Chapter 74: Volume 1, Chapter 74 — Come On, Who's Afraid of Who

The Empress watched the smile on Princess Zhaoqing's face deepen, and spoke unhurriedly, "Oh? That is a good thing indeed. A princess of the imperial family cheering on the dragon boat race and sharing in the joy with the common people — only then is the trip not in vain. However, since you have agreed, you must not halfway through claim exhaustion and throw down the work and quit."

The smile on Princess Zhaoqing's face stiffened. What did the Empress mean by that?

From the sound of it, she was to drum from start to finish?

How was that possible — would she still have any arms left?

She was about to salvage the situation for herself when she heard the Empress laugh even more pleasurably and say to her mother: "Consort Ming, would you not say that is reasonable? I believe that since His Majesty values Zhaoqing so highly, Zhaoqing will certainly not disappoint His Majesty."

Consort Ming: ……

She had been careless — she had actually let the Empress seize hold of a handle against her.

"Her Majesty the Empress speaks rightly. Zhaoqing is naturally willing to share His Majesty's burdens. It is just that she is still young after all, and it is not suitable for her to drum for long; she may have the will but lacks the strength. Would you not agree, Your Ladyship?"

One always dotes on one's own child. Consort Ming naturally stood up for her daughter.

Rong Luoge listened to the Empress and Consort Ming trading blows back and forth, and it truly broadened her horizons. Sure enough, anyone who could become the BOSS in the Hou Gong could not be underestimated.

Just then, Princess Zhaoqing suddenly turned to look at Rong Luoge, the smile on her face deepening as she said, "I once heard my royal brother say that Good Lady Rong is agile and vigorous of build. Perhaps we could ask Good Lady Rong to help when the time comes."

Rong Luoge originally wore a faint smile on her face, but after hearing Zhaoqing direct the spearhead at her, the smile vanished entirely. She raised her head to look at the other party, meeting the faint hostility in her eyes, and sneered coldly in her heart, but said from her mouth, "I appreciate Princess Zhaoqing's kind intentions, but alas, my old wounds have not yet healed. I fear I would fail to live up to the Princess's good intentions."

When Rong Luoge mentioned her old wounds, everyone could not help but recall the matter of her rescuing the Crown Prince at the relay station, and their expressions all became somewhat subtle.

Consort Ming heard Rong Luoge refuse her daughter's words without the slightest hesitation, and her face turned displeased. She stared at her and said, "Good Lady Rong is truly so precious and delicate — you cannot do even such a small thing? By His Majesty's command, cheering on the dragon boat race — such an honor, others would fight to obtain. Or is Good Lady Rong intending to defy the imperial command?"

Such a large hat — Rong Luoge could not let Consort Ming press it onto her head.

"Consort Ming surely loves to jest. I have received no command whatsoever from His Majesty — where does the talk of defiance come from? Or does Consort Ming's word amount to His Majesty's decree? If that is the case, then I shall accept it." Though Rong Luoge's tone was light, these words were like a thunderclap. Everyone present, apart from the Empress, changed their expressions.

Rong Luoge truly dared to speak!

"Presumptuous!" Consort Ming's face darkened. "Good Lady Rong, you actually dare to slander me?"

Rong Luoge rose to her feet, met Consort Ming's furious gaze, and said with an expression of surprise and puzzlement, "Was that not what Your Ladyship said herself? You said 'by His Majesty's command,' but I have received no imperial decree. Everything I learned came from your own mouth. I do not know which sentence I spoke was incorrect?"

Seizing on someone's words to throw them back — this was something Rong Luoge excelled at. Who didn't know how to play a little 'art of language'?

You dare pin a hat on me, and I dare pin an even bigger one right back on you.

Come on — who's afraid of who.

