Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 908: Chapter 819: Unwilling to Be a Slave 39

Nanny Yun was unaware that shortly after she left, a little eunuch emerged from the shadows, sped to the edge of the small pool, nimbly jumped in, and his head instantly disappeared beneath the surface. But in no time, he resurfaced, climbed out of the pool dripping wet, with a small package in his hand. It was the same handkerchief bundle containing porcelain fragments that Nanny Yun had sneakily thrown into the pool earlier.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the still damp package was presented in front of Nangong Shuangshuang. Nangong Shuangshuang opened the handkerchief bundle, removed the porcelain fragments inside, and scrutinized them for quite some time. She even reached out to touch them, feeling nothing amiss.

But if there was nothing wrong, why would Nanny Yun be so anxious to throw these fragments into the secretive water? Then it must be the secret of the porcelain cup that she didn’t uncover. Yet, a porcelain cup, already shattered, lay before her and showed no peculiarities whatsoever.

Nangong Shuangshuang held the porcelain fragments, repeatedly studying and contemplating them. She even rinsed them with clean water, wiped them dry with a handkerchief, and continued observing them, but still found nothing unusual. Nangong Shuangshuang spent a full hour pondering the porcelain fragments, yet she couldn’t find anything out of place.

The porcelain cup was white and transparent, excellently crafted. At first, Nangong Shuangshuang wondered if perhaps someone had soaked the cup in some medicine for a long time, allowing the drug to seep into the water slowly when drinking tea or water, thus causing harm.

However, after careful observation, Nangong Shuangshuang ruled out this possibility. The craftsmanship of the cup was exquisite, the porcelain was dense, and the glaze was exceptionally smooth. Such a porcelain item, no matter how long it soaked, wouldn’t let the medicine in.

For medicine to seep in, it would have to be in a relatively coarse medicine pot used for boiling medicines, and the taste of the medicine would be strong and pungent. Even if it could soak in, unless during medicine consumption, the taste would be impossible to hide. Jing Jieyu wasn’t an idiot; if she detected this taste, there was no way she would drink such strange water, so using medicine wasn’t feasible.

While Nangong Shuangshuang was persistent in figuring out the porcelain fragments, Lan Ying walked in with a subdued demeanor, and seeing Nangong Shuangshuang fixated on a few porcelain fragments, couldn’t help but pick one up and look at it, saying, ”What’s wrong with this porcelain fragment? You’ve been shut in here for half a day, just to stare at this? Apart from some places not being cleaned thoroughly, looking a bit dull, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

Dull? Nangong Shuangshuang’s heart stirred, and then a thought struck her. She picked up the porcelain piece for a closer look. This time, she discovered that the piece’s exterior was immaculate and transparent, yet a small part at the bottom wasn’t so bright.

Though it looked bright at first glance, when compared to its surroundings, it was like the difference between clean glass and a clean transparent plastic cup.

Nangong Shuangshuang, not being born a servant and never having been one, genuinely hadn’t noticed this subtle difference before. But Lan Ying, accustomed to working and supervising little palace maids at work, could spot even the slightest flaw in cleaning cups and dishes. It was glaringly evident to her and she noticed it at a glance.

So the spot that Nangong Shuangshuang had overlooked for quite some time, appeared to Lan Ying as stark as a fly on a bald head, simply too noticeable. She discovered it with just one look.

Nangong Shuangshuang rubbed the dull spot with her fingers. It felt slick, indistinguishable from the rest of the porcelain. She brought it to her nose for a sniff, detecting no scent. After thinking a bit, she held the porcelain fragment up to the sunlight and indeed found that at the cup bottom’s fracture line, the glaze was significantly thicker than elsewhere, looking as if a thin layer of glass was attached.

Truly something amiss, such a perfect porcelain cup couldn’t have such uneven glaze distribution, especially with only the bottom being affected, while other areas were precisely crafted.

Nangong Shuangshuang extended her tongue and licked the cup bottom. Initially, it felt just like licking porcelain, with no particular sensation. But after a while, she detected a faint sweetness on her tongue!

Nangong Shuangshuang withdrew her tongue, savoring the sweetness in her mouth for a long time. Only then did she sense a faint, almost indistinct herbal taste mixed in the sweetness. Nangong Shuangshuang could discern two herbs from the slight medicinal flavor.

Both herbs were detrimental to fetal growth, but as for other medicinal flavors, they were too faint for Nangong Shuangshuang to distinguish specific herbs. Nevertheless, it was certain they were harmful to the fetus.

This method was cleverly executed, and Nangong Shuangshuang underestimated the ancients’ ingenuity. Little did she know they could produce such faintly flavored yet glass-hard candy that doesn’t easily dissolve and feels as smooth as porcelain, attached to the bottom of the cup. Being transparent, nobody would notice it. Such a secretive device explains why she couldn’t discover it until now.

Previously, Nanny Yun told Jing Jieyu that drinking honey water was good for health, and since then, she’d always use this cup for Jing Jieyu’s honey water. Honey is naturally sweet, and combined with the medicated candy on the bottom of the cup, it wouldn’t seem strange.

Additionally, honey’s flavor differs from plain sweetness, having other tastes that could mask the slight medicinal taste in the sweetness, preventing Jing Jieyu’s sensitive palate from detecting any discrepancy.

Nangong Shuangshuang shared her discovery with Lan Ying, who had been watching her intently. Lan Ying’s initially dejected expression immediately turned to one of deep resentment.

She couldn’t help but slam her hand on the table, angrily saying to Nangong Shuangshuang, ”I used to see Nanny Yun as gentle and considerate, serving the master well, and I thought she must be good. Who knew she harbored such treachery inside? I ought to skin her alive for doing such a vile thing!”

Lan Ying grew angrier as she spoke, standing up abruptly, ready to expose Nanny Yun to Jing Jieyu. Nangong Shuangshuang, feeling a massive headache, grabbed Lan Ying, sensing utter helplessness, and thinking it felt like having colleagues who are complete fools, exacerbating the situation.

No wonder the concubines in the harem all have their trusted palace maids, but none use their trusted maids as advisors. The truth is, palace maids have limited insight. A lifetime of serving and their minor scheming among themselves to vie for attention before their masters cannot be relied upon for significant affairs.

”Lan Ying, have you ever thought that the Empress currently knows nothing and doesn’t have any of our people by her side? If Nanny Yun isn’t acting alone in this matter, what if you expose her impulsively, and without our protection, Nanny Yun and her accomplices may harm the Empress?”