Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

As soon as Shen Meizhuang stepped out of the house, she saw An Lingrong walking towards her. She was quite moved and went to greet her, "Lingrong, why are you here at this hour? The sun is so strong, aren't you afraid of getting sunburned?"

An Lingrong was somewhat moved, but she quickly suppressed it.

"I dreamt of Sister Mei's delicious tea and snacks during my lunch break. When I woke up, I was craving them so badly that I couldn't wait any longer. Please don't blame me for coming here so abruptly, Sister Mei."

Shen Meizhuang was about to tease her a bit, but then she noticed the anxious look in her eyes and realized that this was her excuse. "You're just like a child."

As she spoke, she looked at the palace servants serving beside her, "Didn't you hear what Consort An said? Hurry up and go prepare. Sister, let's go inside and talk."

Once inside and seated, An Lingrong trembled as she clutched Shen Meizhuang's sleeve, her face deathly pale, looking utterly terrified.

"Sister An, what's wrong?" Shen Meizhuang asked, then quickly asked Caiyue to bring a cup of warm water. "Sister, drink some water and calm down."

An Lingrong timidly took the water, but her hands were still trembling, and a lot of the warm water, which was only eight-tenths full, spilled out, and her sleeves were wet in a short while.

"My lady, be careful." Juqing quickly covered her wet sleeves with a handkerchief and took the water cup from An Lingrong's hand.

Seeing her like this, Shen Meizhuang became even more worried and turned to ask Juqing, "What happened? Why did you frighten An-meimei like this?"

Juqing knelt down with a thud, glanced at An Lingrong, and seeing that she didn't stop her, she told Shen Meizhuang the secret she and An Lingrong had overheard.

"Your Highness, please allow me to report. This servant and you were in the garden when we overheard Consort Xia talking to her maid..."

She hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Shen Meizhuang before continuing, "She said that if she had known Bi would be so favored, she shouldn't have bothered to scheme for Bi to serve her in bed that day."

"They also said that although they alienated you from Consort Wan, they gave Consort Wan an even more favored helper."

After saying that, she lowered her head deeply.

Shen Meizhuang's expression shifted, and her eyes momentarily lost their focus.

It was Consort Xia!

“Sister Mei,” An Lingrong finally snapped out of her daze and tugged at Shen Meizhuang’s sleeve, “We made a commotion when we left. Xia Changzai may have discovered me and Juqing. What if she kills us to cover it up?”

As she spoke, two lines of tears streamed down her pale face. "Sister, save me. I... I don't want to die."

"Sister Mei, Sister Mei, waaaaah—"

An Lingrong cried uncontrollably.

Shen Meizhuang's face was grim, but she could only suppress her anger for the time being.

She held An Lingrong's hand and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, sister. You are the emperor's concubine. Who would dare to harm you?"

An Lingrong raised her eyes, red from crying, "But, but Consort Xia dared to scheme against even the Emperor to sow discord between my sister and Consort Zhen. I... I'm just a lowly Consort..."

Shen Meizhuang gritted her teeth and patiently comforted An Lingrong, "Lingrong, don't worry, I'm here for you. Xia's father is a bondservant captain, and the palace maids are all from bondservant families. It's not surprising that some of them are being used by the Xia family because of their power. As long as we investigate the backgrounds of the palace maids around us, we will naturally have nothing to worry about."

An Lingrong was successfully calmed by these words, but she was still uneasy: "But I..."

Shen Meizhuang patted her hand, "Leave this to me. I'm currently learning palace affairs from Her Majesty the Empress, so it'll be easy for me to investigate the backgrounds of a few palace maids."

An Lingrong was finally relieved and gave her a grateful smile, "Lingrong has troubled you again, sister."

"Why are you spouting such nonsense? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have risked eavesdropping on Xia's words and getting scared like this for nothing."

"Sister Mei..."

“Sister An…”

The two quickly reconciled and became close again.

After freshening up, An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang sat down at the table again.

An Lingrong picked up her teacup and took a big gulp. She had been crying so intensely that her mouth was now parched.

Setting down her teacup, she cautiously looked at Shen Meizhuang and asked, "Sister Mei, are you planning to tell Sister Zhen about this?"

Shen Meizhuang's expression was complicated. Although she was certain that Huanbi's affair was a scheme, Zhen Huan's cold and perfunctory attitude afterward was genuine.

She still harbored resentment, but...

Shen Meizhuang glanced at Juqing, who stood to the side with her head bowed. This palace maid was Zhen Huan's person, and if she knew, then Zhen Huan naturally knew as well.

