Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Chapter 288 Killing

The news that the Empress Dowager was paralyzed and bedridden due to the self-immolation of the Fourth Prince, and that she could no longer speak, quickly spread throughout the court and the country.

When Xiao Lianzi told Xi Qiao the news, the second sacrificial ceremony had just ended, and An Lu was giving her a massage to relax.

She was actually alright and not exhausted. The ones who were really suffering were the older wives and the younger wives who were pregnant, such as Meng Jingxian, the wife of Prince Guo.

She was diagnosed with pregnancy a month and a half after Prince Guo left the capital, and now she is five months pregnant.

She is a blessed woman, but her luck was a bit bad in the original story.

Xi Qiao said she was blessed, not only because she was able to get pregnant on her wedding night, but also because she decided to make Prince Guo give up his illegitimate child when he returned to the capital for the New Year.

Prince Guo is a member of the royal family, so it would be too difficult to kill him by borrowing someone else's help, and it would also easily leave a handle for others to use against him.

So she decided to castrate him!

She had this idea on the day she was in the Yuanmingyuan, but there were too many people and too many eyes in the Yuanmingyuan, and the incident involving Prince Guo was too obvious, so the emperor would definitely suspect her.

Not worth the candle.

But things are different now; they are free outside the palace. They can easily take advantage of Prince Guo when he is alone.

She didn't even need to think about how to leave Prince Guo alone—Consort Shu was practicing at Ganlu Temple, and Prince Guo would definitely visit her when he returned to the capital.

She only needs to go to Ganlu Temple and wait.

"Furthermore, Eunuch Su sent word to this servant that Fangruo harbored resentment out of jealousy that you, the Fujin, had become a mistress, and that's why she colluded with the people of Ji'an to ruin your reputation."

But he didn't believe those words, so how could he expect his wife to believe them?

Xi Qiao gave a soft "hmm," and said, "Don't let Her Majesty know about what happened today."

I had already guessed it, so there's nothing surprising about it.

The only pity was that she had too few people. If she had noticed Fang Ruo and the Empress Dowager's plan earlier, she could have made better use of it.

They would simply mix things up, give the muscle relaxant to Princess Consort Guo Luoluo of Prince Lian, and then let the Nian family or the Tongjia family barge into the room...

It doesn't have to be anything in reality, just something that's annoying enough.

This would not only prevent the Guo Luo Luo clan from becoming arrogant, but also create a rift between Prince Lian and them.

Although she was wicked, she wasn't exactly a kind person either.

Guo Luoluo made things difficult for her, so how could she be blamed for having bad intentions?

What a pity, what a pity.

She turned to look at Anlu and said, "Please remember to prepare a separate gift for Prince Heng's wife when we visit the Prince Heng's residence during the New Year holidays."

"Yes, what about the Prince Lian's residence? Should we reduce the amount accordingly?"

Anlu still harbors resentment towards the wife of Prince Lian.

Xi Qiao changed his posture: "No need. They're just inanimate objects. It's not worth giving others the impression that I'm petty."

Today, Guo Luoluo's commotion has saved her a lot of trouble. There will be no shortage of people in the imperial clan who have also suffered from Guo Luoluo's mistreatment, and it is only natural for them to share a common hatred.

"From today onwards, whenever an invitation is sent to our residence, remember to ask which families are among the invitees."

As long as she skips two banquets where Guo Luoluo is present, her intentions will be conveyed.

An Lu smiled and said, "Yes, don't worry, I will make the arrangements."

As soon as Xi Qiao returned to his residence after the day's mourning gathering ended, he heard that Prince Lian's residence had sent an apology gift.

"It was personally delivered by the chief secretary of Prince Lian's residence. He said that Prince Lian originally intended to come to apologize to you in person, but because you are a widow, he was afraid that gossip would spread against you, so he prepared a generous gift and had him deliver it on behalf of Prince Lian."

Xi Qiao: ...

What a thoughtful and considerate Eighth Prince!

If she hadn't known that this Eighth Prince was not virtuous, she would have been able to develop a liking for him.

These days, it's rare to see a man apologizing to someone on behalf of his wife.

No wonder everyone in the capital knew that Prince Lian loved his primary wife dearly.

If this person wasn't someone you truly cherished, why would you be willing to set aside your pride for her?

In other families, if the primary wife makes a mistake, she will immediately suffer a series of consequences: loss of favor, loss of power, and confinement.

"Keep it. When you give it as a gift later, add an extra ten percent."

Whether or not to forgive is another matter, but one cannot be impolite.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the emperor looked at the memorial handed to him by Longkodo on his desk, his expression quite fascinating.

This memorial was submitted after the Empress Dowager suffered a stroke and was unable to move or speak.

He originally thought it was Longkodo's concern and greetings to the Empress Dowager, but he never expected it to be evidence of corruption by various bondservant families in the Imperial Household Department over the years.

Among them, the Wuya family is the most prominent.

According to Longkodo's investigation, the amount of gold and silver he embezzled this year alone was a staggering one million.

One year, millions, gold and silver.

For a moment, the emperor found these words to be completely unfamiliar.

The Xia family was able to borrow manpower from various bondservant families to assassinate Consort Wan because they knew this and used it as a threat.

"Be bold!"

The national treasury is empty, all because of these corrupt officials!

The emperor roared, "Guards! Summon the Commander of the Nine Gates, the Commander of the Infantry, the Commander of the Eight Banners, the Minister of Revenue, and the Minister of War to the palace for an audience immediately!"

Before the Lunar New Year, a terrifying storm swept through Beijing.

Many families of bondservants were thoroughly investigated, imprisoned, and had their homes confiscated.

In the freezing cold, boxes of gold, silver, jewelry, jade, rare treasures, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings were searched, registered, and presented to the emperor.

The emperor was perhaps furious, or perhaps he was desperate for money. He showed no mercy and left no room for leniency. Anyone found to have any signs of corruption, regardless of their official rank or how close they were to his relatives, had their property confiscated.

His actions were swift and ruthless, and even the most powerful and resourceful bond families were powerless to stop him.

The Uya clan still wanted to resist by relying on the emperor's maternal family status, but the emperor had anticipated this and sent Su Peisheng to take charge.

Having received the emperor's hint, Su Peisheng naturally did not hesitate. He immediately ordered his guards to seize the loudest member of the Uya clan and execute him on the spot for disobeying the imperial edict.

With a spurt of blood, a head fell to the ground with a thud, rolled two and a half times, and then stared wide-eyed at his still-living clansmen in terror.

"Ah—murder!"