I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Song Yunzhao paid no mind to the others’ gazes, smiling as she took her seat.

The corner of Consort Shu’s mouth twitched. ’I think I’ve just learned another trick.’

Most of the women weren’t familiar with the Empress Dowager, so they relied entirely on Princess Consort Zhuang to liven up the atmosphere, with Qin Xiyue assisting her. The hall was filled with constant laughter, creating a scene of perfect harmony—at least on the surface.

It was the first day of paying respects, so everyone was likely minding their own reputation. No one did anything too out of line, and even the occasional verbal spar was considered normal.

The Empress Dowager acted exceedingly kind, looking especially eager about the child in Song Yunzhao’s womb. It couldn’t help but bring a certain phrase to Song Yunzhao’s mind: ’This is death by praise.’

’With the Emperor protecting me now, and the Empress Dowager unwilling to clash head-on with her son, how to deal with me is indeed a difficult question for her.’

But the Empress Dowager had made her choice, and it was a path decidedly hostile to Song Yunzhao. She would rather have slammed the table and had a full-blown falling out with the Empress Dowager; it would be better than this slow, agonizing death by a thousand cuts.

On the way back from Shouci Palace, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. ’This Empress Dowager is different from the one in the book.’

In the book, whenever the Empress Dowager confronted the female lead, Qin Xiyue, she acted like a raving lunatic—domineering and reckless. Fortunately, she had An Shutong to rein her in and the protection of her status as Empress Dowager. That was how she managed to last for several rounds against Qin Xiyue before being written out of the story.

’But now that she’s dealing with me, how did this supporting character, the Empress Dowager, suddenly get an intelligence boost?’

’Now, isn’t that just a predicament?’

Song Yunzhao was fuming. It was absolutely infuriating.

’Why is it that evil side characters get dumbed down when they face the heroine, but get an intelligence buff when they face me, another side character? Is this the special treatment a supporting character gets when she’s trying to level up?’

Even bullies weren’t this vicious.

Song Yunzhao was still seething when she returned to Wangyou Palace. No sooner had she stepped inside than rewards from the Empress Dowager began arriving in a continuous stream.

Nanny Yao’s smile was as bright as the midsummer sun, so radiant it was almost blinding.

Gazing at the table laden with all sorts of top-tier, expensive tonics, and a jewelry box from the Empress Dowager, her eyes landed on one hairpin. It was decorated with a phoenix pattern. Although the design was subtle, Song Yunzhao’s brow remained deeply furrowed.

"Mistress, what should we do with all this?" Nanny Yu asked, her expression laced with worry. "This move from the Empress Dowager... it’s difficult to counter."

"Catalog everything and put it in the storeroom," Song Yunzhao sighed. ’What else can I do? I’ll just have to deal with it.’

Tomorrow was the Emperor’s military review, so he wouldn’t have time to visit her at Wangyou Palace. These gifts were useless just sitting here, but she couldn’t return them to the Empress Dowager either. It was best to put them in storage to get them out of sight and out of mind.

Nanny Yu quickly led Xiangxue and a few other maids to put the items away. Seeing their mistress’s foul mood, they all moved quietly, not daring to disturb her peace.

As for whether Zhang Maoquan would report this to the Emperor, Nanny Yu and the others would never dare to ask. Zhang Maoquan was the Emperor’s man, after all. Though he was currently serving in Wangyou Palace, he was bound to return to the Emperor’s side eventually.

They wouldn’t dare meddle in matters of the imperial court, not even if they had ten times the courage.

After sitting quietly for some time, she went to the study. She spread out a sheet of paper, ground some ink, and lifted her brush to write a letter to her eldest aunt.

The brush tip hovered over the page, but the words were impossibly difficult to form. A drop of ink fell, marring the paper. Song Yunzhao sighed softly, put down her brush, and decided she shouldn’t write to her eldest aunt after all.

’My eldest aunt is a very rational person. Given the predicament my eldest uncle is in, with their temperaments, they’re bound to have a plan. If I contact my family too often right now, I’ll just be giving someone an opening to exploit.’

