Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

July passed quickly, and on the first day of August, when the entire palace went to Peach Blossom Village to pay their respects, the Empress brought up the matter of returning to the palace.

"It is now August, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is not far away. His Majesty and I have decided to return to the palace on the tenth day of the eighth month."

As she spoke, the Empress looked at Shen Meizhuang and said, "Noble Lady Shen, you have been looking at the Imperial Kitchen's purchasing ledgers for a long time and must be quite familiar with them. Today, I will hand over the Imperial Kitchen to you."

Upon hearing this, Consort Jin and Yu Ying'er exchanged strange glances for a moment.

The others felt a pang of sadness.

Only Shen Meizhuang stood up happily, saying, "This concubine thanks Your Majesty for your kindness. This concubine will certainly do her best."

The Empress nodded in satisfaction. "You have always been intelligent, and both the Emperor and I trust you. Also, I must remind you that the palace has always held a banquet for officials during the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is a matter of the royal family's reputation and must not be taken lightly. You must be careful and attentive to it."

Shen Meizhuang replied confidently, "Yes, Your Highness, thank you for your guidance."

After giving instructions to Shen Meizhuang, the Empress looked at Consort Jin.

"Consort Hua is heavily pregnant, and packing her luggage will inevitably disturb her and her daughter. You should take good care of them and make sure that Consort Hua and the little princess are not harmed."

Consort Hua was already eight months pregnant, so the Empress generously exempted her from the morning and evening greetings.

When the Empress learned that Consort Hua was carrying a girl, she was undoubtedly happy. However, happiness was one thing, but whether Consort Hua could give birth safely depended on her own willingness.

"Yes, I will obey the Queen's order."

Consort Jin appeared respectful, but inwardly she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

What happened to the princess?

Princesses are of royal blood, and are of the highest rank and precious status!

After giving Consort Hua a sarcastic remark from afar, the Empress then inquired about Consort Qi and Consort An.

Consort Qi had been feigning illness because of the incestuous relationship between the Emperor and Lady Yun, but she was actually quite timid. While pretending to be sick, she overthought things and ended up actually getting sick herself. She only recovered a couple of days ago.

As for An Lingrong, ever since she caught a cold, her condition had been fluctuating, and it took her over a month of intermittent recuperation to see any improvement. However, after she recovered, she discovered that her sense of smell was malfunctioning.

When the imperial physician was summoned for a detailed inquiry, he only said that the rhinitis was caused by the accumulation of cold and dampness and stagnation of liver qi during her illness.

According to the imperial physician, this illness is not incurable, but it requires gradual recuperation.

An Lingrong originally thought that she had been sick for so long because she had been tricked.

However, during her illness, no one took the opportunity to harm her, and no one in the harem rose to prominence and gained exclusive favor.

On the contrary, the number of times the emperor visited the inner palace and summoned his concubines decreased significantly.

Since no one benefited and no one took the opportunity to harm her, An Lingrong began to doubt her own suspicions.

As for the aftereffect of rhinitis, given An Lingrong's limited perspective and knowledge, she did not connect it with Consort Hua or the Nian family.

Therefore, An Lingrong attributed it to an accident.

An Lingrong rose and curtsied to the Empress: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. The imperial physician says that I have fully recovered."

"That's good. I'll have someone hang your green plaque up again shortly."

The Emperor had not summoned his concubines for a long time. Although the Empress was happy, she also felt a vague unease for some reason. She desperately hoped that the Emperor would enter the harem.

An Lingrong bowed again and then went back to sit down.

The concubines chatted for a while longer before the Empress dismissed them.

As Yu Ying'er was about to board the palanquin after leaving Peach Blossom Village, Consort Jin called her back.

"Sister Zhuang Pin."

Consort Jin stepped forward from behind Yu Ying'er and said, "I was just about to go to Qingliang Palace to see Consort Hua. It just so happens that my sister and I are going the same way. Why don't we go together?"

