Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 931: Chapter 842: Unwilling to Be Enslaved

The servants sent by Gao Yan were different from those sent by Nangong Shuangshuang for external purchases. The origin of the purchased servants was unknown, making them unreliable, whereas the servants given by Gao Yan were familiar and could be trusted.

Another reason was that these servants knew that behind Nangong Shuangshuang and Luo Yueying there was backing: outside the palace, there was the Deputy Censor-in-Chief, and inside the palace, there was the favored concubine Lady Jing. Such formidable backing was enough to deter any bad intentions among the servants.

After resolving the issue of servants, the next step was to tidy up the house. Nangong Shuangshuang, along with her mother Luo Yueying and the servants, spent three days tidying up the overgrown yard and rooms at home. Then, Nangong Shuangshuang took the people out to purchase various household items and clothing.

Buying all the household items needed inside and outside, along with clothes, Nangong Shuangshuang ended up spending more than five hundred taels of Silver, which made Luo Yueying’s heart ache as she looked over the things Nangong Shuangshuang had brought back and grumbled.

”Why use such good cotton for this quilt? And this quilt cover, ordinary fabric would do just fine, there’s no need for silk quilt covers like this. And these clothes, just a couple of sets would suffice, but you’ve bought several sets, that’s too many.”

Nangong Shuangshuang laughed as Luo Yueying nagged, ”Mom, you’re too detail-oriented. Let me tell you, a person spends half a lifetime in bed, so we must not skimp on bedding; the best must be used.

And for the clothes, Dad is going to be an official. How could you and Dad go out with just two pieces of clothing between the two of you? These clothes, you and Dad can just rotate them. They’re not made of any great material; if they were too good, I wouldn’t dare buy them for Dad, as he is such an honest official.”

Luo Yueying shook her head with a smile, pointed a finger at Nangong Shuangshuang’s head, and said teasingly, ”You, with your clever tongue, always have a reason.”

The mother and daughter laughed and played for a while. Ever since Nangong Chengxuan was pardoned, the smile on Luo Yueying’s face had never faded. Every time she saw her daughter Nangong Shuangshuang, Luo Yueying felt that the luckiest thing in her lifetime was having Shuangshuang as a daughter.

Luo Yueying even believed that their current life was due to her daughter’s hard work. Without Shuangshuang, she and her husband would be worse than dead by now.

Seven busy days passed like this, and Nangong Shuangshuang finally managed to arrange everything at home and could be at ease. Now she was just waiting for her father Nangong Chengxuan to return, but it would take some time.

Before leaving, Nangong Shuangshuang left all the Silver she had with Luo Yueying. Now that there were servants in the house, there was a measure of protection, and it was unlikely for anyone to suspect that a household of a disgraced official would still have so much Silver.

Luo Yueying wasn’t a lavish person and wouldn’t buy luxurious items; besides, during the shopping trip, Nangong Shuangshuang and Luo Yueying focused on practicality and affordability for things other than clothes and bedding, without showing off their wealth.

This time when Nangong Shuangshuang returned, she had rank now. Except for stewards, nanny, and the Chief Eunuch who didn’t need to salute Nangong Shuangshuang, other eunuchs and palace maids had to bow and greet her as Lady.

There aren’t many Concubines in the harem; Empress’s side has Nuoxiang, Lady at Lady Shufei’s side has Ruyi, and Princess Changxing, who is still young, doesn’t have a female official selected for her.

Previously, there was Bi Ying at Lady Xuan’s side, but now that Lady Xuan has been demoted, Bi Ying’s status as a Lady has automatically disappeared, as concubines below Second Rank are not entitled to a female official.

Upon returning to the palace, Nangong Shuangshuang found the atmosphere very oppressive; palace maids and eunuchs were rushing about with their heads down. The usual scenes of palace maids and eunuchs chatting while working had disappeared.

Nangong Shuangshuang was taken aback, wondering what had happened in the palace. With these doubts, she returned to Yingyue Palace and found Lady Jing appearing restless and anxious, occasionally lost in thought.

Seeing Nangong Shuangshuang, Lady Jing’s eyes lit up. She stepped forward, anxiously holding Nangong Shuangshuang’s hand, and said, ”Shuangshuang, thank goodness you’re back. Do you know, a big event has happened while you were away from the palace. The Empress fell ill while attending to the Empress Dowager and has been bedridden for the past couple of days. The Imperial Physicians say she might not pull through this time.”

Lady Jing’s brows were tightly furrowed, looking visibly uneasy. Nangong Shuangshuang knew why Lady Jing was so anxious. The current Empress was a kind and gentle person who treated all the concubines in the harem equally, never showing jealousy or harming any of them.

Lady Jing feared that if something happened to the Empress, the Emperor would certainly elect another Empress, and by then, the new Empress might not have such a kind temperament. Given the Emperor’s respect for the Empress, even if a narrow-minded new Empress persecuted concubines, the Emperor wouldn’t intervene.

To the Emperor, concubines were like crops in the field; there would always be more after one batch was gone. The Empress, however, was crucial to the state image, and as long as she didn’t go as far as to harm the Emperor’s children, the Emperor would be exceedingly tolerant. No wonder Lady Jing was so nervous.

After pondering, Nangong Shuangshuang suggested to Lady Jing, ”Lady, why not let this humble girl try to treat the Empress?” Previously, Nangong Shuangshuang didn’t dare to stand out or gain fame for fear of attracting the Emperor’s attention. But now, having become a female official, she no longer needed to worry about this.

Though the current Emperor loved beauty, just as he wasn’t moved by the beauty of high officials’ daughters, he wouldn’t compel women who clearly declared their unwillingness to be concubines.

Besides, the harem was full of beautiful women. Although Nangong Shuangshuang was beautiful, she wasn’t uniquely so; Lady Jing was comparable in beauty to Nangong Shuangshuang, and the previously favored Lady Xuan was even more beautiful.

When Nangong Shuangshuang was a palace maid, she hid from the Emperor, not daring to draw attention for fear he might choose her as a concubine, a decision she could not refuse due to her low status. A mere whim of the Emperor wouldn’t question a palace maid’s consent.

Now that Nangong Shuangshuang was a female official, the Emperor wasn’t someone who sacrificed his intellect for beauty, nor was he base enough to force himself on someone uninterested, so Nangong Shuangshuang could confidently demonstrate her medical skills.

Moreover, Nangong Shuangshuang had become a female official because of her medical expertise. Demonstrating her medical skills wasn’t excessive, and she had another plan: she hoped to find an opportunity to change the practice of palace maids and eunuchs being unable to receive medical treatment, which required her to first enhance her reputation and status.

Lady Jing was also thinking of asking Nangong Shuangshuang to look into the Empress’s illness,