Your Majesty, please do not disturb, the empress only wants to engage in business

Chapter 201 Blood Ties
At first, none of the people who heard about it thought it was a disaster.

Everyone eventually dies, and the old Duke's life has been quite remarkable. It's rare for a man to live to seventy, so living to this age is considered a long life for a veteran who fought his way up from the battlefield.

Moreover, for ordinary people, the life and death of the powerful and wealthy have nothing to do with their own lives. Does the death of an old man mean that their family can no longer make a living?

As for the oppression from the Duke's Mansion... to be honest, ordinary people don't actually feel this kind of high-ranking oppression. They can only feel some oppression from their own surroundings. As for the people who are truly affected by the Duke's Mansion, they are actually ordinary officials in the court and those wealthy merchants.

Ordinary people are far from being able to offend an entity like the Duke's Mansion. Strange and unusual events that happen in such a powerful family can only become topics of conversation among the common people. They can be talked about over tea and after meals, but there are very few ordinary people who would actually think about the powerful and wealthy.

Meanwhile, within the Duke's mansion, a scene of utter chaos and war unfolded.

Not long after the old Duke passed away, someone in the Duke's mansion said that they should send a message to the Imperial Concubine about this matter. After all, when the old Duke was alive, his most beloved daughter was the one he had after he was over forty years old.

Moreover, now that the Empress holds a high position, she will definitely be the future backer of the Duke's Mansion. For a family like the Duke's Mansion, the old master can no longer be relied upon, so they must cultivate a good relationship with their new backer.

Once a family reaches the pinnacle of wealth and power, like the Duke's Mansion, it's impossible to advance further in status—unless a child born to a concubine can ascend to the throne and elevate the family's influence, but such things are rare throughout history. For non-royal family members, the position of Duke is already the limit.

However, the plan to send a message to the palace was ultimately temporarily halted.

"The most important thing right now is not to let the Empress know about these things. After the old man passed away, the only one left to support the family is the Empress. What we need to do now is to hurry up and select the right person."

No one can guarantee that Consort Rong will not express her will at this critical juncture. If Consort Rong chooses a brother she likes to take charge of the family, it may not be a good thing for everyone.

Anyone with eyes to see knows that none of the old Duke's children are actually capable of managing the family. However, apart from the old Duke's biological sons, no one else is qualified to inherit the position of Duke. Since the capable members of the collateral branches cannot step forward, then naturally they have to choose the most capable person from the existing population.

Since it's a competition of ability, age is no longer an advantage at this point. Everyone is the same; they haven't made any achievements in politics or military exploits. In terms of contributions to their families and descendants, the brothers are all about the same. None of them are without concubines in their courtyards, and they all have many children. Since they are all similar, it's natural that anyone can compete with them.

Therefore, the sons, who should have been weeping the most in the Duke's mourning hall, were instead in another hall not far away, urgently discussing matters with a group of clan elders.

Filial piety is irrelevant at this moment, given the vast wealth of the Duke's mansion. The priority is to have the sons and grandsons kneel before their ancestor to show their filial piety. The fathers, on the other hand, have more important things to do!

……

Yao Jinse also had more important things to do at this time.

She had already warned her family—though whether she said it or not wouldn't make much difference. Although she was nominally serving the Imperial Concubine and had a princess by her side in the palace, in the eyes of the people in the Duke's mansion, a mere Jieyu might not be considered worthy of their attention. Before, Yao Jinse might have been looked up to because she had a child, but now the Imperial Concubine was pregnant with one. Even if both were the Emperor's children, there was still a difference in rank. Anyone with eyes could see that without the Imperial Concubine's protection, Yao Jinse would find it difficult to even gain the Emperor's attention, let alone anything else.

The emperor rarely visited Yuxiu Palace, and Yao Jinse seldom went to Yangxin Hall on her own initiative. Instead, she went to the Empress Dowager's palace more often. As a result, people were less wary of her.

Choosing the Empress Dowager instead of the Emperor was, in a sense, a way of actively distancing oneself from the center of turmoil, as well as from the center of favor.

Such a choice is not difficult to make in the harem. Many concubines hold the same idea: to have a child means they will have someone to rely on for the rest of their lives, and after the emperor passes away, they can enjoy their old age in the harem.

Rather than fighting with others, living a peaceful life may not be a bad thing.

In the palace, no one who survives is a fool. From the empresses and concubines to the maids and eunuchs, those who have stayed in the palace for a long time are naturally influenced by what they see and hear.

The ability to read between the lines and act cautiously are the most basic skills. The clever people in the harem are often more composed. Observing from the sidelines is a very wise move. However, it is precisely because of their cleverness that they may be outsmarted by their own cleverness.

The original owner died because of her own cleverness. Her cleverness was too conspicuous, and when everyone knew how smart she was, it became a double-edged sword that hurt her.

Having arrived once, Yao Jinse naturally wouldn't repeat the same mistakes.

Therefore, she is currently staying in Chengqian Palace, accompanying Consort Rong and waiting for news.

The passing of the old Duke was major news for both the court and the harem.

With the Chen family's pillar of support fallen, the golden beam supporting the harem must not be disturbed. But what secrets never stay hidden? Even though the emperor immediately ordered a cover-up to prevent anyone in the harem from leaking the matter to the Chengqian Palace, he could not ultimately stop those with ulterior motives from making their arrangements.

When Nuandong hurriedly came in from outside and told Consort Rong the news, Consort Rong was rubbing her belly and breathing heavily on the heated kang.

These days, the Emperor would come to keep her company from time to time, and she dared not let Xie Yun'an stay too long. A woman dresses up for the man she loves, and Chen Yimiao believed that she and Xie Yun'an had a deep and affectionate relationship, so naturally she did not want her lover to see her in a bad light.

"Logically speaking, by the time Her Majesty is in her final month of pregnancy, she shouldn't be having such a strong reaction."

Yao Jinse, having been sitting nearby and having heard Nuan Dong's reply, disregarded whether the Imperial Concubine was still shaken and quickly delivered the words she had prepared.

"Now it seems that perhaps it is the bond between Your Highness's unborn child and the old Duke that is reminding Your Highness of this!"