Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

The Empress Dowager was stunned and blurted out, "What, Sixth Sister-in-law?"

Immediately, a touch of sadness welled up in her heart. Her son, Yinzhuo, was also the sixth in his family. He was such a smart, sensible, and filial child, but unfortunately, he left her so early.

Looking at the undisguised confusion on the Empress Dowager's face, the Fourteenth Princess Consort was even more bewildered than the Empress Dowager herself.

She stared blankly at Chunmao and the other palace servants in the hall, whose eyes also held doubt and curiosity, and her mood instantly became serious.

The tension that had eased slightly upon seeing the Empress Dowager as a powerful backer instantly tightened, as if a huge rock was pressing on her heart, making her feel breathless for a moment.

—The Empress Dowager was unaware of such a momentous event as her sixth brother's enfeoffment as a prince and his marriage to his primary consort!

The Fourteenth Princess's gaze involuntarily fell on the only unfamiliar face in the hall—Fang Ruo.

This man belongs to the emperor!

Then she recalled the faces of the guards she had seen outside Shou Kang Palace, faces she had never seen before when she came to pay her respects.

In an instant, a storm raged in the heart of the Fourteenth Princess Consort, and a terrifying thought appeared in her mind: the Emperor had placed the Empress Dowager under house arrest!

Besides, she couldn't think of any other possibility that could have made the Empress Dowager completely unaware of such an important event as her deceased second son being granted a princeship and getting married.

What did the emperor mean by sending her to the palace to attend to the Empress Dowager during her illness?

Are they going to imprison her here in Shou Kang Palace as well?

The Fourteenth Princess's expression shifted unpredictably, her face revealing uncontrollable anxiety.

When the Empress Dowager snapped out of her reverie, she was about to ask the Fourteenth Prince's wife about "Sixth Sister-in-law" when she caught sight of the Fourteenth Prince's wife's uneasy face.

In a flash, many things she had overlooked came together in her mind.

Zhu Xi, who has been teaching the rules for a long time, has not returned; Fang Ruo is staying at Shou Kang Palace; the sudden appearance of the Princess Consort of Prince Mu; the sixth sister-in-law mentioned by Wan Yan; and the subtle affection shown towards Consort Zhuang in her words.

And Fangruo's words, which had just been interrupted, were: "The emperor bestows favors upon the imperial family, showing consideration for his own brothers."

Princess Consort of Prince Mu, Sixth Sister-in-law, Brothers, Chunrong...

The Empress Dowager's eyes widened suddenly, and an absurd thought popped into her head.

"Ho-ho-"

The Empress Dowager opened her mouth as if to say something, but it seemed as if something had blocked her mouth, and she could only utter a few meaningless syllables from her throat.

"Queen Mother!"

"Empress Huang's mother!"

"Quickly call the imperial physician!"

Everyone in the hall crowded around in fear, terrified that something might happen to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager took a few deep breaths, finally managing to catch her breath after the sudden lump in her throat.

Ignoring the Fourteenth Princess's exclamation and the concern of others, she glared fiercely at Fang Ruo and said hatefully, "Speak! What exactly happened? Who is Prince Mu? And who is Prince Mu's wife?"

Fang Ru knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, please allow me to report. In October, the Emperor issued an edict posthumously conferring upon you and the late Emperor's second son, the Sixth Prince, the title of Beile, and later further conferring upon him the title of Prince Mu."

"At the same time as the posthumous conferment, the Emperor elevated Consort Zhuang's elder sister to the Bordered Yellow Banner and bestowed upon her the title of Princess Consort of Prince Mu. The Prince and his wife were married yesterday and were ordered to enter the palace today to express their gratitude. They are currently waiting for your summons in the side hall's warm pavilion."

Fangruo didn't know what other unknown things were behind these events, but before she came to Shou Kang Palace, Su Peisheng repeatedly told her not to tell the Empress Dowager about this news before Prince Mu's wedding.

She glanced up discreetly and saw that the Empress Dowager's face was ashen, just as she had expected; she was clearly furious.

Interestingly, the Empress Dowager's great anger was not only due to the Emperor's concealment, but also related to the wife of the newly noble Prince Mu.

When it comes to the ability to read between the lines, Fangruo is naturally a master.

She clearly sensed that when she mentioned the relationship between Prince Mu's wife and Consort Zhuang, the Empress Dowager's anger was like a raging fire that had been suddenly doused with hot oil, expanding and exploding in an instant.

In that instant, Fangruo had the illusion that she was being burned by raging fire.

"Spring, Rong!"

The Empress Dowager gasped for breath and spat out two words with resentment.

She heard every word Fang Ruo uttered clearly, but once it reached her ears, her thoughts seemed to sink into a quagmire, becoming sluggish and dull.

The posthumous conferment of the title of Prince Mu upon Yinzhuo was naturally a great joyous occasion.

But what is Consort Zhuang's older sister, Chunrong?

The Empress Dowager felt utter disgust that such a lowly person had become the primary consort of her second son. Her son, a prince of the Qing Dynasty, was of such noble status, yet he had been defiled by this lowly servant.

While feeling disgusted, I couldn't help but feel fear and panic.

In order to save the fourteenth brother and the four brothers Hongchun, Chunrong had to be forced to volunteer to enter the fourteenth brother's backyard.

She was confident that Chunrong and Consort Zhuang would not dare to betray her and would obey her orders. They must have also asked the emperor for a marriage proposal.

But what does the emperor mean by this?

They would rather give posthumous honors to the prematurely deceased Yinzhu than allow Chunrong to go to the Fourteenth Prince's residence.

To elevate the status of the Sixth Prince?

Or was it to warn the Empress Dowager?

Or perhaps they are determined to sever the lineage of the Fourteenth Prince?

If the goal was to elevate the Sixth Prince's status, shouldn't they have chosen a powerful and influential family for a marriage?

If it was to warn her—

The Empress Dowager's pupils contracted sharply. Her warning to stop interfering with the Fourteenth Prince was based on the premise that the Emperor knew she knew everything and was aware of her schemes.

In this way, there would definitely be the emperor's spies in the Shou Kang Palace!

who is it!

The Empress Dowager instantly felt goosebumps. The palace servants in Shou Kang Palace were all old servants who had served her since she was the late Emperor's Consort De.

The emperor had already begun planting spies around her back then?

Then, then, then the emperor must know all about her schemes with the Uya family and the empress.

Let's leave aside the others, but what about Chun Yuan's matter?

The matter concerning the fourteenth prince was secretly relayed by Lady Nian; it was impossible for Lady Nian to reveal it to the emperor.

Only she, Zhuxi, and Chunrong herself knew about the coercion of Chunrong.

Chunrong dared not inform on the matter because of Consort Zhuang and the Sixth Prince, and Chunrong also did not know about the Fourteenth Prince's affairs.

So, only one person is left—Sun, Zhu, and Xi.

Sun Zhuxi had been with her for decades! He knew all her secrets.

If she sides with the emperor, the consequences...

In an instant, the Empress Dowager forgot her anger and became like a frightened bird, easily agitated by the slightest disturbance.

She leaned limply against Chunmao, her face displaying a complex mix of emotions, like a spilled palette of paints—quite a sight to behold.

His chest heaved violently, his pupils stared blankly at a point in the sky, his lips moved repeatedly as if he wanted to say something, and a "squeak" sound like a broken bellows came from deep in his throat.