I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Song Yunzhao was surprised, too. Ji Yunting was back again?

’What a bizarre plot this is.’

"Since he was posted outside the capital, how could he return so easily?" Song Yunzhao was quite curious. ’Isn’t this a little too surreal?’

"They say he couldn’t acclimate to the local environment and fell ill several times. If he didn’t come back, I’m afraid he would have died there," Feng Yunjin said.

Song Yunzhao: ...

’She figured this must be the work of the great "Auntie Plot." As the female lead’s unattainable first love, he was supposed to have been an official in the Capital City all along in the book. Now that he’s gone, how could the story move forward without him? So, the plot just had to bring him back, right?’

Thinking about it that way, Song Yunzhao felt that Ji Yunting was really... rather pathetic.

’Failing to acclimate, and not just once, but getting so sick he was half-dead. This wasn’t just pathetic; it was piling misery on top of misery.’

"It’s not strange that Consort Zhuang’s family wants a marriage alliance with the Ji Family."

Hearing Lu Zhixue speak, Song Yunzhao turned to her. "What do you know? Quick, tell me."

Seeing that gossipy look on her face, Lu Zhixue was truly at a loss for words. ’She’s a Zhaoyi, for goodness’ sake. Even if they were close, she should at least pretend to be more dignified.’

’Then again, she found Song Yunzhao’s unpretentious manner rather refreshing.’

Clearing her throat, Lu Zhixue said, "The Wang Family wanted a marriage alliance with the Ji Family a few years ago, but Young Master Ji was just too popular back then. Madam Ji looked down on the Wang Family’s daughters, so when the Wang Family put out feelers, Madam Ji politely declined."

Song Yunzhao thought for a moment. ’This definitely wasn’t in the book. Did the author not write about it, or has a hidden plotline been unlocked? Now this is getting interesting.’

Han Jinyi chimed in with a smile, "A few years ago, we wouldn’t have understood any of this even if we heard it, but now it all makes sense. Back then, Princess Ming’an was chasing after Young Master Ji, so how could Madam Ji have even considered a girl from the Wang Family? But now that Princess Ming’an has broken off her engagement with him, and the Left Minister is getting on in years and probably can’t wait for Young Master Ji to inherit his mantle, they need to find a suitable match who can both support Young Master Ji and help him secure the Left Minister’s legacy. The Wang Family is a perfect fit."

Song Yunzhao felt that Han Jinyi had a point. ’As the female lead’s unattainable first love, Ji Yunting is naturally exceptionally talented. However, I was the one who exposed the cheating scandal in the last imperial examination, which led to a re-examination and broke the book’s original plotline.’

’So, in the last imperial examination where Ji Yunting was supposed to shine, his own cousin ended up stealing his thunder.’

’Even if he had stayed in the capital, it would have taken Ji Yunting over a decade to gain real power. By then, the female lead’s son would be nearing adulthood, a critical time for vying for the title of Crown Prince, and Ji Yunting’s support would have been crucial.’

’In the book, it took over a decade for Ji Yunting to reach a high position even when everything went smoothly for him. Now that his path is so rocky, a marriage alliance with the Wang Family is truly a matter of mutual benefit.’

"So, will this marriage actually happen?" Lu Zhixue wasn’t optimistic.

"It’s hard to say." Feng Yunjin shook her head.

Han Jinyi, however, thought it was more likely. After all, Ji Yunting’s situation wasn’t great right now. Returning to the capital because he couldn’t acclimate was not exactly a glorious affair.

If the two families were joined by marriage, it would be a good thing for Ji Yunting, making it smoother for him to secure an official post in the Capital City.

Song Yunzhao felt a headache coming on. Ji Yunting staying in the capital was not good news for her. If his marriage alliance with the Wang Family succeeded, that would be even worse news. In short, she was the female lead’s rival. It was impossible for her to be friends with the female lead’s unattainable first love—the man who, in the book, was a key supporter in helping the female lead’s son ascend the throne. They were destined to be enemies.

