Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

An Lingrong's actions stirred up the already murky waters of the imperial harem into a complete mess.

Since the disgraced Consort Fei could not command many people, she decisively approached Consort Qi at the suggestion of her personal maid.

Consort Qi, being rather naive, was both convinced and suspicious. On one hand, she had feelings for the emperor and held a biased view of him, believing him to be wise and powerful, and in her heart, he could never do such a immoral and inhumane thing. On the other hand, she was also afraid and subconsciously chose to run away.

Uncharacteristically, she cleverly refrained from immediately making a scene. Instead, she used her limited intelligence to brush off Fei Changzai and then discussed the matter at length with her most trusted advisor, Cuiguo. Finally, she made up her mind and, gritting her teeth, ordered someone to investigate whether Fei Changzai's words were true or false.

If it's fake, that's best; if it's real...

She had to report this news to the Empress and the Empress Dowager immediately!

The Emperor's reputation must not be damaged. His third son is old enough to be engaged, and he cannot be implicated by the Emperor and fail to find a good wife.

Meanwhile, Su Peisheng had already found out about the honey-scented sachet that Shen Meizhuang had given to Cui Jinxi and reported it to the emperor.

"It was indeed Her Majesty the Empress who arranged for Consort Shen to practice with the sachets, and the ladies of the palace did indeed receive those sachets."

As for whether Consort Shen's sending the honey-scented sachets to Natural Painting in advance was intentional or unintentional, Su Peisheng did not comment. He reported everything he had found to the Emperor, who would then make his own judgment.

The emperor chuckled, his expression unreadable, "I didn't expect Consort Shen to be so attentive and affectionate towards the Zhen family."

Su Peisheng lowered his bowed posture slightly, knowing from his understanding of the Emperor that the Emperor was angry.

Being smart is a good thing, but if you're not using your intelligence in the right place, it's better to be a little dull.

The emperor slammed the memorial he was holding onto his desk. "What other tasks does Consort Shen have to perform?"

"Your Majesty, Consort Shen is currently reviewing the Imperial Kitchen's purchasing ledgers. Presumably, Her Majesty the Empress will entrust the Imperial Kitchen's purchasing affairs to Consort Shen in the near future."

When Su Peisheng said this, there was something strange about his expression. Everyone knew that the Imperial Kitchen was very lucrative, but no one had ever touched the Imperial Kitchen, whether the power in the palace was in the hands of the Empress or Consort Hua.

It's not that they don't want to move, but that they dare not move and are unable to move.

The Imperial Kitchen has always been managed by the Uya family behind the Empress Dowager, and much of the profits the Uya family made in the Imperial Kitchen were offered to the Empress Dowager.

But the Empress has now assigned this task to Consort Shen...

Ha ha……

Su Peisheng chuckled inwardly, but at the same time he was a little confused about Consort Shen. Since she had already gotten involved in palace affairs, couldn't she be more careful?

Should we take advantage of this great opportunity to investigate the power distribution within the harem?

Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, yet you, a newcomer, dare to provoke the tiger. I don't know if you're just recklessly bold or overconfident.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you see a little bit of benefit and rush forward recklessly, aren't you afraid that there might be a trap waiting for you ahead?

It is said that Consort Shen was carefully cultivated by a prominent family, so how come she doesn't even have this much caution?

The emperor raised his eyelids in surprise. "Since Consort Shen has not refused, then there is no need to interfere. Let her be."

The emperor was naturally aware of the entanglements behind the Imperial Kitchen. The reason he ignored it was twofold: firstly, the Uya family was his maternal clan, and secondly, the court was still unstable, so he simply couldn't spare the time to deal with it.

Su Peisheng's heart tightened.

Once Consort Shen takes over the purchasing power of the Imperial Kitchen, it will inevitably affect the interests of the Wuya family. How could the Wuya family let go of this big piece of meat?

The Wuya family has been operating in the palace for many years. How could a mere Shen Guiren, who has only recently entered the palace, and the Shen family of the Han Army Banner in Shandong, possibly compete with them?

Moreover, the Empress Dowager is still in the palace. Everyone knows how much she values ​​the Wuya family. Putting aside her methods and connections, the fact that she is the Emperor's birth mother is enough to make it difficult for Consort Shen to advance.

Moreover, judging from the Emperor's tone, he has clearly given up on Consort Shen. Her life will be miserable from now on...

Tsk, the Empress's methods are quite clever. She only used a pawn that she couldn't touch, and not only could she easily ruin the promising Consort Shen, but she could also take the opportunity to bestow favors and further win over the Wuya family.

"Yes, this servant will have people keep a close eye on Consort Shen, and will make sure she does not do anything she should not do."

The emperor gave a soft hum to indicate that he understood, and then reached out and picked up another memorial from his desk.

After reading just a few lines, the emperor suddenly said, "Let Yun go and see Zhen."

It's likely that his act of having someone impersonate Yun Shi was discovered, otherwise Shen Meizhuang wouldn't have become suspicious.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is the arrangement."

So, Yun Xinluo, who had slept until around noon, quickly tidied herself up, entrusted her young daughter to Cui Jinxi, and immediately went to Bitong Academy.

When she arrived, Zhen Huan and her maid were arguing with the eunuch who was delivering the meals.

To be precise, it was Liu Zhu arguing with the eunuch delivering the meals at the door, while Zhen Huan sat at the table, expressionless, looking at the three plates of food that were greasy, poorly presented, and looked like leftovers piled together.

"You reckless fool, how dare you withhold the young mistress's rations! Our young mistress is carrying the imperial heir; if anything were to happen to the heir, could you bear the responsibility?"

The little eunuch pursed his lips and spat, "Pah, what a bunch of rubbish! If it weren't for the imperial heir, do you think you'd still be alive?"

This young eunuch served the emperor. Although he did not know the whole story, he knew quite a bit by guessing, especially when Lady Yun came to the banquet in Kyushu last night, which he witnessed with his own eyes.

So what if Consort Zhen is pregnant with the emperor's child?

After the Emperor favored Lady Yun, even if it was to prevent Consort Zhen from causing trouble and spreading unpleasant rumors, he would no longer let her out.

He scoffed dismissively, "You can eat whatever you want, but don't talk nonsense. Let's not even talk about how I'm just responsible for serving the food; I have no say in what kind of food the imperial kitchen provides. Just consider your mistress's rank; her lunch is only supposed to be one meat dish and two vegetable dishes. How can you say she's skimping on the meal?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhu became even more furious: "Nonsense! The Emperor clearly granted our young lady the allowances befitting a concubine! Moreover, what you've sent are all stale, cold rice and dishes, some of them even spoiled!"

After the Emperor left in a huff, the food at their Bitong Academy got worse day by day. The quantity of food decreased, the taste was terrible, and it was often already cold.

Today's breakfast was even worse, consisting of only a bowl of cold porridge and a coarse grain bun.

If even the young mistresses were treated this way, the servants who served them were even worse off, receiving only a moldy grain cake.

When Liu Zhu received the cake, she was so angry that she almost cried.

Therefore, during lunch, Liu Zhu started arguing with the young eunuch.

The little eunuch scoffed disdainfully, too lazy to waste his breath arguing with these clueless fools from Bi Tong Academy. "If you're so capable, go complain to the Emperor. What are you yelling at me for? I advise you to shut up. You won't even get to eat spoiled food one day."

With that, he flicked his sleeves, turned around, and left.

They happened to run into Yun Xinluo who had just come in.

The eunuch's expression changed, and he quickly forced a smile as he went to greet her, "This servant greets Madam Yun. May Madam be blessed."