Quick Transmigration: Refusing to Be a Victim's Child

In the study,

The Duke of Li sat at the head of the table. Although he was over fifty, he was still vigorous and robust, and his voice was as loud as a bell when he spoke.

"You've all read the letters from your sisters. Tell me, what are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy study fell silent.

The third son, Xu Tinghao, who was located at the bottom right, was the most restless. He was scratching his head and looking around, looking like he wanted to say something but didn't dare to. This disgusted the Duke of Li, who threw his shoe at him.

"Are you trying to be a monkey? Spit it out. If you keep acting all coy and coy like a daughter, you'll be in for a beating."

Xu Tinghao dodged the "attack" and quickly hid behind his second brother, peeking out and saying, "Dad, you told me to say this, so I'll say it now?"

"Release him!" Duke Li glared angrily.

“I think this is another trick of my younger sister,” Xu Tinghao quickly said. “She has been spoiled by you since she was a child. She does things without thinking things through. This time she must be scared of being in the cold palace, so she is lying to us like last time.”

“Third brother, what you’re saying is a bit biased,” Prince Xu Tingying retorted, frowning.

He said seriously, "Although Yi Ning is a bit spoiled, she is not a bad person at heart. The incident last time was instigated by someone with ulterior motives. Given her personality, she would never have thought of such a method."

Xu Tingying's words were met with nods of agreement from the others present.

Someone said, "Brother is right. Yining has always been innocent and naive. She would never use such means to harm the family."

Another person chimed in, "That's right. If she wanted to come out, she would have made a scene a year ago, instead of waiting until now."

“I think my younger sister really knows she was wrong. The contents of this letter are likely true. If it were a lie, she could easily find out by asking someone to investigate. There’s no need to tell such a lie that can be easily exposed.”

The third brother, Xu Tinghao, pursed his lips and whispered in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear:

"Yes, yes, my little sister is naive, but who knows if she's being used as a pawn again this time."

The Duke of Liguo was getting a headache from listening to his children arguing. One suggested sending someone through connections to check if it was true; another said it was true and offered to help cover it up by sending some supplies in first... The huge study had turned into a marketplace, with the two sides arguing back and forth until their faces were red, but no one could make up their minds.

Enraged, the Duke of Li smashed a teacup on the spot.

"Enough! If anyone makes another sound, I'll smash their mouth in."

The porcelain made a loud noise on the ground, which made everyone in the room shrink their necks and dare not utter another sound.

Duke Liguo stood up and looked around at his sons, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

"The reason why our Xu family has been able to inherit the title of Duke for three generations is because of the word 'loyalty'."

It's just a letter, yet it's stirred up so many thoughts in you. If I were to die, would you squander this family fortune?

"Father, please calm down. It is your unfilial son who has failed you."

His sons were filial; seeing that the Duke of Li was so angry that his face turned red, they were afraid that he might get sick from anger, so they immediately knelt down upon hearing this.

Seeing this, the Duke of Liguo could only sigh, kick his eldest son, and tell him to change into his court robes and go to the palace to meet the emperor immediately.

Qianji Palace

Emperor Qianyuan learned about the fire in the Cold Palace last night from the eunuchs early in the morning, and the behavior of Consort Tian and others after being rescued was also described in detail.

Emperor Qianyuan lowered his eyes slightly, and after a long while, he said:

"So be it. After all, they were people who served me. Li Hai, go to the Imperial Hospital and ask two imperial physicians to examine the people in Yuhua Palace. If they need any medicine, just have the Imperial Pharmacy provide it."

"The slave obeys the order."

Upon hearing this, the chief eunuch Li Hai dared not delay for even a moment. Just as he was about to leave the main hall, he heard a junior eunuch outside report that the Duke of Liguo and his heir were requesting an audience.

Emperor Qianyuan was taken aback upon hearing this. He hadn't expected the old man to arrive so conveniently. Could it be that he had come about Consort Tian's matter?

His eyes darkened slightly, but his expression remained unreadable as he waved to Li Hai.

The other party understood and immediately said in a shrill voice:

"Announce that the Duke of Liguo is here to pay his respects."

A moment later, the Xu father and son knelt in the main hall, kowtowed and begged for forgiveness, and very honestly handed over the letter they had received that morning with both hands.

When Emperor Qianyuan first heard that the letter had come from the Cold Palace, he almost couldn't suppress the murderous intent in his eyes. Given the complex relationship between the court and the harem, he naturally knew that such situations were inevitable in private.

But this was the first time it had ever been presented to him so openly, and he was so angry that he laughed instead:

"The Duke of Liguo is truly capable. I don't know when my harem became a sieve, allowing you all to come and go as you please."

The Duke of Liguo kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I was truly worried about my daughter and made a mistake in a moment of confusion. I know that I am guilty beyond redemption and I hope Your Majesty will prioritize the imperial heir and send someone to Yuhua Palace to investigate the truth."

As Emperor Qian Yuan listened, his hands continued working, allowing him to clearly see the contents of the envelope. His pupils constricted, and he immediately sat up straight, his expression excited.

"Guards, prepare the carriage for Yuhua Palace."

Yuhua Palace is the furthest and most remote from Qianqing Palace. Because it was a place to house disgraced concubines, it became known as the Cold Palace over time.