Therefore, since they were fated to be enemies, she naturally didn’t want Ji Yunting to marry into the Wang Family.

Once the two families were joined by marriage, it would also be a boon for Consort Zhuang, increasing her influence in the harem.

She and Consort Zhuang were basically rivals now. Anything that benefited Consort Zhuang would naturally be detrimental to her.

Song Yunzhao really couldn’t accept it. ’Is this the power of the plot?’

Pah!

’My fate is my own, not the book’s to decide! I refuse to believe in this nonsense!’

Ultimately, the matter was up to the Ji and Wang Families. All they could do was talk about it.

"Besides that, there’s something else. I wonder if you’ve heard the news, Zhaoyi?" Feng Yunjin added.

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

"I heard the Emperor intends to have Princess Fuke return to the capital with her children."

"Princess Fuke?" Song Yunzhao frowned. She didn’t really remember this person from the book. ’If I can’t remember her, she must not be an important supporting character.’

"Yes. Princess Fuke’s husband, the Prince Consort, passed away from illness. She is raising her two sons and one daughter alone. I heard she wrote a memorial to the Emperor asking to return to the capital."

"You heard?" Song Yunzhao looked at Feng Yunjin. "Who did you hear it from?"

Feng Yunjin explained, "The other day, when Mrs. Wang came to visit Consort Zhuang, she mentioned Princess Fuke. The news made me suspicious, so I wrote home to inquire and only then learned about Princess Fuke’s memorial."

Song Yunzhao: ...

"How could a conversation between Consort Zhuang and her mother get out?" ’It’s like matters in my Wangyou Palace; the people around me would never leak anything. Are they tired of living?’

Feng Yunjin said thoughtfully, "Zhaoyi, your residence is different from others. The palace attendants here were handpicked by Manager Meng and Chief Steward Zhang after several rounds of screening, so of course they dare not speak out of turn. But for the rest of us, like myself, it’s impossible to bring all our personal attendants from the palace. We have to use servants from the traveling palace, and those people are difficult to manage."

Song Yunzhao understood now. ’I really had no idea about such shenanigans. After all, the book never mentioned these things, and I haven’t encountered such vexing problems since arriving at the traveling palace.’

’So, word from Consort Zhuang’s side really leaked out just like that?’

She still found it a bit incredible.

Feng Yunjin glanced at the others and lowered her voice slightly. "I’m afraid Consort Zhuang might have intentionally let the news slip. Princess Fuke helped the Emperor a few times when he was young, so their relationship is decent. However, Princess Fuke’s mother, Consort Rong, did not get along well with the Empress Dowager, so the relationship between Princess Fuke and the Empress Dowager is also very delicate."

Song Yunzhao frowned in silence, still trying hard to recall if the book had ever mentioned this Princess Fuke, or if she had read it and simply forgotten.

Lu Zhixue, who didn’t know much about these things, heard Feng Yunjin and said with disapproval, "Imperial Concubine Rong has been gone for a long time. Surely Princess Fuke can’t still be planning to go against the Empress Dowager now, can she?"

But Han Jinyi’s eyes lit up. "What if she has the Emperor’s support?"

"What do you mean?" Lu Zhixue didn’t immediately understand.

Neither Han Jinyi nor Feng Yunjin explained. They just smiled. Such things couldn’t be said aloud.

But Lu Zhixue wasn’t truly slow; she quickly figured it out. It would be unfilial for the Emperor to directly oppose the Empress Dowager. But if he propped up Princess Fuke to keep the Empress Dowager in check, wouldn’t that be perfectly justifiable?

Princess Fuke had been the late Emperor’s favorite daughter, and the current Emperor had also taken great care of his older sister after ascending the throne. Moreover, Princess Fuke had a cautious personality. If the Empress Dowager couldn’t find any fault with her, she really couldn’t do anything to the princess directly.