Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

It is said that once the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; once the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked. However, while the Nian family is still fighting on the frontier, the emperor has already begun to take precautions!

No, that's not right. The planning started much earlier!

She vividly remembered hearing that when Consort Hua first entered the palace, she had a very good relationship with Consort Qi. However, when Consort Hua became pregnant, Consort Qi personally served her a bowl of medicine with safflower added to prevent miscarriage, which caused Consort Hua to miscarry.

It's one thing that a concubine who plotted against a secondary consort and the royal heir wasn't sentenced to death, but given Consort Hua's character and the power of the Nian family, they still couldn't kill her.

Looking back now, everything about this seems suspicious.

The strangest thing is that after the emperor ascended the throne, he actually conferred the title of Consort Qi upon her, and it was a titled Consort at that. And the Empress Dowager, who always valued the face of the royal family and the royal offspring, did not show any intention of objecting.

How could a woman from a fallen family, without the emperor's favor and without children, be ranked alongside Consort Hua, who came from a powerful family, and Consort Qi, who gave birth to the emperor's eldest son?

Cao Qinmo felt a sudden chill throughout her body, as if her blood had frozen and ice shards were growing in the gaps between her bones.

Qi's attack on Consort Hua was actually orchestrated by the Emperor!

Was the emperor so wary of the entire Nian family back then?

Cao Qinmo took a deep breath, her heart filled with fear and dread. Although she had no romantic feelings for the emperor, he was still her husband and the father of her daughter, yet he turned out to be such a cold-blooded person.

The Nian family sacrificed their lives for him, and Consort Hua was deeply in love with him.

The Nian family and Consort Hua have done nothing wrong, yet he can be so ruthless and heartless towards them. If Cao Qinmo and Wen Yi were to get in his way one day, wouldn't they be crushed to dust and die without a burial place?

The emperor is too ruthless—

No wonder Consort Hua said it couldn't be made public.

Many years ago, the Nian clan was far less prominent than it is today, yet the emperor was still so wary and cautious of them. Now, wouldn't the emperor have already decided to kill the Nian clan?

The Nian family members were brave and skilled in battle, but they were not just brutes with strong limbs and simple minds. What Cao Qinmo could think of, they must also know.

The emperor still believes that the Nian family and Consort Hua are kept in the dark. In addition, he and the Qing Dynasty do need the Nian family's sons to fight for him on the battlefield, so he has not taken any action against the Nian family.

However, once the emperor learns that the Nian family already knows these secrets, there are only two possible consequences:

First, the emperor took action against the Nian family in advance to eliminate any future troubles.

Second, the entire Nian clan resigned from their official posts, relinquished power, and went into seclusion.

If it were the first scenario, Consort Hua certainly wouldn't have survived either.

If it were the second option, would the Nian family be willing to accept it?

From the struggle for the throne to the present day, the Nian family has sacrificed too much for the Emperor's ascension.

The Nian family is indeed now full of glory, but this is all due to their hard work. When the world is in turmoil, the entire Nian family risked their lives to suppress it; when there are constant wars on the border, the sons of the Nian family bravely fought and bled to kill the enemy.

Whoever sits on that dragon throne, the Nian family should receive the reward they deserve.

The emperor's actions were utterly chilling and appalling!

"Your Majesty—" Cao Qinmo's voice was hoarse, and upon closer listening, it even trembled slightly.

However, she quickly calmed down and firmly chose Consort Hua and the Nian family.

“Your Majesty, since you and the Nian family covered up An Lingrong’s existence in the matter of Huan Yi Xiang, it is not right for us to just let An Lingrong go now.”

Cao Qinmo suppressed her fear. It wasn't that she wasn't afraid of being implicated by Consort Hua and the Nian family, but when she thought about how the emperor had managed to kill his own son through Consort Duan, she dared not place her hopes on the emperor.

Even tigers don't eat their cubs!

When Consort Duan took the blame for the Emperor and was humiliated by Consort Hua and the Nian family, the Emperor still ignored her. In the end, she was even personally convicted by the Emperor, which not only cost her her life but also implicated her family.

What are she and Wen Yi?

