Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

"Empress Dowager Uya had two sons, the eldest of whom was naturally the emperor. He was adopted by Empress Xiaoyiren at birth. Perhaps because he was not close to his birth mother when he was young, most of the imperial heirs in the palace are now raised by their birth mothers."

"The Empress Dowager's youngest son is the Fourteenth Prince we just mentioned. However, the Empress Dowager has never shown much maternal tenderness towards the Emperor, and all her maternal love has been poured into her youngest son. Over time, the Emperor inevitably developed resentment towards her."

"In addition, this Fourteenth Prince supported the Eighth Prince during the struggle for the throne, repeatedly betrayed the emperor, and embarrassed the emperor in public, which made the emperor completely lose heart towards him. Therefore, after the emperor ascended the throne, he demoted him to guard the imperial mausoleum."

"But what you don't know is that the Empress Dowager and the late Emperor had three sons in total. The Empress Dowager's second son, Yinzhuo, was the sixth in line and was born in the nineteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. He was extremely loved by the Empress Dowager, but unfortunately, he died at the age of six."

A dark light flickered in Xi Qiao's eyes. "Although this man died young, he was still the emperor's younger brother. How could he be left without anyone to support him? Since the Empress Dowager insisted that I enter her son's harem, why can't I enter this man's harem?"

Yu Ying'er's eyes widened.

No, wait, she's a little confused right now.

Looking into her bewildered eyes, Xi Qiao smiled and picked out a few pearl flowers from her dressing case to adorn her hair.

“That little eunuch overheard Sun Zhuxi’s conversation with me, and he must have already reported it to the emperor. Tonight, after nightfall, you should pretend to be ill and let the emperor know that we have no intention of currying favor with the Fourteenth Prince.”

"If the emperor hears of this and comes to visit, just cry when you see him, just like you did before. When the time is right, I will ask the emperor to grant us the marriage. The emperor knows the Empress Dowager's original intention, and he will most likely agree."

"Most likely?" Yu Ying'er asked blankly.

"Yes, that's right. There's not much of a chance in this matter. The Emperor has developed rebellious thoughts towards the Empress Dowager. Whatever the Empress Dowager wants to do, the Emperor will make sure she can't do it. But if we want this matter to fail, we don't necessarily need to involve Sixth Master."

Firstly, all that's needed is to kill Sun Zhuxi directly.

However, this is not conducive to the Empress Dowager's recovery, as she cannot do without Sun Zhuxi now. Even for the sake of superficial filial piety and reputation, the Emperor would not punish the Empress Dowager's most capable confidant at this time when she has just fallen ill.

Although there was no news of the Fourteenth Prince and his residence in the palace, there might be news outside the palace. The Empress Dowager had already fallen ill, and if her condition worsened, the Emperor's reputation would truly be ruined.

Secondly, it involves deceiving everyone.

The emperor only needed to place her outside the palace or somewhere unknown to the Empress Dowager's spies for a period of time, pretending that he had already sent her to the residence of the Fourteenth Prince.

Watching others' hopes dashed can actually be quite satisfying—it just depends on whether the emperor has this wicked sense of humor.

However, neither of these two methods is very favorable to her or Yu Ying'er.

She and Yu Ying'er did not act according to the Empress Dowager's wishes, and once the Empress Dowager's condition improves, she will surely make things difficult for them.

Although the Empress Dowager had lost the Emperor's trust, she still had a lot of say in the custody of one of the princes.

However, if she were to enter the Sixth Prince's harem, things would be different. Even if she were just a princess, she would still be considered half a daughter-in-law of the Empress Dowager, since this prince would only have her as a female relative.

The loss of a child at an early age is always a source of pain for a mother, but the fact that this child is now being worshipped and honored throughout the year is a comfort to her.

At the same time, they could easily get away with it, since it was the emperor's own decree, and they were just following the empress dowager's orders. The emperor's own erratic behavior couldn't be blamed on them, could it?

