I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Lu Zhixue watched Song Yunzhao’s receding figure and said to the attendant beside her, "Go find out what’s going on."

The incident with Shizhu causing a scene at the Imperial Kitchen hadn’t been covered up. Yu Xiu found out the whole story with a little digging and reported back in detail.

Lu Zhixue tsked. ’That’s a real death wish. With a heart as small as the eye of a needle, Song Yunzhao would never let this go.’

At this thought, Lu Zhixue recalled that Song Yunzhao had come from the west. Ever since entering the harem, she’d been such a homebody, practically refusing to set foot outside Wangyou Palace. Yet today, she was actually out and about. ’Something is definitely wrong.’

She sent her people to investigate further.

Song Yunzhao’s visit to Consort Lu was no secret. Plenty of palace attendants had seen her along the way, so the information was easy to come by.

Lu Zhixue didn’t understand. With the incident at the Imperial Kitchen, why would Song Yunzhao go see Consort Lu?

’Could Consort Lu have done something?’

Judging by Song Yunzhao’s expression at the time, it didn’t look like she’d just fought a three-hundred-round battle with Consort Lu. What on earth was going on?

Itching with curiosity and unable to get to the bottom of it, Lu Zhixue went to find Feng Yunjin. Feng Yunjin was smarter than her and would likely have some idea what was happening.

Feng Yunjin was not at Yanqing Palace. Lu Zhixue waited for a while before she finally appeared.

"Why didn’t you send word before coming? Had I known you were on your way, I wouldn’t have gone out," Feng Yunjin said with a smile. Lu Zhixue’s rank was higher, so Feng Yunjin curtsied first before rising to take a seat.

Lu Zhixue looked at Feng Yunjin and asked bluntly, "Have you heard about what happened this morning?"

"What happened?" Feng Yunjin asked, looking puzzled. "Right after I had breakfast, Noble Consort Chen sent for me to help pick flowers in the Imperial Garden. I’ve been busy ever since."

Hearing that Feng Yunjin was unaware, Lu Zhixue immediately recounted the events in detail. "Tell me, why on earth would Song Jieyu go to see Consort Lu? She’s the reason Consort Lu lost her title, yet she still dared to pay a visit. And judging by her appearance, her complexion was good, which probably means Consort Lu didn’t give her a hard time. It’s all so curious."

Feng Yunjin was quite surprised; she hadn’t expected something like this to happen this morning. After a moment’s thought, she said, "The Imperial Kitchen wouldn’t do something like that without a reason. There must be something going on that we don’t know about."

Lu Zhixue’s expression soured. "If someone can meddle with the Imperial Kitchen, is our food even safe? Wouldn’t it be easy for someone to tamper with it?"

Feng Yunjin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Do you think the steward of the Imperial Kitchen is a fool? If something really went wrong, he’d be the first to lose his life. A man who can reach the position of steward can’t be bought off with a petty bribe."

Lu Zhixue nodded. "You’re right. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t dare to eat anything from the Imperial Kitchen. But about today’s incident... are you saying someone in the kitchen was definitely bribed?"

"I can’t say for sure, but for the people from Wangyou Palace to go to the Imperial Kitchen and demand answers, they must be on the right track."

"Then who could be behind it? Song Jieyu went to see Consort Lu. Do you think it could be her?"

Feng Yunjin shook her head. "We can’t make wild accusations without proof."

Lu Zhixue knew this was Feng Yunjin’s way. After a moment’s thought, she added, "But since she went to Consort Lu, it must have something to do with her. I just wonder how deeply Consort Lu is involved."

Feng Yunjin agreed. Song Jieyu wasn’t the type to cause trouble for no reason. For her to go directly to Consort Lu, Consort Lu had to be involved.

"Since Song Jieyu is already handling it, we shouldn’t get involved. I have a feeling this won’t be the end of it. You should be careful, too," Feng Yunjin said. Lu Zhixue tended to be impulsive when it came to Song Jieyu, so she felt she had to offer a word of caution.

"I’m not an idiot," Lu Zhixue said, standing up. "Go on with your business. I’m heading back."

Feng Yunjin saw her out, watching until she was a distant figure before returning inside.

The incident at the Imperial Kitchen wasn’t deliberately covered up. In fact, Song Yunzhao spread the news herself. By the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the story had circulated throughout the entire harem. The speed at which it traveled truly lived up to her expectations.

’Someone was targeting her, weren’t they?’

So, she would drag the whole affair out into the open. She would let everyone know that the Imperial Kitchen wasn’t necessarily safe and that they all needed to be extremely cautious.

When word of this reached the Imperial Kitchen, the General Manager was so furious he nearly fell over backward. He knew Song Jieyu was no pushover, but he never imagined she could be this shameless.

Just great. Now the Imperial Kitchen was being held over the flames, and he was caught between a rock and a hard place.