Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

The Empress's heart tightened, but a look of sorrow appeared on her face. "Your Majesty, it is indeed true, that palace maid..."

A slight look of embarrassment flashed across her face as she said vaguely, "That palace maid behaved improperly. Fearing that I would take my anger out on her family, she left a letter and then committed suicide. Would Your Majesty like to see it?"

The emperor stared directly into the empress's eyes for a moment before saying, "Bring it here."

Jianqiu, who was standing nearby, immediately turned around, went into the inner hall, retrieved the letter, and presented it.

The emperor took the letter with one hand, casually tossed it aside, and the few words on the letter immediately came into view.

The content is very brief, only stating that Lin Xi, a eunuch from Shou Kang Palace, threatened her with the lives of her parents and family, forcing her to steal an old garment and some jewelry from the Empress's treasury.

Lin Xi, this person is already dead.

The emperor's expression was unreadable. He casually tossed the letter to Jianqiu, then looked at the empress and said coldly, "You have indeed failed in your duty. As empress, you cannot even control the palace servants under your own command. How can I entrust this vast harem to you?"

The Empress looked up in astonishment. What did the Emperor mean? Was he going to take away her power in the palace again?

This was clearly the Empress Dowager's doing, yet she's being blamed.

"Your Majesty, I..." The Empress hurriedly reached out and grabbed the Emperor's trouser leg, but she came to her senses when she saw the coldness and suppressed anger in the Emperor's eyes.

Regardless of the emperor's motives for seizing power, she had no power to change his mind.

The empress instantly lost all her strength, and her straight body slumped to her knees on the ground.

She lowered her eyelids and said weakly, "Your Majesty, I obey your command and thank you for your grace."

The emperor withdrew his gaze. "Get up, don't kneel."

As he spoke, he looked down at Consort Hua, "Consort Hua."

"Your Majesty, I am here." Consort Hua, supporting her protruding belly, was about to get up when the Emperor stopped her.

"No need to stand up. You are heavy-set, so just sit and listen to the decree."

Consort Hua immediately sat back down, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your consideration."

"Hmm," the emperor murmured gently, "Su Peisheng, announce the decree."

"Whoo."

Su Peisheng took out the imperial edict that the emperor had already written and stood next to the emperor to read it aloud.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I, the Emperor, believe that the harmony of Heaven and Earth and the flourishing of civilization are the foundation of all things. I hereby appoint Consort Hua, of noble birth and virtuous lineage, as the Imperial Noble Consort. She is respectful and cautious to her superiors, kind and benevolent to her subordinates, and adept at the proper etiquette and manners of the Imperial Household. She is a model for the six palaces and is truly capable of assisting in the administration of the inner palace. Therefore, she is hereby appointed as the Imperial Noble Consort Hua, in charge of the six palaces and their affairs. This decree is hereby issued."

Consort Hua was overjoyed and quickly expressed her gratitude—sitting down, she said, "Your Majesty, I accept your decree and thank you for your great favor."

Whether she's a concubine or not doesn't matter, but the power within the palace is different!

Previously, she merely assisted the Empress in managing the affairs of the inner palace, much like a housekeeper. Now, things are different; by imperial decree, she has been officially appointed to oversee the affairs of the six palaces!

Then, Su Peisheng produced another imperial edict.

"Your Highness, Consort Jing, receive the imperial decree."

Feng Ruozhao was startled and hurriedly got up and knelt down, "Your Majesty, I accept the imperial decree."

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Consort Jing, of the Feng clan, born into a distinguished family, is virtuous and well-mannered. She is respectful and cautious in her conduct, gentle and kind by nature, and her reputation in the palace is well-established. She is hereby conferred the title of Imperial Concubine Jing and will assist in the management of the affairs of the six palaces to uphold the rules of the palace. This is the imperial decree."

Consort Jing and Imperial Concubine Jing, their hearts pounding with fear, thanked the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, we accept the decree and thank you for your great favor."

