I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Feng Yi was momentarily entranced as he watched Song Yunzhao, her face etched with worry. He knew her feelings for Mrs. Song were faint, but she held her father in the highest regard. It was a kind of affection he had never experienced himself.

His own imperial father had never truly seen him as a son, and in turn, Feng Yi had never truly regarded him as a father.

With this in mind, he said to Song Yunzhao, "Your father has turned the entire southern officialdom upside down. Today, the courtiers jointly submitted a petition to impeach him."

Song Yunzhao: "..."

’So this is why the Emperor missed the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet?’

Perhaps it was her dumbfounded expression, but Feng Yi was pleased. He chuckled and said, "What? You don’t believe me?"

Song Yunzhao nodded. "I... I can hardly believe it. How is that possible? My father has been an official for many years and has always prioritized prudence..."

Feng Yi’s mouth twitched. ’Prudence?’

’I wouldn’t be so sure about that.’

The Emperor’s expression must have been quite telling, because Song Yunzhao fell silent.

Seeing Song Yunzhao’s vexation seemed to delight Feng Yi. His mood instantly improved, and his appetite returned.

’What else could she say?’

’Fine. If making the Emperor happy was one of my talents, who was I to argue?’

"Disaster relief is a complex affair. It involves local officials, the disaster silver allocated by the court, the personnel handling the distribution, and that’s not even mentioning the involvement of wealthy local families."

Song Yunzhao nodded. She knew all that, but she still couldn’t figure out how her father had managed to turn the officialdom on its head.

"What on earth did my father do?" Song Yunzhao was dying of curiosity.

"After the court’s disaster silver arrived, local officials intercepted it, intending to line their own pockets. They swapped out good grain for bad and manipulated the prices. Your father discovered that while the court had paid local merchants for medium-grade rice, the refugees were being fed rice bran. He started investigating from there."

Song Yunzhao: "..."

"In that case, my father really has the courage of a lion."

Feng Yi roared with laughter. "The court desperately needs good officials like your father, men who will stand up for the people. He’s done well. Not only will I support his continued investigation, I will see it through to the very end."

Song Yunzhao’s heart skipped a beat. ’To the very end? The courtiers are already joining forces to impeach him, and the investigation has barely started. If he keeps digging... she could only imagine the danger he’d be in.’

"Emperor, if my father is to continue this investigation, you must send men to protect him." Song Yunzhao was genuinely afraid for her father’s safety. He was the one person in this world who treated her with true, unconditional kindness.

Seeing her so fraught with worry, Feng Yi took her hand. "Rest assured. I have already sent men south."

Then, another thought occurred to Song Yunzhao. She turned to the Emperor. "Emperor, I have a... somewhat half-baked idea. Just hear me out."

Feng Yi fixed his gaze on her.

His stare made her feel a little sheepish.

Feng Yi noted her sheepishness. ’Her ’half-baked idea’ is probably truly half-baked.’ But her mind worked in wonderful and mysterious ways, and she often gave him a fresh perspective. He took her hand and led her deeper into the palace. "Let’s go inside to talk."

They entered the bedchamber. After Feng Yi sat down, he looked at Song Yunzhao. "Go on."

Song Yunzhao’s mouth twitched. ’Look at this setup. Anyone would think he was interrogating a thief.’

Suppressing her inner complaints, she looked at the Emperor and said thoughtfully, "Emperor, did my father mention whether the local merchants are cooperating with the government’s orders?"

Feng Yi was a little surprised by her question. He thought for a moment before replying, "He didn’t go into detail. Why? Do you have an idea?"

"Like I said, it’s just a half-baked idea." Song Yunzhao gave a dry laugh. "Emperor, think about it. The wealthy local families must be deeply entangled with the officials there. They’d be hesitant to cross them, which is why something like the rice bran incident could happen in the first place. After all, the imperial envoy will eventually return to the capital, but those families have to continue living under the thumb of the local officials. They wouldn’t dare to disobey their orders."

Feng Yi’s expression darkened. He was, of course, aware of this. But for the moment, he didn’t have a better solution. He looked at Song Yunzhao. "Do you have a way around it?"

"I might have one," Song Yunzhao said with a charming smile.

Feng Yi couldn’t help but smile back, his voice softening. "Tell me."

’This time he’s using "me" instead of the royal "I,"’ Song Yunzhao mused.

’The Emperor is so shameless. When there’s something to be gained, it’s just "you and me." When there’s not, it’s back to "I" and "my dear concubine."’

Grumbling inwardly, Song Yunzhao still offered her thoughts. "This flood has affected a wide area. Emperor, you could encourage wealthy merchants from nearby, unaffected regions to sell their grain in the disaster zones. That would break the stranglehold of the web woven by the local officials and merchants."