Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 936: Chapter 847: Refusing to Be a Slave 67

In the eyes of the Empress Dowager, the Empress was just such a frail, sickly beauty, so the Empress Dowager had always thought that the Empress used this method to maintain the Emperor’s pity. Who knew that the Empress’s health was actually so poor, that just after attending to her illness for a few days, she fell seriously ill herself.

When the Empress Dowager first heard the news, she incredulously thought this might be fake, that the Empress was pretending, just to protest against her for making things difficult, and at first, the Empress Dowager was quite angry.

Having been in the harem for so many years, the Empress Dowager had her own network. She immediately sent someone to investigate whether this was true or false. If it was false, the Empress Dowager decided she would definitely have a good reckoning with the Empress, daring to use such a method to tarnish her own reputation.

But upon investigation, she found that the Empress’s serious illness was indeed true! More than shocked, the Empress Dowager was panic-stricken. If it was spread that the Empress had fallen ill from attending to her, it would merely be gossip since not everyone would believe it as long as the Empress had not died.

But if the Empress really died, then her reputation for being unkind would be cemented. Given the Emperor’s resentment towards her, if her reputation was completely ruined, the Emperor could use other means to scheme against her. The Empress Dowager would not forget that when the Emperor was the Crown Prince, he had once wished the late Emperor would depose her.

However, concerning her own situation, the Empress Dowager was worried but not overly so. After all, she still held the position of the Emperor’s mother. Even if the Emperor did not favor her, his regard for appearances would only lead to her living a slightly worse life.

What truly worried the Empress Dowager was her son, Prince Donglin, and her brother, Ding Yiqi. The Empress Dowager feared that the Emperor might vent his anger on these two, so upon hearing news of the Empress’s critical condition, she immediately sent messages to her son and brother.

The Empress Dowager’s intention was for her brother and son to shut their doors, refuse visitors, and stay at home doing nothing, and especially not to contact each other, remaining honest so as not to be caught by anyone, particularly the Imperial Censors.

The Empress Dowager was afraid that her brother and son would do something impulsive out of worry for her. As the Empress Dowager, her position ensured that even if her life was not good, it would not be too bad. At least regarding basic needs, the Emperor dared not be harsh, only that she might live without face or other people’s respect.

The Empress Dowager had always been very concerned about her dignity and esteemed status. She lived for face and the respect of others. Losing these would be very painful for the Empress Dowager, but although painful, it was not desperate.

For the Empress Dowager who came from the time of the late Emperor, she had endured many situations where her dignity was trampled, and she managed to endure them all. Now it was merely another round of enduring. Back then, the late Emperor often made the then-Empress Dowager lose face for the sake of a woman he liked.

But so what, the late Emperor was dead, she was still alive, living high and mighty, even the present Emperor who held so much dissatisfaction dared not touch her, and that was the greatest victory.

She could endure the late Emperor, and she could endure the current Emperor. Once her grandson became the Crown Prince, all endurance would pass, and the Empress Dowager was not afraid to continue enduring.

The Empress Dowager’s messages were sent very promptly. Before she sent her message, Prince Donglin and Ding Yiqi had been preparing to unite with some court officials to submit a joint memorial to the Emperor, urging him to deal with those Imperial Censors slandering the Empress Dowager’s reputation.

If they had really done so, upon seeing the extent of their faction, the Emperor might not have cared about face and reputation. He would rather be scolded for being unfilial to his mother and not brotherly, than deal with the Ding Family and Prince Donglin first.

Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager’s message arrived just in time. After receiving the message, Ding Yiqi and Prince Donglin realized their lack of composure, broke into a cold sweat from fear, and behaved themselves.

Though Ding Yiqi and Prince Donglin cooperated, the Empress’s maternal family refused to relent. Having an Empress and a former Empress greatly affected the family’s court position. The Empress Dowager nearly killing the Empress meant the Empress’s family wouldn’t just let it go.

The Empress’s maternal family was also influential, and they went head-to-head with the Empress Dowager’s family, making the court a chaotic mess, with officials criticizing each other back and forth, leaving the Emperor no choice but to have headaches too.

However, the outcome of this battle soon emerged. The Ding Family had deeper roots and superior methods, and also there was a significant mistake made by the Empress’s family. The issue was quite serious: the Empress’s father forced three villages to relocate for a favorable feng shui grave for their ancestors.

In fact, this wasn’t usually a big matter. It was common for officials and nobles to choose a piece of land for an ancestral grave only to find people residing there. Generally, they would offer substantial money to the local residents for them to relocate and rebuild their lives, which is the most common solution.

Since the compensation was generous, many villagers weren’t opposed to such matters and even welcomed them. However, the Empress’s father, unwilling to part with Silver, didn’t provide adequate compensation. The villagers had no means of survival after relocating and naturally refused to leave, resulting in a stalemate that led to many deaths.

After the Ding Family exposed this, the Emperor, who had zero tolerance for such events, became furious and immediately imprisoned the Empress’s maternal family for questioning their crimes.

When the Empress received this news in the harem, her just-recovering health completely relapsed. Unlike before, when she still had the will to live, this time, the Empress harbored the desire for death, and even when Shuangshuang came to give her strength, it was of no use.

In Nangong Shuangshuang’s previous life, the Empress died because of this matter. This was also why, at the beginning of her rebirth, Nangong Shuangshuang never considered aligning with the Empress. One, because the Empress was destined to die; two, because of what the Empress’s father had done, which Nangong Shuangshuang’s values couldn’t accept.

This time, with the Empress gravely ill, the Emperor seemed very concerned, summoning the entire Imperial Physician from the Imperial Hospital to treat the Empress. But he did not let Nangong Shuangshuang treat her, which illustrated the Emperor’s attitude. It was now common knowledge that Nangong Shuangshuang’s medical skills surpassed those of the Imperial Physician.

Even the Emperor had switched to having Nangong Shuangshuang check his pulse for peace. At this time, not allowing Shuangshuang to treat the Empress was tantamount to tacitly allowing the Empress to die. Only after the Empress died could he appropriately convict the imprisoned father of the Empress.

This left Lady Jing in a sour mood for several days, as previously, she thought the Emperor devoid of feelings for the entire harem, with only a semblance of genuine affection for the Empress.

But the reality proved, the Emperor held not a trace of emotion for the Empress either, giving Lady Jing a sense of empathy for the Empress’s plight.