She was very self-aware. She and Wenyi were as insignificant as a feather in the emperor's eyes. Without the protection of Consort Hua and the Nian family, it was uncertain whether they could even survive, let alone live a good life.

Who knows, she might become the second Consort Duan someday.

Rather than gambling on the emperor's thin conscience, it's better to stand firmly on the side of Consort Hua and the Nian family. Now that the Nian family has seen through the emperor's thoughts, and Consort Hua is pregnant, the Nian family should know what to do.

“Your Majesty, please listen to me,” Cao Qinmo said, racking her brains for the sake of Consort Hua and the Nian family after making up her mind. “The information about Consort An came from Consort Zhuang. Although Consort Zhuang is simple-minded, her maid Chunrong is not so simple.”

"Even I, the concubine, can't hide An Lingrong's thoughts from her. How could someone like Aunt Chunrong be so easily tricked into revealing such crucial information? In my humble opinion, this information was most likely deliberately leaked to her by Aunt Chunrong, as for her purpose—"

"Naturally, it's about using An Lingrong to take Zhen Huan's life."

Her eyes shone with wisdom. "Your Majesty," she said, "in my opinion, the two incidents of Consort Zhuang's drowning and Wen Shichu's plot to murder Consort Zhuang are definitely not as simple as they seem on the surface."

"As far as I know, Aunt Chunrong went to ask the Empress for permission to return to the palace early this morning. When she returned, she was accompanied by Aunt Zhuxi, who is most trusted by the Empress Dowager. Zhuxi brought the Empress Dowager's decree to punish Zhen. It is clear that Aunt Chunrong must have returned to the palace to ask the Empress Dowager to make a decision for Consort Zhuang."

“But this is not right! Think about it carefully. The Emperor and Empress are both in the garden. After Aunt Chunrong finds a clue, she can report it directly to the Emperor and Empress. Why go to the trouble of going back to the palace to find the Empress Dowager? Although Consort Zhuang no longer serves the Emperor, she is still the birth mother of the Sixth Prince. How could the Emperor not care about the Sixth Prince?”

Cao Qinmo took a sip of tea to moisten her throat and continued, "I believe it must be because the successive murders of Consort Zhuang are not simple, or Aunt Chunrong has followed the clues and found something extraordinary that is related to the Zhen family!"

"But for some reason or concern, the Empress Dowager could not directly order Zhen's death. She could only strip her of her title and demote her to a low-ranking concubine, confining her to the palace and forbidding anyone from visiting her. But clearly, Aunt Chunrong was not satisfied with the Empress Dowager's treatment, so she prepared to use someone else to do her dirty work."

Cao Qinmo narrowed her eyes, "Although I don't know why Aunt Chunrong is so loyal to Consort Zhuang, even going so far as to defy the Empress Dowager's decree to take Zhen's life, the fact that Aunt Chunrong, who has been operating in the palace for over a decade, can only resort to such roundabout methods means that Zhen has spies from the Empress Dowager or the Emperor watching her side!"

“Your Majesty, as you yourself said, An Lingrong is not even as good as Consort Li. Whether her tricks can harm Zhen Shi is another matter, but I’m afraid that if she makes a move, she will be targeted by the Empress Dowager’s people. And once she is targeted, it is very likely that her ability to blend perfumes will be exposed. Your Majesty, this is a matter of great importance, and we cannot have any wishful thinking.”

If An Lingrong were exposed at this time, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, unless they were fools, would definitely connect it to the Huan Yi Xiang incident and then suspect that Consort Hua and the Nian family already knew the truth.

Sometimes, the royal family doesn't need evidence to convict someone; the suspicion of those in power is enough.

"The entire palace knows that An Lingrong has sided with you. Given the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's suspicious nature, how could they not be suspicious? Whether Consort Duan is guilty or not, Your Highness knows, and so do the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. The borders are unstable, and the Emperor may not immediately take action against the Nian clan, but you are in the palace and pregnant, I'm afraid—"

The odds are against them!

Cao Qinmo looked at Consort Hua's belly with a worried expression, "Your Majesty, we can't take the risk!"