Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Yikun Palace.

Su Peisheng personally came to tell Consort Hua the Emperor's decree to punish the Qi family: "His Majesty loves Your Highness. After investigating the truth, he immediately demoted the Qi family to commoners and ordered them to commit suicide. All members of the Qi family within five degrees of kinship are to be dismissed from their posts, have their property confiscated, and be exiled. Their descendants are not allowed to hold office for three generations."

"In addition, His Majesty has opened his private treasury and ordered his servants to send over a number of valuable gold and jade ornaments, jewelry, and items for the mother's health and well-being. I urge Your Majesty to take care of yourself and the prince in your womb, and not to be troubled by such unworthy people."

A hint of mockery flashed in Consort Hua's eyes, but she smiled and said, "I understand His Majesty's intentions. Thank you for making this trip, Eunuch Su. Zhou Ninghai—"

Zhou Ninghai immediately presented a thin purse: "Brother Su, this is a token of our Empress's affection."

Su Peisheng accepted it with a beaming smile, "Oh, this servant thanks Your Majesty for the generous reward. Your Majesty has been blessed with many happy events lately, and this servant is too kind as to share in your joy."

The coldness in Consort Hua's eyes melted away; those words were indeed true.

After Su Peisheng left, Songzhi and Zhou Ninghai helped her sit down on either side. Songzhi glanced at the piles of gifts in the hall and asked, "Your Majesty, shall we ask Aunt Qingshuang to take a look at these things and see if there are any problems?"

Consort Hua waved her hand lazily, "No need. Open a new storeroom and stuff all these things into it untouched. All other items sent to our Yikun Palace from now on shall be handled in the same way."

It would be best if Qing Shuang didn't come to Yikun Palace. The Nian family had noticed the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's actions the other day, but they simply chose not to pay attention.

She, Nian Shilan, and the Nian family are not pushovers. Let's wait for her eldest and second eldest brothers to return to the capital before making any decisions!

but--

"Find someone clever to go and check on Yanqing Palace."

Consort Hua stroked her lower abdomen, feeling a pang of regret that she couldn't witness the fate of that vile woman, Qi Yuebin.

In Yanqing Palace, Consort Duan, who had been feigning illness, was now truly ill. Her face was haggard and pale, with dark circles under her eyes and her lips cracked and peeling. She sat slumped on the ground in her nightgown, and in front of her was Xiazi, who was holding a white silk ribbon, a dagger, and poisoned wine.

"His Majesty has shown mercy and spared your body. Qi, make your choice." Xia Zi placed the tray in front of her.

Consort Duan—no, Lady Qi—looked at the contents of the tray and smiled sadly, tears streaming down her face. After a long while, she looked up in the direction of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and said, “In the end, it was all just me deceiving myself.”

Her gaze gradually lost focus, her eyes becoming empty and wooden. "I should have realized it sooner. How cruel, cold-hearted, and selfish must a person be to kill even his own child? I was so foolish to believe his promises."

"Ha—that man only loves himself, his power, his throne, and his empire!"

"Waaah—" Qi collapsed to the ground, wailing uncontrollably, her cries filled with anguish: "Father, Mother, Brother—it's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault—"

She cried and pounded herself with her fists.

Xiazi shuddered inexplicably upon hearing these words. The Emperor had actually killed his own child?

Xia Zi suddenly had a flash of inspiration and remembered an old story from the Prince's Mansion. Back then, when Consort Hua was still a concubine, she was pregnant, but the person in front of her gave her a bowl of medicine with safflower added to prevent miscarriage and caused her to miscarry.

Could it be...

Xia Xiazi felt a chill run down his spine, a coldness enveloping him. He quickly took a deep breath to stop the wild thoughts from running through his mind.

This is not something he should know!

The more you know, the faster you die!

Qi lay prostrate on the ground, crying and laughing hysterically, "Waaah—hahaha—I hate it so much!"

"Empress Dowager, Emperor—you are so cruel, so hateful!"

"Empress Dowager—Emperor—"

The sounds squeezed out of his throat were shrill and eerie.

Xiazi got goosebumps, fearing that Qi Shi might ramble on about some royal secrets he shouldn't know, which could endanger his life and his wealth.

He immediately picked up the poisoned wine from the tray on the ground, walked over to Qi Shi, squatted down, grabbed her chin with one hand, pried open her mouth, and forced the poisoned wine down her throat.

"Cough cough," Qi Shi let the poisoned wine be poured into her mouth, "Hua Fei—Shi Lan—Shi Lan—cough cough—"

After swallowing the poisoned wine, Qi vomited several mouthfuls of blood, her breath gradually weakened, and the light in her eyes slowly disappeared.

Once she was completely lifeless, Xia Zi cautiously checked her breathing before letting out a cold snort and returning to report, unaware that a young eunuch was hiding under the back window.

Lady Qi died.

Although she was stripped of her rank before her death, the harem remained quiet for a while after the loss of a former imperial concubine.

Even Consort Xia and Consort Li, who were always vying for the emperor's favor, dared not make a sound, and for a time Zhen Huan was the only one who received his favor.

The Empress Dowager was so preoccupied with the news of Consort Hua's pregnancy that she couldn't sleep at night, let alone have any time to pay attention to whether the Emperor was giving his favors equally.

But just then, news came from outside the palace that the chief of the Wuya clan had died of a stroke on the belly of a prostitute. The Empress Dowager almost fainted when she heard this.

The bad news didn't stop there. Members of the Ulanara clan also began to die one after another, with all sorts of bizarre and shameful deaths.

In the imperial court, officials impeached the two clans one after another. The emperor wanted to show favoritism but could not go too far. He could only punish the leaders of the two clans and dismiss them from their posts to live a life of self-cultivation.

As a result, both the Empress Dowager and the Empress fell ill.

The emperor suspected that the Nian family was behind it, but when he went to Yikun Palace to visit Consort Hua, she was still as charming and lively as ever, and would always pull him aside to talk about many things related to the children.

Faced with Consort Hua's tender and joyful eyes, the Emperor could only flee in panic each time. He also thought of the child he had aborted, a boy, his first child with Shilan.

Without Consort Hua's suppression, Zhen Huan gained favor more and more. Even though the Empress was hoping that she would get pregnant and have a child, she couldn't stand it for long and secretly had Xia Dongchun make things difficult for Zhen Huan.

In early May, as the weather grew warmer, Yu Ying'er suddenly started having an attack in the early hours of the morning.

Everything was ready in Zhongcui Palace, and the palace servants were not flustered. Yu Ying'er was taken into the prepared delivery room, but Xi Qiao stopped the two midwives outside the delivery room, saying, "Please go to the side room next door to bathe and change."

One of the old women dressed in brown-blue clothes panicked. "Auntie, the young mistress's delivery is a serious matter! If something goes wrong, I can't bear the responsibility!"

Xi Qiao looked at her with a half-smile, "Since you're afraid you can't take responsibility, then don't serve me anymore. Xiao Lezi, tie this person up and drag him away. After the young lady safely gives birth to the prince, hand him over to the emperor for disposal."

Xiao Lezi immediately led his men forward and covered the person's mouth to suppress it.

The remaining nanny was startled and hurriedly went to the side room next door. With the help of the palace maids, she washed her hair and body, changed her clothes, and was then put into the delivery room.

When I went in, there was another midwife in the delivery room whom I had never seen before. Her clothes were exactly the same as the other person's, so it was clear that she had also been taken to bathe and change clothes before coming here.