Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Xi Qiao pushed the box of silver notes that Yu Ying'er had stuffed into her hand back. No one knew better than Yu Ying'er how much wealth she had; these things were practically everything in her treasury.

"As for the dowry, the Yu family will take care of it; you don't need to spend any money or worry about it. Besides, your expenses are not small, and you can't get by in the palace without money. If you and Xiao Liu are struggling, how can I live in peace outside the palace?"

Yu Ying'er replied, "Sister, you can't fool me with those words. The Yu family probably wishes we two sisters were gone right now. How could they possibly be spending their own money to prepare a dowry for you?"

"Although these things are indeed all my possessions, Xiao Liu and I have our share so we won't starve. The Emperor also gives us rewards from time to time, and the people in the Imperial Household Department also give us some tribute from time to time. I will soon be able to save up another fortune."

Xi Qiao nodded at her helplessly, "You, how much can you possibly receive in your allowance? You might be trying to fool others with that, but I know perfectly well enough. Besides, as for the tributes from those people in the Imperial Household Department, without a lot of money to give them, let alone their tributes, they might not even be able to get everything they're entitled to."

"Besides, when have I ever coaxed you? When have I ever treated you like a stranger? If I hadn't been certain that the Yu family would prepare a dowry for me, would I have been so polite to you?"

“I was hoping to use the title of primary wife to socialize and find some ways to make money. A primary wife with a meager dowry is not respected and no one wants to associate with her. This doesn’t fit my plan.”

After comforting Yu Ying'er, Xi Qiao carefully explained the dowry to her.

"Although we've broken ties with the Yu family, we two sisters are still incredibly favored. One of us is a high-ranking concubine, and the other is the emperor's own brother's primary consort. Who doesn't know how privileged we sisters are?"

With their humble bondservant status, they were elevated to the status of members of the Bordered Yellow Banner, one becoming the birth mother of a prince, the other a princess consort. What an honor and favor this was!

Although the Sixth Prince has passed away, this title is still real.

What's there to be afraid of if you don't have a man or children?

The emperor's edict states that this title will decline after three generations, and it would be better if there were no men!

Without a man, there would be no concubines to cause trouble, no need to compromise, and one could be in control and do whatever one pleased.

No children? No problem! There are plenty of children in the royal family. Just adopt one! This is a great opportunity to get a title for free. Who would complain about having too many titles?

Although the successor to this title had to be decided by the emperor, she, as the primary consort of the Sixth Prince and the mother of the future heir, was not without a choice.

The members of the imperial family aren't fools; anyone who cares about their descendants will treat her with respect and deference. She can already fully imagine how carefree her future will be.

"When the superiors have a certain preference, the inferiors will follow suit. The attitude of the previous emperor is obvious. With you and the Sixth Prince as my backers in the harem, and the imperial clan supporting me outside, no one in the Yu family dares to slight me."

Xi Qiao smiled, her eyes narrowing. The feeling of disliking her but having to grit her teeth and spend money on her was truly wonderful.

"Not to mention that Yu Chonglin has embezzled a lot of money over the years while he was an official, even though the Yu family is now so poor that they can't even afford rice, they still have to provide me with a dowry, even if they have to shamelessly borrow money. And it has to be as generous as possible."

“Yu Chonglin has the rank of a fourth-grade official but no real position, and the Yu brothers are not very capable either. The Yu family is too busy trying to curry favor with us sisters, so how could they dare to offend us? So don’t worry, I will not lack a dowry or money.”

Moreover, many members of the royal family know that she holds a significant portion of the power to decide on titles, and they would certainly be happy to forge a good relationship with her.

The Sixth Prince's Mansion is about to open, which is a joyous occasion, followed by the grand wedding, which is another joyous occasion.

With two joyous occasions, those thoughtful members of the imperial clan would not hesitate to offer two congratulatory gifts.

In addition, there are the betrothal gifts prepared by the Ministry of Rites. This morning, when Su Peisheng came to deliver the imperial decree, he secretly revealed that the emperor had instructed the Ministry of Rites to prepare them according to the standards for the primary consort of a prince.

All these things combined, her dowry might only be less than that of the deposed crown prince's primary wife.

Yu Ying'er was stunned for a moment, but still stubbornly said, "That won't do. It's their duty to give. If it weren't for us, how could Yu Chonglin and the others have such a good life now?"

Hmph, even though it's a sinecure and you don't have to clock in or work, it's still a fourth-rank position! Many people can't achieve that in their entire lives.

“The Prince’s mansion has just opened. After my sister marries there, she will need a lot of money to reward the servants and to socialize. When she goes out to visit guests, she will not only have to give gifts, but also buy clothes and jewelry. All of these will cost money.”

"The other things are fine, but you must accept these 30,000 taels of silver notes, as well as those four boxes of cloth, leather, jewelry and gems. The Ministry of Rites' preparations are just so-so, but these are all made in the palace, and they are much more exquisite and beautiful."

In this world, there are many people who look down on others. The more expensive your clothes are, the less likely you are to be looked down upon.

Especially since the Sixth Prince was just a dead man, his sister, the Prince's wife, only appeared glamorous on the surface, but was actually empty inside.

Unfortunately, the sixth child, who could support her older sister, is still too young, and given her sister's personality, she certainly wouldn't want them to know if she suffered any injustice.

The thought of her older sister being looked down upon and bullied by other women made Yu Ying'er feel as if a huge rock was pressing on her heart, making it hard to breathe.

Seeing Yu Ying'er suddenly become sad, Xi Qiao quickly comforted her, "Alright, alright, I accept it. Yingying, don't worry, I'll take good care of myself. Although Sixth Prince only has a memorial tablet, you and Xiao Liu are my true support. As long as you're both well, I'll be alright."

She was confident that she could turn those 30,000 taels into 60,000, 90,000, or even more taels, and then give them to Yu Ying'er later.

The mention of the fact that Sixth Prince was just a dead man made Yu Ying'er even sadder. She couldn't complain about it, so she could only make up an excuse: "Sister, I feel so sad just thinking about having to part with you."

"It's alright, it just means I won't see you during the time I'm preparing for my wedding."

Although she was marrying a spirit tablet, she was still considered the primary consort, and the proper procedures still had to be followed.

"Once I enter the Prince's residence, you will be a concubine, and I will be a princess consort. In addition to paying our respects to the emperor on the first and fifteenth of each month, we can also enter the palace at other times by your summons or by my invitation. Moreover, there are often banquets in the palace, so we can meet there as well."

All things considered, they can meet every five or six days. That's the advantage of being a princess consort of the imperial family; it's convenient for them to enter the palace.

"We meet so frequently, how could those people outside dare to give me the cold shoulder? They must be afraid of offending me by not treating me well."

Yu Ying'er wasn't the most favored concubine in the palace, but she was still quite popular, so it wouldn't be difficult for her to whisper sweet nothings in the emperor's ear.

"Pfft-"

Yu Ying'er finally smiled.