Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

On the main seat, the emperor impatiently fiddled with the jade pendant in his hand. "Why did the Empress invite me and all the concubines here in such a grand manner?"

The Empress leaned forward, holding onto the armrest of her chair, and said to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, it was wrong of me to disturb Your Majesty’s handling of state affairs, but what Consort Xia said concerns the face of the royal family, and I dare not make decisions on my own.”

The emperor's gaze sharpened, and he stopped fiddling with the jade beads. The empress was always measured in her actions and would not bother him unless it was something urgent, especially since she had just said it concerned the face of the royal family.

The emperor's suppressed rage instantly boiled over.

The royal dignity, Lady Zhen, the seventeenth prince!

"Consort Xia." The emperor raised his eyes to look at Xia Dongchun, who was sitting at the very end. His eyes were cold and ruthless, like inorganic glass beads, which inexplicably frightened people.

Xia Dongchun shuddered, his smugness at about to defeat his opponent vanished, replaced by a sense of fear and dread.

"Your Majesty, I am here," she said, kneeling tremblingly before the Emperor and cautiously raising her eyes to look at him. "Your Majesty, I wish to denounce Consort Wan—no, I mean Consort Zhen."

Xia Dongchun was only halfway through his sentence when Xi Qiao and Yu Ying'er's eyes lit up.

Wow, it's here!

"I have two accusations against Lady Zhen," Xia Dongchun said, glancing at Shen Meizhuang with pity. "Firstly, in order to get her dowry maid Huanbi to the Emperor's bed, Lady Zhen bribed Fuling, a maid in Xianyue Pavilion, to slip an aphrodisiac into the Emperor's tea while Consort Shen was away, scheming for the Emperor to favor Huanbi in Xianyue Pavilion."

"Impossible!" Shen Meizhuang stood up abruptly from her chair, staring at Xia Changzai in shock. She swayed but still tried to remain calm as she defended Zhen Huan, "Xia Changzai, don't slander people."

"Although Huan'er has been demoted, she is still one of the Emperor's concubines. How can you slander her with such baseless accusations? Besides, Huan'er and I were childhood friends, and we have been close and supportive of each other since entering the palace. Huan'er would never disregard our friendship and resort to such means!"

After saying that, she covered her chest with a deathly pale face, her eyes vacant as she emphasized, "I don't believe Huan'er would do such a thing."

An Lingrong, who was next to her, stood up to help her up, and at the same time looked at Xia Dongchun, "Xia Changzai, although you have always been at odds with Sister Zhen, you can't slander Sister Zhen like this and sow discord between Sister Mei and Sister Zhen."

Xia Dongchun scoffed dismissively, "Slander? I have evidence!"

The people inside the hall didn't speak, but their eyes shone as they looked at the three of them.

The emperor, seated in the main seat, remained silent. Xia Dongchun's words reminded him of the scene in the Xianyue Pavilion when he had visited Huanbi. Now, upon closer reflection, it did indeed seem quite strange.

Huanbi's appearance was nothing special, but at the time he felt that she was as beautiful as a fairy, like a goddess, and he couldn't control his feelings. He disregarded Meizhuang's feelings and slept with Huanbi in her palace.

"Ahem—" The emperor cleared his throat slightly. He didn't look at Shen Meizhuang, but asked Xia Dongchun, "Xia Changzai, what evidence do you have?"

Xia Dongchun proudly raised her head, "Your Majesty, I will have someone bring the witnesses and evidence immediately. Guards—"

Her maid immediately presented her with an already opened envelope, and at the same time, Jiang Fuhai brought in Fuling with a young eunuch.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, this palace maid is Fuling, who serves Consort Shen. It was Zhen who bribed this maid to give Your Majesty the medicine. If Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress do not believe what I have said, you may have someone interrogate her again.”

Therefore, the emperor and empress interrogated Fuling in court.

Xi Qiao stood behind Yu Ying'er, watching the scene unfold with great interest.

This Fuling is quite loyal to Consort Hua and the Nian family. In the original story, she lost her life because of the fake pregnancy scheme that Consort Hua set up for Shen Meizhuang. Now she is risking her life to frame Zhen Huan.

Although she didn't know exactly what Consort Jin had said in the Leisure Moon Pavilion, it wasn't hard to guess based on the current scene.

As expected, Fuling quickly admitted to being bribed by Zhen Huan, just as Xi Qiao had predicted.

“Consort Zhen gave me five hundred taels of silver and a gold bracelet, instructing me to add a pill to the Emperor’s tea when the maid Bi Guan arrived at Xian Yue Pavilion. Your Majesty, have mercy! Empress, have mercy! I was momentarily bewitched and had no intention of harming Your Majesty.”

As soon as Fuling finished speaking, Jiang Fuhai immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, this servant did indeed find five hundred taels of silver and a gold bracelet at Fuling's residence. Please take a look, Your Majesty and Your Majesty."

The young eunuch immediately presented the silver notes and a gold openwork bracelet inlaid with pearls that had been found.

The Empress glanced at the Emperor, then picked up the bracelet and examined it closely. After a moment of scrutiny, she turned to the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, this bracelet does not bear the mark of the Imperial Household Department. It must be something from outside the palace."

The Emperor gazed intently at the bracelets. The Empress didn't recognize them, but he had seen them on Lady Zhen's wrist before. "Consort Zhen has a pair similar to these, Su Peisheng—"

Su Peisheng immediately understood, "This servant is here. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty, Empress, and all the ladies. This servant will be right back."

Whether Fuling was bribed by Zhen Huan is a matter for now.

The emperor glanced at Xia Dongchun with an inscrutable expression, then turned to look at the envelope on the tray: "And this one?"

He vaguely guessed what was going on, but the two letters Zhu Xi showed him made him feel a little resistant to the envelopes.

Xia Changzai said, "Your Majesty, this is related to the second capital offense committed by Zhen!"

The emperor's eyelids twitched.

Xia Dongchun proudly proclaimed, "This concubine is going to accuse Zhen Shi of having an affair with Imperial Physician Wen Shichu in the palace! This letter is the evidence!"

Summer, winter, and spring—their words, like a thunderclap, suddenly resounded in everyone's ears.

Xi Qiao raised an eyebrow and glanced at Xia Dongchun kneeling in the hall. This guy is pretty tough!

Wouldn't this shatter the emperor's sensitive, fragile heart?

On the main seat, the emperor's temples throbbed with veins, his cheeks trembled uncontrollably, his eyes were dark and bloodshot, and he leaned slightly forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He looked like a ferocious beast coiled on a wide chair, ready to pounce at any moment.

After their initial shock, the concubines all lowered their eyes and shrank back, wishing they had never been there at all.

Xia Dongchun excitedly said, "Your Majesty, Wen Shichu and that vile woman Zhen had an affair long before they entered the palace. Their families lived next door to each other, and the two grew up together. They were deeply in love and had already pledged their lives to each other!"

"Unfortunately, during the imperial concubine selection, Zhen Huan was chosen to enter the palace. Although the two could not marry due to the change in their status, Wen Shichu happened to pass the examination and enter the Imperial Hospital. Didn't that give the two of them the opportunity to commit adultery in the palace?"