Quick Transmigration Cannon Fodder's Record of Counterattacks Chapter 3597: The Most Favoured Woman in the Inner Palace (1

Ning Shu had not yet told Consort Xuan that the children were not actually Ao Tianze’s. If she did, the woman would truly go mad.

Consort Xuan twisted her handkerchief. “No wonder the emperor is so indifferent to me. No wonder he is so cold to the children. It is all because of Lady Min.”

“Er… this matter actually doesn’t have much to do with Lady Min,” Ning Shu replied.

“How can it not?” Consort Xuan’s voice grew sharp, as if she were funneling all her hatred toward Fu Min. “If Lady Min hadn’t seduced our lord, why would the emperor act like this? If it weren’t for her, the emperor wouldn’t treat my children with such coldness. Your Highness, why are you still speaking up for her?”

“If the emperor pampered you like that, would you be happy or not?” Ning Shu asked tonelessly. “In this inner palace, both thunder and rain are the emperor’s grace. Who can say no? Lady Min is favored, but does she have the power to reject that favor?”

“But… but…” Consort Xuan gnashed her teeth while wringing her handkerchief with all her might. “Then whose fault is it? Am I just supposed to suffer through this?”

“You aren’t the only one suffering. I have always been deemed an inadequate empress,” Ning Shu said calmly. “You have already given birth to two children. Think of all those children who were miscarried before yours.”

If Consort Xuan were the one receiving Fu Min’s treatment, she would absolutely be walking on air.

In this inner palace, no one was their own master. Fate was decided by a single word from someone else.

There was no winning or losing in this place. The loser was at negative one, the winner was at plus one, but the final result was always zero.

The only one who won was the emperor, looking down upon his inner palace.

Consort Xuan was so angry she was hyperventilating. “I won’t accept this! I simply won’t!”

“What is there to be indignant about? You have two children, yet you still want supreme favor? It is not good to be too greedy. Raise your two children well. Even if something happens in the future, you will still have them to rely on.” Ning Shu really felt like rolling her eyes.

“Don’t forget, your two little ones are still lying on that bed with their lives hanging in the balance. Instead of wasting time hating Lady Min, take better care of your children.”

At the end of the day, all this drama was for the sake of Ao Tianze’s fickle favor.

Once Ao Tianze kicked the bucket, this inner palace would probably be perfectly peaceful. They could gather to play mahjong or leaf cards, or perhaps even find fort in each other’s pany. It would be total harmony.

Once the man was dead, what would be left to fight over? What would be the point?

“Your Highness, what should I do? If something happens to these two children, it will be the death of me. I don’t want anything else. I just want my children.” Consort Xuan lost all all posure and started sobbing.

“I don’t know if your palace is safe enough. Carry the children to my Jiaofang Palace. You can bring them back once they have recovered,” Ning Shu suggested.

“This…” Consort Xuan hesitated. She understood how difficult it was to give birth to two children, and realized she might never have another.

If Fu Min never bore a child, her own children might inherit the throne.

If she sent them to the empress’ palace now, what if she couldn’t get them back later?

Consort Xuan had lived in the palace and was no fool. Since the empress had shared so many secrets with her, they were essentially in the same boat. However, she couldn’t bear to send away the children she had suffered so much to bear.

“The children are still sick, so moving them right now might be bad. Furthermore, Your Highness’ health is of the utmost importance. It would be terrible if the children passed their illness to you,” Consort Xuan said to politely decline.

Ning Shu nodded. “Very well. Take good care of them. They cannot withstand any more turmoil. The female physician is trustworthy. When brewing medicine or doing anything else, only use people you trust. To tell you the truth, these kinds of incidents won’t be rare in the future. You must be vigilant.

“If our conversation today reaches the emperor’s ears, neither you nor I will survive, and neither will the children. My Tan family stands behind me, so I might endure for a while, but I do not know if your family would abandon you,” Ning Shu said flatly.

Consort Xuan’s face turned several shades of pale. “I understand. I definitely won’t speak a word of this.”

“Good. I’m leaving.” As Ning Shu turned to go, Consort Xuan used the chair to steady herself as she stood and bowed. “I respectfully see Your Highness off.”

“Your Highness, Consort Xuan worked so hard to have those children, only for this to happen. If anything goes wrong, the emperor will likely scold you again.” Xi’er looked quite distressed. Children in the inner palace faced so many calamities. They might enjoy wealth and honor, but the prerequisite for that was actually staying alive.

Avoiding all the schemes, being born safely, and successfully growing up… it was practically a miracle of life.

Ning Shu sighed softly. Life in Ao Tianze’s inner palace was exceptionally difficult.

If the emperor were simply heartless, that would be one thing. But an ‘affectionate’ emperor was truly unbearable. He claimed to be a victim of circumstance and court pressure, forced to take other women while trying to keep his heart pure for one.

The emperor likely felt he was the one being wronged. He just wanted to be with his true love, so why did the heavens give him so many women? To hell with all these women!

In short, everyone had their own grievances.

Ning Shu returned to Jiaofang Palace, where she ate and slept well.

Over the next few days, she repeatedly sent Xi’er to check on the children.

The infants’ fevers kept fluctuating. The temperature would go down, only to spike again a short while later.

Ning Shu sighed. If Consort Xuan, the mother, wouldn’t let anyone else step in, there wasn’t much Ning Shu could do. The fact that the children had held on this long was largely thanks to the spiritual energy Ning Shu had funneled into them.

This constant relapsing definitely indicated a problem. It just depended on when Consort Xuan would finally make a decision.

Ning Shu took out an empty medicine bottle. She used rouge to make her face look a bit flushed and dripped some water into her eyes until they were slightly red.

She went to the old Daoist’s palace and found him. “Priest, I have finished all the elixirs you gave me. Do you have more?”

The old Daoist froze. “Your Highness finished the elixirs I gave you that quickly?”

“Yes. Three times a day—morning, noon, and night. I must say, after taking them, my muddled head feels much clearer. I feel quite energetic. If I go a day without them, I feel like something is missing.”

The old Daoist was speechless.

Was she eating elixirs like they were regular meals?

Seeing Ning Shu’s reddened eyes, the old Daoist couldn’t help but click his tongue. Previously, she had advised the emperor not to take his pills, yet now she was taking them more aggressively than anyone.

“Your Highness, there is no need to take them so frequently. You may take one when you are tired or sleepy,” the Old Daoist said. She shouldn’t be eating them like candy.

“Oh.” Ning Shu’s expression looked a bit heated. “Are these not meant to nourish the body? I simply wish to get my health in order.”

The old Daoist understood instantly. He assumed she wanted to use the elixirs to prep her body for a pregnancy.

Ning Shu continued, “Priest, is there a strengthened version? Something with a better effect or a higher dosage? I want to get my body in order as quickly as possible.”

“There is not. The golden elixir is as it is,” the Old Daoist said with twitching lips.