’Besides, with the Emperor’s promise, I believe that even if Uncle can’t be fully exonerated, there will be no problem ensuring his safety.’

’As for Father, being home recuperating from his injuries has allowed him to avoid a lot of trouble. I suppose it’s a blessing in disguise.’

The night before the military review, Song Yunzhao received a few pastries delivered by Meng Jiuchang, sent on the Emperor’s behalf. The message was that they were a new creation from the Imperial Kitchen; the Emperor had enjoyed them and wanted her to have a taste as well.

’The Emperor must know what the Empress Dowager did,’ Song Yunzhao mused. ’He’s too busy to visit, so he sent something to comfort me. It seems my little stories weren’t written in vain. At least he’s learning how to care for someone.’

The next morning, Feng Yi arrived in person at the military training grounds. The Left and Right Ministers accompanied him, and a retinue of courtiers followed as he ascended a high platform to observe the army’s drills.

Meanwhile, Song Yunzhao, unable to witness the event in person, was recalling the plot from the book. ’The military review is happening earlier now. Will Qin Xiyue still be able to distinguish herself like she did in the story?’

Feng Yi had been on the throne for five years, but he had only begun to truly consolidate his imperial authority in the last two. In the book, the Capital City’s garrison still had significant vulnerabilities several years from now, to say nothing of its current state.

In this military review, Feng Yi was supposed to discover that the quality of the weaponry was abysmal. Military Supply Officers at all levels had been colluding to substitute substandard equipment for the real thing. Moreover, payroll padding in the Capital Guard was rampant, with nearly half the listed soldiers being "ghosts."

The National Treasury allocated so much silver each year to maintain the army, only for it to come to this. Given the Emperor’s temperament, how could he not be enraged?

The current situation was likely even worse than it was a few years later in the book. After all, as the Emperor’s hold on the throne solidified over the next few years, these people would have become somewhat more restrained. But as for now...

In the book, Qin Xiyue had gotten a tip from Grand Tutor Qin beforehand, obtaining leverage against specific officials and thus providing the Emperor with a major advantage.

Now that the plot has been moved forward several years, I doubt Grand Tutor Qin can get his hands on that leverage in advance. Besides, the one who facilitated things for Grand Tutor Qin in the book was Helan Yue. But the Helan Yue of today is not the Helan Yue from the book, who had battlefield achievements to his name and had established a firm, respected position in the military.

With no military achievements to his name and no prestige to command respect, how could the current Helan Yue possibly pave the way for Grand Tutor Qin?

This thought put Song Yunzhao’s mind at ease. As long as Qin Xiyue couldn’t cut the corner and pull ahead, she could still go head-to-head with her.

’It’s a shame I didn’t pay attention to who those leeches were when I read the book. Otherwise, I’d be the one cutting the corner right now.’

’Sigh. The price of reading a story without memorizing the details is a bitter one to swallow.’

"Mistress, something’s happened."

Song Yunzhao looked at Anshun. "What is it?"

"The military review isn’t even over, but the Emperor has already returned to the palace! I heard there was a massive blunder during the drills. The Emperor was so furious he had two Assistant Generals executed on the spot." Anshun’s face went white as he spoke.

Song Yunzhao: ...

’The Emperor’s rage is even greater than it was in the book. I’m afraid the situation now is even more disastrous.’

While thinking this, she put on an expression of perfect surprise and asked Anshun, "Do we know the specific reason?"

"I’ve already sent someone to ask around, but I don’t know if they’ll be able to learn anything. I heard the entire training ground has been sealed off."

Song Yunzhao was truly at a loss for words. The court needed money to support the army, and the Emperor gave it. It needed men, and the Emperor gave them. Yet this was the result. She actually felt sorry for the Emperor for a whole three seconds. ’He really has it rough.’

At this thought, a glint appeared in Song Yunzhao’s eyes. In the court, the civil and military officials had always held each other in contempt, but the civil servants couldn’t escape responsibility for this mess.

She was suddenly reminded of Consort Shu, and by extension, the Right Minister.

’Is it time to fleece this sheep again?’