"Since Consort Bi and Consort Wan are also victims in this matter, we should naturally tell them as well."

An Lingrong's eyes lit up. Just now, Shen Meizhuang called Zhen Huan "Noble Lady Wan"!

A subtle smile played on her lips as she asked, feigning nonchalance, "When are you going, sister?"

She was certain that, given Shen Meizhuang's proud nature, she would definitely not go.

As expected, Shen Meizhuang sighed and said, "Sister An, you may not know this, but because Huanbi caught the Emperor's eye in Xianyue Pavilion, I'm afraid Huan'er is also resenting me. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to make a trip for me."

After much deliberation, Shen Meizhuang felt that it would be more beneficial to continue maintaining a "sisterly relationship" with Zhen Huan, even if it was just a superficial friendly relationship. She still had to get back what she had given away in the past!

Shen Meizhuang had assumed An Lingrong would readily agree, but to her surprise, An Lingrong refused with a sorrowful expression, "Sister, it's not that I don't want to go, it's just that..."

She bit her lower lip lightly, her eyes red as she looked at Shen Meizhuang, "Sister, do you still remember the afternoon on the fifth day after we came to the garden, when you and Sister Zhen were enjoying the scenery in the garden?"

Shen Meizhuang was about to nod when she suddenly remembered Huanbi's presumptuous words that day. Her eyes widened. "Lingrong, you heard everything?"

On that day, while she was enjoying the scenery with Zhen Huan, Huan Bi made some outrageous remarks and used her sharp tongue to belittle Ling Rong.

An Lingrong nodded with tears in her eyes, "It wasn't that I intentionally eavesdropped, but I happened to pass by the rockery when I went to visit Consort Zhuang that day and overheard it. To tell you the truth, this wasn't the first time I'd heard what Huanbi said that day. I... I know I come from a bad background, but Huanbi... Huanbi really went too far."

Shen Meizhuang tenderly wiped away her tears. No wonder Ling Rong had hardly interacted with them lately; the root of the problem was right here.

“Lingrong, I’m sorry. When you were in a bad situation before, I couldn’t help you at all. As for Huanbi… I couldn’t stop her in time either.”

An Lingrong grasped Shen Meizhuang's hand as she wiped away her tears and shook her head. "It's not my fault, sister. I was closer to Sister Zhen. Back then, Sister Zhen was also in a bad situation. My sister's allowance and energy were limited, so it was impossible to have both. I understand."

Shen Meizhuang was moved, feeling grateful that An Lingrong was so sensible.

“I misunderstood. It’s good that my sister doesn’t go to Wutong Academy. Huanbi has become increasingly eccentric since she gained favor. She dared to belittle my sister when she was still a palace maid, and now she’s probably even more arrogant.”

"Don't worry, sister. As long as I'm here, I will never let Huanbi be so arrogant again."

Her gaze fell on Juqing standing to the side. "I remember this palace maid originally came from Huan'er's side, so let her go in place of my sister."

An Lingrong then stopped crying and started laughing. This was the reason she brought Juqing out today.

Zhen Huan is as cunning as a fox. She couldn't possibly have been unaware of her recent estrangement from them. Without a credible reason, Zhen Huan would never have truly accepted her back.

Unfortunately, when Zhen Huan was first punished by Consort Hua, Juqing had listened with her to Huanbi's complaints and belittling of her. Given Juqing's loyalty to Zhen Huan, she would always answer truthfully whenever Zhen Huan asked her a question.

As for whether Zhen Huan would ask the question?

Even if Zhen Huan didn't ask, Ju Qing, that "good servant" eager to show his loyalty, would definitely tell her on his own. Besides, there's also Huan Bi at Wutong Academy.

And things did indeed unfold exactly as An Lingrong had predicted.

When Juqing came to Wutong Academy to request an audience, Zhen Huan was copying Buddhist scriptures. She was in a bad mood, and when she heard Xiao Yunzi come in to report that Juqing was requesting an audience, her first reaction was not to see her.

But then she thought about it again. This palace maid had always been loyal to her, and An Lingrong had repeatedly competed with her for the emperor's favor, which made her very unhappy. So she decided to meet her anyway.

When Zhen Huan met Ju Qing in the side hall, after hearing Ju Qing tell her about how she and An Lingrong overheard Xia Changzai regretting plotting to get Huan Bi into the Emperor's bed, Zhen Huan's expression changed drastically, her body went limp, and she leaned against the cushions.

