Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable-Chapter 938 - 849: Unwilling to Be a Slave 69
Nangong Shuangshuang first went to report back to the Emperor, detailing all the symptoms and treatment results regarding Duke Jing’an. Hearing that Nangong Shuangshuang could completely cure Duke Jing’an’s illness, the Emperor was very pleased. Numerous Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Hospital had been sent but could only alleviate Duke Jing’an’s illness, not cure it, and this had almost become a sore point for the Emperor.
Duke Jing’an was a trusted and valiant general of the Emperor, one of the Emperor’s most trusted and capable ministers. It was indeed a regrettable matter for someone like him to be sidelined due to illness, a sorrow shared by both the Emperor and Duke Jing’an.
Delighted, the Emperor rewarded Nangong Shuangshuang with a heap of treasures, valuable beyond measure but only useful for display. Nangong Shuangshuang thought these things were less practical than the jewelry and brocade previously granted by the Empress, at least she could wear the jewelry even if she couldn’t sell it.
When Nangong Shuangshuang left Duke Jing’an’s mansion, Duke Jing’an and his wife also presented her with many gifts as a token of gratitude, including five hundred taels of silver and many pieces of jewelry and fabrics, all of which were valuable and could be traded.
Before entering the palace, Nangong Shuangshuang sent all the things back to her own home, entrusting them to her mother Luo Yueying. She was so preoccupied with affairs in the palace that she rushed in without even having time to drink a sip of water or speak a few words with Luo Yueying.
Upon leaving the Emperor and returning to Yingyue Palace, she saw Lady Jing looking weary, her lips cracked with several bloodstains, and bloodshot eyes waiting anxiously at the palace gate.
Seeing Nangong Shuangshuang return, Lady Jing didn’t even mind her manners, hurriedly stepping forward to grasp Nangong Shuangshuang’s hand. In a hoarse, dry voice, she pleaded, "Shuangshuang, you must help me this time, help save my father, you must think of a way!
I know the Emperor’s temperament; he’s likely to punish my father too, but I know my own father, though he may be mediocre or incapable, he’s not a cruel person, he would never do something as drastic as forcing someone to death!"
It’s not surprising that Lady Jing was so anxious. Nangong Shuangshuang recalled that in her past life, Lady Jing’s father was punished in this very matter, without the Emperor even considering investigating. He was punished without a second thought.
To the Emperor, both Lady Jing’s father and the Empress’s father were considered as part of the extended clan, and out of hatred for the Empress’s father, the Emperor’s anger also implicated Gao Yan, resulting in a furious execution.
Although it was proven afterward that Gao Yan was innocent, the person was already dead. Besides elevating Lady Jing, who was then still a Noble Consort, by two ranks as consolation, there was no other compensation. After that blow, Lady Jing became completely silent, stopped vying for favor, and turned into a transparent figure in the harem.
However, Lady Jing pleading for Gao Yan was like adding fuel to the fire, but not necessarily dangerous, which is why Nangong Shuangshuang never took the matter to heart.
Initially, Nangong Shuangshuang hadn’t considered going to Duke Jing’an’s mansion for treatment, thinking that with her presence, this issue could be resolved at any time. She hadn’t expected that she would be absent at such a critical moment, fortunately, Lady Jing made the most prudent choice.
Nangong Shuangshuang pressed down on Lady Jing’s trembling hand to reassure her, "Empress, don’t worry, this matter is not that dangerous. You’ve handled it well this far. If you plead for your father, to the Emperor it appears as shielding, which is akin to adding fuel to the fire. Let Mr. Gao save himself; that is the easiest and simplest solution, and you must absolutely not plead."
Nangong Shuangshuang’s words quieted Lady Jing, and she took a deep breath, suppressing her anxious and restless emotions, "Can my father really save himself?"
Nangong Shuangshuang nodded confidently, lowering her voice to tell Lady Jing, "Trust me, it’s certain. Have someone inform Mr. Gao..."
The Emperor had been deeply troubled recently by the Empress’s father’s case as it involved too many people. After the Empress’s father’s issue came to light, several high-ranking officials were successively exposed for various reasons, leading to land seizures and causing the common people to have no land to cultivate, forcing them to sell their children and themselves, and starving to death.
Extremely angered by this, the Emperor was then moved by a plea letter from Gao Yan, who had been impeached before and was waiting at home for investigation. In it, Gao Yan expressed deep remorse for not recognizing his own faults, offering to compensate ten-fold for the land his family allegedly seized and requesting to resign his office because, as an Imperial Censor, he couldn’t even investigate himself, deeming himself unqualified to oversee officials for the Emperor...
Gao Yan’s plea was tearful and remorseful. The Emperor had initially been upset with Gao Yan, feeling that he, too, had acted recklessly by capitalizing on Lady Jing’s favor. However, this penitent plea somewhat calmed the Emperor.
Compared to others, especially the Empress’s father, who, despite crimes, used every excuse to avoid punishment and refused to admit any wrongdoing, Gao Yan’s attitude was much more acceptable to the Emperor.
The Emperor had resolved that he would sentence to death anyone who incited public outrage during this turmoil, without tolerance. However, upon receiving Gao Yan’s plea, he decided to have Gao Yan’s matter thoroughly investigated if it wasn’t excessive, sparing his life wouldn’t hurt.
Unexpectedly, the investigation revealed that Gao Yan was completely innocent, as he hadn’t seized any land from the people. The Gao Family’s ancestral graves were rightly theirs, passed down from ancestors, covering a large area. The Gao Family had buried their generations there without ever needing to seize land from the neighboring common people.
As for the land in question, it was merely a small piece and not seized by Gao Yan himself; rather, it was offered by the Empress’s father as an easy favor. Thus, Gao Yan was completely innocent!
The Emperor now felt both awkward and furious, awkward for nearly having wrongfully executed Gao Yan due to his failure to verify facts, and furious that someone like Wang Zheng had been plotting against peers for promotion, manipulating the Emperor’s authority, almost doing so successfully, leading to such severe punishment.
The Emperor immediately revoked Wang Zheng’s position as Right Imperial Censor, demoted him to commoner status, ordered him to leave the Capital City immediately, and declared that the Wang Family could not hold office for three generations.
This punishment was indeed harsh, and the reason the Emperor punished so severely wasn’t simply for Wang Zheng falsely accusing Gao Yan, but rather due to Wang Zheng’s audacity to deceive him, the Emperor, and almost succeeding, making the Emperor ashamed and enraged, leading to such a severe verdict.
After punishing Wang Zheng, who wronged Gao Yan, restoring Gao Yan’s official status as he was blameless and didn’t need to continue reflecting over any faults, the Emperor recalled having neglected Yingyue Palace for several days. He decided to visit and console Lady Jing. Upon seeing how emaciated Lady Jing had become in just a few days, the Emperor was quite taken aback by her haggard appearance.
