Transmigration: Reverse Exploitation, the System Works for Me

Cui Jinxi anxiously caught up with Su Peisheng, clutching a purse containing silver notes. Ignoring the rough maid's attempts to pull her away, she struggled to reach out to Su Peisheng, trying to grab his clothes and make him stop and listen to her.

Hearing the pleading in Cui Jinxi's voice, Su Peisheng paused and turned to the two rough maids who were blocking Cui Jinxi, saying, "Go and tidy up for Madam first."

The two maids immediately understood and released Cui Jinxi.

Su Peisheng gave Cui Jinxi a look, and then led her to a secluded spot.

Once they reached a secluded spot, before Su Peisheng could even ask, Cui Jinxi immediately stepped forward and pleaded, "Eunuch Su, please, for the sake of our past relationship, tell our mistress what arrangements the Emperor has made for her."

As she spoke, she stuffed the purse into Su Peisheng's sleeve.

Su Peisheng hurriedly refused. The scene of the emperor's burning anger almost clouding his judgment was still vivid in his mind. How could he dare to accept the benefits from Bitong Academy? He wasn't trying to kill himself.

"It can't be done."

Su Peisheng decisively and resolutely stuffed the purse back into Cui Jinxi's hand.

Cui Jinxi's face turned ashen. She clutched her purse tightly and said sadly, "Eunuch Su, has the young mistress been completely rejected?"

A palace concubine had an affair with Prince Guo!

If Consort Zhen hadn't been pregnant with the imperial heir, Su Peisheng probably wouldn't have sent her an edict of confinement, but rather poisoned wine and a white silk noose!

But Consort Zhen's imperial offspring will eventually be born. Will Consort Zhen still be alive then?

Would these palace maids who served them still survive?

Cui Jinxi understood perfectly well that it wouldn't happen; none of them would survive!

The emperor would never allow even the slightest possibility of his concubines having affairs with men outside the palace to leak out!

Whether or not those who serve Consort Zhen know it, they must all die!

But Cui Jinxi didn't want to die!

Seeing the fear and resentment in Cui Jinxi's eyes, Su Peisheng couldn't bear to let her go.

After glancing around to make sure no one was there, he lowered his voice and said, "Jinxi, don't worry about Consort Zhen anymore. You must find a way to stay by Madam Zhen's side later. Once you leave this place, you won't lose your life."

Cui Jinxi's eyes lit up: He can live!

"Thank you for your guidance, Eunuch Su."

She reached forward again with the purse in her hand, but Su Peisheng stopped her. "Keep it yourself. Keep as much money as possible on you. You might still have a chance to survive at the Natural Painting Studio, but once you go in, you might never come out again."

Based on Su Peisheng's understanding of the emperor, the Natural Painting would surely become a cage for the emperor to keep Lady Zhen, Yun.

Based on Yun's looks and demeanor, the Emperor would never let her leave.

However, the reputation of a ruler taking a subject's wife is too tarnished. The emperor is always careful to protect his reputation and would never allow this matter to be leaked.

Not only will those who serve her personally never be able to leave, but Madam Zhen, once she enters, will also never be able to leave. She will become a canary kept in a cage by the Emperor, only able to leave at the end of her life.

Su Peisheng is gone.

Cui Jinxi looked down at the purse in her hand, then gritted her teeth and stuffed it into her sleeve.

When she returned, four maids were surrounding Yun Xinluo and Zhen Yurao, and two others were blocking Zhen Huan from staying.

Zhen Huan's eyes lit up the moment she saw Cui Jinxi, as if she had seen a savior. "Jinxi, what did Eunuch Su say?"

As soon as she spoke, the six rough-working maids unconsciously loosened their grip a little.

The sobbing Zhen Yurao immediately broke through their defenses and ran to Zhen Huan's side in a few quick steps, tightly grabbing her clothes and refusing to let go.

"Sister~ Yu Rao, I don't want to leave you."

Zhen Huan didn't have time to pay attention to her; she just looked at Cui Jinxi and urged her to answer quickly with her eyes.