"Good Lady Rong, I know you are dissatisfied with my mother consort, but you cannot therefore speak recklessly and make unfounded accusations……"

"Princess Zhaoqing loves to jest even more. I would not dare accept such words. The entire matter from beginning to end — all the ladies present can bear witness. I have not spoken a single false word. Furthermore, I have no dissatisfaction with Consort Ming, nor have I spoken a single word of disrespect toward Consort Ming. And was not the origin of this matter caused by the Princess herself? If the Princess truly does not wish to take on the task of drumming to cheer on the race, could His Majesty actually blame the Princess? Why must the Princess force an injured person like me to take on this task? If my injuries worsen, that is a small matter — but if in such a setting, because of my injuries, His Majesty's prestige is damaged, that would be a crime for which ten thousand deaths could not atone. For this reason I declined the matter. I do not know what is wrong about it, and I ask the Princess to enlighten me."

Rong Luoge spoke of "injuries" at every turn and "forced" at every turn, relentlessly backing Princess Zhaoqing into a corner with nowhere to retreat.

The Empress was greatly pleased — she had not expected Rong Luoge to be so capable. She immediately said, "Good Lady Rong speaks reasonably. Consort Ming, Zhaoqing is ignorant of propriety — as her mother, you must teach her well. In such a setting, where it concerns the dignity of His Majesty and the imperial family, how can it be treated as child's play? Luoge is injured — why must Zhaoqing be so aggressive?"

"Aggressive" had even come out. Consort Ming was so angry her heart pounded.

Princess Zhaoqing's face was even darker. She knew from her mother consort and her older brother that Rong Luoge was not easy to deal with, but she had not taken it to heart.

After all, she was a princess — what was Rong Luoge anyway.

But crossing swords with her today, she finally learned what shamelessness truly was!

Ling Yuying wore a beaming smile on her face, but cursed MMP in her heart — Rong Luoge's combat prowess was as strong as ever.

She too disliked Princess Zhaoqing, who had always been intolerant of others and insisted on showing off in everything. Though she was a princess consort, every time she entered the palace to pay respects to the Empress and Virtuous Consort, as long as she ran into Princess Zhaoqing, she would be subjected to a few barbs.

But because of Virtuous Consort and her husband's low-profile ways, she could not stir up trouble, and every time she had to forcibly swallow it. Today, at last, she had vented some of her frustration.

How satisfying!

"Your Majesty the Empress, I know that Rong Luoge has now become a Good Lady of the Dong Gong. It is only natural that you favor her, but you cannot therefore cast Zhaoqing aside." Consort Ming spoke with a measure of anger.

Rong Luoge heard Consort Ming deliberately making an issue of her identity — it was nothing more than reminding the Empress that she had formerly been the Princess Consort Qi, disgusting the Empress while also driving a wedge between them. Truly venomous enough.

"If Consort Ming believes that Mother Empress is biased toward me, I am willing to report today's matter to His Majesty in full detail and ask His Majesty to judge. Having said that," Rong Luoge's smile grew even more modest, "of course, it is well known that His Majesty has always doted on Princess Zhaoqing. If you fear that others might say His Majesty acts unfairly due to his favoritism toward Princess Zhaoqing, I am also quite willing to bring this matter before the various lords of the court for their judgment."

Rong Luoge dared — but did Consort Ming and her daughter dare?

His Majesty favored Consort Ming's family of three, but the court officials' attitudes now leaned more toward the Crown Prince. Moreover, this matter was clearly provoked by Zhaoqing first — of course the mother and daughter did not dare!

Consort Ming gave a cold scoff. "Good Lady Rong certainly has a grand tone of voice — every sentence invokes His Majesty and the court officials. You are merely a Good Lady — do you dare to meddle in court affairs? What audacity."

"Consort Ming has truly misunderstood me. Was it not Your Ladyship herself who said that Mother Empress acted unfairly? It is for the fairness that Your Ladyship spoke of that I ventured to propose this, even at the risk of being punished and disdained by His Majesty." Rong Luoge let out a long, faint sigh, as if she had suffered some great injustice.

Consort Ming: ……

Good words and bad words alike had all been spoken by her — what else could she say?

This Rong Luoge was indeed a bane of existence!