I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

She wasn’t a dog who would wag her tail just because someone smiled at her.

How revolting!

Qin Xiyue watched Lu Zhixue avert her gaze and frowned slightly. ’I didn’t expect her to have such a temper, and I certainly didn’t think she’d be sitting and talking with Song Yunzhao today. This is more difficult than I anticipated.’

"Consort Zhuang has arrived! Lady Wanfei has arrived! Lady Lu has arrived!"

As the three concubines arrived, everyone rose to greet them.

Princess Consort Zhuang smiled and said, "Sisters, there’s no need for such ceremony. Please, be seated."

Song Yunzhao rose and sat again, noticing that An Fangyi had also immediately taken her seat.

"Oh, who arranged these flowers?" Princess Consort Zhuang asked with a smile after sitting down.

Qin Xiyue rose to reply, "In response to Your Grace, it was an idea that Chen Guoji came up with. The rest of us thought flower arranging sounded like an interesting activity, so we joined in as well."

Hearing this, Chen Guoji quickly stood up and affirmed it, a happy smile on her face. It was good to get some recognition before the three concubines; she was naturally unwilling to just languish in obscurity in the harem.

"It’s a good idea, and the flowers are well-arranged," Princess Consort Zhuang praised with a smile.

Princess Consort Wan glanced at the flowers on the table with disgust, looked at Princess Consort Zhuang’s pretentious smile, snorted, and said directly, "My nose is a bit sensitive today. Someone, take these flowers away."

The smile on Chen Guoji’s face froze, and she became flustered. Fearing Princess Consort Wan would take her anger out on her, she quickly said, "I was unaware Your Grace was feeling unwell today. Please forgive me, Your Grace."

Princess Consort Zhuang said, "There’s no crime in ignorance. Princess Consort Wan isn’t the type of petty person to take her anger out on you."

Princess Consort Wan was left speechless by these words. She looked at Princess Consort Zhuang and said sarcastically, "How magnanimous of Princess Consort Zhuang."

Princess Consort Zhuang gave a faint smile. "Princess Consort Wan, you flatter me."

Watching from the side, Consort Lu nearly rolled her eyes. When it came to putting on an act, no one in the entire palace could compare to Princess Consort Zhuang.

Song Yunzhao watched the undercurrents between the three concubines, pondering to herself. ’This is much more subtle than the direct confrontations in the book. It’s probably because my family background isn’t as good as Qin Xiyue’s, so the three of them don’t see me as a clear threat. That’s why they’re still maintaining a semblance of decorum.’

Consort Lu’s eyes were fixed on Song Yunzhao. Because of the incident with the Imperial Kitchen, just looking at Song Yunzhao now gave her a headache.

It was clear that all the concubines of the harem had arrived, but the Emperor had not yet. Everyone’s minds began to wander. Han Jinyi and Lu Zhixue had returned to their own seats when the three concubines arrived. Lu Zhixue’s seat was right next to Qin Xiyue’s—a truly ill-fated connection.

Song Yunzhao recalled hearing the Emperor himself say that morning that he would attend the banquet, but now, he was nowhere to be seen. ’He’s probably just busy,’ she thought, and didn’t dwell on it.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard Princess Consort Wan look at her and ask, "Song Jieyu, do you know what hour Your Majesty will be arriving?"

Song Yunzhao looked up at Princess Consort Wan. ’This woman is always trying to make things difficult for me. Why ask me something like this? If she wants to know, she should send someone to ask at Taiji Palace.’

"I do not know." Song Yunzhao shot back with four simple words.

"How could you not know? Your Majesty stayed the night at Wangyou Palace last night."

"Your Grace must be joking. The Emperor merely stayed the night at Wangyou Palace; why would he discuss such trivial matters with me?" Song Yunzhao knew Princess Consort Wan was deliberately bringing up the fact that the Emperor had stayed at Wangyou Palace. She wanted to make the other women resent her; asking about the Emperor was just a pretext.

"Alright, Princess Consort Wan is only joking. Song Jieyu, don’t take it to heart. I think it’s best we send someone to Taiji Palace to inquire."

Princess Consort Wan did not reply, her face sullen and silent.

Consort Lu remained tight-lipped, offering no support whatsoever.

Princess Consort Zhuang found it exceptionally difficult to carry on the one-woman show. Suppressing her irritation, she ordered someone to go to Taiji Palace.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned strange. Song Yunzhao didn’t mind; she just found sitting there idly to be exhausting.

Princess Consort Zhuang scanned the room and, deciding to liven up the mood, ordered the dancing girls to perform. If the Emperor arrived to find everyone with long faces during a major festival, he would surely think they had failed in their duties.

Princess Consort Wan and Consort Lu had always been willful; the Emperor certainly wouldn’t blame them. That meant she would be the one to take the fall.

The song and dance prepared by the Music Bureau was very cheerful, and the hall instantly became lively. Perhaps because of the incident at the Qixi Festival banquet, today’s dancing girls were dressed with exceptional modesty. Forget a bare waist, not even a sliver of their arms was visible.

However, the sight of them dancing gracefully in their long-sleeved, long-skirted gowns had its own unique charm.

Soon, the person sent to Taiji Palace returned. They hurried before the three concubines and reported, "Your Graces, His Majesty says he is too busy with court affairs and will not be coming."