Most importantly, this step is both offensive and defensive; if all else fails, Xiao Liu can be adopted into her name and become her and Yinzhuo's child.

As for how to compete for the throne in the future?

Haha, as long as Xiao Liu is good enough, he can be adopted out and then adopted back!

With the Enlightenment Pill in hand, Xiao Liu can't possibly be mediocre even if he wants to.

"elder sister--"

Yu Ying'er murmured and then fell silent.

Xi Qiao placed a cloisonné enamel hairpin with rice-grain pearls and emerald tassels on her head, placed his hands on her shoulders, and looked earnestly at her sweet face in the mirror, saying:

"Don't be afraid, Yingying. If the Emperor doesn't agree, we can still find a way to make the Empress Dowager fall ill. If the Emperor agrees, even though I'm outside the palace, you and the Empress Dowager are in the palace, so I can still come to the palace to pay my respects from time to time."

“I know you’re worried I’ll be wronged, but with your and Xiao Liu’s influence, the Emperor will definitely posthumously confer the title of Prince Yinzhuo. In my opinion, it should at least be a Beizi. Although I’m a widow, I’m the only master in the Beizi’s mansion. What does it matter if I’m a concubine or not? And who would wrong me?”

Born into a bondservant family, she was unlikely to become the primary consort, even though Yinzhuo was already dead. However, the position of secondary consort was still something she could consider.

Yu Ying'er's eyes lit up. That's right!

"Qingzhu and Xiaolezi are my own children, so protecting you and Xiaoliu won't be a problem. Consort Hua, who is in charge of palace affairs, is our secret ally. She will not only not make things difficult for Zhongcui Palace, but will also protect us in secret."

"As for the others, the Empress is already half-crippled, Consort Qi is dull-witted, Consort Jing dislikes disputes, and Consort Jin and the others in the rank of concubine will not make a move against you and Xiao Liu."

"For the time being, Consort Fucha has no intention of harming anyone. Consort Shen and Consort Fei have completely fallen out of favor. Consort An will be dealt with by Consort Hua. Only Yun Xinluo, Zhen Huan and her daughter, and Consort Fang need to be watched closely."

“The Zhen family has a grudge against us, and Consort Fang has secretly sided with the Empress. Although the former is in a difficult situation, she and Consort Yun have such faces that she won’t completely fall out of favor. I’ve already made arrangements with the Fourth Prince, so you don’t need to worry about her.”

"But you must be careful of Fang Jia. Although the Empress has lost her power in the palace and the Emperor's trust, she will not be content with that and will definitely use Fang Jia to cause trouble for the Consort. Once the Consort makes a mistake or violates the rules, she will have a chance to be reinstated."

Xi Qiao exhaled a breath of stale air. "The second-class palace maid next to Fang Jia is someone I arranged. Don't be fooled by Fang Jia's innocent appearance; she's actually ruthless. With the Empress's training, she'll be a force to be reckoned with in the future."

"But don't be afraid. Just be happy. Keep these things in mind. Don't be fooled by Fang Jia's appearance."

After all, there aren't many innocent and harmless people in the palace. Consort Qi, who is considered one of the better ones, has a generation gap with Yu Ying'er, and they can't really joke or play together. Noble Lady Fucha comes from a prominent Manchu family and has a high opinion of herself, so she doesn't associate with the Han Bannermen or Bondservants—even though Yu Ying'er has now been promoted to a higher banner.

Yu Ying'er turned around with tears in her eyes and hugged Xi Qiao's waist, "Sister—"

Just as she called out, Xiao Lezi's voice came from outside: "Your Highness, Eunuch Xia is here."

Xiazi was there to deliver the emperor's edict.

After she saw him off, Yu Ying'er asked Xi Qiao, unsure of what to do, "Sister, should I continue to pretend to be sick?"

The emperor has already decided to come to Zhongcui Palace tonight, so it seems unnecessary, right? But feigning illness seems to be a better way to gain the emperor's sympathy.

Xi Qiao thought for a moment: "We still need to pretend a little, but there's no need to pretend to be sick."