MCSCPM -Chapter 47 Winning Over Nanny Lai

Nanny Lai glared at Yin Qingyue. “Don’t put your foot in the melon patch, don’t adjust your hat under a plum tree. Miss Yin, you accuse this old servant of not trusting you—but have you considered what you yourself have done?”

Yin Qingyue shook her head and sighed. “Now I finally understand why Her Majesty the Empress, though already seated on the throne of the harem, still worries every day. With a muddleheaded strategist like you around, Nanny Lai, how could Her Majesty not be anxious?”

Nanny Lai was so furious that she laughed bitterly, slamming her hand on the table. “Are you trying to bite back, Miss Yin? I have been loyal to Her Majesty the Empress, so how is it that in your words I appear so despicable?”

Yin Qingyue smiled coldly. “Anyone in power must rely on capable subordinates, each performing their duties to achieve great things. Nanny Lai, you lack understanding—so how can there be any great accomplishments? Your loyalty may be genuine, but in the harem, what use is loyalty? How many knives—both visible and hidden—can your loyalty shield Her Majesty from?”

“That’s still better than you, the little traitor! You cozy up to the Empress here, while keeping the Crown Prince and Consort Sun in your pocket there. Isn’t such treachery far more dangerous to Her Majesty?” Nanny Lai stood up, pointing angrily at Yin Qingyue.

Yin Qingyue shook her head, looking almost exasperated. “Nanny Lai, you can’t even tell friend from foe—how can you talk about loyalty? Loyalty without understanding is just as harmful to a ruler.”

“You—what do you mean by that? Friend from foe? Isn’t Consort Sun and the Crown Prince the Empress’s enemies?” Nanny Lai’s eyes widened, a mocking tone in her voice.

“Why would you think that? The Crown Prince and Consort Sun are certainly not Her Majesty’s enemies!” Yin Qingyue frowned and sighed, speaking earnestly.

“How so?” Nanny Lai, seeing that Yin Qingyue seemed serious, grew curious and wanted to hear her explanation.

“Sit down, Nanny Lai, have a cup of tea, calm your mind, and listen as I explain,” Yin Qingyue said, sighing again. She poured a cup of tea for Nanny Lai and pulled out a stool for her.

Though Nanny Lai obeyed and sat, she still watched Yin Qingyue suspiciously, waiting for her to speak.

Yin Qingyue brought another stool, sat across from Nanny Lai, and began speaking clearly and logically. “Nanny Lai, think carefully. Her Majesty the Empress now holds the position of Mistress of the Six Palaces. What she needs to do is simply maintain stability, remain firmly in her seat, and ascend to Empress Dowager eventually, correct?”

Nanny Lai nodded, her expression softening slightly. “Yes, that’s correct—but what of it?”

Yin Qingyue smiled. “Then first, Consort Sun is not Her Majesty’s enemy, for three reasons. First, Consort Sun has no son. No matter how beautiful she is, she cannot threaten Her Majesty’s position. Would the Emperor really depose the Empress with a living son to make way for a barren Consort Sun?”

Nanny Lai, now intrigued by Yin Qingyue’s reasoning, nodded eagerly. “And the other reasons?”

Yin Qingyue’s expression also softened. “Second, Consort Sun’s beauty is largely maintained by the Second Princess’s medical skills—but the Second Princess cannot remain by her side forever. When the Second Princess marries, can Consort Sun remain beautiful? Third, how long has Consort Sun been in the palace? If she could truly rival the Empress, would she have waited until now? Why would Her Majesty waste her energy on such a trivial threat?”

Nanny Lai considered this deeply and nodded. “Indeed. But why do you say the Crown Prince is also not an enemy?”

Yin Qingyue covered her lips and smiled. “This reasoning is even simpler, also with three points. First, although the Crown Prince is the heir, he is the son of a deposed Empress—effectively motherless. If he ascends the throne, there will only be Her Majesty as the Holy Empress Dowager, with no living mother. At most, the deposed Empress would be posthumously honored. How is this any different from the Second Prince ascending?”

Nanny Lai blinked in surprise. “This…?”

Yin Qingyue, not giving her a chance to argue, continued. “Moreover, there are other princes in the palace, not just the Crown Prince. Compared to Her Majesty and the Second Prince, the Third Prince—favored by the mysterious officials and constantly opposing the Crown Prince—poses a far greater threat. As long as the Crown Prince isn’t a fool, he should know that having a supportive consort in the harem is important. Would he choose the unstable Consort Sun over the Empress, or the virtuous Consort De who favors his son? Or a low-ranking young lady?”