When the whip cracked outside the palace gates, everyone inside Yuhua Palace seemed to wake from a dream, retreating to both sides and kneeling respectfully on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

Emperor Qianyuan did not stop, striding past the crowd and heading towards the East Annex Hall where Consort Tian had stayed the previous night.

At this moment, Consort Tian and her two servants were feeding Shaolin Shen rice soup behind closed doors when they heard the commotion outside and were so frightened that they dropped the bowl on the ground.

"Granny, quick, take the prince and hide for a while."

Consort Tian panicked and quickly stuffed Shaolin Shen into Granny Feng's arms, pushing him to hide in the cabinet.

Just as the cabinet door was closing, the main entrance to the side hall was pushed open from the outside. As a cold wind rushed in, Consort Tian froze upon seeing the person who entered, her legs suddenly went weak, and she knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was suffering from severe abdominal pain just now, so... so I was late in receiving you. I beg Your Majesty..."

Before Consort Tian could finish speaking, Emperor Qian Yuan scooped her up and forced her into a chair, even speaking in a friendly manner:

"Since Ning'er is unwell, what wrong has she done?"

As he spoke, Emperor Qianyuan scanned the surroundings of the hall, only to find Consort Tian and the palace maid behind her. He frowned, a sense of loss welling up inside him, and his expression turned cold.

Consort Tian and her servant trembled with fear, but Zheng An, the chief eunuch in charge of the Cold Palace, was quick-witted. Remembering the news he had just heard, he immediately stepped forward and spoke:

"Your Highness, the charcoal from the Imperial Household Department has arrived today. Usually, your share is collected by Granny Feng, but I didn't see her just now. Would you like me to call her to collect it for you?"

"No, no need. She just went to... the back hall to wash clothes. She'll be back soon."

Consort Tian spoke haltingly, which made Shaolin, who was forced to hide in the cabinet, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He wished he could rush out immediately, so he simply turned his head and howled outside while Granny Feng was listening attentively.

"Wow--"

"what sound?"

Just as Emperor Qianyuan was about to order the person to be found, he heard the cry of a baby. Overjoyed, he immediately followed the sound and went straight to the warm pavilion next to him.

Consort Tian turned pale with fright at the commotion, fearing that her son would be found and she would become a thorn in the side of everyone in the harem. So she followed closely behind, still trying to explain:

“Your Majesty, that’s just my black cat meowing. That beast is unruly and likes to howl all the time.”

Emperor Qianyuan had always dreamed of having a son, and now that the matter was at hand, he was no longer willing to listen to her nonsense. After searching around, he found that the only thing missing was the wardrobe. So he pushed aside Consort Tian who was blocking his way and pulled the wardrobe door open.

The outside light shone directly into the wardrobe, clearly illuminating the child in Granny Feng's arms.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!!!"

Granny Feng's face turned ashen instantly, and she didn't dare to move an inch.

Emperor Qian Yuan, however, was overjoyed. He snatched the infant from the other's arms, carefully cradling it in his embrace, and muttered to himself as if in a trance:

“Child, really child. May our ancestors bless us, for I finally have a successor.”

Emperor Qianyuan burst into tears on the spot, kissing Shaolin Shen's little face repeatedly, and not forgetting to show off to the eunuchs around him:

"Li Hai, take a look! My son looks just like me. His eyes, his eyebrows, and his little mouth—he's practically a carbon copy of me."

Emperor Qian Yuan became more and more excited as he spoke, and his laughter never stopped from the beginning.

The chief eunuch, Li Hai, stood to the side, laughing and agreeing repeatedly. Glancing out of the corner of his eye at the two imperial physicians who had just been brought over, he finally mustered the courage to speak:

"Your Majesty, Yuhua Palace was struck by lightning last night, which caused a fire in the west wing. I am worried that Consort Tian and the young prince may be choked by the smoke. Would you like to send the imperial physicians over to take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianyuan paused, understanding the implication. Although he was certain that this was his child, he feared that failing to go through this process would provoke criticism from the court officials, so he nodded and said:

"Very well then, Imperial Physician Zhang, please examine my son carefully."

Following behind, Imperial Physician Zhang stepped forward as ordered, while another Imperial Physician discreetly covered Consort Tian's wrist with a handkerchief to carefully take her pulse.

After a while, seeing the two imperial physicians stop, Emperor Qianyuan couldn't wait to ask:

"how?"

Imperial Physician Zhang was the first to reply:

"Your Majesty, the young prince is almost six months old now. His health is fine, but... perhaps because he rarely sees the light, he is a little thin."

Another imperial physician then chimed in:

"Consort Tian has always been in good health. Although she has neglected postpartum care and is somewhat deficient in qi and blood, she will recover as long as she rests properly for a period of time."

The two men's words corroborated each other, directly confirming that Shaolin Shen was indeed born to Consort Tian. Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianyuan wished he could roar to the heavens, but restrained by the child in his arms, he could only smile and say "good" three times. Then he looked at Shaolin Shen with heartache and said with affection in his eyes, "My son has suffered."

Just then, a young eunuch came to report that the Prince of Qin had come to the palace to request an audience. Emperor Qian Yuan frowned, feeling disappointed, and simply told the prince to wait.