Yu Ying'er agreed without much thought. Her sixth prince often played with Princess Wenyi and Princess Shuhe, so she was naturally more familiar with Consort Jin and Consort Xin than with the other concubines.

When their palanquin reached a secluded spot, Yu Ying'er couldn't contain herself and looked at Consort Jin: "Consort Jin, is there something you want to say to me?"

Although she is slow-witted, she has at least been taught by her older sister and has become a little more shrewd.

Consort Jin laughed, "In the end, you can't hide it from your sister."

"I called out to my sister only to remind her. The head of the Imperial Kitchen is a relative of the Empress Dowager, and now that the Imperial Kitchen has been handed over to Consort Shen, I'm afraid..."

Consort Jin smiled knowingly, "Since you come from the Empress Dowager's palace, I'm afraid you might be negatively affected."

Yu Ying'er was in a hurry to return to Anlan Garden because she just wanted to share this with her older sister. But when she heard what Consort Jin said, her eyes widened in surprise.

She instinctively said, "What does this have to do with me? Let them fight for power and profit! Why drag me into this?"

Consort Jin sighed, "Consort Zhuang, you're thinking too simply."

She raised her chin and nodded towards Peach Blossom Village.

"Leaving aside whether there were any other schemes behind the person who handed over the Imperial Kitchen to Consort Shen, just looking at Consort Shen's behavior since she started assisting the Empress in managing the affairs of the six palaces, she is definitely no match for Chief Eunuch Wuya."

"We won't discuss Consort Shen's fate for now, but as long as they start fighting, the Imperial Kitchen will inevitably run into many problems. The Emperor dislikes chaos in the harem the most; whether they win or lose, they won't fare well in the Emperor's eyes."

"But Chief Steward Wuya is, after all, a member of the Emperor's maternal clan. Even if the Emperor dislikes her, he will still show her some leniency. He will not be removed from his position as Chief Steward of the Imperial Kitchen, but the Emperor will definitely choose someone else to check and balance him."

Consort Jin looked at Yu Ying'er meaningfully, "In the inner palace, Consort Hua is pregnant and has no time to spare, Consort Qi is not good at managing the household, and Consort Jing, Consort Xin and I are not favored by the Emperor. Only you, my sister, are the most suitable."

"But sister, you come from the Empress Dowager's side. If you have a conflict with Chief Eunuch Wuya, it will inevitably hurt the Empress Dowager's reputation and damage your relationship with her."

“But if we keep backing down and give up, people will think that my sister is weak and easy to bully. If this gets to the Emperor’s ears, it will probably affect his impression of my sister and the Sixth Prince.”

Consort Jin's eyes shimmered with worry, her face etched with deep concern: "Most importantly, my sister is raising the Sixth Prince. How can a weak-willed concubine properly raise a royal prince? If someone uses this as a pretext to cause trouble, then my sister and the Sixth Prince..."

Yu Ying'er's heart tightened, and fear appeared on her face. She suddenly interrupted Consort Jin loudly, "No! No! My Xiao Liu, no one can take Xiao Liu away from me!"

Consort Jin smiled but tried to suppress it, looking at Yu Ying'er with concern and said, "As a mother myself, I know how much you love the Sixth Prince. I am saying these words to you because I cannot bear to see you and the Sixth Prince separated."

Yu Ying'er's face turned pale, and she looked at Consort Jin for help: "Please help me, sister! I can't live without Xiao Liu!"

Consort Jin gave a bitter smile, shook her head with a sigh, and said meaningfully, "Sister, you flatter me. Although I saw through that person's scheme, I was truly powerless to do anything about it. Which of the concubines in the entire palace can compete with that person?"

Consort Hua is pregnant with a princess, and the Nian family needs a prince, so the Sixth Prince would be a good fit.

Yu Ying'er was startled and exclaimed in panic, "Sister, you mean the Empress wants to take my sixth son away!"