I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

After seeing her family, Feng Yi was unable to stay the night with Yun Zhao for two consecutive days. However, the incident of the palace attendant being caned to death had changed the attitude of the entire traveling palace toward her. The palace attendants, in particular, were now exceedingly cautious.

Yun Zhao’s days passed leisurely, and she took the opportunity to ask Nanny Yu for advice regarding pregnant concubines attending to the Emperor.

Nanny Yu was a veteran palace nanny, and to her, such matters were nothing significant. She explained everything to the Zhaoyi in great detail.

As someone who had never been married or borne a child, it was only then that Yun Zhao learned that it was inadvisable to be intimate during the first and last trimesters of pregnancy, but permissible at other times.

’What an eye-opener.’

’And she was right in the perfect window. The heavens were truly on her side.’

’But since I can’t even see the Emperor right now, there’s no need to rush.’

’The matter of the Song Family’s marriage alliance wouldn’t be resolved so quickly. Even the fastest messenger would need seven or eight days for a round trip. I’ll wait until my eldest uncle’s reply arrives before deciding anything.’

As for Princess Fuke...

Song Yunzhao hadn’t expected Princess Fuke to arrive so quickly. She had rushed straight to the traveling palace with her child without waiting for a summons from the Emperor.

"Princess Duanjing is gravely ill this time. Princess Fuke, desperate to save her daughter, rushed here to the traveling palace," Nanny Yu said, relaying the information she had gathered. "After she requested an audience with His Majesty, he sent an Imperial Physician to examine her."

Princess Duanjing was Princess Fuke’s daughter. She was frail and sickly, and Princess Fuke had spared no effort in caring for her.

Song Yunzhao could only sigh. ’Such is a parent’s heart. The girl was already frail, and on top of that, her father passed away from illness. It’s no wonder her body couldn’t take it.’

Song Yunzhao had thought she wouldn’t see Feng Yi today either, but to her surprise, he arrived during lunch, looking utterly exhausted.

Song Yunzhao welcomed him in and instructed Xiangxue to have the kitchen prepare a few more dishes. She looked the Emperor over and said, "Have you not been resting well these past few days, Your Majesty? Why is your complexion so poor?"

Hearing Yun Zhao’s words, Feng Yi replied, "There were some urgent matters, and I had to pull a few late nights. It’s all taken care of now, so I finally have a moment to come see you."

As he spoke, he observed Yun Zhao’s rosy complexion and nodded in satisfaction. He pulled her to a seat and asked, "Has everything been all right these past few days?"

Song Yunzhao seized the chance to say, "Your Majesty certainly taught everyone a harsh lesson on my behalf the other day. Now, what fool among the palace attendants in this traveling palace would dare to disrespect me? My days have been very comfortable."

Feng Yi noted that Yun Zhao only mentioned the palace attendants, not the other concubines or the Empress Dowager. A wry smile touched his lips. ’She’s still reminding me, just in a roundabout way.’

The meal was served quickly, and the two of them sat down to eat.

Yunzhao took the opportunity to bring up Princess Fuke’s situation. "...I only heard from others that Princess Duanjing is in poor health. How is she now? I hope it’s nothing too serious."

Feng Yi hadn’t expected Yun Zhao to care about this, so he explained, "Duan Jing has always been frail. On top of that, her father recently passed away. She collapsed from exhaustion during the funeral rites, then caught a chill and suffered a high fever that wouldn’t break for days. After suffering for seven or eight days, she finally started to recover. Princess Fuke felt the local doctors weren’t skilled enough, so she brought her to the traveling palace."

An image of a frail beauty, as delicate as a willow in the wind, surfaced in Song Yunzhao’s mind. ’That poor girl has had it rough.’

"So what did the Imperial Physician say?"

"It’s a congenital weakness, so she must be meticulously cared for. This illness came on quickly and violently, so the Imperial Physician has to be extremely cautious when prescribing medicine. We’ll just have to wait and see."

Since Song Yunzhao had never met Princess Fuke, she only felt a brief pang of sympathy for the young girl’s harsh fate before letting the matter go.

After lunch, they went to a lakeside pavilion to escape the heat. The gentle breeze drifting off the water was far more pleasant than the basins of ice indoors. Now that she was pregnant, it wasn’t good for her to be around ice all the time. She thus spent most of her days out here, using only a small amount of ice at night and never too much.

