Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

"Your Majesty has a good eye. This is indeed not someone from my palace. Your Majesty also knows that I have been feeling unwell since I became pregnant, and I have not been able to eat or sleep well. For the sake of the imperial heir, I specially asked the Emperor to send Lin He from my family."

"Lin He is an excellent cook of medicinal cuisine and is also very knowledgeable about the various secrets of the inner quarters. When I was pregnant, unclean things entered Yikun Palace every day. If it weren't for Lin He blocking them for me, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to sit here today and chat with the Empress Dowager."

As she spoke, Consort Hua pretended to raise her hand and pat her chest to show that she was still shaken.

"Your Majesty, you are aware of the schemes that have beenfallen me. Unfortunately, those vile women who plotted against the imperial heir and me were too well hidden. The Emperor, the Empress, and I searched the entire Eastern and Western Palaces but could not find any clues."

"That person is so well hidden, and her methods are so ruthless and merciless. I am truly terrified. Now, for my own safety, I cannot leave Lin He's side for even a moment, for fear that I might be harmed by that vile woman again if I am not careful."

At this point, the Imperial Concubine looked at the Empress Dowager and asked her insincerely, "Your Majesty should not mind that I brought Lin He into Shou Kang Palace, right? I was really frightened while I was pregnant, so please don't hold it against me."

Consort Hua looked at the Empress Dowager with a half-smile, the mockery in her eyes growing stronger.

The Empress Dowager looked coldly at Consort Hua: "I only asked casually, but it provoked a long speech from Consort Hua. It didn't sound like an explanation, but rather like a complaint. Oh well, I'm just old and shouldn't be so talkative."

The Imperial Concubine paid no heed to these veiled accusations of filial impiety and disdain for the Empress Dowager.

As she lifted her skirt and sat down on the embroidered stool that Chunmao had brought, she said in surprise, "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood me. You were so concerned about me even when you were ill, so of course I had to tell you everything I knew. I didn't expect that being too detailed would cause Your Majesty to misunderstand. It was my fault."

The Empress Dowager's eyes narrowed. When did Lady Nian become so slippery?

Just then, a palace servant whispered outside the door, asking if the Empress Dowager wanted to order breakfast. Sun Zhuxi immediately changed the subject, "Your Majesty, the small kitchen has already prepared breakfast."

After saying that, he looked at Consort Hua and asked, "Your Highness has arrived so early, have you had breakfast yet?"

Before the Imperial Concubine could answer, the Empress Dowager immediately picked up where Sun Zhuxi left off: "Even if you've eaten, you must be hungry after coming from Yikun Palace. Imperial Concubine, please keep me company and have some. Don't worry, my little kitchen is definitely clean."

The implication that his words left no room for refusal was particularly clear.

Consort Hua smiled and shook her head calmly and fearlessly: "Your Majesty's hospitality is too kind of me to refuse, but I have come so early today because I have been entrusted to deliver a message to Your Majesty. The matter is urgent, so I cannot delay any longer. I urge Your Majesty to read it as soon as possible."

She raised her hand towards Physician Lin, who immediately handed her an envelope.

"This was secretly delivered to me by my maternal family this morning when the palace gates had just opened. They repeatedly instructed me to hand it over to the Empress Dowager personally."

The Imperial Concubine rose and handed the envelope to Sun Zhuxi with a smile.

"This was written by the Fourteenth Prince's wife herself. However, because the Empress Dowager has been ill for a long time, the Emperor has decreed that no one and nothing should disturb your recuperation. The wife had no choice but to ask my mother's family for help."

The more she spoke, the wider the smile on the Consort's face grew, while the Empress Dowager's face became increasingly pale.

fourteen!

Sun Zhuxi was also startled and quickly presented the envelope to the Empress Dowager.

When the Empress Dowager took the letter, her fingers landed on the jade pendant inside the envelope. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickened her pace in opening the letter.

Upon opening the letter, the first thing she saw was a jade pendant that was all too familiar to her—it was a personal item belonging to her youngest son, Yinzhen!

Upon seeing the jade pendant, the Empress Dowager's heart clenched. If it weren't for a major upheaval, Yinzhen would never have taken the jade pendant off.