While advancing to a higher position is certainly exciting, the power within the palace is a hot potato.

Consort Jing glanced cautiously at Consort Hua, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

Before she could think further, the emperor, sitting on the main seat, looked at Nian Shilan, who had been promoted to the rank of Noble Consort Hua, and said, "My beloved consort is pregnant and should not think too much before giving birth. The power of the palace will be temporarily held by Consort Jing, Consort Qi, Consort Zhuang, and Consort Jin."

Yu Ying'er's pupils dilated.

Everything was right! It was exactly as my sister predicted!

Wow, my sister is so amazing!

Palace power—the emperor actually allowed her to wield palace power!

Ah, what did my sister say again?

It can't be big, it can only be some small corners, like a dog house, or what else?

Yu Ying'er's face tightened. Waaah, how come she can't remember again with her terrible memory?

No, no, I must eat more walnuts to nourish myself later.

While Yu Ying'er was feeling frustrated, Consort Jin on her right was extremely excited. Palace power!

But she finally got her hands on it!

only……

Consort Jin suppressed her joy and looked at Consort Hua without making a sound.

Consort Hua was not as unhappy as Consort Jin had feared. Her good mood was not affected in any way by the forced separation of palace power. She had been reminded of the concept of separation of power and checks and balances long ago.

If you're mentally prepared, you won't have too high expectations.

Moreover, she really doesn't have that much energy to deal with the tedious palace affairs right now.

Of course, most importantly, almost all four people chosen by the emperor were her people.

Consort Jin, needless to say, has always relied on her, and the two have long been close friends who can entrust their backs and vulnerabilities to each other.

Consort Zhuang has joined forces with her, so she can be considered half one of her own.

Although Consort Jing had not yet agreed to reconcile, she had never refused her from beginning to end. As long as she got Zhen Huan's child, Consort Jing would be hers.

The remaining Consort Qi was dull and clumsy, posing no threat whatsoever, and Consort Hua never took her seriously.

Handing over the reins of power to these three people was not much different from keeping it in her own hands. Therefore, although Consort Hua showed some dissatisfaction on the surface, she was actually completely unmoved.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Even if Your Majesty hadn't given the order, I would have asked my sisters for help. At this time, nothing is more important than the princess in my womb."

As she spoke, Consort Hua looked at Shen Meizhuang and said, "However, I do have a matter I would like to ask Your Majesty for instructions on: how should the palace power held by Consort Shen be handled?"

When the power in the palace was redistributed, Shen Meizhuang was not among those mentioned by the emperor.

Shen Meizhuang looked at the emperor with a mixture of unease and anticipation, for it was the emperor himself who had given her the opportunity to learn about the affairs of the six palaces.

The emperor glanced at Shen Meizhuang and said, "Since I have entrusted the power of the palace to you, you are naturally free to distribute it."

This means they want to take back the power in the palace from Shen Meizhuang.

Shen Meizhuang looked dejected. How could the Emperor treat her like this!

Consort Hua chuckled sweetly, "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."

Her phoenix eyes flickered, and she said, "Your Majesty, since you and your sisters are here now, why don't I take this opportunity to divide the power of the palace among the four of you? That way, you won't have to make a trip to my Yikun Palace after paying your respects. It will also give you a better understanding of the situation."

The emperor nodded in agreement.

Consort Hua touched her belly and glanced at Zhen Huan, who was sitting at the very end of the opposite side.

"The royal family has always valued the imperial heirs, and the power of the palace also includes taking care of the concubines and imperial heirs. Therefore, the division of palace power should prioritize the imperial heirs."

Imperial heir!

Yu Ying'er's eyes lit up with excitement. "Here it comes! The Consort Hua who my sister was talking about is here to snatch the child from Consort Jing!"

Consort Hua spoke eloquently: "My unborn child is under the care of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, so there is no need to trouble others. But Consort Zhen is different."