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Chapter 356 Origin
Interestingly, later on, Consort Duan, who was originally of low rank and status, suddenly received the emperor's favor, became pregnant with the emperor's child, gave birth to Lu Ze, and then ascended to heaven as if she were riding on auspicious seven-colored clouds.

Not only was her rank repeatedly promoted, but the favor she received was unparalleled, making her a unique figure in the entire harem.

When Lu Ze grew older and established his own residence, other princes, being too old, needed to submit a token in advance if they wanted to visit their mothers in the palace; they were not allowed to enter or leave the inner palace at will.

Only Lu Ze, under the tearful onslaught of Consort Duan, became the sole exception among all the princes, allowed to enter the palace to visit his mother whenever he wished.

Such honor is unprecedented.

Lu Chao, born to Empress Wang, and Lu Zhang, born to Consort Zhao, both lost their mothers at a young age, and by the time they left the palace to establish their own residences, there was no one left to visit them in the inner palace.

As for the other princes, they wouldn't even dare to think about such a thing, let alone mention it.

Interestingly, as Consort Duan and her son received more and more "exceptions" thanks to Emperor Jin's growing favor, those who had previously criticized this stopped speaking out.

"So you mean... Consort Duan..." Zhu Yu asked tentatively, unsure of what to say.

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

Zhu Yu thought about it and figured that with Consort Duan's rather mixed bloodline, she probably wasn't a legitimate daughter from a prominent family of high-ranking officials or nobles.

After all, given the nature of the nobles of Jin Kingdom, they might take foreign women as concubines, but the higher their official rank, the less likely they are to give these foreign women any proper status. Being a concubine is already the highest they can hope for; most of them end up as dancers or maids.

Children born to such a person would naturally not be legitimate offspring, and would not even have the chance to be taken in by the principal wife.

If that's the case, then Consort Duan certainly didn't enter the palace through the normal selection process of choosing women.

"Who presented her to the Emperor?" She had a guess, but she wasn't sure.

“Duke of Yan, Zhao Bi.” Lu Qing gave Zhu Yu the answer he had in mind. “In order to commemorate Empress Wang, His Majesty resolutely decided not to establish a new empress. At that time, Consort Zhao also passed away. For a time, the harem was without a master. Whether it was the original concubines in the palace or the powerful ministers in the court, they were all eager to make a move.”

Everyone knows that if one can send a woman into the palace, gain the emperor's favor, and seize the opportunity to rise in rank, it would undoubtedly provide an excellent guarantee for oneself.

Everyone else was racking their brains to send their daughters or nieces into the palace through the imperial concubine selection process, but the Duke of Yan took a different approach. He presented a woman with exotic features to the palace.

No one expected that the high-born women who later entered the palace as imperial concubines would ultimately fail to make a ripple, while Consort Duan emerged victorious.

"So... this Consort Duan was specially brought in by the Duke of Yan to present to the Emperor, to fill the void in his connections in the harem after his daughter's death?" This was something Zhu Yu hadn't known before, and it surprised her. "But... if Consort Duan was presented to the palace by the Duke of Yan, then why... when we met Lu Ze at the General Cao's mansion during his birthday celebration, did he not seem to have a close relationship with Lu Zhang?"

Lu Qing was amused by Zhu Yu's question, but upon further reflection, it seemed not difficult to understand.

Although Zhu Yu was exceptionally intelligent and quick-witted, able to grasp concepts easily and apply them to new situations, she had grown up in an environment where she was an illegitimate daughter in her family. The household was controlled by Madam Pang, where none of the concubines' sons survived, and their daughters lived in constant fear, like little mice. How could she possibly understand Lu Ze's feelings?

"In your opinion, Lu Ze and Consort Duan should be aligned with the interests of the Duke of Yan's faction, so they should naturally act closer to each other, right?" He expressed Zhu Yu's understanding.

Zhu Yu indeed thought so, and quickly nodded.

"You only considered the connection of interests, but you ignored another thing. When the status is reversed, those who used to have to rely on others are now on equal footing, and their mentality will also change."

You used to have to tolerate your elder sister Zhu Ning, why don't you have to now? Now you are a first-rank princess consort, while she is just a mere county princess.

"And will you and your mother feel any gratitude because it was Pang who offered your mother to your father?" Lu Qing gave Zhu Yu an example.

Upon hearing his words, Zhu Yu suddenly understood and grasped the stance and mindset behind them.

Although Consort Duan has now risen to a high position, it is indeed thanks to the Duke of Yan's act of presenting a beauty to the Emperor.

However, for Consort Duan, things were not so simple, and the journey was far from smooth.

If Consort Zhao was a noblewoman of extraordinary birth when she entered the palace, regardless of whether Emperor Jin had any genuine affection for her, he would at least have to show some respect to her family. Therefore, she was always noble, reserved, and proud.

But Consort Duan was different. The moment she entered the palace, whether it was the Duke of Yan, Emperor Jin, or even herself, everyone knew very well that she was not some unattainable goddess, but a lowly plaything.

As for how Consort Duan gradually climbed up the ranks and fought her way back to power, no one knows.

What is certain is that even if one eventually gains great favor, the humiliation of being presented to the palace as a plaything will never disappear.

As for Lu Ze, he seems even easier to understand.

His face, with its exotic features, was beautiful, but it was also evidence of his impure bloodline.

He was fine with his other brothers, since they were all princes and brothers. But when he faced Lu Zhang, Lu Zhang's maternal family constantly reminded him that the reason he was able to come into this world was because his mother was treated like a plaything and sent to the palace by the Duke of Yan, and then given to Emperor Jin.

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

Zhu Yu felt that if it were him, he probably wouldn't be able to get close to Lu Zhang either.

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

"So you mean... that Consort Duan was found by the Duke of Yan from the Kingdom of Brahma?" Zhu Yu finished speaking, then felt that it seemed a bit inaccurate, and changed his question to, "Or rather, who in the Kingdom of Brahma helped him find her?"