Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

On the day of the audience with the emperor, Yu Ying'er took Qingzhu to Jingren Palace, while Xi Qiao stayed at Zhongcui Palace to keep watch.

When Yu Ying'er arrived at Jingren Palace, the newlyweds were already lined up, waiting for the Empress to receive them.

She stepped down from the sedan chair, and the palace maids and eunuchs of Jingren Palace bowed and greeted, "Greetings, Noble Lady Zhuang."

The newlyweds perked up immediately upon hearing this.

They had heard of Consort Zhuang before entering the palace.

Although she was born into a lowly palace maid, her status was extremely humble and lowly.

But she was lucky; she became pregnant with the emperor's child after only a few months of being favored. Now she is not only a noble lady with a title but also the only pregnant woman in the palace, and is deeply cared for by the Empress Dowager, the emperor, and the empress.

If she gives birth to a prince after October, she'll be guaranteed a concubine's position!

So every single one of the newlyweds secretly glanced at Yu Ying'er, only to see that the newcomer was dressed in...

Her fair and jade-like skin, slender and dark crescent-shaped eyebrows, crystal-clear almond-shaped eyes, and delicate and petite nose were all exquisite and delicate.

Just like a jade figure that has been carefully sculpted, it has a kind of magnificence that others cannot match when viewed from afar.

With such beauty, it's no wonder she was promoted from a palace maid to a noble lady in just a few months.

The newlyweds felt a pang of anxiety. With such a favored concubine around, what about them...?

Even someone as beautiful as Zhen Huan couldn't help but clench her handkerchief when she saw Yu Ying'er. Aunt Fangruo once said that this Consort Zhuang came from the Empress Dowager's palace.

Although she was a lowly bondservant, the Empress Dowager's care and support made her better than anything else.

She had always firmly believed that if one used one's beauty to please others, then love would fade when beauty faded. But now that she had seen how beautiful Consort Zhuang was, she knew in her heart that this woman would not fall out of favor anytime soon, especially since she was pregnant.

Zhen Huan's gaze shifted downwards and landed on Yu Ying'er's lower abdomen.

Others may not know, but Aunt Fangruo once told her privately that this was not Consort Zhuang's first pregnancy. She had been pregnant before, but miscarried due to the machinations of the late emperor's concubines. The Empress Dowager and the emperor took pity on her and thus promoted her rank.

Perhaps because of the first child she had lost, the Empress Dowager paid special attention to this pregnancy and even assigned her head maid to take care of her.

Zhen Huan withdrew her gaze, a multitude of thoughts surging through her mind.

Unlike Zhen Huan, the others didn't have their minds racing. They were just filled with relief, thank goodness, this woman was pregnant and couldn't serve the emperor!

Completely unaware of the thoughts in the hearts of the newlyweds, Yu Ying'er slowly stepped forward and walked gracefully toward the main hall of Jingren Palace. As she passed the lined-up newlyweds, she glanced at them casually and happened to see Zhen Huan right next to her.

For some reason, a feeling of disgust suddenly welled up in her heart, a disgust that made her want to scratch the other person's face and tear out their hair.

Yu Ying'er was stunned. She had never seen this person before, had she?

When she came to her senses, Qingzhu had already helped her to the threshold of the main hall. "Be careful, Your Excellency."

Yu Ying'er hurriedly stepped over the threshold.

Everyone except Consort Hua had arrived in the main hall.

Yu Ying'er absentmindedly bowed and greeted Consort Qi and Consort Li before sitting down in her seat.

Soon the Empress came out, and after exchanging greetings and inquiries, she displeasedly ordered the newlyweds to be summoned into the hall to perform the grand ceremony.

As the plot suggests, Consort Hua arrived late. When the new concubines paid their respects, she used her jade earrings to give them a hard time before calling out the names of Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan.

Yu Ying'er pretended to drink tea, and under the cover of the teacup, she looked Zhen Huan, who was kneeling in front of Consort Hua, up and down. So this person was Wan Changzai from Suiyu Pavilion!

