Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 947: Chapter 858: Unwilling to Be a Slave 78

After returning to Yingyue Palace, Nangong Shuangshuang, feeling a bit tired, washed up and spoke with Lady Jing about Cheng Mei Ren and Concubine Yang’s matters. Lady Jing couldn’t help but sigh with lament for Cheng Mei Ren, while also reflecting on her own situation, causing her mood to become somewhat heavy.

Nangong Shuangshuang thought about the Spring Festival, which also bothered her. Previously, she had thought it simple, believing that since the Emperor had begun to suspect the Empress Dowager, he would quickly deal with her. But from the Emperor’s behavior when she left today, it seemed things were not going as well as she had anticipated.

Of course, the Emperor undoubtedly plans to deal with the Empress Dowager. He would never tolerate the Empress Dowager plotting against him and coveting the throne he sits upon, so Nangong Shuangshuang suspected that the Emperor wanted to play a bigger game.

He didn’t allow her to terminate Concubine Yang’s pregnancy, which surely meant he intended to use this child as a trap, a trap that would ensure the Empress Dowager’s total downfall.

While the Empress Dowager is destined to decline, the crisis posed by the spring festival for Lady Jing has yet to be resolved. Since the Emperor is casting a long line to catch a big fish, he certainly won’t remove the Empress Dowager so soon as to avoid alarming her right before the festival.

The common people sow crops in March and April. The Spring Festival is a significant event nationwide, held from the court to the public. To prevent delays in sowing, it begins in late April or early May after planting ends.

At present, it is late February, and the Spring Festival is over two months away. Nangong Shuangshuang must find a way within these two months to ensure Lady Jing doesn’t have to worry about being schemed against by the Empress Dowager. However, at the moment, Nangong Shuangshuang is at a loss for ideas.

Pondering back and forth without a solution, Nangong Shuangshuang finally resolved to be ruthless; if necessary, she would give Lady Jing medicine to fall seriously ill and avoid the Spring Festival. Nangong Shuangshuang was confident that if she made a move, no Imperial Physician could detect anything amiss.

After half a month of acupuncture treatment by Nangong Shuangshuang, Cheng Mei Ren’s leg was almost healed, allowing her to walk outside. The last few days, she hadn’t moved much due to discomfort, so on this nice day, Cheng Mei Ren asked Chun Jing to accompany her for a stroll.

In the March sunshine, it was the season of blooming flowers. The Imperial Garden was at its most beautiful, with its meticulously cultivated floral trees starting to blossom. Even the normally unfrequented corners of the garden were alive with wildflowers, adding an air of rustic charm.

Cheng Mei Ren did not bring many people, only heading out with Chun Jing. They walked along the edges of the Imperial Garden, enjoying the blooming wildflowers. It wasn’t that Cheng Mei Ren and Lady Jing both disliked noble flowers in favor of wild ones.

Rather, the Imperial Garden had become a place where those hoping to meet the Emperor gathered. Concubines dressed up and waited in these spots for a chance encounter with him.

Having cooled towards the Emperor due to past events, Cheng Mei Ren had no desire to approach or please him, deliberately choosing remote paths to avoid any meeting.

Cheng Mei Ren wandered aimlessly, half-heartedly viewing the scenery along the way. Ahead lay a dense forest, not of valuable trees but ones casually transplanted there.

Because those who moved the trees didn’t do so carefully, the trees were planted too densely; as they grew, the trunks remained thin and the unkempt branches intertwined, forming a thick natural barrier.

Through a gap below the intertwined trees, Cheng Mei Ren could vaguely see a patch of connected blue wildflowers on the other side. She couldn’t resist quickening her pace to get a closer look, but as she neared, a familiar voice came from behind the grove.

”Yingying, take this silver. Now that your mistress has fallen out of favor, you’ll surely be poorly treated as her attendant when you run errands. Remember to give others more benefits, so they’ll be more willing to help you.”

Hearing this voice startled Cheng Mei Ren, as it was very familiar to her. It belonged to the Emperor’s prized attendant, Manager Song Lin, someone in the harem—even the concubines—few dared to offend.

Song Lin normally remained aloof and never involved himself with the harem, let alone meeting with palace maids. Yet here he was, in this remote place, meeting a palace maid, and from his words, it was someone serving a concubine who had fallen from grace.

Before Cheng Mei Ren could think further, another woman’s voice rang out—Yingying, as Song Lin had called her. Cheng Mei Ren immediately recognized her old acquaintance, Bi Ying, the trusted palace maid of who had become Du Zhaoyi.

Bi Ying’s voice was deliberately coy and petulant, with a hint of coquetry. ”Ah Lin, you’re so good to me. Without your help, I wouldn’t know how to get by at all.

My mistress has become increasingly silent lately. Those concubines who were never her equals are now throwing their weight around, deliberately bullying her. Seeing them act so smug really makes my heart ache for her.

Ah Lin, can you help my mistress, for my sake? You don’t need to do much, just tell us where the Emperor will be afterward, so my mistress can have a chance to see him.

If she manages to catch the Emperor’s sympathy and rekindle past feelings, maybe her life could become a little easier.”

”This...” Song Lin hesitated, feeling conflicted. Even though Bi Ying and Du Zhaoyi couldn’t see through the Emperor’s nature, thinking they could reignite old feelings, Song Lin, knowing the Emperor’s character well, realized their idea was futile.

However, seeing Bi Ying’s hopeful look softened his heart. Bi Ying, sensing his wavering, quickly held his sleeve and pleaded, ”Ah Lin, please, help my mistress.

You know your special status keeps you from being involved with the maids of the harem. If we are together, I must leave the palace and live with you outside. Originally, I planned to stay with my mistress all my life, but for you, I’ve already walked away. I can only accompany her till my twenty-fifth year.

Just thinking about how, once I’m gone, she’s alone again, without affection or status, it worries me so. I’m truly very concerned for my mistress.”

As Bi Ying spoke, she started to sob softly. Song Lin’s heart, already softened at the thought of her leaving the palace life for him, couldn’t bear to see her cry. Considering that helping wouldn’t really matter since everything still depended on the Emperor, he reluctantly agreed.