Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

At this moment, although Shen Meizhuang still harbored resentment towards Zhen Huan, she was genuinely grateful to her.

"Huan'er, thank you."

Zhen Huan responded with a smile: "My sister and I have no need for thanks."

Shen Meizhuang's expression froze for a moment, then immediately recovered, returning the same knowing smile.

Zhen Huan didn't notice the fleeting unease. She looked at Shen Meizhuang with concern and asked, "Sister, what exactly is going on with the head of the Imperial Kitchen? Although I don't have much contact with the kitchen, I vaguely know that the head of the Imperial Kitchen is a member of the Empress Dowager's family."

Shen Meizhuang's face darkened instantly. "Some of the people in my household have betrayed me. I was too careless and too confident; I never suspected them."

"I had heard that the head of the kitchen was a member of the Empress Dowager's clan, but the traitor told me that Asiha's name just happened to be the same as Wuya's, and that he even used this to bully palace servants and accept bribes."

Shen Meizhuang clutched her chest, her heart aching with anger as she spoke of these things!

"This……"

Zhen Huan gasped in shock. It turned out that the people the family had provided had gone wrong, which was indeed something that was hard to guard against.

She pondered for a moment, "Does your sister have any suspects regarding the person behind this?"

Shen Meizhuang's expression was cold and stern. "My Shen family's people are not so easy to bribe. There are only a few people in the palace who have that ability."

It could be one of the following six: the Empress, Consort Hua, Consort Qi, Consort Jing, Consort Jin, and Noble Lady Fucha.

The first two need no further explanation. Although Consort Qi was notoriously stupid, she was still a consort and the birth mother of the Third Prince.

Although Consort Jing was only recently promoted to the rank of Consort, among all the concubines in the palace, there were only two who could become principal consorts without having children: Consort Hua, née Nian, and Consort Jing herself.

With Lady Nian behind her, and having been a secondary consort in the Prince's residence, it's not surprising that Consort Hua was able to be promoted to the rank of Consort.

But what right does Consort Jing have?

It is clear that Consort Jing must have had extraordinary qualities that they were unaware of.

Although Consort Jin came from an ordinary family, she had the backing of Consort Hua, so it wouldn't have been difficult for her to use that power to win over the Shen family.

Although Consort Fucha was only a minor consort like her, she came from the Upper Three Banners of Manchuria, with a profound background and many capable people in her clan. It was not impossible that she was the person behind the scenes.

Zhen Huan shared the same thought, but she knew too little, and the situation in the palace was so complicated that she couldn't see anything clearly for the time being.

but……

"The person behind this must be after the power in the palace that my sister holds. Whoever benefits the most is the most suspicious."

An Lingrong was startled: Consort Hua!

She spoke up urgently, "My two elder sisters, I know nothing about this matter. Consort Hua has not told me anything, and Consort Hua has been resting and taking care of her pregnancy and has not received any guests. I have not been able to visit her privately for a long time."

Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang were silent for a moment, almost forgetting that Ling Rong had already sided with Consort Hua.

"Lingrong, don't worry. Mei-jie and I are not angry with you. You joined Consort Hua's side to protect yourself. But Lingrong, you are no longer the Consort An who just entered the palace. Why should you still be subservient to others?"

Zhen Huan was determined to take revenge, so she naturally wanted to recruit as many people as possible to help her. Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong, who were her closest friends in the past, were naturally her first choices.

An Lingrong's eyes flashed, a strange light flickering in them. What did Zhen Huan mean by this?

A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, but her face remained impassive, revealing only timidity and fear. "Sister, it's not that I'm unwilling, but Consort Hua is always domineering, and now she holds power in the palace. If things were to happen at this time... I'm afraid..."

As she spoke, An Lingrong trembled, looking terrified.

Seeing this, Zhen Huan knew that this matter could not be accomplished in a short time, but it didn't matter. Consort Hua was now the most favored person in the harem, and there would be many people who would try to curry favor with her. An ordinary and unfavored An Lingrong would soon become a discarded pawn.

Just like Consort Li back then.

“Your concerns are reasonable, but Consort Hua is currently at the height of her power, and her energy is focused on the soon-to-be-born princess and palace power. She may not have the energy to spare for anything else. If you have any thoughts of leaving, you might as well observe her more closely in the near future.”

An Lingrong nodded solemnly, "Thank you for the reminder, Sister Zhen."

Although she appeared grateful on the surface, she inwardly scoffed with disdain.

Consort Hua doesn't have much energy to deal with trivial matters right now, but once she has the time, she will surely face her wrath.

Unless she can gain exclusive favor, she will definitely not easily offend Consort Hua's faction.

"Sister Zhen..."

An Lingrong's mind raced, and she looked at Zhen Huan with hesitation, "To be honest, Sister, I visited Chengqian Palace yesterday."

The sight of the three words "Chengqian Palace" caused Zhen Huan's smile to fade considerably.

“You heard what she said today. Chengqian Palace has nothing to do with me, so you don’t need to tell me. Although you are on good terms with me, I will never restrict your friendships because of this. You can do as you please.”

An Lingrong nodded timidly, "Sister, Lingrong doesn't understand any grand principles. She only knows that the greatest joy in the world is for her closest blood relatives to be together. Lingrong doesn't have that kind of blessing. She only hopes that her sister won't disregard her loved ones because of a moment of anger."

An Lingrong was indeed envious, envious that the mother and daughter had such a great fate, sharing a similar appearance with Empress Chun Yuan, and gaining favor without lifting a finger.

Zhen Huan was silent for a moment. The word "good fortune" sounded harsh to her, but An Lingrong's intention was only to comfort her. If she were to show her displeasure because of this, it would seem that she was being unreasonable.

Zhen Huan forced a smile, suppressing her discomfort: "Thank you for your comfort, sister. I will think about what you said."

After the three chatted for a while, An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang left Suiyu Pavilion.

Their palaces were far apart, one in the Eastern Six Palaces and the other in the Western Six Palaces, almost diagonally opposite each other in the harem.

After leaving Suiyu Pavilion, Shen Meizhuang took the initiative to say, "I heard that the osmanthus flowers in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom. Would you like to accompany me to admire them?"

An Lingrong's eyes flickered. "Since you've invited me, Sister, I'll gladly oblige."

The two walked toward a secluded part of the Imperial Garden, with their personal maidservants discreetly following a few steps behind on guard.

An Lingrong broke the silence between the two first: "Sister Shen, is there something you want to tell me?"

Shen Meizhuang frowned. "I do have something to say to my sister, but I don't know where to begin."

She pondered for a moment, then carefully spoke, "The Zhen Huan of today is quite different from the one of the past. Although what she said today may not be to deceive us, she may not be as innocent and harmless as she appears on the surface."

"Although Consort Na Yun and Zhen Huan have made it clear that they are not on good terms, they are still blood relatives. We all know how clever Zhen Huan is, and Consort Na Yun is probably even more so. I'm afraid that if you rashly get involved in the conflict between this mother and daughter, you might be tricked by them at any time."

This remark was suspected of being provocative, which is why Shen Meizhuang hesitated, unsure whether she should say it.

An Lingrong's lips curled up subtly. If that were truly the case, then they would have to see whose methods were more skillful.