She wronged Sister Mei!

Huanbi rushed in, shouting, "Impossible! The Emperor clearly favors me because he likes me. How could it be that stupid Xia Shi's scheme?"

The Emperor summoned her to his bedchamber for seven consecutive days!

Juqing quickly bowed to her, "This servant greets Consort Bi."

Huanbi snorted coldly, ignoring her, and instead said to Zhen Huan, "Sister, don't believe this lowly servant's nonsense!"

She didn't understand why she was so eager to deny it, but her intuition told her that if it were true, it would be very bad for her.

Juqing was startled and knelt down with a thud. "I promise you, Your Highness, that I have not uttered a single falsehood."

Zhen Huan ignored Huan Bi and instead looked at Ju Qing, who was kneeling. She was weighing Ju Qing's words; if they were true, then...

"Get up. When did you hear Xia mention this?"

"Thank you, Your Highness," Juqing got up and stood respectfully in front of Zhen Huan. "Replying to Your Highness, it was around 1:15 AM. Miss An was feeling listless after her afternoon nap, and I overheard it while accompanying her to stroll in the garden."

Zhen Huan suddenly looked up at her, "Ling Rong heard that too?"

Juqing nodded, and without Zhen Huan asking further, she spilled the beans, recounting how An Lingrong had been frightened and run to Xianyue Pavilion to find Shen Meizhuang. Just as she was about to explain why she had come, she was interrupted by Huanbi's shrill voice.

"Sister, this vile woman is talking nonsense and absolutely cannot be believed! If that wretched woman, Madam An, really went to tell Consort Shen, then why would this vile woman be here? If anyone should be here, it should be Consort Shen!"

Juqing gave Huanbi a look that was hard to describe.

"In response to Your Highness's question, Consort Shen said that Your Highness had promised to be favored by the Emperor in the Leisure Moon Pavilion, and perhaps she had a misunderstanding about it. That's why she didn't come."

Although Huanbi's words were harsh, they were exactly what Zhen Huan wanted to ask.

She even suspected that Juqing had betrayed her, and that An Lingrong and Mei Jie had tricked her into giving up supporting Huanbi.

She lowered her eyes slightly, concealing the doubt in them. "According to what you said, Lingrong should be with Sister Mei. Knowing Sister Mei as I do, if she didn't want to come, she would definitely ask Lingrong to come."

"My lady, do you still remember what happened the day before yesterday afternoon? At that time, you took Consort and Consort Shen to stroll in the garden. Consort unintentionally said some things that belittled Consort An, which unfortunately was overheard by Consort An."

Zhen Huan was surprised; of course she remembered.

When Huanbi said those words, they were strolling by a rockery. Could Lingrong be playing in the rockery?

What a coincidence!

Zhen Huan was momentarily filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Seeing that Zhen Huan seemed not to believe her, Juqing quickly added, "Your Highness, do you remember when you were punished by Consort Hua for sending me to Consort An and had to copy the palace rules? At that time, Eunuch Zhou had just left when Consort An brought me to Suiyu Pavilion."

"There was no one on duty outside Suiyu Pavilion, so Miss An and I went straight in. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived outside your bedroom, we heard Miss An complaining."

Zhen Huan's expression changed again, and she looked at Huan Bi with a very unfriendly gaze.

Huanbi looked embarrassed, but still refused to change her mind, stubbornly raising her head and saying, "Am I wrong? The An family comes from a humble background and is not respectable!"

"Shut up!" Zhen Huan was furious. Even at this point, Huan Bi was still speaking without restraint!

If she hadn't repeatedly uttered malicious words, how could Ling Rong have distanced herself from her and sided with Consort Hua, leaving her all alone now?

She took a deep breath, looked at Juqing in front of her, and couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Thank goodness, things hadn't reached the point of no return. Otherwise, Lingrong wouldn't have sent Juqing on this trip.

"Does Lingrong hold a grudge against me?"

Juqing hesitated for a moment, then said, “In response to your question, Your Highness, it doesn’t seem like it. Your Highness’s reluctance to come is simply because she promised you.”

Huanbi raised her eyebrows, about to utter some arrogant words, but was impatiently scolded by Zhen Huan: "Shut up! Sit properly, or go back to your room if you don't want to listen! If you dare to act tough in front of me again, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Huanbi immediately looked like a defeated rooster, and sat back down with a sullen face.

Zhen Huan believed most of what Ju Qing said, comforted her with kind words, rewarded her, and finally gave her a letter to deliver to Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong.