Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 915: Chapter 826: Unwilling to Be a Slave 46

”Among the high-ranking concubines, only Lady Xuan comes from a noble family with a strong background. Because Lady Xuan is so beautiful, the Emperor fell in love with her at first sight and made an exception to allow her into the harem.

Although Lady Xuan’s maternal family is noble, their descendants are unfilial, and there is no successor. Now, apart from titles and the wealth left by ancestors, there is no one in Lady Xuan’s family who holds real power. They might have the ability to ruin those who offend them.

As for promoting officials, they might be able to promote small officials of the seventh, eighth, or ninth grade, but to promote an ordinary person who is barely literate and not even a child student to an official position in this dynasty with its rigorous evaluation of official appointments, that is impossible.”

”So, it is possible for Lady Xuan to target you, Your Highness. She might have the intention, but to promote Nanny Yun’s son and use such means to harm others is unlikely. Her family does not have that capability.

Aside from these high-ranking concubines, the lower-ranking concubines can be entirely excluded because their families still rely on the benefits their daughters’ favor with the Emperor brings them.”

Jing Jieyu agreed with Nangong Shuangshuang’s analysis because it was indeed true. The Emperor did not like daughters of high officials entering the harem, and none of the concubines had this ability, including Lady Xuan’s family.

Nangong Shuangshuang continued to analyze, ”Besides Lady Xuan, the only remaining strong family background is that of the Empress’s family, which is also capable of accomplishing such a thing. It is necessary because concubines can be chosen at the Emperor’s discretion, but the Empress must be born into a noble family to be worthy of the title of the mother of the nation.

But although the Empress’s family is prestigious and powerful, the Empress’s health is not good. She and the Emperor were married young, but after many years, they still have no children. Although the Imperial Physician hasn’t explicitly stated it, it is generally accepted that the Empress is unlikely to have children.

The Empress’s status and the Emperor’s deep respect and love for her have ensured her stable position as Empress and her future honor as Empress Dowager. The Empress is not foolish and wouldn’t risk exposure and the possibility of being deposed by targeting the Emperor’s concubines.

Although the Empress’s family might have the capability to promote Nanny Yun’s son to office, the Empress lacks the motivation to do so, so the Empress can also be ruled out.”

At this point in Nangong Shuangshuang’s speech, Jing Jieyu couldn’t help but interject, ”If even the Empress doesn’t have such a motive, does the Empress Dowager? She is already the Empress Dowager, having achieved the highest honor a woman can attain, why would she target me, a mere concubine?”

Nangong Shuangshuang shook her head, ”Even though the Empress Dowager has reached the pinnacle of honor, Your Highness may not know that although she is not the Emperor’s biological mother, the Empress Dowager has her own biological son.

But back then, the late Emperor, wanting to establish the current Emperor as the Crown Prince, and with the Empress Dowager then being the primary Empress, had given birth to a legitimate son who showed intelligence early on. Many officials at court insisted on making the Empress’s son the Crown Prince.

No matter how the late Emperor tried to suppress them, he couldn’t silence the court officials, and in a fit of anger, he forcibly adopted the Empress Dowager’s son to the childless Prince Donglin, making him lose the qualification to be the Crown Prince.

The current Emperor has been childless for years. Although the Emperor is still young and no one thinks he won’t be able to have children, if he remains childless for another ten, twenty years, the court will demand he follow ancestral customs and adopt a nephew as Crown Prince.

And when it comes to adoption, they will follow the bloodline, prioritizing adopting the one with the most noble bloodline. Currently, apart from the Emperor, the most noble bloodline in the Imperial Family is the Empress Dowager’s son, Prince Donglin. Not even the Emperor is nobler by birth than Prince Donglin.

If the Emperor has no children and must adopt a Crown Prince, the court officials complying with the rules, together with the powerful maternal family of the Empress Dowager, will push for the Emperor to adopt Prince Donglin’s son, the Empress Dowager’s own grandson, as Crown Prince.

Moreover, the Empress Dowager’s son was supposed to be Emperor according to ancestral rules, but the late Emperor forcefully adopted him, giving the throne to the current Emperor. Do you think the Empress Dowager is genuinely content with herself?

Additionally, over the years in the harem, aside from Lady who narrowly escaped death to give birth to a Princess, have you seen any concubines become pregnant? You are barren due to a cold constitution, but now that Nanny Yun’s secret medicine was so covert, how do you know the other concubines aren’t being secretly drugged by the Empress Dowager to prevent childbirth? The Emperor can allow Lady to become pregnant and give birth to a Princess, showing his body is fine—why then can’t the concubines become pregnant?”

These final words from Nangong Shuangshuang immediately convinced Jing Jieyu, plunging her into deep thought. Of course, Nangong Shuangshuang was making it up because the Emperor just has a constitution that makes it difficult to impregnate others.

In truth, the Emperor is too promiscuous. Modern people know that a chaotic and frequent private life makes one less likely to impregnate others, but Nangong Shuangshuang can’t be blamed for framing the Empress Dowager. In her past life, when Nangong Shuangshuang drugged the Emperor, the Empress Dowager quietly aided her in covering it up.

Though Jing Jieyu, reacting to Nangong Shuangshuang’s analysis, already accepted that it was indeed the Empress Dowager targeting her, she was immediately filled with despair. Jing Jieyu knew she was no match for the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager, of such high status, even the Emperor must respect her to fulfill his filial duties, while she is just a toy in the eyes of the Emperor, a mere concubine. The Empress Dowager’s family is extremely powerful, while her family only has her father, a minor left vice-censor.

What’s more, her unborn child is already deformed due to the Empress Dowager’s machinations. If she now seeks a way to terminate the pregnancy, concubines are faulted for miscarrying.

Even if she evades giving birth to a demon by terminating the pregnancy, the Empress Dowager, knowing she can conceive, would not allow her any more chances to bear children. A childless concubine is bound for a life of seclusion—Jing Jieyu only feels utter darkness before her, unable to see any way forward.

Seeing Jing Jieyu’s devastated state, Nangong Shuangshuang grew anxious, ”Your Highness, now is not the time for despair. If you believe me, I can turn this danger into safety for you. As for future pregnancies, with me here, your health will not suffer. If you conceive, I’ll ensure you carry to term.”

Nangong Shuangshuang, having finished speaking, didn’t wait for Jing Jieyu to respond, directly looking towards Nanny Sun and the palace maids, all of whom were stunned by this explosive revelation. Nanny Sun and the palace maids never imagined themselves hearing such shocking news.