Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Even someone who knows nothing about medicine would know that something was wrong with the Empress Dowager just by looking at her.

Chunmao and others, who had personally experienced the initial period after the Empress Dowager's stroke, were no strangers to this.

"The imperial physician has arrived!"

The announcement was like heavenly music, instantly putting everyone in the room at ease.

In the side hall, Xi Qiao watched the farce unfolding in the main hall with his spiritual power while biting his lip hard, afraid that he might burst out laughing.

Oh my, this is so funny!

The Empress Dowager's jokes are not something you can happen to all the time.

However, the fact that the Empress Dowager suffered a second stroke was truly an unexpected and pleasant surprise.

Xi Qiao rested his chin on one hand, smiling as he gazed at the Empress Dowager's bedroom in the main hall through the window of the warm pavilion.

Before entering the palace, she thought the Empress Dowager should have recovered, but she did not expect that she was almost fully recovered.

It must be said that the imperial physician who treated the Empress Dowager was truly skilled.

She was still hoping that Zhen Huan would help her deal with the Fourth Prince, this potential dragon, so naturally she couldn't let the Empress Dowager know that the Empress's side had been exposed, and then trace it back to Zhen Huan.

When she entered Shou Kang Palace and found that the Empress Dowager's health was no longer a problem, she even planned to secretly give her a weakening pill during the audience.

Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager was so carefree that she suffered a second stroke simply from hearing that she had become the primary consort of Prince Mu.

Tsk, the emperor really knows his own mother well, he actually summoned the Fourteenth Prince's wife to the palace to attend to him in advance.

She thought that the so-called care for the sick was just an excuse for the emperor to keep the fourteenth prince's wife in the palace, and that the emperor might want to make a move against the fourteenth prince who was far away in the imperial mausoleum.

Unexpectedly, the emperor had predicted the empress dowager's reaction.

They really are mother and son!

They understand each other well enough to know how to stab each other in the back to hurt the most.

Inside the main hall, the imperial physicians spent two quarters of an hour trying to stabilize the Empress Dowager's condition.

Although it was her second stroke, perhaps because the imperial physician arrived in time, the Empress Dowager was not paralyzed and bedridden as she had been before.

It's just that his limbs are stiffer, his speech is not as fluent as before, and he can't control his facial muscles, so he always drools.

Aside from damaging the dignity and respectability of a country's empress dowager, it's not a major problem.

Well, at least Xi Qiao doesn't think it's a big problem.

After the maidservant brought her hot tea again, Chunmao came to the side hall's warm pavilion with a complicated expression.

"This servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace."

Xi Qiao's smile froze when he saw her, and he clenched the handkerchief in his hand. With a hurt expression, he took two steps forward and helped her up: "Aunt Chunmao, please don't be so polite."

"Thank you, Madam."

Xi Qiao pursed his lips, his knuckles turning white from gripping the handkerchief too tightly.

Chunmao stepped back and stood properly according to the rules, and her line of sight took in Xi Qiao's inconspicuous little movements.

She maintained a polite smile on her face, but couldn't help but sigh in her heart. Although her childhood friend was no longer as important and wealthy as before, she was still the one she knew well at heart.

However, due to their respective positions and identities, no matter how sincere and intense their past friendship was, it could only dissipate in the future, and they would become unrelated and serve their own masters.

This cruel and hurtful fact was already destined when Consort Zhuang refused the Empress Dowager's protection and resolutely chose to become the Emperor's concubine.

Chunmao smiled and looked up at Xiqiao, saying apologetically, "Please sit down, Your Highness. The Empress Dowager has been unwell lately and has just summoned the imperial physician, so she is truly unable to see Your Highness. Please forgive her."

Xi Qiao's face immediately showed worry: "It's alright, Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance. After so long, why hasn't the Empress Dowager recovered yet?"

"Thank you for your concern, Madam. However, the temperature has dropped sharply recently, and the Empress Dowager's illness has not yet healed, which has made the condition more serious."

After Chunmao finished speaking, she added, "However, the Empress Dowager cares about you, my lady, and prepared a gift for you long ago. The Empress Dowager said that although she was unable to accept your tea due to illness, she could not refuse this gift. Please accept it, my lady."

She clapped her hands towards the outside, and four young palace maids carrying trays filed in.

Xi Qiao glanced at it only once before curtsying towards the main hall: "This humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your generous reward."

After getting up, she didn't even look at these things. Instead, she took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Chunmao: "This is a letter from Granny Sun to the Empress Dowager. Please pass it on, Aunt."

Chunmao nodded and accepted the document: "Don't worry, Madam, I will definitely present it to the Empress Dowager. However..."

Chunmao looked at her, a hint of struggle on her face. After a couple of breaths, she looked around rather improperly and asked with concern, "Chunrong, can you tell me what exactly happened?"

Xi Qiao's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and large tears rolled down her cheeks like broken beads.

As she wept, she tightly covered her mouth with the handkerchief in her hand, afraid that she would let out a single sob.

"Springtime Beauty~"

Chunmao felt terrible. She had known Chunrong for nearly fourteen years and rarely saw her shed tears. Even when being punished, Chunrong would never easily shed tears unless the pain was unbearable.

The last time was because Consort Zhuang defied the Empress Dowager's wishes, disregarding her elder sister Chunrong's situation, and insisted on climbing into the Emperor's bed.

Xi Qiao didn't want to shed so many tears, but she pinched herself so hard that she couldn't control herself for a moment.

Once the pain subsided, her tears slowly stopped.

She hurriedly wiped her tears from her face, then turned to look at Chunmao with reddened eyes, her expression stubborn yet tinged with a hint of sorrow, and asked Chunmao:

"Whom are you asking this on behalf of? Yourself, or the Empress Dowager?"

Her voice still carried the hoarseness of crying, and her watery, red eyes held a complex, unfathomable allure.

Chunmao paused for a moment, then said, "So what if it's me? So what if it's the Empress Dowager?"

Xi Qiao smiled sadly: "I understand what you mean, Aunt. Please tell the Empress Dowager that Consort Zhuang and I did indeed act according to Granny Sun's instructions that day."

Yes, this word is used in a very interesting way.

"After hearing this, the Emperor was furious. In front of the entire palace, he raged and sternly questioned the Consort about whether she intended to deceive the Emperor. The Consort was terrified."

As he spoke, Xi Qiao's eyes showed a look of heartache: "His Majesty has always treated the young lady very well. That was the first time His Majesty spoke harshly to the young lady and even brought up the crime of deceiving the emperor."

"I had no choice but to confess, so I told the Emperor everything that Granny Sun had said, but I only said that it was Granny Sun's idea."

"After hearing this, the Emperor turned and left Zhongcui Palace. My mistress and I thought we would be punished, but the next day the Emperor actually issued an edict to bestow a marriage and gave me Granny Sun as my tutor."

That's how it is.