Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Chapter 305 Planning

Gaining two pounds in a month is a good thing.

The wet nurses and nannies who served the princess were overjoyed and all smiled as they thanked them for the reward.

However, this joy did not last long, as it was quickly dispelled by the sudden outbreak of an epidemic in the capital.

Xi Qiao had made preparations in advance. The Prince's mansion had stockpiled a lot of medicinal herbs and quicklime and other epidemic prevention supplies in its storerooms. The mansion survived the epidemic without any major incident.

But Consort An in the palace is gone.

They died not from the epidemic, but from the disease itself.

Her body had been thoroughly damaged by the jewelry and ornaments containing a secret medicine that harmed blood and qi, given to her by the Empress Dowager. Later, she received special care from the Imperial Noble Consort. Her body was already in a state of disrepair, and a sudden cold snap in spring took her away.

The emperor, mindful of their past relationship, posthumously conferred upon her the title of Consort An.

The loss of an unfavored concubine in the palace had little impact; in fact, the news of Consort Tian's pregnancy didn't even cause a ripple.

When Consort Tian became pregnant, the Fucha clan and even their in-laws were incredibly excited, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

The court officials who had been criticizing Nian Gengyao for delaying the war all became a little more restrained – they were all distant relatives!

Moreover, the Emperor only has a few princes. One of them, who was quite ambitious, died before the New Year. Of the three remaining princes, the eldest is dull-witted, the middle one has been neglected and abandoned in the Yuanmingyuan Garden, and the youngest is only half a year old and has no power behind him.

If Consort Tian could give birth to a prince, then...

The ministers' scheming minds began to swirl.

In Yikun Palace, after playing with her beloved daughter for a while and then putting her to sleep, the Imperial Noble Consort received two messages from different people, but with almost the same meaning.

One of her reasons was that the Nian family told her not to act rashly, and that she must not arouse the emperor's suspicion because of Consort Tian and the child in her womb.

One was that Xi Qiao asked her to be lenient and not make things difficult for Consort Tian.

The Imperial Noble Consort sat on the heated kang, frowning in confusion as she complained to Zhou Ninghai and Songzhi, "I wanted to take action against Consort Tian, ​​wasn't it all to ensure the Sixth Prince's position? Why are the family and Lady Yu telling me not to do it?"

Zhou Ninghai couldn't figure it out either, but it didn't matter, someone else understood: "Your Highness, how about I send someone to invite Consort Jin over?"

The Imperial Noble Consort immediately said to go quickly.

Consort Jin arrived quickly, and upon hearing the Imperial Noble Consort's words, her heart skipped a beat:

"Your Majesty! Don't you know what's going on in the palace these days? In the past month, the Emperor has cleaned the palace three times. Not to mention those nails from before, even the people in our palace are probably terrified."

"Besides, there are only a few concubines in the palace, so it's not easy to frame someone."

The Empress was confined to Jingren Palace and could not leave. The servants around her were all sent by the Emperor.

High-ranking concubines: Imperial Noble Consort, Consort Qi, Consort Zhuang, and Consort Jing.

In the middle are the four concubines: her, Consort Xin, Consort Zhao, and Consort Yu, who was in the Yuanmingyuan Garden.

The following are Consort Hui, Consort Chun, and Lady Yun.

“You, Consort Zhuang, Consort Jing, and I are all in the same boat. Consort Xin is also halfway on our boat. Consort Qi is dull and brainless, Consort Zhao is still injured, and Consort Yu is far away at Yuanmingyuan. None of them can do anything.”

"Consort Hui is indifferent to worldly affairs and lives her own life behind closed doors. Consort Chun is eager to win the emperor's favor, but with her methods, who would believe she would want to harm Consort Tian?"

"Furthermore, Consort Yun, I heard that in order to comfort her, His Majesty allowed the youngest daughter of the Zhen family to stay at Chengqian Palace for a short time. Moreover, given her age, she would never do anything to harm the imperial heir out of jealousy or to compete for favor."

Cao Qinmo was truly exhausted: "Most importantly, the Emperor is in his prime, and it is impossible for the palace not to have other imperial heirs in the future. This year is also the year of the imperial selection, and the palace will definitely have to admit another batch of beautiful and well-bred young women."

"The Fuca clan behind Consort Tian is indeed powerful and could very well become an obstacle for us in the future. However, the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners are not limited to the Fuca clan alone; there are also more powerful clans such as the Niohuru and Guarjia clans."

"But Consort Tian is simple-minded and easily manipulated. She is just a carbon copy of Consort Qi. Even if a prince is born from such a person, he may not be as smart as the Third Prince."

"A concubine and prince of such low intelligence and noble lineage would be an extremely useful tool, capable of clearing away other, more difficult obstacles for us!"

The Imperial Noble Consort's pupils trembled: "Using one wolf to devour another!"

Consort Jin nodded. Actually, there was another reason she didn't mention: the Emperor's suspicion.

If no child is born in the palace during the time when the Imperial Noble Consort is in charge of the harem, the emperor will inevitably become suspicious and suspicious.

If things go wrong, it might backfire and ruin the current excellent situation.

There are two vacancies for Imperial Concubines, one vacancies for the Four Concubines, and four more concubines below them.

The next time there is a grand conferment of titles, Consort Zhuang and Consort Qi are very likely to be promoted to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort, while Consort Yu, Consort Xin, and she may also become Imperial Consorts.

Whether she holds the title of Consort or not is irrelevant to her. However, if her Wenyi is only the daughter of a Concubine, she will be inferior to her sisters. The servants in the palace will fawn over the powerful and the powerful families outside will always be snobbish.

How could she let Wenyi suffer such injustice!

However, it was unlikely that she could become a concubine on her own merits, so she could only rely on the position of Imperial Noble Consort.

Around the Lantern Festival, news came from the front lines that General Nian had been wounded in the lungs while capturing the enemy leader. He could no longer fight on the battlefield, and even riding a horse to practice martial arts would be dangerous for him.

General Nian made great contributions in pacifying the Northwest, but this battle also ruined his health. Disheartened, he submitted his resignation to the emperor, requesting to return to his hometown of Huaiyuan to live out his days.

The Nian family voluntarily relinquished their military power, which inevitably lessened the Emperor's suspicion of them, and consequently led to a greater warmer and more affectionate treatment of the Imperial Noble Consort.

Lately, he's been coming to Yikun Palace every few days.

In this situation, as long as the Imperial Noble Consort can stabilize the situation, given time, the Emperor will surely favor the Imperial Noble Consort's faction, and at that time, the position of Consort will not be out of reach.

In late February, General Nian finally returned to the capital in triumph.

In the imperial court, the emperor bestowed lavish rewards upon Nian Gengyao, but after expressing his gratitude, Nian Gengyao politely declined them all, saying that he was seriously injured and his body was useless, and he could no longer serve the emperor faithfully. He was also saddened by the sight of the emperor and wanted to return to his hometown to live out his days.

The emperor was deeply moved and tried to persuade Nian Gengyao to stay, but Nian Gengyao only accepted the title of Duke of Dingguo.

After the court assembly, the emperor kept Nian Gengyao at the palace for a meal, firstly so that the imperial physician could treat his injuries, and secondly so that he could meet with the Imperial Noble Consort and her daughter.

The three women had different thoughts during the meal. The Imperial Noble Consort was naturally happy to see her brother who loved her the most, but she couldn't help but feel resentment when she saw that her brother couldn't even drink alcohol anymore.

If it weren't for the emperor's suspicion, why would her brother have gone to such lengths?

Nian Gengyao also felt aggrieved, but there was nothing they could do.