, Han Xinglan would lose face too. So him protecting her for the sake of his reputation was only right.

Now that the seal was already in her hands, whatever she did in the future, she wouldn't have to worry about the Crown Prince's people following her. So she nodded and agreed, "Then thank you, Your Highness."

Han Xinglan listened to Rong Luoge's polite thanks, his lips pressing together slightly.

Rong Luoge, however, did not notice the Crown Prince's expression. Instead, she was thinking that the Crown Prince had done so much for her—how was she going to repay this favor?

She did not know that from the moment she stepped into the Dong Gong, waves of turmoil would surge forth one after another, and soon the matter of establishing a Crown Princess was brought up in court.

And after she stepped into the whirlpool of the imperial palace, it was not something she could withdraw from just because she wanted to.

This was only the beginning.