I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Song Yunzhao’s brows furrowed slightly at the news. ’He’s not coming?’

The Emperor had clearly said this morning that he would come. For him not to come now, something must have happened.

It wasn’t just the three concubines; the other concubines also looked disappointed. It was already difficult to see the Emperor on a normal day, and a festival was their only chance to appear before the imperial court. But now, the Emperor wasn’t even coming for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The disappointment on Chen Guoji’s face was impossible to hide. She had spent all this time painstakingly practicing flower arrangement, all in the hopes of showing her face before His Majesty today. And for what?

The three concubines each had different expressions. Princess Consort Wan, making no effort to hide her feelings, simply stood up and left. Consort Lu also made an excuse about the Imperial Kitchen and followed right after her.

Princess Consort Zhuang: ...

’They’re all undermining me,’ she thought. ’This is so difficult.’

Since Princess Consort Zhuang didn’t leave, no one else dared to. An Fangyi and Song Yunzhao, however, were exceptions.

An Fangyi excused herself, citing she was unwell. Song Yunzhao didn’t even bother with an excuse and simply took her leave.

The smile on Princess Consort Zhuang’s face completely vanished, but in the end, she did not stop them.

Before leaving, Song Yunzhao glanced at Qin Xiyue out of the corner of her eye and saw her brows were tightly knitted, lost in thought. Clearly, today’s events had taken her by surprise as well.

Song Yunzhao went straight back to Wangyou Palace. All that time spent on her elaborate makeup and dress had been for nothing. She took off the magnificent robes and heavy hair ornaments, changing into a simple, light dress and putting her hair up in a simple bun. Then, remembering the mooncakes she’d had made, she summoned Anshun.

"Take these mooncakes to Zhang Maoquan and ask him to present them to the Emperor. His Majesty may be tied up with state affairs, but he should still celebrate the festival. Eating a mooncake will help get him in the spirit."

She couldn’t let her hard work making the mooncakes go to waste. Whether the Emperor ate them was one thing, but making sure he knew about them was another.

’If you do something, you have to take credit for it.’

Anshun carried the food box toward Taiji Palace. Outside, guards stood in neat rows, their armor glinting in the moonlight. Anshun didn’t dare to look for long, keeping his head down as he went straight to find Zhang Maoquan.

As luck would have it, Zhang Maoquan was just coming out of the main hall. He spotted Anshun at once and beckoned him over.

Anshun quickly trotted over. "Greetings, Chief Steward Zhang."

"What brings you here?" Zhang Maoquan asked. As he spoke, his eyes fell on the food box in Anshun’s hands. "Did the Lady send you to deliver something to the Emperor?"

Anshun smiled and quickly replied, "Yes, my lady made these mooncakes herself and specially sent me to bring them for the Emperor to try."

Zhang Maoquan thought to himself, ’Song Jieyu is so clever. The Emperor skips the palace banquet, and the next thing you know, she’s sent mooncakes over. How could the Emperor not be pleased to be thought of like this?’

He reached out and took the food box. "Did the Lady have any other instructions for you?"

Anshun immediately said, "My lady said that she mixed the fillings herself, and they are very different from previous years."

Zhang Maoquan raised an eyebrow. ’Beautiful and clever. If Song Jieyu doesn’t win his favor, who will?’

’If I were to come across someone like her, I’d definitely be very fond of her too.’

"Alright, you wait here," Zhang Maoquan said before turning and heading back into the hall.

Anshun obediently stood to the side, breathing a small sigh of relief. ’Chief Steward Zhang told me to wait. Maybe the Emperor will have a message for me to take back to my lady.’

Zhang Maoquan entered the main hall carrying the food box. Meng Jiuchang saw him immediately but lowered his gaze and ignored the young man, remaining as still as a wooden post.

Zhang Maoquan hadn’t expected Meng Jiuchang to be tactful enough to step aside. He stepped forward and bowed. "Emperor, Song Jieyu has sent Anshun with mooncakes."

Feng Yi looked up at his words. "Mooncakes?"

"Yes," Zhang Maoquan said at once. "Anshun said that the Concubine made these mooncakes herself, mixing the fillings with her own hands. She asks that Your Majesty do her the honor of trying one."

At this, the tense expression on Feng Yi’s face softened slightly. He put down his brush and then said, "Bring them here."

Zhang Maoquan immediately brought the food box forward.

Just then, Meng Jiuchang moved. He moistened a towel, walked over quickly, and handed it to the Emperor so he could wipe his hands. After he was done, Meng Jiuchang offered him a dry towel.

Zhang Maoquan: ...

After taking back the towels, Meng Jiuchang retreated to the side again, not saying a single word, as if he had never been there at all.

Zhang Maoquan was terribly vexed. ’Judging by this display, it won’t be easy to replace Meng Jiuchang.’

Feng Yi opened the food box and saw two palm-sized plates inside. On each plate were four mooncakes. The mooncakes were small and looked distinctly different from the ones made in the palace.

He reached for one, placed it in his mouth, and took a bite. It wasn’t cloyingly sweet. Instead, it was a mix of sweet and savory, rich but not greasy, with a strong aroma of ham that was a pleasant surprise.

He then picked up a mooncake from the other plate. After examining it closely and seeing no major difference in appearance, he took a bite. A grainy texture rubbed against his lips and teeth, its slightly salty and dense flavor making his mouth water. He was pleasantly surprised; he never imagined salted egg yolk could be eaten this way.