Chapter 70: Volume One, Chapter 70 Two Tigers Fight, One Must Be Wounded

Volume One, Chapter 70 Two Tigers Fight, One Must Be Wounded

Rong Luoge was a bit excited; this was different from making bombs and divine rockets, those things were innate skills she could master with a single point, nothing to brag about.

But these were different; these skill points were forced to be lit, after all the years of suffering, the many punishments, the countless sleepless nights, only then could she learn them.

Every character, every stroke, was blood and tears.

"The whole jacquard loom is a full one zhang six chi tall; the towering part here is the flower pavilion, the central support is the qu pan, and the hanging qu jiao below must be made of bamboo rods polished with water, about one thousand eight hundred of them…"

Han Xinglan listened to Rong Luoge's explanation and gradually understood; the little workers operating such a jacquard machine have to sit on the wooden frame of the flower pavilion, the two ends of the loom use bar‑wound silk, and the middle requires stacked support wood…

He also knew that the stacked support wood for weaving gauze and raw silk must be more than ten jin lighter than that for weaving brocade and silk to be considered good. Plain raw silk doesn't need patterns; on soft gauze, brocade, and silk one can weave wave patterns and plum blossoms, requiring only two woven frames compared to plain raw silk…

He had never known that weaving had so many subtleties; every piece of brocade and silk he wore had to pass through the hands of many artisans to be completed.

He looked at the one zhang six chi jacquard loom on the blueprint; such a device will soon change the current weaving landscape, and he can use this time lag to devise plans advantageous to him.

The thing Rong Luoge gave him could not only earn a fortune, but also add a bit of brilliance to his reputation before the court officials.

Sunlight streamed through the window onto Rong Luoge; her eyes glittered, and because of her excitement, she seemed to be radiating light.

Han Xinglan watched her roll up the blueprint and place it in his hand, listening to her proudly say, "This is my return gift; Your Highness, are you satisfied?"

"You're giving me this just like that?" Han Xinglan felt the blueprint in his hand was heavier than before; it was a feeling hard to put into words.

"Of course it's for you." Rong Luoge was exhausted, having sat for most of the day with a sore back, she thrust the blueprint into Han Xinglan, wiping out the debt, and collapsed onto the rocking chair by the window; she needed rest.

That rocking chair was also drawn by her; Han Xinglan had the artisans craft it. The later crude version was a shabby old man's seat, but now it is a high‑end custom luxury version, upholstered with thick fox‑skin cushions, made of premium rosewood, and every component smelled of money.

How extravagant.

Han Xinglan sat on the other rocking chair, gently swaying, examined the blueprint again in detail, and the more he looked, the more he felt it was a good thing.

If the jacquard loom were obtained, it would undoubtedly ease the burden of many embroidery maidens, and if it ran well, the silk produced could be sold to other nations; rarity makes it valuable, guaranteeing a huge profit, and the Minister of Revenue would surely grin from ear to ear.

If he handed the jacquard loom to the Minister of Works, the Minister could achieve a great merit before the Emperor.

Just this alone could win the favor of the Ministries of Works and Revenue; Han Xinglan was not as beloved by the Emperor as Prince Qi, and the Crown Prince's position was precarious, so he must secure the support of most court officials to firmly suppress Consort Ming and her child.

One jacquard loom could make the two ministers grateful, and Rong Luoge gave it to him just like that.

Every time Han Xinglan thought he understood something about Rong Luoge, she always gave him another surprise.

"You…" Han Xinglan turned his head toward Rong Luoge and opened his mouth, only to find she had already fallen asleep; her long, gentle breathing made her sleeping face especially soft.

Han Xinglan got up, fetched a camel‑wool blanket and covered her with it, glanced down at her, then clenched the blueprint and strode to the front hall. He sent Yu Yan and Zhen Yun forward, entrusting them with the matter.

When the two saw the jacquard loom, they were momentarily puzzled by Your Highness's meaning; after he spoke a few sentences, their expressions instantly grew serious.

"Your Highness, the Emperor's birthday has passed, but the Mid‑Autumn Festival is approaching; this is a good opportunity. Why not present this directly to His Majesty?" Zhen Yun said.

Yu Yan disagreed, "His Majesty favors Prince Qi; even if Your Highness offers this, it will probably mean little to the Emperor. Better to sell it to the Ministers of Works and Revenue as a favor, so they will appreciate Your Highness's generosity."

"That may be so, but this kind of thing that benefits the people is a pity not to present directly to His Majesty," Zhen Yun sighed, "If presented to the Emperor, the court would promote it, everyone would know it originated from Your Highness, naturally raising Your Highness's standing among the people."

Handing it to the Ministries of Works and Revenue, outsiders still wouldn't know Your Highness's contribution; it's like a hidden gem, heartbreaking.

Yu Yan also knew, his face grim as he looked at Zhen Yun, "When two evils contend, choose the lesser. If this is presented directly to the Emperor, can you guarantee the Emperor won't become even more wary of Your Highness?"

Zhen Yun: …

He cannot.

But given the Emperor's guard against Your Highness, this is also quite possible.

Han Xinglan made a decision, "Let's do it that way; Yu Yan, go yourself." After speaking, he looked at Zhen Yun, "Don't let Prince Qi's side detect any clue; Zhen Yun, go stir the waters over at Liu Yuniang, and make sure Prince Qi has no time to attend to anything else."

Liu Yuniang's side involves Consort Ming, Prince Qi, and the Great General's mansion; once the waters are muddied, Prince Qi and his allies will naturally be unable to spare attention, giving Your Highness time to act.

After Your Highness left, Zhen Yun whispered to Yu Yan, "You said this thing—was it given by that person?"

Who that person was, the two knew all too well.

Honestly, the Former Consort of the Qi Prince suddenly became Good Lady Rong, and they were quite surprised, weren't they?

"Your Highness's move was well done; a talent like Miss Rong, you have to scoop her into your own basket to feel at ease,"

Yu Yan clicked his tongue, "Who knows? But at the moment no one else has appeared by Your Highness's side, so that's about it."

The two exchanged a glance, their thoughts somewhat tangled.

"You think Your Highness wouldn't really have taken a liking to Good Lady Rong, right?" Zhen Yun said.

"Why?"

"After all, she's the Former Consort of the Qi Prince; though respectable, there's always some…"

Not very pleasant.

Zhen Yun looked at Yu Yan without speaking, sighed, "And think about it: Your Highness will definitely marry the Crown Prince's consort. With someone like that around, when the Crown Princess enters Dong Gong, the two tigers will clash, and one will be wounded."

The main point is that Rong Luoge is unlike ordinary women; for now she can't be too light nor too heavy, people have to keep her close, but the future Crown Princess will certainly be displeased.

"There are already proposals at court to establish a Crown Princess; this is no trivial matter,"

The rear courtyard caught fire; just look at Prince Qi's disastrous state, the side effect is quite significant.

Yu Yan glanced at the worried Zhen Yun, thought for a moment, then said, "I always feel Good Lady Rong is under a lucky star."

Zhen Yun:?

Recalling Yu Yan's strange hunch, Zhen Yun was dumbfounded; wouldn't that make it even harder?