Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Xia Dongchun knelt before the emperor and kept talking about the illicit relationship between Zhen Huan and Wen Shichu.

"Your Majesty, everyone in the palace knows that Lady Zhen is exceptionally intelligent, yet this very person violated palace rules on her second day in the palace. I believe that this wretched woman cannot let go of her lover, Wen Shichu, and deliberately did this to avoid serving the emperor."

"Moreover, Suiyu Pavilion is secluded and quiet, and Zhen has dismissed the palace eunuchs and maids, which makes it convenient for her to have an affair with her lover Wen Shichu."

The accusations were all well-founded and reasonable, and even Consort Hua couldn't help but begin to suspect whether Zhen Huan and Wen Shichu really had an affair.

After giving a passionate speech, Xia Dongchun pointed to the envelopes on the tray.

"This letter was written by that vile woman Zhen herself. The words are lewd and explicit, and every word reveals her lewd nature."

Xi Qiao's eyelids twitched.

Just as he was about to look up at the emperor, he heard a furious shout: "Insolence!"

Immediately, the emperor threw down the jade pendant he was playing with.

Xi Qiao pursed his lips speechlessly. No wonder they were mother and son; their reactions to anger were exactly the same. One threw down his prayer beads, the other threw down his hand.

"Your Majesty, rest your anger."

The Empress took the lead in kneeling down, pleading with the Emperor to calm his anger, but a smile graced her lowered face.

Your Majesty, Zhen Huan and my sister not only look alike and have the same talent, but their life experiences are also so similar.

They all had childhood sweethearts before they met you!

Since the Empress knelt, Consort Hua and the others naturally had to follow suit.

"Your Majesty, rest your anger."

The hall was suddenly filled with a dark, oppressive atmosphere, with only the buried heads visible.

The emperor arrived already filled with anger, and Xia Dongchun's actions only added fuel to the fire.

The emperor was furious, his chest heaving violently, his anger almost consuming his reason.

But Xia Dongchun, oblivious to the situation, continued, "Your Majesty, what I said is not false at all. Besides this letter, I also have a witness. Xiao Yinzi, the eunuch by Zhen's side, personally witnessed the two of them meeting in secret."

As soon as she finished speaking, the little eunuch following Jiang Fuhai immediately knelt down and crawled forward, trembling. "Your Majesty, it's not just this servant; many palace maids and eunuchs in Suiyuxuan and Bitong Academy have seen Consort Zhen and Physician Wen in private."

The emperor glared angrily. First there was the seventeenth prince, and now there was Wen Shichu!

Outside the door, Zhen Huan, who had been invited by Su Peisheng, overheard Xiao Yinzi's accusations. Her expression changed instantly, and her gaze towards Xia Dongchun through the crowd turned icy cold.

"Your Majesty, Consort Zhen has arrived," Su Peisheng announced cautiously.

Seeing the Emperor's unusual rage, Su Peisheng suddenly regretted letting Zhen Huan know when he arrived at Bitong Academy.

The emperor sat upright in the main seat, his gaze passing through the kneeling concubines and palace maids in the hall and landing on Zhen Huan, who was standing at the door.

His eyes were sinister and obscure, carrying an extremely strong sense of oppression.

Looking at that face that bore an eight-tenths resemblance to his beloved, the emperor did not recall the loving times he had spent with his wife or Zhen Huan, but rather the tender affection that leaped forth from those two letters!

Seventeenth!

The Emperor favored him the most, and Lady Zhen also had feelings for him, so what was he?

He, the emperor, the ruler of a country, the supreme sovereign, was actually mocked and fooled to this extent!

How dare they!

How dare!

The emperor's eyes blazed with fury, and his tone was chilling and restrained as he spoke: "You vile woman, guards—"

"Your Majesty," the Empress interrupted the Emperor, placing a hand on his calf and speaking with a look of pity, "the claim of 'filthy palace affairs' is ultimately just Consort Xia's opinion. Please calm down and listen to what Consort Zhen has to say."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Zhen Huan, who was standing at the entrance of the main hall. When her gaze inadvertently swept over Zhen Huan's abdomen, a dark glint flashed in her eyes.

She turned and looked into the emperor's eyes, her face filled with a dazed and reminiscent expression: "Your Majesty, I always feel that with Consort Zhen's... character, she shouldn't have done those things. Please give Consort Zhen a chance to explain herself."

The emperor's anger only intensified: "The empress trusts her."

The emperor neither agreed nor rejected the empress's words, but simply asked her to get up and sit down.

"Get up, all of you," the emperor said in a harsh tone, his gaze once again falling on Zhen Huan outside the door.

Zhen Huan swayed slightly; the Emperor's meaning was clear—he didn't believe her!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, whether subtle or overt, Zhen Huan did not weep or plead her case, nor did she cry out in injustice. Instead, she straightened her back and stepped into the hall.

Standing behind Yu Ying'er, Xi Qiao felt a bad premonition as he looked at the composed Zhen Huan.

She frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping subtly across the faces of everyone in the hall, and unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a very subtle smile on the Empress's face.

Queen?

A thought flashed through Xi Qiao's mind, and his face immediately darkened.

Inside the palace, Zhen Huan's steps were exceptionally steady. She stepped forward, past Fu Ling and Xiao Yinzi, past Xia Dongchun and the concubines who had just risen, and knelt directly at the emperor's feet.

She looked up at the emperor, her fair neck slender and long, like a swan in a lake, her expression stubborn, melancholy, and wounded.

"Your Majesty, I have never done anything to wrong you. I am willing to confront Consort Xia."

Before the emperor could speak, Xia Dongchun, kneeling behind Zhen Huan, sneered, "The evidence is conclusive, with witnesses and physical evidence; you can't deny it!"

Zhen Huan knelt on the spot and turned to look at Xia Dongchun. "Xia Changzai's so-called witnesses and evidence are nonsense. With the Emperor's favor towards me and my friendship with Sister Mei and Sister An, why would I need to use palace maids to secure his favor?"

"And speaking of Xiao Yinzi," Zhen Huan's gaze did not fall on Xiao Yinzi, but instead fell on the silent Consort Li, "Xiao Yinzi is the apprentice of Kang Luhai, the head eunuch in Consort Li's palace."

Consort Li stood up abruptly, glaring angrily at Zhen Huan: "What do you mean? Are you saying that I instructed Xiao Yinzi to frame you?"

Zhen Huan met her gaze without fear. "Your Majesty, why are you angry? I am merely stating the facts. Besides, not only Xiao Yinzi, but even the palace maids and eunuchs that Xiao Yinzi mentioned are not serving me."

Xia Changzai sneered, "You wretch, don't try to deny it. Although Xiao Yinzi is Kang Luhai's apprentice, he has always served by your side. Moreover, it was no accident that you were alone in a room with Wen Shichu. The palace maids and eunuchs in the Bitong Academy all saw it yesterday!"

Zhen Huan ignored the chattering Xia Changzai and turned to look at the Emperor with a hesitant expression, "Your Majesty, do you believe Wanwan?"

The emperor looked down into her eyes, his anger still simmering and his eyes bloodshot. He spoke slowly, not answering Zhen Huan, but asking her, "Should I believe you?"