Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Especially Yu Peng's wife, Cheng, who had been married into the Yu family for eight years, knew all too well what kind of life Yu Ying'er had lived in the Yu family back then.

If it weren't for Yu Lu, the elder sister-in-law, working in the Empress Dowager's palace when she was still Consort De, Consort Zhuang would probably have died quietly in the backyard long ago.

Not to mention comparing her to Madam Ma's two biological daughters, even the favored maids around them were better off than Consort Zhuang was back then.

Looking at the emotions displayed on the faces of those present, Xi Qiao found it quite amusing.

Finally, Yu Chonglin broke the silence in the room: "Sister Lu..."

"Bam—"

As soon as Yu Chonglin opened his mouth, Xi Qiao slammed the lid of his teacup onto the teacup, making a crisp, loud sound.

Yu Chonglin was forced to shut up, and everyone in the room turned their attention to Xi Qiao, who was in the main seat.

Xi Qiao looked at Yu Chonglin with a forced smile: "Today I am leaving the palace on behalf of Consort Zhuang. Lord Yu, you are a seasoned official and should know when to say what."

Yu Chonglin's face flushed with anger. What did this wretched daughter Yu Lu mean by this?

Yu Peng, the eldest son of the Yu family, slammed his fist on the table in anger, shouting, "Yu Lu, don't forget who you are!"

Xi Qiao was quite shocked. Was Yu Peng out of his mind?

Her gaze swept over everyone in the room, and she asked with interest, "My identity? What is my identity? And what are your identities and theirs? If you hadn't been lucky, who in the entire Yu family would be worthy to sit with me?"

Yu Peng's face turned ashen instantly, unable to find a rebuttal, as his family was now all commoners.

Yu Chonglin was not to be outdone, but he dared not retaliate. He was still counting on his eldest and third daughters to secure his future! He knew that his two daughters had suffered a lot of grievances when they were at home in their early years, and now that they had made it, it was only right that they vent their anger.

"Aunt Chunrong."

Yu Chonglin suppressed his anger and bowed to Xi Qiao in a flattering manner, "It was a slip of the tongue on my part. Although we are blood relatives, there is still a difference between ruler and subject. We really shouldn't have broken the rules."

Yu Chonglin emphasized the word "blood relative".

Although he was somewhat wary, he was ultimately fearless.

If his two daughters truly did not want to acknowledge him as their father, they would not have specifically begged the Emperor to grant them permission to send imperial physicians thousands of miles to Shanxi to treat him when he was seriously ill.

Like I said, his eldest daughter is just venting her anger!

"As a father, I haven't seen my eldest daughter for over a decade, and I naturally miss her dearly. Especially now that she's seriously ill and on her deathbed, I feel even more ashamed. I'm not only sorry to you two sisters, but also to your mother who passed away at a young age."

As he spoke, Yu Chonglin actually started wiping away tears.

Xi Qiao watched him without saying a word, treating it as a show.

While wiping away his tears, Yu Chonglin glanced at the head of the table and saw Xi Qiao leaning back in his chair, watching him talk to himself without saying a word. Yu Chonglin gasped sharply.

That wretched girl is truly ruthless!

Yu Chonglin glanced at his wife, Ma, who was burying her head in quail beside him, and his eyes hardened: "But I am a grown man who is not good at domestic affairs and has to be busy supporting my family. I really don't have the energy to pay attention to you and your sister anymore."

Upon hearing this, Ma felt dizzy. Yu Chonglin actually wanted to use her to appease the anger of the Yu sisters!

“Aunt Yu, Chunrong,” Madam Ma said urgently, “When Consort Zhuang was at home, the family was not wealthy. Each child’s allowance was limited. I was just a second wife who had been promoted to the position of principal wife. Even if I wanted to help her, I would not have the ability.”

Xi Qiao raised an eyebrow. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. My mother brought her dowry when she married into the Yu family. My mother only had two daughters, my sister and me, so the dowry should naturally belong to us. Hurry up and gather it up; I can take it with me when I return to the palace later."

She looked at Madam Ma and Yu Chonglin and said, "You should be more careful when you pack. Although I don't have my mother's dowry list, my maternal family does. My maternal family has fallen on hard times, but they've not lost everything. Besides, the government also has it."

Yu Chonglin didn't care. He had made a lot of money as an official over the years and didn't care about his first wife's meager dowry.

But Madam Ma was different. She had two sons and two daughters. When she married a wife, she needed a dowry, and when she married off a daughter, she needed a dowry. The dowry left by Madam Wu (the original owner's birth mother) had long been misappropriated by her.

"Aunt, Aunt, please forgive me," Madam Ma said through gritted teeth, forcing a smile. "Although Sister Wu left behind quite a few things, many of them have rotted and become unusable after so many years."

Even if it turns into ashes, it will still be a memento left to us sisters by my mother.

Xi Qiao was already getting tired of it. She didn't like dealing with stupid people, especially those who were both stupid and greedy. It was exhausting, mentally taxing, and a waste of time and breath.

She had limited time to leave the palace and was eager to see what Qing Dynasty Beijing was like!

In modern times, she was a poor and miserable person who didn't have the time or money to visit the capital. Now, she has time-traveled and ended up in Beijing, so she has to go and take a look.

Of course, shopping wasn't the main thing; the main thing was to take the opportunity to stock up on supplies.

She needed to plan for her future time travels, and she also needed a sword.

Although her space is small, equivalent to only a 20-square-meter room, it can still hold quite a lot of things if carefully planned. If she is unlucky enough to end up in a place with little food and clothing next time, at least she can make herself more comfortable.

She's been here for almost two years, and the space is still completely empty. Apart from the gold, pills, her monthly silver, and other rewards from the system, there's nothing else in the space.

Everything in the palace is rationed. Apart from consumable items like food, she doesn't dare put anything else into her spatial storage.

Moreover, even food cannot be kept for too long. Although space has a certain preservation effect, it only preserves freshness.

She conducted an experiment and found that the shelf life of the same dessert could be doubled in the space, while hot water would still cool down and there would be no difference.

Therefore, she believes that this preservation ability has nothing to do with time standing still or the flow rate slowing down, but simply that the space is isolated from the outside world, and only the bacteria that come with the food itself are present, so the rate of spoilage is slowed down.

Xi Qiao stood up from the main seat and said, "I have other important matters to attend to. I will come again at the end of Si Shi (11 o'clock). Please prepare your things."

After saying that, she strode towards the door. Yu Chonglin belatedly stood up, took a few quick steps to catch up with her and tried to pull her away, but Xiao Lianzi blocked him with a smile.

"My lord, my aunt has other matters to attend to. If you have any instructions, you can simply tell me."

Yu Chonglin was filled with resentment; how could it be the same?

"Ah... May I ask how you should address me, sir? What are your responsibilities to Her Majesty? I was thinking that Chunrong has finally come home for a visit, and I secretly hope to get closer to her. If there are any matters, I can just leave them to the servants to handle; there's no need for her to go in person."

As he spoke, he tried to bypass Xiao Lian and catch up with her.