Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

The emperor's eyes flashed, and he called out, "Su Peisheng."

Su Peisheng immediately replied, "Your Majesty, this servant has already sent people to investigate. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty and the ladies."

Xiazi returned quickly. "Your Majesty, when I went to the Imperial Kitchen to investigate, the Imperial Chef who made the wontons today had already passed away. However, I found some herbs that looked like Chinese medicine in the chef's room. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

The imperial physician glanced at the items Xia Zi had found, and the sweat on his forehead grew even larger: "These three are Cyperus rotundus, Aucklandia lappa, and Angelica sinensis tail, all of which have the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. When used together, the medicinal effect is extremely strong."

Consort Jin's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately stood up and knelt down: "Your Majesty, I have neglected the management of the Imperial Kitchen, which has led to the Crown Prince and my sisters being secretly harmed by this villain. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Consort Hua gritted her teeth and stood up, kneeling down with her large pregnant belly. "Your Majesty is wise. Consort Jin has always been kind to others, and she has only been in charge of the Imperial Kitchen for a few days. This matter has nothing to do with her."

The other concubines also had their own ideas. With Consort Jin's intelligence, if she wanted to harm Consort Zhen's child, she wouldn't have used such crude methods.

The emperor stared at the two women for a long while before telling them to get up, "Get up now. Summon Asiha in."

Consort Hua and Consort Jin rose and sat back down in their seats, looking rather uneasy.

Asiha was already waiting outside the palace. Upon hearing the emperor summon him, he immediately entered the palace and bowed, saying, "This servant Asiha greets Your Majesty."

The emperor stroked the thumb ring on his thumb and asked solemnly, "Have you found out why the imperial chef wanted to harm the imperial heir?"

Asiha's back was soaked: "This servant is incompetent and failed to find out. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

In such a short time, even if Bao Zheng were alive, he wouldn't be able to find out the truth!

The emperor, his expression unchanged, exhaled a breath of stale air. "You are indeed incompetent, managing the imperial kitchen into a complete mess!"

Asiha's expression changed. What did the Emperor mean by this?

"I entrusted the Imperial Kitchen to you out of trust, but you have disregarded my intentions and turned it into a place for you to plunder money! You have truly betrayed my trust."

"Now, the Imperial Kitchen has even been involved in the murder of imperial concubines. You, the head steward, know nothing about it. You are so incompetent and useless. By my decree, Wuya Asiha is hereby dismissed from the position of head steward of the Imperial Kitchen."

"Consort Jing, Consort Jin..."

But before the emperor could continue speaking, Zhen Huan suddenly appeared, dressed in a moon-white undergarment, her black hair flowing freely, being helped out by palace maids.

Her face was as pale as a sickly Xi Shi, and at this moment, with her bare face and her eyes filled with glistening tears as she looked at the emperor, she appeared even more delicate and aggrieved.

The emperor looked at the frail and delicate Zhen Huan and felt a slight ripple in his heart.

Wanwan—

"This concubine greets Your Majesty."

Zhen Huan stepped forward with unsteady steps, bowing and greeting the emperor in a weak voice.

"Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress and all my elder sisters."

The emperor was pulled from his reverie by the greeting and frowned as he looked at Zhen Huan kneeling before him.

This vile woman, bearing the face of Chun Yuan, commits such lewd acts. It is an insult to him as the emperor, and a desecration of Chun Yuan!

Zhen Huan kept a close eye on the emperor's expression and noticed a hint of disgust in his eyes, which made her heart tighten.

"Your Majesty~"

When Zhen Huan spoke, her voice was soft and tearful, "Your Majesty, the suffering of this concubine and the unborn child is not the fault of Consort Jing and Consort Jin. Please do not blame them."

The emperor looked at her with a deep gaze.

Under the Emperor's probing gaze, Zhen Huan gritted her teeth and uttered a string of words that left the Emperor in a daze: "This concubine does not wish to cause unrest in the harem because of her own sake."

I do not wish to cause unrest in the inner quarters because of my own body.

When Zhen Huan saw the emperor's dazed look, she knew that the information she had spent a lot of money to find out was true.

Her heart pounded as she knelt, waiting for the emperor to come to his senses. She was completely oblivious to the intense hatred and disgust in the empress's eyes.

After a long silence, the emperor's eyes regained focus. "Disperse, all of you. I will have this matter thoroughly investigated, and I will not allow the person behind it to have any more opportunity to cause trouble."

The crowd looked at each other, filled with grievances and fear, yet dared not disobey the emperor's command.

"Yes, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, will take your leave."

After the Empress and her concubines left, only Zhen Huan and the Emperor remained in Suiyu Pavilion, one kneeling and the other sitting, looking at each other.

Suppressing her hatred, Zhen Huan looked at the Emperor with tears in her eyes, "Fourth Prince, Wanwan knows she was wrong. On that day, when Wanwan and Fourth Prince were deeply in love, Fourth Prince favored Huanbi instead."

"I know I shouldn't be jealous and resentful, but I can't help it. One of you is my husband, whom I love dearly, and the other is my own sister. How can I face you? How can I accept this?"

"Later, the Empress Dowager inexplicably demoted me and confined me to my quarters, ordering me to kneel before the Buddha and copy scriptures. I didn't get to be with Si Lang, but instead received news of how Huan Bi had gained favor. On the day of Princess Wen Yi's first birthday banquet, Prince Guo repeatedly expressed his love for her, his face full of deep affection..."

At this point, Zhen Huan suddenly burst into tears, "I originally didn't want to pay any attention to such a lecherous rogue, but after leaving, for some reason, I suddenly had a delusion that I wanted to take revenge and vent my anger."

She gave the emperor a sorrowful smile. "I know I have made a grave mistake, and it is only right that Your Majesty executes me. But it was only at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet that I learned that I was merely a substitute for Empress Chun Yuan."

"Si Lang is the emperor, and even if I only received his affection because of Empress Chun Yuan, my life is still worthwhile. There are countless women in the world, and to be similar to Empress Chun Yuan is a blessing that Zhen Huan earned in her previous life."

Zhen Huan wiped away her tears, her eyes red as she looked at the Emperor: "I have never regretted my feelings for Your Majesty, but a sliver of hope still lingers in my heart. Has Zhen Huan left a mark on your heart?"

This confession sounds exactly like the unwilling questioning of a deeply affectionate person who has been thoroughly hurt.

The Emperor wasn't entirely unmoved; at least he completely believed Zhen Huan's claim that she and Prince Guo were innocent. Especially after Zhen Huan recounted Prince Guo's seemingly inexplicable infatuation with her.

Chun Yuan's appearance is no secret.

That wolf in sheep's clothing, Yunli! How dare he use Chun Yuan to cause trouble!

hateful!

The emperor did not answer Zhen Huan, but simply stood up and said, "Take good care of yourself during your pregnancy."

Zhen Huan's eyes lit up upon hearing this; it was a very good omen!