The Empress Dowager hurriedly opened the letter, and Wanyan's beautiful small regular script appeared on the paper. In just a few words, she clearly explained the news that the Fourteenth Prince had fallen from his horse and become paralyzed, and that the four young princes in the mansion had been poisoned and were unconscious.

Paralyzed after falling from a horse?

How ridiculous! Her son, Yinzhen, was skilled in riding and archery from a young age and practically grew up on horseback. How could he possibly fall off his horse?

The Empress Dowager shed tears, each drop falling onto the letter.

Yinzhen is paralyzed, and his child is poisoned and on the verge of death.

The Empress Dowager abruptly turned to look at the Imperial Concubine standing before the bed with a radiant smile. "Poisonous woman! It's you, from the Nian family—"

"The Queen Mother!"

Consort Hua raised her voice, interrupting the Empress Dowager.

“Your Majesty, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t say whatever you want. The Fourteenth Prince and my brother have a very good personal relationship. Otherwise, when the Fourteenth Princess Consort had nowhere else to turn for help, she wouldn’t have come to my Nian family.”

"Although the Emperor has decreed that no one should disturb your recuperation, if the Uya family and the Ulanara family were willing to help, they could still deliver this letter to Shou Kang Palace. But unfortunately, the Fourteenth Princess Consort abandoned both families and went to the Nian family instead."

"Your Majesty, you are one of the smartest people in the palace. You must know better than I do the Fourteenth Princess Consort's intentions and how to avoid them."

The Empress Dowager's pupils dilated violently, and in the next instant, she vomited a mouthful of blood.

"--emperor!"

Crimson blood spurted from the Empress Dowager's mouth, and the heavy stench of blood instantly filled the small space.

"Empress Dowager!" Sun Zhuxi rushed forward. "Someone, quickly summon the imperial physician! The Empress Dowager has vomited blood."

Because the Empress Dowager vomited blood, Shou Kang Palace was in complete chaos.

Consort Hua stood by the window in a spot where she wouldn't block the way, watching the lively scene at Shou Kang Palace. The pent-up frustration she had been holding in for so long was finally released.

You old hag, you deserve what you get!

When An Lingrong arrived, she saw a restless and noisy person in the Shou Kang Palace.

She watched as the palace servants, who should have been solemn and capable, became flustered and dazed, and a sense of foreboding arose in her surprise.

Could it be that the Empress Dowager is really seriously ill?

She hasn't gotten what she wants yet!

Without waiting for someone to announce her arrival, An Lingrong hurriedly lifted the hem of her skirt and headed towards the main hall. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Consort Hua admiring the nail guards with her head propped up.

The Imperial Concubine is here so early? She's much more proactive than when she pays her respects to the Empress.

"Greetings, Madam Imperial Concubine."

Consort Hua looked up at her upon hearing the sound and gestured for someone to help her up: "Get up. The Empress Dowager just vomited blood. I can't stand the smell of blood. You can go to the inner room to serve her yourself."

An Lingrong was more than happy to do so; she needed to quickly curry favor with the Empress Dowager to uncover the secret of her favor.

"Yes, I obey your command."

As she walked step by step toward her bedroom, the female physician Lin He walked up to Consort Hua, bent down and whispered in her ear, "Your Majesty, this young lady's clothes, bracelets, and hairpins have all been soaked in medicines that are extremely detrimental to one's health and blood."

When Physician Lin helped An Lingrong just now, she took a careful sniff, so there's no doubt about it.

Consort Hua's face darkened. That An Lingrong! She actually colluded with that old hag Wuya to harm her!

She glared fiercely into the inner room. "Do you know how to prepare that medicine?"

"This servant knows how, but there are two ingredients that are not available in Yikun Palace. Your Highness will need to send someone to find them."

After all, the palace is not like the common people, where you can buy anything you want from a pharmacy with silver.

Consort Hua gave a soft "hmm" to indicate that she understood: "I will have someone give you the medicine later, and you can prepare more for me."

Since that vile woman An likes the things that old hag Wuya gives her so much, then let's just not use anything clean!