Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

The Empress frowned almost imperceptibly. She had misjudged Consort Jing's longing for the little princess.

"A woman's chastity and obedience are excellent virtues, and Consort Jing, you have always done exceptionally well in this regard. The Emperor and I are most at ease with and fond of this aspect of you, and we hope you can continue to maintain it."

What were clearly words of praise somehow took on a different meaning when spoken by the Empress, carrying a subtle hint of mockery and sarcasm.

Especially the last sentence; Consort Jing heard no hint of expectation in it, only a strong sense of sarcasm.

Consort Jing pretended not to have understood the Empress's implied meaning, rose and bowed to the Empress: "Yes, Your Majesty, I thank you for your guidance. I will certainly remember Your Majesty's golden words and will abide by the virtues and precepts of women, daring not to disappoint the Emperor and the Empress's expectations."

The Empress's smile remained unchanged as she personally helped Consort Jing up: "Get up quickly. This deep palace is so lonely. With someone as steadfast as you by my side, I feel very gratified."

Consort Jing rose with the Empress's help, forcing a smile, but the smile looked stiff no matter how you looked at it.

Loneliness in the deep palace? Steadfastness?

The Empress is truly...

Consort Jing's hand, hidden beneath her sleeve, quietly clenched.

Is this a confirmation that she cannot keep the little princess on her own?

A glint of light flickered in Consort Jing's eyes.

Just as the atmosphere in the side hall was becoming increasingly tense, someone from the Hall of Mental Cultivation suddenly came to invite them: "Your Majesty the Empress, Your Highness Consort Jing, the Emperor requests your presence."

When the Empress and Consort Jing were invited into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the hall had already been cleaned and adorned with antique jade ornaments, showing no trace of the mess that had appeared before them.

"I have met the emperor."

The emperor sat behind his desk, looking expressionlessly at the empress and Consort Jing—or rather, the empress.

"Get up."

Before the two could even stand still, the Emperor said directly, "I already know that Consort Zhen has given birth to a princess safely. Consort Jing, you have done a great job taking excellent care of Consort Zhen and the princess."

"I intend to entrust the princess to your care. What do you think?"

Consort Jing was instantly overwhelmed with joy at being hit by a pie falling from the sky.

She had originally thought it would be a long and complicated process, but to her surprise, the emperor was so direct that he entrusted the princess to her care without her having to ask.

Consort Jing immediately knelt down with great joy to express her gratitude: "Your Majesty, I am willing. I will definitely treat the princess as my own daughter and take good care of her. I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's high expectations."

The Empress almost lost her smile. Seeing that the Emperor had already made the decision, she had no choice but to ask, "Your Majesty, will Consort Zhen receive any reward?"

She glanced at Consort Jing: "Although the princess has Consort Jing as her adoptive mother, Consort Zhen is, after all, the princess's birth mother. If her rank is too low, it will inevitably make the princess look bad."

The Emperor glanced at the Empress: "I have already sent someone to issue an imperial decree, promoting Consort Zhen to the rank of Noble Lady. The matter of the princess will be decided on this for now. I do have some other questions for the Empress."

Upon hearing this, Consort Jing immediately and tactfully offered to take her leave.

The emperor naturally granted his request and even had Su Peisheng personally escort Consort Jing out.

Only the Emperor and Empress remained in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the most honored couple in the land.

The Empress clearly sensed that something was off in the Yangxin Hall ever since Consort Jing and Su Peisheng left.

However, the emperor just looked at her without saying a word, and his expression was quite calm, which made the empress wonder what the emperor really meant.

"Your Majesty, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something wrong with me?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress paused.

Just now, Consort Jing seemed to have asked her that question.

The Empress felt a sudden, inexplicable panic, sensing that something had spiraled out of control without her knowledge.

The emperor remained silent, his gaze fixed on her, from the jewelry in her hair to her makeup, from her features to the patterns on her clothes, finally settling on the pair of jade bracelets on her wrists.

Seeing this, the Empress raised her hands and gently and affectionately stroked the jade bracelet, saying with a nostalgic expression, "Does Your Majesty still remember this pair of jade bracelets? When I entered the palace, Your Majesty personally put them on me. You even said that you wished to be with me day and night, just like these bracelets."

May we be like this ring, meeting day and night.

This promise was so beautiful, so intoxicating; it was the unparalleled sweetness she suddenly tasted after seventeen years of bitterness.

The sweet and intoxicating taste made her unable to resist indulging in it, unwilling to wake up.

The emperor was momentarily stunned. When Yixiu first entered the palace, they had shared a beautiful and intimate memory.

only……

In the blink of an eye, that strange feeling disappeared.

The emperor raised his hand and picked up a stack of incriminating confessions with fingerprints from the table, his hand trembling as he handed them to the empress.

"You, come forward."

The Empress frowned slightly and slowly stepped forward, but before she could reach the imperial desk and take the stack of papers, the Emperor suddenly threw them forcefully, smashing them down on her head.

A few sheets of paper are very light; they won't hurt at all when they hit your face or body. The insult is more significant than the actual pain.

"emperor--"

The empress looked at the emperor with surprise and hurt.

She had been married to the emperor for over twenty years, and even when the emperor was angry, he had never treated her like this.

"Your Majesty—"

She was about to say something more when her gaze suddenly swept over one of the confessions lying on the edge of the imperial desk, and she saw that the name on the bloody handprint was Jiang Fuhai.

Jiang Fuhai!

The empress's pupils contracted sharply.

The Emperor arrested Jiang Fuhai and subjected him to severe interrogation!

The emperor stared intently at the empress, his eyes dark and gloomy, which was extremely frightening.

"Empress, I will ask you only once: what was the cause of Chun Yuan's death? And for whom did she die?"

The emperor should have been hysterically furious, but his emotions were frighteningly calm.

It has a sense of calm before the storm.

Why did Chun Yuan die?

The Empress's breath hitched. It was as if Jiang Fuhai's confession was glued to her eyes, preventing her from paying attention to anything else.

She remained silent, and the emperor did not press her, but simply looked at her with a calm gaze.

An eerie silence fell over the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

After an unknown amount of time, the Empress took the initiative. She knelt down, picked up the confessions that had fallen to the ground one by one, and read them aloud in a calm voice.

All the palace servants in Jingren Palace, except for Jianqiu who had always served by her side, were interrogated.

Jiang Fuhai confessed the most, revealing almost every detail, including all the evil deeds she had committed.

As the Empress read on, she collapsed weakly to the ground, saying, "Since Your Majesty already knows, why bother asking me?"

The emperor closed his eyes briefly. "Empress, Chun Yuan was without fault."

Whether she married him for love or for political reasons.

He needed the support of the Ulanara clan, and the Ulanara clan also needed to strengthen their ties with the royal family.