Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 357 - 356: Origins

Interestingly, later on, the Princess Consort Duan, who originally had a lower status, suddenly gained imperial favor, became pregnant with the imperial seed, and gave birth to Lu Ze. Afterward, it was as if she ascended to the skies on a colorful cloud.

Not only did her rank rise continually, but the favor she received was also unmatched, making her unique in the entire harem.

When Lu Ze grew older and moved out to establish his estate, the other princes, due to their age, needed to submit a request in advance to enter the palace to visit their mothers and were not allowed to freely enter the inner palace.

Only Lu Ze was an exception, able to visit his mother at any time, whenever he wished, due to the tearful plea from Princess Consort Duan.

This kind of favor was unprecedented.

Previously, Lu Chao, born of Empress Wang, and Lu Zhang, born of Consort Zhao, although of more noble maternal origin, lost their mothers at a young age. By the time they moved out of the palace, they no longer had anyone in the inner palace to visit.

As for the other princes, not to mention, such a thing was beyond imagination.

Interestingly, when Princess Consort Duan and her son Lu Ze gained more ’exceptions’ due to increasing favor from Emperor Jin, those who had previously expressed disapproval no longer spoke up.

"So you mean... the Princess Consort Duan..." Zhu Yu hesitated, probing with her question.

Lu Qing shook his head: "Do you know how Princess Consort Duan entered the palace back then?"

Zhu Yu thought about it and considered that with Princess Consort Duan’s mixed heritage, she likely wasn’t the legitimate daughter of any prominent minister or noble family in the court. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After all, given the manner of Jin Country’s nobility, while they might take foreign women as concubines, the higher the official rank, the less likely they were to afford these women any legitimate status; being a concubine was the limit. Most would end up as Dancing Girls or concubines.

Children born of such status naturally wouldn’t be legitimate heirs; they wouldn’t even have the opportunity to be taken under the main wife’s wing.

Given this, Princess Consort Duan wouldn’t have entered through the normal selection process.

"Who was it that presented her to the Holy Emperor?" She had a guess but felt uncertain.

"Duke Yan, Zhao Bi." Lu Qing spoke the answer in Zhu Yu’s mind, "In memory of Empress Wang, the Holy Emperor decided not to appoint a new empress. At that time, Consort Zhao had also passed away, leaving the harem leaderless. From the concubines in the palace to the powerholders in the court, everyone was eager to act.

Everyone knew that sending a woman into the palace and gaining the Holy Emperor’s favor and the opportunity to rise would undoubtedly secure oneself the best safeguard.

Others were racking their brains, trying to send their daughters or nieces in through the selection process, but only Duke Yan took a different approach and sent in a woman with foreign looks.

No one expected that, in the end, the noble daughters drafted into the palace didn’t even make a ripple, whereas Princess Consort Duan was the one who emerged victorious."

"So... back then, Princess Consort Duan was specially found by Duke Yan and presented to the Holy Emperor to fill the interpersonal void in the harem after his daughter’s death?" Zhu Yu, unaware of this before, was quite surprised, "But... if Princess Consort Duan was presented by Duke Yan, why... when General Cao celebrated his birthday, and we encountered Lu Ze at the General Mansion, was his relationship with Lu Zhang not close?"

Lu Qing was amused by Zhu Yu’s question but on second thought, it wasn’t hard to understand.

Although Zhu Yu was sharp and could quickly grasp and deduce many things, she, having grown up as a concubine’s daughter in Zhu Cheng’s household dominated by the Pang Family, where the sons of concubines didn’t survive, while daughters lived like little mice, constantly on edge.

Growing up in such an environment, how could she comprehend Lu Ze’s feelings?

"To you, Lu Ze and the Princess Consort Duan should naturally be more aligned with Duke Yan’s interests and appear closer, correct?" He voiced Zhu Yu’s understanding.

Zhu Yu thought so indeed and nodded quickly.

"You’ve only considered the link of interests but overlooked something else. When status reverses, those who once had to look up now stand on equal footing, and their mindset changes.

In the past, you had to yield to your elder sister Zhu Ning, but why not now? Now you are a Secondary First Rank Princess, and she is merely a County Princess.

And would you and your mother feel indebted to the Pang Family for offering your mother to your father back then?" Lu Qing gave Zhu Yu an example.

Upon hearing his words, Zhu Yu suddenly felt enlightened, understanding the stance and mindset involved.

Though Princess Consort Duan has now risen to prominence, all thanks to Duke Yan’s move of presenting a beauty to the Holy Emperor back then.

However, for Princess Consort Duan, it wasn’t as simple as that, and her journey was far from smooth.

When Consort Zhao entered the palace, she was a noble lady of distinguished origin, and whether Emperor Jin harbored genuine affection or not, he still had to respect her family. Thus, she remained noble, composed, and proud.

But Princess Consort Duan was different. When she entered the palace, both Duke Yan, Emperor Jin, and she herself knew well that she wasn’t some unattainable goddess, but a lowly plaything.

As for how Princess Consort Duan managed to rise gradually, leveraging her demeanor and methods, and fought her way to the top, nobody knows.

What is certain is that even after gaining immense favor, the shame of being presented as a plaything to the palace remains.

As for Lu Ze, it seems easier to understand.

His exotic features, although beautiful, are a testament to his mixed heritage.

In front of his other brothers, it might be fine; they are all princes, they are siblings. But when facing Lu Zhang, his external family constantly reminds him that the reason for his existence is that his mother was once treated as a plaything, sent into the palace by Duke Yan, and given to Emperor Jin.

The feeling of always being inferior to others is certainly unpleasant.

Zhu Yu thought that, if it were herself, she probably couldn’t maintain closeness with Lu Zhang either.

Setting aside the subtle relationship between Lu Ze and Lu Zhang, Zhu Yu thought about what Lu Qing had just told her.

"So you mean... back then Princess Consort Duan was found by Duke Yan from Fan Country?" After saying this, Zhu Yu felt it was somewhat inaccurate, so she rephrased, "Or rather, it was someone from Fan Country who helped him find her?"