Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Although she had always lived in the comfort zone her family had created for her, she was no fool. In the month she had been away from Juechan's family and by Gege's side, she had learned a lot and grown a lot.

"Although I haven't been by your side for long, I believe I know you quite well. You like a lively and cheerful atmosphere, so you share happy things with those around you so that we servants can share in your joy. But you keep your worries to yourself, not wanting us servants to share in your sorrow."

"You may not have noticed it yourself, but when you have something on your mind, your brow always furrows. It's not obvious, but those who know you well will easily notice it."

Xi Qiao raised his hand to touch his brow in surprise, then smiled helplessly: "I've never noticed that before."

She sighed again: "Linggu, since you asked, I will not hide it from you. What I said just now was not a lie. Outside the palace, Juechan's family cannot do anything to me. But inside the palace, there are still the Empress and the Sixth Prince."

Although there were only the two of them in the room, Xi Qiao's voice was low, creating a tense atmosphere.

Ling Gu's heart skipped a beat, and his phoenix eyes widened suddenly: "They dare to lay a hand on the Empress and the Prince!"

I was not only surprised but also furious. These people were simply lawless!

For a moment, Ling Gu gritted his teeth.

Xi Qiao raised his hand and pressed his temple. The relaxed look on his face had vanished, replaced by a solemn expression.

She looked at the tea that had gone cold. "The West Lake Longjing tea produced before the Qingming Festival is scarce. It is only picked two or three days before the Qingming Festival. If the weather is suitable, a tea garden can yield three to five catties of tea leaves. If the weather is bad, I'm afraid the entire Jiangnan region can only yield about ten catties."

"Because of its scarcity, the pre-Qingming West Lake Longjing tea has always been reserved for the royal family. However, the emperor would not enjoy it all to himself, but would bestow it as a sign of favor. Favored concubines, princesses and princes in the palace, princes and their close relatives, as well as important officials of the previous dynasty and trusted confidants of the emperor would all receive a share."

"With so many people, even if each person or family only gets a few ounces, in the end, the tea left in the Emperor's hands will not last long enough for frequent consumption."

Ling Gu was stunned. Just now, Consort Wunaxi recognized the tea as pre-Qingming West Lake Longjing tea after only tasting a sip.

Her confident demeanor and delighted tone revealed her familiarity with pre-Qingming West Lake Longjing tea and her genuine fondness for it.

If you don't drink tea often, it's unlikely that you can tell the origin and harvest time just by tasting it.

However, as the princess said, the West Lake Longjing tea before the Qingming Festival is extremely precious. Even the emperor, who is as noble as he is, cannot drink it all the time. Yet, Wu Naxi Fujin, the wife of a mere fifth-rank official, enjoys such treatment.

some of……

Ling Gu's mind was filled with a thousand thoughts. Based on the status of the Jue Chan clan alone, it was absolutely impossible for them to obtain the pre-Qingming Longjing tea. However, the Wei clan, which shared the same lineage as the Jue Chan clan, might not be unable to do so.

Prince Lian was exceptionally kind to his maternal clan, and his wife frequently sent him gifts.

Was the Wei family involved in her affair? Or was it also the Prince Lian's doing?

The thought of this possibility made Ling Gu's throat dry: "Princess, Prince Lian will get involved, won't he?"

Xi Qiao shook his head. "You could say that, but it's not as simple as you think."

“You are still young, and after entering the palace, you have always lived within the scope set by Juechan, so your contact with people and things is too limited, and you naturally do not know many secrets of the palace.”

"The late emperor had many concubines, but most of those who held high positions and had adult children were from the Manchu bannermen. The only ones who truly had the blood of noble ladies from the Manchu bannermen were the deposed Crown Prince, Prince Li, and Prince Dun."

Xi Qiao stopped there and didn't say anything more, but Ling Gu was already horrified.

Among the late emperor's concubines were many Manchu princesses of proper Manchu origin, but after becoming pregnant, they either suffered miscarriages for various reasons or died prematurely after giving birth. One or two might be an exception, but the fact that most of them did so clearly indicates a problem!

Moreover, looking at the powerful and mother-son concubines in the late emperor's harem, whether it was the current Empress Dowager or the former Consorts Hui, Rong, and Yi, they all came from bondservant backgrounds.

Others, such as Consort Cheng (née Daijia), the birth mother of the seventh prince of the late emperor; Consort Liang (née Wei), the birth mother of the eighth prince; and Consort Ding (née Wanliuha), the birth mother of the twelfth prince, were all born into bondservant families.

Moreover, as far as she knew, there were many low-ranking bondservant concubines in the late emperor's harem. It could be said that the late emperor's harem was almost entirely occupied by bondservant women.

This……

The princes and dukes who seized the throne in the late emperor's later years were all from bondservant families.

In other words, whoever becomes emperor will inevitably have the blood of a bondservant family flowing through their veins!

This this……

While Ling Gu stared in disbelief, Xi Qiao slowly continued:

"During the sixty-one-year reign of the late emperor, the bondservant families, relying on the influence of their concubines and the princes they bore, grew from small families into behemoths. Their power far surpassed that of many aristocratic families."

"Even bondservants without official titles are not easily offended by the bannermen of the eight great Manchu clans when they travel outside. Although the title of 'bondservant slave' still hangs on their heads, in reality, with princes and dukes with bondservant blood flowing through their veins, who would dare to look down on them?"

Linggu's breathing was heavy. Among the bondservants, the most powerful were those from the Empress Dowager's own clan, the Uya clan.

The Uya family had many branches, but only the branch whose members came from the Empress Dowager's family was raised to the Manchu banner; the rest remained bondservants.

However, with an emperor who carried the blood of the Uya clan, the Uya clan's status was far beyond that of ordinary people.

Ling Gu herself came from the bondservant banner, and naturally had the most contact with bondservant people. She was well aware of the bondservant people's envy and jealousy of the Uya clan.

The success of the Uya clan is something that all the Bao Yi families want to replicate.

At that moment, Linggu suddenly understood that Juechan had such ambitions!

"Ha—" Ling Gu chuckled briefly.

The voice was devoid of sorrow or joy, only endless mockery lurking within.

"What a grand ambition, what a huge aspiration!"

Xi Qiao sighed, "That's right! If it were just the Juechan clan that had become ambitious, that would be one thing, but the troublesome thing is that there are other forces behind the Juechan clan."

She tapped her teacup: "To be able to give away pre-rain Longjing tea shows how powerful one is. Plus, with the enemy in the dark and us in the light, even if someone is on guard, they have no way to do anything. I'm fine here, but the Empress and the Sixth Prince in the palace..."

"The reason why Consort Unashi proposed the marriage alliance is more to test my attitude towards the bondservant. If I agree to the marriage, they may temporarily stop pressuring you, but if I refuse, they will definitely seize the opportunity."

It's just a temporary setback. Since Ma Jia has come to our door today, it means they won't abandon their original plan.

"His Majesty is over forty, and the young prince needs time to grow up."

Linggu also understood that it didn't matter whether the marriage was arranged or not, as Juechan would not give up the opportunity to become the second Wuya clan.