Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 937: Chapter 848: Refusing to Be a Slave 68

Nangong Shuangshuang understood Lady Jing’s gloom, but this time she had no way to comfort Lady Jing. In fact, Nangong Shuangshuang was willing to see Lady Jing completely cold-hearted towards the Emperor.

Because once a woman falls in love, no matter how wise, she can become irrational. Nangong Shuangshuang naturally did not want Lady Jing to become irrational, so being cold and emotionless was best.

During this time, the Emperor suddenly decreed that Nangong Shuangshuang should go to Duke Jing’an’s Mansion to treat Duke Jing’an. This was essentially the Emperor treating Nangong Shuangshuang like an Imperial Physician.

According to the rules, Imperial Physicians were only responsible for the Emperor and his concubines. However, in reality, Imperial Physicians did not only treat the Emperor and the concubines, but all officials and the royal family were under the care of the Imperial Hospital.

However, if a concubine fell ill, the Imperial Physician was summoned directly, whereas if ministers, including the royal family, fell ill, it was the Emperor’s way of demonstrating his care for his ministers, ordering the Imperial Physician to make house calls as an act of grace. The medical skills of the Imperial Physicians also improved through such consultations, making it mutually beneficial for the Emperor.

The rank of Imperial Physician sent to a minister represented the Emperor’s favor towards that minister. The Dean of the Imperial Hospital, undoubtedly possessing the best medical skills, generally took care of the Empress and Emperor’s ailments. Naturally, if an important minister fell ill, the Emperor would also appoint him to treat them.

Nangong Shuangshuang was currently responsible for the Emperor’s health. For the Emperor to dispatch her, it was evident the minister was indeed an important one. Duke Jing’an, a military genius, was loyal to the Emperor, a great general guarding the frontiers, and the sharpest sword in the Emperor’s hand.

Now the Emperor valued Nangong Shuangshuang greatly because of her medical skills; having her nearby was equivalent to having an extra life, so naturally, he valued her. To win over Nangong Shuangshuang’s loyalty, the Emperor often rewarded her, not with Silver, but with some expensive items that were too precious to use or sell, meant only for display.

This time, with his indispensable Duke Jing’an falling ill, the Emperor dispatched Nangong Shuangshuang without a second thought. Of course, the Emperor also considerately sent a team of guards, along with several palace maids and eunuchs, to follow Nangong Shuangshuang to ensure her safety from any reckless men.

Nangong Shuangshuang’s grand departure from the palace created a spectacular scene, even without using the insignia of a female official, it was still impressive.

After Nangong Shuangshuang’s palanquin passed by, many people were discussing, ”Who is this with such pomp, guarded by the Imperial City guards? It doesn’t seem like an Empress’s procession.” The common people could never have imagined it was just a female official going out.

Duke Jing’an was a man in his thirties, with a thick beard and a robust build. He appeared perfectly normal and not at all like someone who was ill. Beside him stood a beautiful young woman, none other than Lady Jing’an.

Seeing the grand pomp surrounding Nangong Shuangshuang, both Duke Jing’an and his wife showed expressions of surprise on their faces, neither expecting Nangong Shuangshuang to be highly regarded by the Emperor, with such an entourage accompanying her.

Though Duke Jing’an appeared normal, he was indeed seriously ill. Nangong Shuangshuang did not waste any time and began diagnosing him. Duke Jing’an’s ailment was the recurrence of injuries sustained in battle. Despite looking no different from his usual self, the pain from his wounds had kept him bedridden for several days.

The treatment required acupuncture first, then a medicinal bath, and finally, oral medication all working together, which was a painstaking process that could not be settled in a day or two.

Nangong Shuangshuang first used silver needles to relieve Duke Jing’an’s pain, then proceeded with the treatment. Once his symptoms were alleviated to the point where he didn’t need the silver needles for pain relief, Nangong Shuangshuang could leave, leaving the recovery to medication and baths over half a year.

After Nangong Shuangshuang left to treat Duke Jing’an, the idle Lady Jing kept thinking about the Empress, indulging in wild thoughts, feeling foolish for having loved the Emperor. Such a heartless person would only bring misfortune to anyone who loved him.

However, Lady Jing didn’t wallow in sadness for long as her father, Gao Yan, got embroiled in the incident involving the Empress’s father!

The cause was that the land the Empress’s father set his sights on for ancestral burial grounds coincidentally lay adjacent to the Gao Family’s ancestral graves.

When the Empress’s father selected the land for building their ancestral tomb, a small piece of land happened to lie next to the Gao Family’s burial ground. The Empress’s father gave this piece of land as a favor to Gao Yan, who, thinking nothing of a small land piece, accepted it readily.

As a result, this seemingly insignificant detail was unearthed during the Empress’s father’s case, leading to Gao Yan being accused by his adversary, Right Imperial Censor Wang Zheng, of colluding with the Empress’s father in land seizure and causing death.

When the scandal broke, Lady Jing was terrified out of her wits. It was no wonder she was scared; even touched by the Empress’s father’s case, the Empress couldn’t escape death, let alone her, just a concubine, destined for death.

After the incident, Lady Jing was at her wits’ end, pacing the palace helplessly, unable to think of a solution. She wanted to plead with the Emperor, but knowing the Emperor’s heartlessness towards the Empress, Lady Jing understood that pleading would only irritate him more and be utterly useless.

At this moment, Lady Jing especially longed for Nangong Shuangshuang. If Nangong Shuangshuang were here, she could certainly provide a good suggestion to help her out of this plight. Unfortunately, with Shuangshuang absent, Lady Jing could only devise a plan herself.

After sulking in the palace for a day, Lady Jing only thought of one solution: adopt an attitude of repentance behind closed doors and wait for Nangong Shuangshuang to return and offer a plan. She must not act recklessly, or she may worsen the situation instead of saving her father.

Nangong Shuangshuang, upon hearing the news, was also worried. It would take her at least another day to complete Duke Jing’an’s treatment, so she couldn’t return early. She was particularly afraid that Lady Jing would make an irreversible decision in her absence.

The only reassurance for Nangong Shuangshuang was that she hadn’t received any news of Lady Jing having offended the Emperor, which, at the moment, meant that no news was the best news for Shuangshuang.

When Nangong Shuangshuang hurried back to the palace after completing Duke Jing’an’s treatment and saw the tightly closed doors of Lady Jing, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, though Lady Jing didn’t know what to do, she made the wisest choice. Shutting her doors and reflecting might not have been the best solution, but in a situation with no options, it was the only correct course that avoided further angering the Emperor and worsening the issue.