Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

"I just thought that since the person behind the scenes was able to murder the concubines and frame the prince in one day, they must be very powerful. So when I sealed the envelope, I applied a thin layer of wax to the seal."

Zhu Xi's breath hitched, and she quickly said, "I still have that letter; I'll go get it right away!"

The Empress Dowager's eyes were deep and unfathomable. She looked up at Chunmao, who was standing to the side, and said, "Go and find out who came into contact with this letter yesterday."

Chunmao immediately accepted the order and withdrew.

Soon, Sun Zhuxi returned with the envelope, her face pale. "Your Majesty, I examined it carefully just now. There are two different fingerprints on the wax inside the seal, but I opened the letter myself, so there should only be my fingerprints."

The Empress Dowager laughed in fury, "I never imagined that so many spies would be planted around me!"

Sun Zhuxi knelt down in fear, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This servant is guilty, please punish me."

As the head maidservant by the Empress Dowager's side, Sun Zhuxi was guilty of having someone plant spies in her.

The Empress Dowager's chest heaved rapidly, her anger visibly palpable.

Xi Qiao, not wanting to remain a bystander, also knelt down. "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. In my humble opinion, even if Aunt Zhu Xi had three heads and four arms, she would have had difficulty preventing the Noble Consort Shu's scheme, which was laid years in advance."

The Empress Dowager's anger subsided considerably when she thought of the people on the list. The spies that bitch planted were indeed very well hidden, and they were planted five years ago. Even she had never suspected anything all these years.

"Rise," the Empress Dowager said, her eyes dark and unfathomable. "I have already sent Chunmao to investigate who handled this letter yesterday. Find an excuse to control our palace's spies, but be careful not to alert them!"

"Yes, this servant will go right away." Sun Zhuxi hurriedly withdrew.

The Empress Dowager concealed her contemplation and looked at Xi Qiao with a smile, "You did a good job. Don't worry about Consort Zhuang and the Sixth Prince. With me here, no one can harm them."

"Consort Zhuang has not yet fully recovered and cannot be separated from you. You should go back and take good care of her. As for the matter of Prince Guo and Consort Wan, I will definitely give Consort Zhuang a satisfactory explanation."

Xi Qiao was terrified. "Your Majesty is too kind to this servant and Consort Zhuang. Without Your Majesty's support, where would this servant and consort be today? Serving Your Majesty is our duty and honor."

The Empress Dowager's eyes showed satisfaction. Chunrong was a good person, neither arrogant nor impatient, and loyal to the end.

After Xi Qiao left with a large amount of gifts, the Empress Dowager's face darkened.

He summoned Sun Zhuxi and asked, "Have the people who went to Yuanmingyuan to investigate the matter of the Seventeenth Prince returned?"

"Your Majesty, the person has returned and is waiting outside the palace."

The Empress Dowager immediately sent someone in to question them.

An investigation naturally yielded no clues.

The whole thing went almost flawlessly, except for the clump of incense ash remaining in the incense burner.

But it's just incense ash, something that has already turned into ashes. Even the most skilled imperial physician couldn't tell what it was or what its effects were.

Suspicion is irrelevant if no meaningful findings are found.

Besides, it was just a clump of incense ash; who would have thought it was on Xi Qiao?

The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at the old woman and asked, "After Consort Zhuang fell into the water, did Chunrong make any move?"

"Your Majesty, after Chunrong led people to meet Consort Zhuang, she only went to the banquet of the Nine Provinces Banquet to find Her Majesty the Empress and Consort Jin. Although she sent people to investigate the ins and outs of the matter, she herself stayed by Consort Zhuang's bedside the whole time. During this time, a wet nurse went to breastfeed the Sixth Prince and saw Chunrong."

The Empress Dowager nodded, her suspicions about Xi Qiao decreasing to a minimum.

"What's the story behind that imperial physician who tampered with Consort Zhuang's medicine?"

"Your Majesty, the imperial physician's name is Wen Shichu. He has known Consort Wan since childhood. The Wen family and the Zhen family are neighbors and have a very close relationship. After the incident involving Prince Guo yesterday, Consort Wan asked someone to invite Wen Shichu to examine her pulse. After finishing his shift, Wen Shichu went straight to Prince Guo's residence."

"Although it is unknown what Prince Guo and Wen Shichu discussed in secret, someone saw him leaving the palace with one hand tightly clutching something in his arms. The smile on his face was also very obvious."

