Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

"Your Majesty, Huang Guiquan, the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department, requests an audience."

Xiaxiazi's announcement from outside the door broke the eerie atmosphere inside.

The emperor frowned and then relaxed, thinking that there was still some time before lunch, and said to the outside, "Summon them."

Huang Guiquan led his men in, and after exchanging greetings, explained his purpose.

"Your Majesty, we have come to deliver the allowance and servants to Consort Zhen."

As he spoke, he didn't forget to defend himself: "The servants in the garden are all clumsy. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to serve Your Highness and the Crown Prince well, so yesterday I specially went back to the palace to select a few who are of good character and quick-witted."

"The person is already outside. Would Your Majesty and the young lady like to see him?"

The emperor had almost lost his temper over this yesterday, but after hearing Huang Guiquan's explanation, he seemed much more satisfied and said, "Bring him in to take a look."

Soon, there were twelve palace servants in four rows, including six maids and six eunuchs.

The number of these palace maids and eunuchs matched Zhen Huan's rations, but since Zhen Huan already had servants around her, she only needed to select a few to make up the difference.

Huang Guiquan looked at Zhen Huan with a big smile, "Your Highness, don't worry, these people were all carefully selected by your servant. They are all from clean families and are useful."

Although he didn't know why his Consort Hua wanted him to send a palace maid with a clean background to serve this Zhen woman, Huang Guiquan still strictly carried out the order.

Moreover, none of these palace maids came from powerful or official families; they belonged to the worst-off group among the bondservants.

They are innocent now, but whether they will be innocent in the future is hard to say.

Huang Guiquan still harbored resentment towards the emperor for reprimanding him because of Zhen Huan. While following Consort Hua's orders, he also took the opportunity to dig a few pitfalls for Zhen Huan.

Zhen Huan was somewhat surprised, but when she thought of the imperial heir in her womb and the emperor's undisguised favoritism towards her, she realized that she had figured out Huang Guiquan and Consort Hua's intentions.

This is an attempt to curry favor with her and turn hostility into friendship!

But it's too late.

She and Consort Hua are sworn enemies!

“Now all the palace servants here are under Aunt Jinxi’s management. Steward Huang, please let Jinxi choose the servants.”

Huang Guiquan immediately agreed, and then waved to the back. Eight eunuchs from two groups, each carrying various allowances, filed in. He bowed respectfully to Zhen Huan and said, "Your Highness, please take a look. This is your allowance for this month."

Although it was already late June, Huang Guiquan still brought the entire month's allowance.

"Apart from food, all other necessities are here."

"There's another matter. The plum blossom scented dew that you often send people to the Imperial Household Department to get is temporarily unavailable, but we do have quite a bit of plum blossom scented powder. However, the scented powder is not as effective as the scented dew when mixing ink. Do you think it would be better for me to replace it with another kind of scented dew, or should I wait until we buy some more and then send it to you?"

The smile on Zhen Huan's face collapsed instantly—ink!

Upon hearing this, something flashed through the emperor's mind, but it was too fast for him to grasp.

Turning his gaze, he saw the stiff, forced smile on Zhen Huan's face, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Plum blossom fragrance, ink mixing—

—That letter!

The emperor's pupils contracted, and his gaze toward Zhen Huan suddenly became sharp as a knife.

The letter to the seventeenth prince had a faint, pleasant fragrance. Upon closer reflection, the fragrance was none other than that of plum blossoms!

The emperor suddenly turned his head, his gaze shooting like lightning at Huang Guiquan, "Besides Consort Zhen, have any other concubines requested plum blossom fragrance dew?"

Huang Guiquan recalled, “Your Majesty, although the ladies and concubines of the palace have sent people to the Imperial Household Department to collect flower dew many times, they are not limited to plum blossom dew. Moreover, because Consort Ying has a particular fondness for plum blossoms, she has always only collected plum blossom dew. Therefore, this year’s plum blossom dew has been given to Consort Ying alone.”

There are many different scents of floral perfumes, and the ladies of the palace use them in rotation to suit the seasons and keep things fresh. Unlike this one, who seems to have never seen anything good before, she just keeps grabbing one and using it.

The emperor stood up abruptly, his face turning terrifyingly dark in an instant.

He suddenly turned his head to look at Zhen Huan's pale, bloodless face, and sneered coldly, "Good, good Zhen Huan, very good!"

After saying that, he strode out, his face full of anger.