Meanwhile, Consort Hua snorted coldly and seized upon Zhen Huan, a mere Han Bannerwoman, to make a big fuss about her standing in front of the Mongol and Manchu Banner ladies.

"The Zhen family is truly well-mannered. It's one thing for their daughter to be uncouth, ignorant, and ignorant of manners, but she even openly despises the Manchus and Mongols, attempting to shake the foundations of our Great Qing Dynasty! She has reversed the hierarchy of Manchus, Mongols, and Han, placing the mere Han bannermen above the Manchus and Mongols!"

Consort Hua was furious and slammed her hand on the coffee table beside her. "Does your Zhen family intend to rebel?!"

Zhen Huan was immediately terrified, her face turning deathly pale. Leaving aside her anger and regret, her mind raced as she searched for a way out of the predicament.

Regardless of the circumstances, this label of despising Manchuria and Mongolia and undermining the foundation of the nation must not be pinned on her and the Zhen family.

For a moment, you could hear a pin drop in Jingren Palace. My goodness, Consort Hua is really something else. If this charge is proven, not only will Consort Wan be ruined, but the Zhen family will also be dismissed from their posts, have their property confiscated, and be exiled.

On the main seat, Empress Yixiu's eyes flashed with a smile. Good, good, Consort Hua has indeed gone against Zhen!

After today's events, even without her secret intervention, Zhen Shi will surely hate Consort Hua to the core.

Yu Ying'er, who was sitting below, shared a similar sentiment with the Empress.

Upon hearing Consort Hua accuse her sister of such a heinous crime right off the bat, Shen Meizhuang was immediately filled with anxiety and hurriedly tried to defend her: "Your Highness Consort Hua..."

However, before she could finish speaking, Zhen Huan grabbed her sleeve and cut her off, saying, "Your Highness, Consort Hua, please allow me to speak."

Zhen Huan knelt upright before Consort Hua, glancing slightly at the palace maid standing inside the gate. When she looked up again, she tried her best to suppress the resentment in her eyes and revealed a look of fear.

"This is my first time meeting Her Majesty the Empress and my sisters. I have been feeling anxious and uneasy since this morning. When I arrived at Jingren Palace, my mind was so confused that I couldn't tell what was in front of me. So when a palace maid led me to my place, I was just happy and didn't think too much about it."

Consort Hua looked at the Empress with a playful expression, ignoring Zhen Huan.

The Empress, who was about to speak up to help Zhen Huan, froze, her eyes filled with a terrifying darkness as she stared at Zhen Huan's small face, which bore an eight-tenths resemblance to the late Empress Chun Yuan.

Consort Hua watched the Empress's changing expression with great interest. After fighting with this old woman for so many years, this was the first time she had ever seen the old woman so emotionally expressive!

"Your Majesty, is what Consort Wan said true?"

Her eyes were filled with wicked amusement as she looked at the Empress. Before the Empress could explain, she continued, "However, I think Consort Wan wouldn't dare to openly slander the Mother of the Nation. I just wonder, how did the Manchu and Mongol Banners offend you?"

"It's outrageous that you, the Empress, would personally intervene, using a mere Consort Zhen to inflict such humiliation and insult on them. Consort Wan and her family are pitiful; they've been used as pawns by you for no reason. If things go wrong, they might even lose their lives, and then they won't even know where to seek justice."

The Empress was so enraged by Consort Hua's barrage of insults that her face turned ashen. She slammed her hand hard on the armrest of her phoenix chair and shouted at Consort Hua, "Enough, Consort Hua! How dare you spout such nonsense in Jingren Palace!"

The Empress's unusually harsh words startled the concubines in the hall, especially Yu Ying'er, who was engrossed in watching the play and almost dropped her teacup.

She was somewhat speechless, her eyes glancing at Consort Hua, then secretly at the Empress, and finally settling on Zhen Huan.

It's such a pity. I thought Consort Hua could get rid of Zhen, whom she despised, all by herself.

Unexpectedly, Consort Hua was just a paper tiger.