Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

The next morning, while Xi Qiao was still doing his morning exercises, a maid came to report that the clan leader and Yu Chonglin were outside the courtyard with a group of boys of varying ages requesting an audience.

Anlu thought she had misheard. Why would someone come to see her so early? Anyone who didn't know better would think she was a concubine coming to establish rules!

They were obsessed with sword practice, getting up at the crack of dawn every day to practice. They usually finished the first section around 7:00 AM, then washed up briefly, had breakfast, and then practiced for another hour.

It's still a quarter of an hour before Chen Shi (7-9 AM)!

If the princess didn't have the habit of morning exercise, she would probably still be sleeping right now. What elder would choose such a time to come and visit the courtyard of their daughter who is about to be married?

If word gets out that the elders have come to visit but the younger generation is still asleep, regardless of whether they arrived too early or not, it will all be the princess's fault.

Are the Yu family members out of their minds? How could they harm the princess like this!

As for their daughter's habit of morning exercise, they can guarantee that, apart from those serving in the courtyard, no one in the Yu family knows about it.

Granny Sun managed the courtyard extremely well. Not to mention any information that shouldn't be leaked, even a mosquito would have a hard time getting out of the courtyard without permission.

An Lu's face darkened: "They've been waiting outside the courtyard so early, just to force the princess to see them. It's clear that the princess's talk about adopting a son for the old lady yesterday has really upset them."

Anlu's eyes showed disgust. These people really wouldn't let go of any opportunity to squeeze benefits out of the princess and the empress.

"Princess, do you wish to see them? If not, this servant will go and send them away."

This will also save the princess from being upset by these ignorant people.

Xi Qiao finished his morning training with a sword-sweeping motion.

"No need. Please invite them into the courtyard and sit for a while. I will wash up and then go to see them. Also, have the kitchen prepare more breakfast, both elaborate and everyday dishes. If there is any bird's nest, you might as well stew it with rock sugar and bring it up."

Anlu didn't quite understand what her princess meant, but immediately went to give orders.

She went through her own princess's attitude toward the Yu family and her instructions several times in her mind, and vaguely grasped the general outline.

While helping Xi Qiao comb her hair, she couldn't contain her curiosity any longer: "Princess, are you trying to use breakfast to distinguish whether the children brought by the clan chief are from poor or rich backgrounds?"

Xi Qiao smiled and asked her, "Why do you think that way?"

An Lu was a little embarrassed: "Although I am also surnamed Huang, my family is not well-off. When I was a child, eating a big meat bun sold by a street vendor felt like eating a delicacy, and I felt incredibly happy."

"Did I guess correctly?"

Anlu looked eagerly at her own princess in the bronze mirror.

Xi Qiao smiled and said, "Silly Anlu, there is a big difference between children from poor families and children from rich families. Not to mention their clothes, you can tell the difference just by looking at their hair. Why would I need to test them with food?"

Anlu was annoyed. Yes, children from poor families often have dry, brittle hair, which is easily noticeable.

"So what was your intention in having the kitchen prepare different breakfasts?"

"Actually, you're half right, but I just wanted to choose the one with the best family background."

"what?"

An Lu was completely stunned. She blinked and asked, puzzled, "But Princess, it seems you don't want to have much to do with the Yu family. If you were to adopt a child from a wealthy family for the Old Madam, then in the future..."

How can this child remember your kindness in the future?

An Lu didn't dare say the last sentence out loud.

Xi Qiao chuckled lightly: "What does it matter whether he remembers my kindness or not? For ordinary women, the greatest use of their brothers is to provide support, but do you think the Empress and I need that?"

That's definitely not necessary.

The thought had just popped into Anlu's mind when she suddenly realized, "Yes, it doesn't matter whether they, as princesses, have a brother or not."

On the contrary, they have an extra younger brother whose biological parents are poor. For the sake of their reputation, these princesses might even have to pay for the support of this younger brother's parents.

In addition, one must also painstakingly raise the child, and when he grows up, one must spend money to help him get married and find a job.

Thinking about it this way, it's definitely the princesses who are at a disadvantage.

This isn't finding a younger brother for yourself; it's finding a burden!

"See, you thought of that too. I don't need him, but it's one thing for me to spend money and effort to raise him, but his biological parents and their family still cling to me like a leech, impossible to shake off."

"If the child is sensible, that would be fine, but the reality is that children are born with an infinite attachment and trust in their parents. This feeling will become even stronger after they leave their parents, making it even harder for them to refuse their parents' requests, even if they are unreasonable."

Although she said she wanted to choose a younger child, she probably didn't want to pick from three or five years old. And a slightly older child would surely remember their parents and family.

Another point is that the saying "poor children learn to be independent early" is true, but there is also the saying "poverty breeds cunning," neither of which is a good thing.

These children's cognition and personality were distorted beyond recognition by their impoverished family circumstances. This distorted cognition and personality is a major component of their personality, deeply imprinted in their bones, and extremely difficult to change.

Xi Qiao has neither the time, interest, nor the patience to correct the worldview, outlook on life, and values ​​of a teenager.

“But I won’t spoil him or help him. A mentally challenged child will only turn his parents’ disappointment into resentment towards me. He will hide this resentment in his heart and let it fester over time. And one day in the future, it will become a sharp blade that stabs me in the back.”

"So you see, this is clearly a lose-lose situation, so why should I go looking for trouble?"

An Lu swallowed hard. Putting everything else aside, this adopted child would definitely have sisters. Even if there were no blood sisters, there would surely be close cousins ​​or nieces.

The women in the bondservant class are to be selected carefully, and they certainly won't go to great lengths to find someone nearby; they will inevitably bother the princess frequently with this matter.

The princesses adopted a child to the old lady so that someone would perform ancestral rites for her in the future, not to cause trouble for themselves!

It's so nice to be a kid from a rich family!

Although wealthy families also have their troubles, at least the princess doesn't have to pay out of her own pocket to make up for them.

Moreover, having money means being worldly-wise, having a broad perspective and knowledge, which naturally makes one more insightful about things and more sensible about rules, so one won't easily cause trouble for the princesses.

After Xi Qiao finished tidying up, he went outside and saw Yu Chonglin and the Yu clan chief sitting in the courtyard. There were four tables next to them, with twenty-six young boys sitting there.