Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

"If something goes wrong, then he can only blame bad luck and the heavens for not protecting him."

With elixirs to strengthen the body and the power of life to protect him, if he still cannot survive smallpox, then Hongxi will certainly not have the destiny to ascend to the throne.

If that's really the case...

"Your Majesty is still young. If you hurry up and get pregnant again, you can still preserve our sisters' wealth and honor, and all the things I have worked so hard to plan will not be in vain. There will still be a chance."

Anlu was slightly shocked, but then she thought that made sense. Their wives were destined for great things, and their wisdom and skills were far beyond what ordinary people could match!

If Prince Hongxi doesn't survive, it only means that his fate is not good enough, not strong enough, and not worthy of the painstaking planning and management that his wives have put into him.

This will allow Consort Zhuang to seize the time to conceive again and give birth to a smart and resilient prince for their wife.

"Your Majesty's thinking is indeed thorough. In my humble opinion, regardless of whether the Sixth Prince can pull through this time, it would be safest for Your Majesty to conceive again as soon as possible. Even if it's not a prince, it would be good to have a princess by your side."

“Now we have Princess Shou’an in our household, and there are several other princesses of the same age in the palace. Even if we were to care for the children, it wouldn’t be the Empress’s turn.”

Consort Zhuang has always been favored by the emperor, and her health is generally good, so it wouldn't be difficult for her to become pregnant again.

Xi Qiao twitched her lips but didn't speak. She was 90% confident in protecting Hongxi, but she couldn't guarantee that she could treat everyone equally.

She could give Hongxi many things: connections, influence, high expectations, guidance, and so on—things that she could never give to a second child.

Firstly, because what she possesses is too limited.

Secondly, because there was only one throne.

You might try to deceive or evade the issue, but children are only young and inexperienced; they are not stupid.

As time goes by, they will grow up, understand many things, notice subtle differences, and see through the meaning behind these differences.

The wise man's last words were: "It is not scarcity that is to be feared, but inequality."

In the future, Hongxi may not like the fate and power she imposed on him, and may also yearn for pure and genuine family affection and love, just like the emperor.

Perhaps he would secretly resent her and Yu Ying'er for using him as a tool to gain power and wealth, and he would rebel and turn against them.

After all, she and Yu Ying'er did use him as a tool to some extent.

Xi Qiao has never denied this, nor has he tried to explain it.

Under the imperial system, if you wanted to live with dignity and freedom, you had to use everything you could to climb the social ladder.

She and Yu Ying'er still had choices, but Hongxi absolutely had no choice.

Hongxi was the emperor's youngest son, but Yu Ying'er's eldest son.

He cannot escape the circle of power and the struggle for succession.

However, Yu Ying'er's youngest son is allowed.

Because Hongxi was already there to support him, he didn't need to work so hard or struggle anymore. He could just grow up safely under the protection of his older brother and birth mother.

But who says a second son can't be ambitious?

The emperor and the fourteenth prince serve as a cautionary tale.

Humans spend their entire lives seeking what they could not obtain in their childhood.

Hongxi's childhood could not have been filled with only warmth, and Yu Ying'er's non-existent second son could not have received the expectations and hopes they placed on him.

This child is very likely to be treated like a mascot, spoiled, pampered, raised to be innocent and straightforward, and deprived of the possibility of competing with Hongxi.

Even if, as An Lu said, Yu Ying'er's second child is a lovely little princess, it is unlikely that she will be sent to Fumeng.

However, given the Qing Dynasty's abnormal social system and backward medical conditions, it was too dangerous for women.

So what if she's a princess?

Princesses were also required to marry, to become pregnant and have children to continue the family line, and to be subject to the constraints and suppression of traditional etiquette.

Besides, she had already gone to great lengths to protect Yu Ying'er and Hong Xi, and didn't want to cause herself any more trouble.

"My lady? Did I misspoke?"

Seeing that Xi Qiao remained silent, An Lu asked her somewhat uneasily.

Xi Qiao shook his head: "Your idea is good, but you've overlooked the risks of pregnancy and childbirth for women. Unless Hongxi doesn't make it through, Her Majesty won't risk getting pregnant again."

Yu Ying'er's bath powder contained musk.

Yu Ying'er knew about this, and so did Qingzhu and Xiaolezi.

However, not being actually pregnant does not mean that faking a pregnancy is impossible.

At the Yuanmingyuan Garden, the emperor was enjoying himself with his concubines and children.

Xia Zi, with a bitter face, cautiously slipped to Su Peisheng's side and whispered something.

He was referring to nothing other than the news that the wife of Prince Mu had contracted smallpox.

Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng almost lost his composure. Smallpox! It was smallpox!

He turned to Xiao Xiazi with anxious eyes and asked in a low voice, "What happened? Is it just the Fujin who got smallpox, or are there others with her?"

Xia Zi was also anxious. Yesterday, when he accompanied the imperial entourage to Anlan Garden, he and Xiao Lin Zi chatted for quite a while with their arms around each other's shoulders!

“I don’t know the specifics either, but I’ve already sent someone to investigate. Master, the Prince’s residence often sends things to Anlan Garden, and the Emperor even stayed there yesterday…”

Xiao Xiazi didn't dare to say what came next, but only said, "Master, I have already sent someone to invite the imperial physician. Do you think we should have the imperial physician take the emperor's pulse first?"

Although the Princess Consort of Prince Mu's Mansion was only diagnosed with smallpox today, smallpox is a deadly disease that is highly contagious. What if the things sent from Prince Mu's Mansion are contaminated with it?

Su Peisheng frowned deeply: "Go quickly and see if the imperial physician has arrived. If he has, invite him in immediately. Also, have the imperial physician examine everyone in Anlan Garden. While you're at it, have them carefully inspect everything that has been sent from the Prince's residence. Don't dawdle, go quickly!"

After giving instructions to Xiao Xiazi, Su Peisheng took a deep breath, carefully stood in front of the emperor, and whispered, "Your Majesty, this servant has something important to report."

The emperor didn't turn his head, but simply gave a soft "hmm" to signal him to speak.

Although the mistress and servant made very little noise, all the concubines in the waterside pavilion looked over.

Su Peisheng glanced at the scene out of the corner of his eye and decided not to hide anything anymore, saying bluntly, "Your Majesty, this servant has just received news that the wife of Prince Mu has contracted smallpox."

Before he could finish speaking, the emperor's expression changed, and he turned to look at him abruptly. But before the emperor could ask a question, Yu Ying'er, who had been carefree and playing with the child, stood up abruptly.

Her face turned deathly pale, and her eyes widened as she stared at Su Peisheng: "Eunuch Su, what did you just say?"

Su Peisheng felt a pang of sympathy, but he didn't show it on his face. He simply repeated, "Your Majesty, the wife of Prince Mu has smallpox."

Upon hearing this devastating news again, Yu Ying'er felt dizzy and disoriented. It was as if her throat was stuffed with a lump of mud, sticky and suffocating, with a foul stench.

A strong feeling of suffocation hit her instantly.