Chapter 95: Volume 1, Chapter 95: Striking the Ox from Across the Mountain

Rong Luoge was startled at first, then stunned again when she saw the person leading the group.

Han Xinglan!

A blue straight-robe worn on his body, an aura entirely different from his usual silks and satins.

At this moment he looked like a merchant's guard, not very conspicuous, just with a gloomy expression that made him seem not easy to provoke.

That face dark with anger softened involuntarily when it met Rong Luoge's, and in an instant it was as if starlight flashed through his eyes. He quickly stepped forward, stood before Rong Luoge, and looked down at her, something seemingly surging in the depths of his black eyes.

Rong Luoge was startled, her gaze sweeping past Hu Xi who was also in the group, and her heart immediately understood—the Crown Prince had come in disguise.

"You're here, as I expected."

Hearing Han Xinglan's words, Rong Luoge felt a very strange sensation in her heart. The person across from her especially didn't look quite right, and subconsciously she didn't want to say anything else. She immediately recounted the situation inside the valley to them, then wanted to say something more, but Han Xinglan grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out.

Only after exiting the valley did she see that Dadongshan Si was burning, and she couldn't help being startled. "How did it catch fire?"

Han Xinglan turned his head to look at her. "What do you think?"

Rong Luoge met Han Xinglan's gaze and fell silent.

Earlier he had said "you're here, as I expected," and now Dadongshan Si was on fire—it was hard not to connect these two things together.

The Crown Prince set fire to Dadongshan Si to find her?

Making such a huge commotion?

Right, he still had injuries on his body!

Thinking of this, Rong Luoge subconsciously looked at his arm. "How could you come out when you're still injured?"

"Rong Luoge, why are you so concerned about me?"

Rong Luoge felt that Han Xinglan's current state wasn't quite right. She subconsciously took a step back, but was pulled back by the arm Han Xinglan had grabbed.

The distance between the two was close enough to hear each other's breathing. This distance was a bit too close. Rong Luoge felt somewhat unaccustomed and looked at him as she asked, "What does His Highness the Crown Prince intend to do?"

"Rong Luoge, someone as clever as you... I think you should know what I mean." Han Xinglan knew that now was not the time to speak of such things. He stared at her and said, "Dadongshan Si is very chaotic. Don't wander around. I'll have someone escort you down the mountain. Wait until I've handled matters here, then I'll return and explain everything to you in detail."

Rong Luoge had always been the one to charge to the front lines herself. Whether in her past life or this one, no one had ever sheltered her from behind—only she herself was her own umbrella.

Now suddenly there was someone who worried about her, cared for her, and even went so far as to set fire to Dadongshan Si without hesitation in order to find her. Such feelings were something very unfamiliar to her.

But deep in her heart, there was also a faint stirring. She herself didn't quite understand what she was really thinking right now.

Since the Crown Prince had discovered the valley while searching for her, it was indeed not very appropriate for Rong Luoge to show herself at this point. She told him in detail everything she knew, including the Jiyuan monk that the old boss had mentioned, which might come in useful.

Han Xinglan nodded and noted it down, then had his personal attendant escort her down the mountain. After a moment's thought, he added, "I don't know how long things will be busy here. How about you return to the Dong Gong first?"

Rong Luoge didn't refuse. Since she wasn't needed anyway, she wouldn't add to the chaos.

Arriving at the foot of the mountain, she saw from afar that the tea shed had closed its doors, clearly frightened by the display of force. The proprietress had likely run off to hide.

She boarded the carriage returning to the Dong Gong and turned her head to gaze in the direction of Dadongshan Si. After such a commotion tonight, she didn't know how Han Xinglan would explain things tomorrow.

Rong Xin and Que Cai were very happy to see the Good Lady return. Suppressing their surprise at her attire, they hurried to attend to her washing and changing clothes.

Que Cai dried the Good Lady's hair while saying, "Today while the Good Lady was away, something happened in the Hou Gong."

Rong Luoge found this somewhat interesting and asked, "What happened?"

"At this morning's court session, an argument broke out over His Majesty's assassination. The Ministry of Justice's investigation was ineffective, and the Ministry of Punishments was forced to play a supporting role. Neither side accepted the other. I heard that although they acted together, they were completely uncoordinated. Before dark today, they lost three more men, and His Majesty was furious about it."

Rong Luoge listened and asked suspiciously, "These are matters of the imperial court. What does that have to do with the Hou Gong?"

"Let me explain slowly, Good Lady. Originally there was no connection, but the censor submitted a memorial impeaching the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Punishments, saying they were too driven by selfish desires, disregarding His Majesty's safety, and instead pouring their hearts into infighting. So the censor petitioned His Majesty to establish a new office to oversee this matter."

Rong Luoge's heart trembled, and she suddenly understood. So Han Xinglan had taken a roundabout route to get the censor to raise this matter. In this way, naturally no one would suspect the Crown Prince.

This move of striking the ox from across the mountain was executed quite well. It seemed that although Han Xinglan had been deliberately suppressed by the Emperor over the years, he still had quite a few connections of his own.

"As soon as the censor raised the matter, Prince Qi volunteered to assist His Majesty, and Consort Ming also rallied behind Prince Qi. It was quite a lively scene," Que Cai said softly.

Rong Luoge thought to herself that Consort Ming and Prince Qi had indeed been favored by His Majesty for many years, so they were no fools. They could likely see the stakes involved and wanted to seize this great opportunity first.

"I'm afraid His Majesty won't agree," Rong Luoge said with a touch of ease.

The Emperor had just been assassinated, and the mastermind behind it was still unknown. He was likely deeply suspicious of everyone right now. Even if Consort Ming was favored and Prince Qi was trusted by His Majesty, when it came to the Emperor's own safety, caution naturally came first.

Moreover, even the Crown Prince, who had meritoriously protected the Emperor, wasn't being so proactive. The Emperor would surely have other considerations in mind.

"The Good Lady is absolutely right. His Majesty rejected it, and Consort Ming lost face. Her pent-up fury was then vented on the consorts of the Hou Gong. Her Majesty the Empress naturally had to step forward and uphold justice."

Consort Ming was lashing out in humiliation and anger, looking for someone to take it out on. Rong Luoge recalled some things she had learned earlier and looked at Que Cai, asking, "The unlucky one was Lady Zhong?"

"The Good Lady is truly so clever to guess even this. It was indeed Lady Zhong. How did you guess it?" Que Cai was genuinely admiring. The Good Lady was so clever—how could she guess everything correctly?

Rong Luoge smiled lightly. "What's so hard to guess? Among all the consorts in the Hou Gong, the one Consort Ming could act against without restraint and without provoking His Majesty's displeasure was probably Lady Zhong."

Back then, when Consort Ming was pregnant, Lady Zhong seized the opportunity to gain favor and thus forged a grudge with Consort Ming. Over a decade had passed, yet Lady Zhong's rank had never been promoted. This showed that His Majesty's favor toward Lady Zhong fell far short of his guilt toward Consort Ming.

So even if Consort Ming sought to make trouble for Lady Zhong, His Majesty wouldn't stand up for her, and Lady Zhong could only grit her teeth and endure it.

However, Her Majesty the Empress had always turned a blind eye to Lady Zhong, yet this time she forcefully stood up for her and confronted Consort Ming. Rong Luoge couldn't help feeling that things weren't that simple.