Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

To prevent the two from having any bad intentions, Xi Qiao personally kept watch over them, spreading out her spiritual power to envelop them, ensuring that no small movement of theirs could escape her perception.

Fortunately, neither of them is a problem.

Yu Ying'er was well-trained and had the natural childbirth pills given to her by Xi Qiao, so it was almost a truly painless delivery. In about ten minutes, the baby was born safely.

As dawn broke and the sun began to rise, a loud cry of a newborn baby came from the rear hall of Zhongcui Palace.

The midwife happily carried the prince out to announce the good news to the Empress, "Congratulations, Your Majesty and Empress! The Consort has given birth to a son, and both mother and child are safe and sound."

The emperor was first surprised, then delighted. "Excellent! Reward them! Su Peisheng will be rewarded, everyone will be rewarded! A generous reward!"

The Empress glanced at the delivery room, a flash of coldness in her eyes, then smiled and said to the Emperor beside her, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the birth of another son. The Sixth Prince is very healthy."

The Emperor laughed heartily, "The Empress is also delighted! Consort Zhuang is a good person and deserves a reward!"

At this moment, Consort Hua finally arrived at Zhongcui Palace.

Supporting her already showing belly, she ascended the steps with the help of Songzhi and Zhou Ninghai. "Your Majesty and Empress, I congratulate Your Majesty on the birth of your son."

The Emperor helped her up, "My beloved concubine, why have you come? Didn't I tell you to rest well in the palace?"

Consort Hua smiled warmly, "Your Majesty was worried about Sister Zhuang, so I came to check on her. I didn't expect the Sixth Prince to be so concerned about his mother and come out so quickly. I think I just heard His Majesty say that he wanted to reward Consort Zhuang. I wonder if His Majesty has decided how to reward her?"

The emperor pondered for a moment, then said, “Consort Zhuang has rendered meritorious service by giving birth to a son, so let her be promoted to the rank of Consort and given the principal position in Zhongcui Palace.”

The Empress's smile froze. "Your Majesty, Consort Zhuang is still young. Consort Xin, Consort Cao, and others have also given birth but have not yet been promoted to the rank of Consort. Now Consort Zhuang has surpassed them to be promoted to Consort. Is this perhaps..."

Before the Empress could finish speaking, Consort Hua interrupted, "Your Majesty's words are utterly unreasonable. The Sixth Prince is the Emperor's first son after his ascension to the throne, which is an auspicious sign."

"Furthermore, the royal family values ​​princes above all else. Consort Zhuang has rendered meritorious service by giving birth to a son and should be promoted. Why does Your Majesty intend to stop her from being promoted to the rank of Consort? Could it be that you want to take the Sixth Prince to Jingren Palace?"

The Empress's face darkened. "Consort Hua is overthinking it. I had no such thoughts. As the mistress of the harem, it is my duty to take care of the concubines. It is a fact that Consort Cao, Consort Xin, and Consort Zhuang are pregnant and have given birth to a daughter."

Consort Hua scoffed, "Since the Empress is thinking of them, why not promote Consort Xin and Consort Cao to the rank of Consort as well? There are only two Consorts in the palace right now, Consort Li and Consort Jing. They are both the birth mothers of princesses and are veterans who came from the Prince's residence. Are they not worthy of a Consort rank?"

How could the Empress possibly agree? Of course she wouldn't.

Consort Hua was pleased. She looked at the Emperor and said, "The princess is also of imperial blood. If her birth mother is of low rank, the princess will lose face. The servants might mistreat the princess."

"Furthermore, according to the rules, the harem can have six concubines. Even adding Consort Cao and Consort Xin would not exceed the limit. What does Your Majesty think?"

The Emperor thought for a moment and said, “Consort Hua’s words are polite. In that case, Consort Cao and Consort Xin shall be promoted to the rank of Consort. Once Consort Zhuang has finished her confinement period, the three of them shall go together for the investiture ceremony.”

Consort Cao and Consort Xin were overjoyed and immediately knelt down to express their gratitude.

The Empress was so angry that her face turned pale, but she still forced a smile.

It's undeniable that he felt incredibly frustrated.

After Xi Qiao thanked the emperor on behalf of Yu Ying'er, he had Xiao Lezi drag out the problematic midwife. The emperor was furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation.

As for the results of this investigation, they naturally came to nothing.

In the delivery room, Yu Ying'er was in good spirits. As soon as Xi Qiao entered, carrying the Sixth Prince wrapped in swaddling clothes, she looked at Xi Qiao with bright eyes and said, "Sister, I think I heard the Emperor say that he wants to promote me to the rank of Consort!"

Xi Qiao stepped forward and placed the Sixth Prince beside her, looking at her with some helplessness, "Is that all you care about? Luckily, our Sixth Prince is still young."

Yu Ying'er grabbed her sleeve and acted coquettishly, "Sixth Prince will definitely be fine with his older sister taking care of him, but his rank as a concubine is another matter. That old woman, the Empress, is vicious, cunning, and petty. She'll definitely stop the Emperor from promoting me!"

Xi Qiao gave her a reproachful look, "You're so outspoken. Some things are better left unsaid; keep them to yourself."

"Rest assured, His Majesty has already informed the six palaces that you have been promoted to the rank of Consort. At the same time, Consort Cao and Consort Xin have also been promoted. They will just wait for you to finish your postpartum confinement period before holding the investiture ceremony together."

Yu Ying'er was so excited she almost jumped off the bed, but Xi Qiao grabbed her and held her down. "Alright, alright, calm down. You just gave birth. If you don't want to be dragged out like a monster, behave yourself."

As expected of the system's product, the Smooth Childbirth Pill made Yu Ying'er feel much better after giving birth. Not only was the delivery painless, it was also quick, and she was full of energy afterward, not at all like a woman who was in postpartum confinement.

Yu Ying'er sat up with a grin and nestled against Xi Qiao's shoulder. "I'm not afraid at all. With my sister here, I just need to eat well, drink well, and sleep well."

With her older sister around, she is the happiest person in the world.

Xi Qiao wanted to teach her to be more shrewd and ambitious, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

She sighed silently to herself, then belatedly realized a problem: she seemed to have spoiled Yu Ying'er.

But now is not the time to correct it!

She's a young woman who just gave birth!

If we let her be more independent at this time, what if Yu Ying'er has the wrong idea and thinks that her trusted sister doesn't care about her anymore and only treats her as a tool to give birth to princes, and thus suffers from postpartum depression?

Ugh……

Xi Qiao sighed again. After all, he had taken care of her for so long, so he had developed feelings for her.

She glanced down at the Sixth Prince, who was blowing bubbles.

Well, if it's ruined, so be it.

Isn't there a ready-made successor?

With proper upbringing, the Sixth Prince will be able to protect Yu Ying'er in the future.

The sixth prince's third-day celebration was a grand affair, with all members of the royal family among the invited guests.

Fortunately, the capital city wasn't particularly hot in May, so Yu Ying'er didn't suffer much during her postpartum confinement. Although her body didn't require postpartum confinement, she still had to maintain her appearance. Staying cooped up in the house for a month would be uncomfortable for anyone.

Because Yu Ying'er became a proper concubine and the Sixth Prince was taking care of her, Zhongcui Palace was no longer as deserted as it used to be.

The Imperial Household Department dared not neglect the people of Zhongcui Palace, and would occasionally send them gifts beyond their usual allowance. For a time, Zhongcui Palace's status in the hearts of the palace servants was almost on par with Yikun Palace.