Nanny Lai fell silent again, furrowing her brows in thought. “But Consort Sun still has no son…”

Yin Qingyue sighed. “Do you think what I consider is beyond the Crown Prince? Consort Sun’s current favor is purely thanks to the Second Princess’s youth-preserving techniques. Once the Second Princess marries, a now plain Consort Sun will fall into the Empress’s hands. By then, the harem will be Her Majesty’s domain again. Would the Crown Prince be foolish enough to choose a Consort doomed to lose as his backing, creating trouble for the future Empress Dowager?”

Nanny Lai’s eyes lit up. Indeed, it made sense. Why would the Crown Prince risk choosing Consort Sun as a supporter and anger his own mother? In the harem, consorts come and go, but the Empress remains steadfast.

Seeing this, Yin Qingyue smiled again. “Third, it also concerns me. I am now under the Empress’s protection. The Crown Prince is a man of sentiment—would he really go against his savior?”

Nanny Lai was fully convinced. Her tone grew warm. “Miss Yin is right! I… I was shortsighted. It seems Miss Yin is not only a divine physician, but also a female Zhuge Liang!”

Yin Qingyue bowed her head slightly and smiled. “Even a brilliant strategist needs a wise ruler to assist. If I were to waste my life in Luocheng Courtyard, all my cleverness would be in vain.”

Nanny Lai quickly patted Yin Qingyue’s hand, beaming. “Oh, miss, why worry? Since Her Majesty agreed to let you leave Luocheng Courtyard, it will surely happen. And a strategist like you—there’s no way I would let the Empress lose such a talent!”

Nanny Lai now admired Yin Qingyue completely. She had analyzed the palace’s situation with clarity and helped the Empress choose the most suitable course—a truly rare talent.

If someone like her slipped through their hands, it would anger Nanny Lai to no end.

Yin Qingyue smiled, sipping her tea slowly. “Nanny Lai, do you still think I am some traitor working for outside enemies?”

Nanny Lai laughed sheepishly. “Oh, Miss Yin, I was just temporarily confused. Your intelligence and tact far surpass this old servant’s understanding.”

Yin Qingyue squinted slightly, calculating in her mind. Winning over Nanny Lai now would be greatly advantageous for her own future protection.

With her power, confronting Nangong Chen directly was nearly impossible. Nangong Xiao could hold him back in court, but his influence was limited. As long as the mysterious officials remained loyal to Nangong Chen, he would not fall.

Thus, while Nangong Xiao restrained Nangong Chen, she needed to provoke the Empress’s hostility toward Nangong Chen and his mother, Consort De, to strike from both sides. First eliminate the most dangerous threat, Nangong Chen, then make further plans.

Ideally, Nangong Xiao and the Empress would align against Nangong Chen, defeat him, and continue their alliance—ultimately a win-win situation.

Yet Yin Qingyue was not naive. She knew things might not unfold according to her plan; as the saying goes: there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests.

When the day comes that Nangong Xiao and the Empress oppose each other, she would deal with it then, rubbing her temples in slight helplessness.

Seeing Yin Qingyue fall silent, Nanny Lai hurried over. “Then Miss Yin, whom should Her Majesty focus on dealing with now?”

Originally, Nanny Lai thought the Empress only needed to deal with Consort Sun, who was the most troublesome, as Consort De was uninterested in rivalry. But after hearing Yin Qingyue, Nanny Lai realized her previous thinking was too naive and decided to consult Yin Qingyue on all matters going forward.

Yin Qingyue regained focus, speaking solemnly: “Naturally, the Third Prince! Nanny Lai, think carefully. The Emperor trusts the mysterious officials the most, and they support the Third Prince, who constantly opposes the Crown Prince, making clear his ambition for the throne. And the Third Prince’s mother, Consort De, is still alive.”

She looked at Nanny Lai and said earnestly: “If the Third Prince ascends, can the Empress still have a peaceful life? Even if the Empress and the Crown Prince first neutralize the Third Prince, then target the isolated Crown Prince afterward, it is still far better than letting the Third Prince defeat the Crown Prince first and then having the Empress deal with the now-grown wolf—by a hundredfold.”

Nanny Lai nodded, fully convinced. “You are right, Miss Yin. I will go explain this to Her Majesty immediately.”

While Yin Qingyue was maneuvering Nanny Lai against Nangong Chen, the Second Princess returned to Consort Sun’s Guan Ju Palace, discussing what she had seen that morning.

“What? You met the Crown Prince at the Buddhist hall?” Consort Sun jumped up in shock.

Nangong Mei’er nodded calmly. “Yes, I happened to meet my elder brother at the gate, so we went in together.”

Consort Sun sat back down, her mind racing. Could it be that the Crown Prince is intentionally trying to win over this female divine physician? Could it be for his chronic illness? But his illness had persisted for over twenty years—it would be long past hope of a cure!