Feng Yi noticed the lounge chair in the pavilion. "This is quite nice."

"It’s even more comfortable when you sit in it." Song Yunzhao had modified the soft couch in the pavilion, turning it into a rocking chair. When she wasn’t sleepy, rocking in it was the perfect way to lull herself to sleep.

Feng Yi watched as Yun Zhao sat down and, with a gentle push of her toes, set the chair rocking. He tried it as well and was pleasantly surprised. It was indeed very comfortable.

As the chair rocked back and forth, Feng Yi forgot whatever he had been about to say. Before long, he had fallen asleep.

Yun Zhao had someone bring a thin blanket to cover Feng Yi. She sat quietly by his side, and as she gazed at the shimmering lake and mountain scenery, she too unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

Cicadas chirped, a gentle breeze rustled by, and the smoke from insect-repelling incense mingled with the fragrance of lotus blossoms from the lake. Even their sleep was filled with a fresh, sweet scent.

Xiangxue and the other attendants stood guard from a distance. Yulu was busy making shoes; as her mistress’s pregnancy progressed, her footwear would need to be made looser.

Qingfeng was beside her helping to twist and thread the silk, while Xiangxue took a shoe pattern and began to embroider it. An unknown amount of time passed before Anshun hurried over.

Seeing him, Xiangxue lowered her voice and asked, "What brings you here?"

Anshun replied urgently, "Manager Meng is here. He is requesting the Emperor’s presence in the front hall."

Just as he said that, Meng Jiuchang arrived.

None of them dared to block his path. Xiangxue said quickly, "Please wait a moment, Manager Meng. I will go announce your arrival."

Meng Jiuchang nodded. "Thank you."

Xiangxue hurried into the pavilion, went to her mistress’s side, and leaned down to say, "Mistress, Manager Meng is here."

Song Yunzhao, still groggy with sleep, opened her eyes at the sound. It took her a moment to gather her wits before she asked, "Who’s here?"

"Manager Meng."

’Meng Jiuchang?’

Song Yunzhao was instantly wide awake. She rose with Xiangxue’s support, and just as she was about to call out, she saw that Feng Yi had opened his eyes as well.

"What is it?"

"Manager Meng is here," Song Yunzhao said.

Feng Yi sat up. Seeing this, Meng Jiuchang immediately trotted over. "Your Majesty, an urgent memorial from Prince Zhenbei has arrived."

Feng Yi’s expression grew taut. He turned to look at Yun Zhao.

Yun Zhao immediately said, "Your Majesty, affairs of the state are more important."

Feng Yi nodded. "You should get some more rest. I must go."

Preoccupied with Prince Zhenbei’s memorial, Feng Yi departed in a hurry.

Yun Zhao had no desire to sleep anymore. She got up to stretch her legs and began a slow walk along the lakeshore.

Xiangxue followed behind, reporting as they walked, "Mistress, an hour ago, Princess Fuke sent a request for an audience with the Empress Dowager, but Her Majesty refused on the grounds of feeling unwell."

The corner of Song Yunzhao’s mouth twitched. ’The Empress Dowager is always feeling unwell for one reason or another. Isn’t she afraid she’ll jinx herself for real?’

"And Princess Fuke just left?"

"Yes. However, Princess Fuke also sent visiting cards to the three concubines and to you, Mistress, along with some gifts of local specialties," Xiangxue replied.

Song Yunzhao stopped in her tracks. ’Sending cards to the three concubines is one thing, but she sent one to me, too? Now that’s interesting.’

’Princess Fuke is not only smarter than I anticipated, but also far bolder.’

Before evening even arrived, the good news of Prince Zhenbei’s great victory spread through the palace. Song Yunzhao let out a sharp breath of relief. ’As long as it isn’t bad news, everything is fine.’

’Although the book said Prince Zhenbei would ultimately return to the capital victorious, it never described the details of the campaign. That’s why when I heard about his urgent memorial, I assumed something terrible had happened. Turns out it was just to announce a victory.’

"Now that Princess Fuke has arrived at the traveling palace," Song Yunzhao said after a moment of thought, "has the Emperor mentioned holding a welcome reception for her?"

’The Empress Dowager rejected Princess Fuke’s request for an audience. The Emperor would never let her be humiliated like that; he’ll definitely find a way to make it up to her.’