As Zhen Huan watched the emperor's retreating figure, a sudden surge of fear welled up within her, and she staggered after him.

"Shiro!"

Zhen Huan chased after him to the door, her body limp as she leaned against the doorframe, and shouted hoarsely at the emperor's retreating figure.

The emperor paused, then continued walking out, never looking back until he was outside the gates of Bitong Academy.

Inside the room, Yun Shi and Zhen Yu Rao looked completely bewildered, utterly unable to understand why the emperor would be so angry upon hearing about the plum blossom fragrance.

Huang Guiquan, who was respectful just a moment ago, now straightened his back.

He squinted at Zhen Huan, who was leaning against the door looking lost and dejected. "Consort Zhen, we've made up for the lost items and people. We'll take our leave now."

His first words carried a subtle hint of sarcasm.

Bah! What kind of trash is this? How dare they challenge the Empress?

Although I don't know what taboo this person has broken, just looking at the Emperor's furious appearance just now, I know that Consort Zhen's good days are over!

Huang Guiquan left in high spirits. He had to go and tell Consort Hua the good news so that she could vent her anger.

Pregnant women must not get angry, as anger not only harms their health but also the fetus. Their mother must be happy.

After Huang Guiquan left, Cui Jinxi and Yun Xinluo anxiously helped Zhen Huan back to her inner room to sit down.

"Huan'er, what's wrong? Why did the Emperor suddenly become angry?"

While it's true that the will of Heaven is unpredictable, isn't this a bit too capricious?

Cui Jinxi shared the same thought, but she was a bit smarter. "Your Highness, what did Huang Guiquan say to the Emperor just now?"

She had just gone to select the palace maids and eunuchs to serve her and was not in the room, so she naturally did not know about Huang Guiquan's conversation with the emperor.

Zhen Huan's jaw trembled, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

She hadn't wanted to reveal her relationship with Prince Guo, but given the current situation...

"Liu Zhu, take Yu Rao out. Everyone except Jin Xi, go out. Xiao Yun Zi, you personally guard the corridor and don't allow anyone to approach."

After everything was arranged, Zhen Huan recounted the whole story.

Upon hearing this, Yun's legs went weak, and she slumped limply into her chair.

"Huan'er, how could you be so foolish!"

Yun looked at her eldest daughter with anger at her lack of ambition.

"So, Wen Shichu didn't collude with Huanbi, but was instructed by you to attack Consort Zhuang?"

As clever as Yun was, she immediately understood the crux of the matter.

Looking at her eldest daughter, whom she had always been so proud of, she was momentarily struck by a feeling that she had never truly understood this daughter.

That's a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of three generations of one's family!

Lady Yun was both terrified and frightened, and said with tears streaming down her face, "You have been very opinionated since you were a child. Although you are a girl, you have the ambition of a boy. You find the virtues of a girl boring and tedious at first glance, and you have been pestering your father and me to study the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as historical and political essays, just like a man."

The more Yun Shi recalled her past affection and concessions to Zhen Huan, the more heartbroken and regretful she became: "I always knew you were intelligent and trusted you the most, but I never expected you to do such a thing that disregarded the family's reputation and violated the virtues of a woman! If I had known you would do such a disgraceful thing as confiscating the family property and destroying the clan, I shouldn't have been soft-hearted back then!"

The fact that it was his most beloved eldest daughter who had harmed his entire family was nothing short of devastating for the Yun family.

Zhen Huan was also tormented. "Mother, I already know I was wrong. It's no use blaming me now."

She touched her lower abdomen and said confidently, "Mother, don't worry. With this child, the Emperor will not do anything to my daughter, and the Zhen family will not be implicated again. Besides, the matter of Huanbi's affair with Wen Shichu just happened, so the Emperor will not make it public."

Zhen Huan was actually afraid, but she understood the emperor and knew that he cherished his reputation.

"Once His Majesty's anger subsides, I will use the excuse of having an heir to request an audience with him and explain the situation. Given the past relationship between us, His Majesty will surely forgive and forget."

As long as the child is there, the Emperor won't refuse to see her. A meeting will surely strengthen their bond, and with the child as a bridge, the Emperor will definitely forgive her!

Yun stopped crying. Indeed, saying a thousand words now would be of no use.

Although Zhen Huan spoke firmly, Yun Shi did not believe that this matter could be so easily dismissed as her eldest daughter suggested.

No one would easily let it go after being cuckolded, let alone the emperor!

He is the ruler of the world, holding the power of life and death!