Cui Jinxi's eyes flickered, while Su Peisheng's words echoed in her mind.

Finally, she made up her mind: "Grannies, please wait a moment. Eunuch Su has instructed me to go with you to serve Madam. Please allow me to pack a few clothes."

"I'd rather die than let you die! She can't stay here and wait to die!"

The six maids looked at each other and finally let go of each other's hands. "Since it was Steward Su who instructed us, Aunt Cui should hurry up and do it."

After thanking them, Cui Jinxi gave Zhen Huan a wink.

The two entered the room one after the other.

Cui Jinxi anxiously grasped Zhen Huan's hand: "Your Highness, Eunuch Su just told me that although the Emperor doesn't seem to intend to take the lives of Madam and the Second Miss, imprisonment is inevitable. I'm afraid that Madam and the Second Miss won't be able to leave the Yuanmingyuan before Your Highness gives birth."

Zhen Huan's heart tightened, and countless thoughts rushed through her mind in an instant. Was the Emperor going to use her mother's and Yu Rao's lives to control her?

Despite her many doubts, Zhen Huan did not question Cui Jinxi's words at all, and instead praised her for making the decision on her own.

“You’ve done a good job. With you watching over Mother and Yu Rao, I can focus on my pregnancy. Jinxi, go and get another two thousand taels of silver. Make sure Mother and Yu Rao don’t suffer any injustice during this time.”

Cui Jinxi immediately agreed, "Yes, Your Highness, rest assured, I will take good care of Madam and Second Miss. However, since I will not be by Your Highness's side, please take good care of yourself. Don't forget, you are carrying the imperial heir."

Zhen Huan raised her hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. Even without Cui Jinxi's reminder, she would protect this child. This child was her talisman, her only chance to see the emperor, and her only way to survive!

News of Zhen Huan's unstable pregnancy and her seclusion at the Yuanmingyuan quickly spread throughout the palace.

But no one believed it.

Nonsense, Zhen's birth mother and younger sister are still in the garden, living in the Natural Picture Garden, which is closest to the Bi Tong Academy.

If Lady Zhen truly needed to recuperate, why would the Emperor have spared her family?

This is not a case of an unstable pregnancy; it is clearly a precaution against the empresses and concubines from tampering with Zhen Shi and her unborn child!

Immediately, the concubines' opinions of Zhen Shi became even more negative.

In Anlan Garden, Yu Ying'er was also criticizing the emperor's blatant favoritism.

"Even a high-ranking concubine like Consort Hua, with the Nian family backing her up, doesn't receive this treatment. Zhen Huan, a mere concubine, not only gets to have her family visit her but also stay with her for a while!"

One only allows you to see portraits, while the other lets you meet family members and even have them stay for a while. The difference is just too great!

"Is His Majesty getting old and confused? For the sake of a Zhen family, he has humiliated Consort Hua and the Nian family so much. Isn't he afraid that General Nian will not be doing his best on the front lines?"

Even if you wanted to bestow favors on the Zhen family, you should at least have included Consort Hua, who was also pregnant!

"That Lady Zhen is out of her mind. How many times has she been punished? Hasn't she learned her lesson? Isn't she afraid that the Empress Dowager will strip her of her rank of Lady next time?"

Having family members accompany her so soon after becoming pregnant—even an empress probably never received such treatment.

Moreover, this is clearly against the rules.

She refused to believe that if this matter reached the Empress Dowager's ears, the Empress Dowager would turn a blind eye.

While teasing the Sixth Prince, Xi Qiao listened quietly to her various complaints. When she finally got tired of talking, he spoke slowly and deliberately.

"When the Emperor sent people to fetch Zhen Huan's birth mother and sister, he also sent someone to the Nian family. However, for some reason, no one from the Nian family entered the palace. They only entrusted the eunuch who was sent to deliver the message to Consort Hua with a letter."

Xi Qiao subtly diverted Yu Ying'er's attention to Consort Hua and the Nian family.