Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Yu Ying'er's eyes lit up little by little. Wow, this is great!

With Yu Chonglin gone, Madam Ma and her four good-for-nothing children, who only know how to bully their own kind, can't cause any trouble at all, especially those two bitches, Yu Yuan'er and Yu Yang'er!

So what if they married up? Once the Yu family falls, they can forget about having a good life!

Hahaha--

Xi Qiao looked at Yu Ying'er, who was lost in her own thoughts, and instructed her with some concern: "When you go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation later, cry as hard as you can. Don't worry about your image, just cry sincerely. It would be best if you cried so hard that you were covered in tears and looked terrible."

The main principle is to be as authentic as possible.

She paused, frowned, and said, "If the emperor really softens because of your crying and wants to punish Ma Shi to vent your anger, you must not be foolish enough to agree. Ma Shi can be dealt with anytime, but you must not be involved in it openly."

Yu Ying'er nodded in understanding, then her little face fell. "But Auntie, I... I can't cry!"

The thought of the Yu family's impending doom made her want to laugh out loud; how could she possibly cry?

Xi Qiao gave a cruel smile. "It's okay. I'll get you two handkerchiefs soaked in medicine later so you can cry. If you still want to laugh, just pinch yourself! If you mess this up, you'll be living off your own allowance for the next three months."

Yu Ying'er was startled. It's just crying, isn't it? She knows how to do that!

Xi Qiao did not accompany Yu Ying'er to the Emperor's court; she remained in Zhongcui Palace.

Xiao Lezi came over and told her what she had found out: "Auntie, I found out that Her Majesty's desire to eat wontons today may have been deliberately guided by someone. Also, Consort Zhen's sudden bleeding also seems rather strange."

Xi Qiao frowned. "Tell me in detail."

"Yes, yesterday when Xiao Xizi went to the Imperial Kitchen to get some snacks, a servant from one of the rooms carried a small basket of spoiled mushrooms to be thrown away right in front of him. Xiao Xizi has been going to the Imperial Kitchen a lot and has some knowledge of food. When he returned to the palace and reported back to our Empress, he mentioned it."

"Your Majesty was thinking of eating something fresh and seasonal, but unfortunately, although mushrooms are available at this time of year, there aren't many. Your Majesty had no choice but to settle for second best and have the Imperial Kitchen prepare wontons or steamed buns to serve."

"After receiving the news today, I immediately investigated the servant who was dumping mushrooms. I discovered that he was in a relationship with a palace maid named Liuzhi from the laundry department, and Liuzhi was from the same hometown as Pei'er, a palace maid from Suiyuxuan."

Zhen Huan!

Xi Qiao's brow furrowed even deeper. "Is this servant acquainted with the imperial chef who swallowed gold and died?"

Xiao Lezi's eyes lit up. "Auntie, this servant is one of Chef Chen's men!"

"What was the name of the imperial physician who saw patients at Suiyu Pavilion today?"

"Wei Lin".

Xi Qiao sneered, "The thief cries 'Stop thief!'"

A sudden thought flashed through Xiao Lezi's mind: "Does Aunt mean that today's events were all orchestrated by Consort Zhen herself?"

Xi Qiao said with certainty, "That Imperial Chef Chen is the Empress's man. The Empress always acts discreetly. Although Cyperus rotundus and Costus root are medicinal materials, they are also spices. And then there's Angelica sinensis, which is most commonly used in soups."

"However, the angelica head is usually used to replenish qi and blood. The angelica tail, on the other hand, is used to invigorate blood. But if it weren't for the imperial physicians and their disciples, who could tell the difference between the angelica head and the angelica tail?"

"Although the Empress's method is slow to take effect, it is safe. The most commonly used blood-activating substances in the palace are always musk and safflower, while these medicinal materials commonly used as spices are not common."

"Furthermore, you said that the Imperial Guard found these three medicines in Chef Chen's residence? Ha, absurd. They are just ordinary cooking seasonings. Why would Chef Chen bother to hide them? Wouldn't that only make him more suspicious?"

Although everything in the palace is predetermined, the imperial chefs rely on their family recipes for their livelihood, and the royal family will not force them to hand over their secret recipes and ingredients. Wouldn't it be safer to grind these three herbs into powder and use them as his own secret recipe?

"And then there's the matter of Chef Chen swallowing gold and committing suicide..."

Xi Qiao's face showed a mocking expression. "Swallowing gold is not the same as hanging. This method of death is much more painful, and the time from swallowing gold to dying is not short. However, swallowing gold has one advantage: it is not easy for people to find out whether the deceased died voluntarily or involuntarily."

Xiao Lezi suddenly realized, no wonder he always felt that something was wrong with this matter!

“But Aunt, Consort Zhen risked miscarriage to orchestrate this, yet she didn’t benefit from it, and no other concubine or lady was implicated.”

Xi Qiao paused for a moment, "She's gambling, using a child who is destined not to belong to her and will not be of much help to her, betting that the emperor will pay attention to her, pity her, and soften his heart because of her resemblance to Empress Chun Yuan."

Therefore, the female protagonist, a creature with vitality far surpassing that of a cockroach, is really annoying.

Zhen Huan's current state is quite similar to her state after returning to the palace from Ganlu Temple in the original story. She only feels hatred and a desire to manipulate the emperor.

But she wanted merit, good fortune, and for the Sixth Prince to ascend the throne.

Before the Sixth Prince comes of age, the Emperor absolutely cannot have any problems.

Emperor Yongzheng reigned for thirteen years, and this "knock-off" Fourth Prince also seems to have reigned for thirteen years before passing away.

There are still eleven years left. If the emperor can live well through these eleven years, the sixth prince will be thirteen years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, which can be considered as coming of age.

With the help of the Nian family, it's not impossible to get one or two chances.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the emperor looked at Yu Ying'er, who was crying uncontrollably and without any regard for her image, feeling both helpless and amused.

Which concubine in the palace doesn't shed tears that are beautiful and graceful, like pear blossoms in the rain?

"Alright, stop crying now, you'll hurt your eyes. Tell me what happened first?"

Just as Yu Ying'er was about to speak, snot suddenly started running down her nose. Embarrassed, she took out a handkerchief to wipe it, but then complained that the handkerchief was dirty. She thought about throwing it away, but then remembered that the handkerchief was scented with medicine and was afraid that someone with ulterior motives would discover it.

Finally, he had no choice but to steel himself and stuff the handkerchief into his sleeve.

The emperor's lips twitched as he witnessed her actions.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was impolite. But I simply couldn't help it."

Yu Ying'er had been crying for so long that her voice was hoarse, and when she spoke, it was muffled and strained.

The emperor sighed, "It's alright, tell me, what happened? You were fine this morning, why are you suddenly so sad?"

"Your Majesty, this is what happened. My father arrived in the capital yesterday. My sister and I were worried about him, so I asked my sister to go out of the palace to visit him under the pretext of delivering a reward."

The emperor nodded. He was aware of the matter, and after the accompanying imperial physician returned, he specifically sent someone to inquire about Yu Chonglin's condition.

Yu Ying'er turned her little head, feeling that there should be tears here, but after trying hard, she couldn't shed a single tear!

So he gritted his teeth and, using his sleeve as cover, pinched his thigh hard.

Ouch! It hurts!