Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 957: Chapter 868: Unwilling to Be a Slave

”But I fear, I fear that if the Emperor bestows too much favor on my father, he might become arrogant and thus betray the Emperor’s grace. In such a case, I would be ashamed to face the Emperor, and the Emperor’s wisdom would be tarnished. Therefore, I earnestly beg the Emperor not to reward my father.”

The Emperor, holding the hand of Princess Consort Gao with a complex expression, sighed after a while, ”My beloved consort, you now possess the virtues of a wise empress.” From this single sentence, it was clear how satisfied the Emperor was with Princess Consort Gao.

Princess Consort Gao blushed slightly and lowered her head, ”I merely have a bit of self-awareness and a foolish heart. How could I be worthy of the virtues of a wise empress? The Emperor truly overpraises me.”

The Emperor laughed heartily, pulling Princess Consort Gao into his embrace, ”If my beloved consort is foolish, then there are no wise people in this harem. You are truly genuine to me.”

Following this, the Emperor subtly mentioned to Gao Yan about conferring the title of Marquis on him. Gao Yan, having already been advised by his daughter, immediately knelt and stated straightforwardly that his current position was already beyond his capability, and without merit, it was inappropriate to be granted the title. Thus, he persistently declined.

Though the Emperor was refused by both Princess Consort Gao and Gao Yan, he was in great spirits. Even though he wished to bestow benefits and affection upon them, too many rewards could lead him, with his suspicious nature, to suspect that they were taking advantage of saving him to become greedy.

Nangong Shuangshuang had foreseen this, which is why she advised Princess Consort Gao and Gao Yan not to accept excessive rewards. The Emperor’s favor was more valuable than any title. As long as the Emperor’s favor remained, the title, even if declined, would eventually be granted.

Indeed, although the title of Marquis for Gao Yan was not conferred, the Emperor was more determined than ever to grant him the title and to make Princess Consort Gao his Empress, but only after the war in the Northwest concluded.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, several months had passed. Soon, Concubine Yang was about to give birth, and the atmosphere within the palace was somewhat tense. In the previous dynasty, tensions were high as well, with the Emperor reprimanding Prince Donglin several times, causing everyone to sense a foreboding atmosphere.

The Emperor showed great attention to Concubine Yang before and after the birth, staying by her side daily. No one found this strange, simply believing that the Emperor, having long been without an heir, placed much importance on this pregnancy of Concubine Yang.

Two days before Concubine Yang was to give birth, the Emperor visited Yingyue Palace and specifically instructed Princess Consort Gao to stay within her palace and not go to Concubine Yang’s, suggesting it might be best to feign illness.

With the Emperor’s words, both Princess Consort Gao and Nangong Shuangshuang understood that the Emperor intended to act against the Empress Dowager. The two major powers in the court were about to clash, and those less significant could easily get pulled into the fray and be destroyed. The Emperor was also protecting Princess Consort Gao by advising her to feign illness and stay out of it.

Understanding the Emperor’s intention, Princess Consort Gao obediently shut her palace doors and spent her days peacefully within Yingyue Palace, waiting for the storm to pass. However, much to her disappointment, Nangong Shuangshuang, who had hoped to accompany her, was unable to do so, as she was once again called to tend to someone’s illness.

The request for Nangong Shuangshuang to tend to the sick came from Prince Yuan, the Emperor’s uncle. His daughter, Princess Furu, had been caught in the petty jealousies and schemes of the women in Prince Yuan’s household when she was young, resulting in hot water being spilled on her, leaving scars on half her back.

Not only her back but even her face bore a scar the size of a copper coin. Burns were already unsightly, and when on the face, were even more disfiguring.

For a girl to have such large, unsightly scars on her body, even her face, not to mention in this era, even in modern times, finding a partner would be difficult with such scars.

Since the incident, Prince Yuan’s princess had grown cold towards him, focusing solely on caring for their daughter, seeking medical treatment for her.

Prince Yuan regretted it. The princess who used to care deeply for him now treated him like a stranger, which he found very unsettling, prompting him to constantly try to win her favor.

It was karma; in the past, when the princess cared for him, Prince Yuan saw her as no different from other women vying for his favor. Yet now, the princess, having grown indifferent, lived with their daughter in a mountain villa, ignoring Prince Yuan completely, and he realized her previous affection was genuine.

The princess’s family background was strong, and she could live well without Prince Yuan, so she kept him at a distance. Once, Prince Yuan threatened with divorce papers, but the princess, with a strong personality, presented separation documents and declared her intention to leave with their daughter.

As mentioned before, the princess’s family was powerful, and she was much cherished at home. If she decided to leave with her daughter, given Prince Yuan’s chaotic household that nearly endangered their daughter, he couldn’t do much about it.

Realizing that divorce papers only provoked the princess into wanting separation, Prince Yuan, who was only bluffing, had to soften his stance. But over the years, the princess still acted as if she had no husband, causing Prince Yuan much distress.

When the princess recently attended Princess Consort Gao’s promotion ceremony and discovered that her burns, which were more severe than those of her daughter, had healed almost inconspicuously and were artistically covered with peach blossoms, enhancing her beauty, the princess became intrigued.

Though intrigued, the princess knew that Nangong Shuangshuang’s unique position made it difficult for anyone not close to the Emperor to seek her treatment, as she was akin to the most trusted Imperial Physician by the Emperor’s side.

Despite her reluctance, the princess knew that to invite Nangong Shuangshuang, she needed the Emperor’s permission. As Prince Yuan, the Emperor’s uncle, had the best chance of requesting the Emperor’s approval, the princess reluctantly sent someone to fetch him.

In recent years, Prince Yuan’s life hadn’t been easy. After failing to win back the princess, he continued indulging in pleasures with beautiful women. But, reaching middle age, he found the affection of beauties superficial and tiring, as their vying for his favor was solely for benefits, making him increasingly weary.

At the same time, Prince Yuan increasingly missed the princess, who in the past only sought his attention rather than benefits. But now, with the princess indifferent and treating him like a stranger, even refusing to see him at the villa, he felt increasingly lonely.

In these circumstances, receiving a message from the princess to meet her took him by surprise. He changed into seven or eight different outfits, finally settling on one that made him look like a handsome gentleman before hurrying to meet her.