"When Wen Shichu went to the Yuanmingyuan Garden for his duty today, he happened to see Imperial Physician Liu prescribing medicine for Consort Zhuang, and he took the opportunity to do something wrong."

"There was another apprentice in the pharmacy at the time, and that apprentice confirmed that Wen Shichu did indeed send away the apprentice who was preparing medicine for Consort Zhuang for a moment. Moreover, this was not the first time. Yesterday afternoon, after Wen Shichu returned from Consort Wan's place, he also sent away the apprentice who was preparing medicine for Consort Zhuang."

The Empress Dowager seemed to be thinking about what she heard. After Yunli's accident, Consort Wan immediately summoned Wen Shichu. Then Wen Shichu tampered with Consort Zhuang's medicine and went to Prince Guo's residence.

Yunli, Consort Wan, and Wen Shichu form a very stable information transmission chain.

Yunli had met Chun Yuan, and that Consort Wan...

And there's what Yunli said in his letter.

Although it only states that Consort Wan was to take Consort Zhuang's life, the fact that so many connections were entrusted to Consort Wan doesn't seem like it was just to deal with Consort Zhuang, who has no family background or foundation!

The Empress Dowager suddenly sat up straight, onto the throne!

Ruan Yanran and her son Yunli are indeed still eyeing the throne!

With so many people and spies planted in the palace, harming Consort Zhuang would be a piece of cake, and killing other imperial heirs would not be difficult either. The emperor is already over forty, and even if more princes are born, it will take time for them to grow up.

During this time, with the connections the mother and son had built, they could easily have done other things.

Especially with Consort Wan in the palace, her beauty destined the emperor to favor her and neglect the other concubines.

Without the emperor's favor, how could the concubines in the harem give birth to imperial offspring?

If an emperor has no son to inherit the throne, he can only choose an heir from the imperial clan, or the throne can be passed down from brother to brother.

The more the Empress Dowager thought about it, the more alarmed she became, and her complexion grew increasingly pale.

Yunli, that scoundrel!

"Zhu Xi!" The Empress Dowager's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "Go, personally go and invite Consort Shu back to the palace. Tell her I miss her!"

Zhu Xi was horrified. "Empress Dowager, you..."

But seeing the Empress Dowager's gaze, she swallowed back what was on the tip of her tongue. "Yes, this servant will personally go and invite Consort Shu back to the palace."

However, before Zhu Xi could leave the main hall, the Empress Dowager changed her mind again.

"No, wait!" The Empress Dowager exhaled heavily. "Come back. I was too hasty. If I let Ruan Yanran return to the palace now, it will surely alarm Yunli. If he becomes desperate, it won't be good. Let's wait a little longer. There's still time."

Zhu Xi returned to the Empress Dowager's side and carefully served her a cup of tea. "Empress Dowager, from what you're saying, does it seem that Prince Guo and Consort Shu are plotting something?"

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, "More than just plotting something sinister! This mother and son are utterly audacious, daring to covet the throne! I will not let them succeed!"

Zhu Xi's mind went blank for a moment. The throne!

How dare Prince Guo and Consort Shu!

"Empress Dowager, should we inform the Emperor about this matter?"

The Empress Dowager leaned back on the cushions and said, “Of course, you can go to the Yuanmingyuan Garden yourself to tell the Emperor about this. There’s no need to go in secret.”

Her face hardened. “By imperial decree, Consort Zhen of Wan County is hereby decreed that she has not been sincere in copying the scriptures, has no reverence for gods and Buddhas, and has no respect for me. She is unfilial and disrespectful and is unfit to be a consort. Her title is hereby stripped, she is demoted to a lower-ranking concubine, and she is to be confined to her palace.”

If it weren't for keeping Ruan Yanran and her son Yunli in check, she would have been executed on the spot!

For now, merely stripping her of her title and demoting her to a lower rank is already too lenient for her!

"Furthermore, send people to surround her palace, forbidding anyone around her from entering or leaving, and forbidding anyone from touching her or giving her anything. Punish her by making her kneel and recite scriptures for half a day each day and pick up Buddhist beans for half a day. She is not allowed to serve the emperor again before returning to the palace."

Even so, the Empress Dowager still felt it wasn't enough. "Oh, right, there's also that lowly maid that Zhen recommended to the Emperor. Strip her of her rank and demote her to a palace maid. If the Emperor is dissatisfied, you can ask him for me which is more important, a woman or the throne!"

Seeing the Empress Dowager's anger rising, Zhu Xi dared not say another word and could only agree to everything.