I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.

News of what happened at the traveling palace quickly spread outside.

The Matriarch had not been invited to the banquet, but Mrs. Han had someone send her a message, relaying the events of the palace feast in great detail.

The Matriarch rewarded the messenger with a heavy pouch, asking her to convey her thanks to Mrs. Han and adding that she would pay a personal visit to express her gratitude another day.

After seeing the messenger off, Song Yexi emerged from behind a screen, her face pale with worry. "Mother, will Yun Zhao be alright?"

She was now incredibly glad she hadn’t been able to stay in the palace. ’I don’t think I could have handled something like this,’ she thought. ’It’s just too dangerous.’

"I will send a request to visit the traveling palace tomorrow," the Matriarch said at once. "You will go and request an audience with Princess Zhenbei."

"Mother, what do you need me to do?"

"You don’t have to do anything. Just ask the Princess Consort about the Zhaoyi’s condition."

Song Yexi looked at her mother dubiously. "That’s it?"

"That’s it. At a time like this, the more we do, the more mistakes we could make. The Zhaoyi has already been wronged. As her family, we cannot afford to be aggressive," the Matriarch said in a low voice. "You just need to let the Princess Consort see our sincere worry for the Zhaoyi. That will be enough."

"If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better for me to see Princess Ming’an...?"

"Princess Zhenbei is no simple woman. If you go to Princess Ming’an instead, it will make us seem insincere," the Matriarch said.

Although Song Yexi didn’t fully understand, she agreed. "I’ll have someone send the request at dawn."

The Matriarch nodded slightly, her expression grim and her eyes glinting. After a moment of contemplation, she looked at her daughter and added, "Take Linlang with you."

Song Yexi was taken aback. "Take Linlang? But what good will she be?"

"Linlang has the Xie family behind her. Although the Xie family are merchants, they are no ordinary merchants now that the Zhaoyi has paved the way for them with the Emperor. Just take her with you."

"Alright, I’ll listen to you, Mother."

"You should go get some rest."

Song Yexi looked at her mother with concern. "Mother, you should rest early too."

The Matriarch waved her hand. After watching her daughter leave, she turned to Nanny Zhao and said, "I’m going to write two letters. One will be sent back to the capital for the Third Young Master, and the other to Yucheng for the Master. Have your son make the trip to Yucheng. As for the Third Young Master, have your husband personally explain the matter to him in detail."

Seeing the Matriarch’s grim expression, Nanny Zhao quickly agreed. Her entire family were servants who had come with the Matriarch as part of her dowry and had always been trusted with important tasks. A matter of this gravity was indeed not something to be entrusted to others.

"I will grind the ink for you, My Lady."

Nanny Zhao quickly brought out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. She picked up the ink stick and began grinding it slowly. Once the ink was smooth, she said softly, "Madam, it is ready."

The Matriarch had already organized her thoughts. She first wrote to her husband, primarily pointing out that the Qin Family had secretly plotted against Yun Zhao, and that this was likely related to the past incident with Qin Yuanjing.

The letter to the Third Young Master focused on the methods the Qin Family used to harm Yun Zhao, warning him to be on his guard. His promotion to the Ministry of Revenue on account of his merits had already caused a great deal of resentment, with Grand Tutor Qin being one of the most displeased.

’I’m worried Grand Tutor Qin will attack on two fronts,’ she thought. ’He’ll target Yun Zhao here, and he’ll go after the Third Young Master over there. If our family is fighting fires both internally and externally, we won’t be able to manage both ends and will likely suffer heavy losses.’

The letters were sent out that very night.

The sky was already beginning to lighten. The Matriarch rested briefly against a soft pillow before rousing herself to write another formal request for a visit. This one was for Lady Lu.

’Qin Wan Yi framed our Zhaozhao. We can’t let this go.’

Back during the disaster relief efforts, there had been a struggle between the Right Minister and Grand Tutor Qin. It was Zhaozhao who had helped the Right Minister avoid a disaster.

The Lu Family could now repay that favor.

’If Grand Tutor Qin and his daughter think they can escape unscathed, they’re dreaming!’

The Matriarch was a woman of swift and decisive action. Meanwhile, back in the traveling palace, Yun Zhao was having breakfast. She was in good spirits today. The Imperial Physician had come early to check her pulse and, finding nothing amiss, had finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

After she finished her breakfast, Han Jinyi and a few others came to visit her together.

She had just finished reading the Matriarch’s note and instructed Xiangxue, "Have Anshun make a trip. Tell my aunt not to worry, and that it’s fine for her to come to the traveling palace in the afternoon."

Xiangxue acknowledged the order and departed.

When Han Jinyi and the others entered, they saw that Yun Zhao’s complexion was quite good and all breathed a sigh of relief.

Feng Yunjin looked at Song Yunzhao and said, "I heard there was a huge commotion over at the Marquis Yongjia Mansion. Does the Zhaoyi know about it?"

Yun Zhao shook her head, her interest instantly piqued. "Tell me everything. What happened?"

’That Huang Mingxiu girl doesn’t seem very bright,’ she mused. ’She’s simple-minded and reckless, a perfect fit for the role of a dim-witted side character in a novel. Anyway, no one with half a brain would have said something like that at the tea party.’

Lu Zhixue spoke with a hint of schadenfreude, "The fact that Huang Mingxiu can’t eat almonds isn’t exactly a secret, but not many people actually know about it. And for someone to be able to use that against her here at the traveling palace, someone must have leaked the information."

"Was it Chu Yuying?" Song Yunzhao asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Han Jinyi nodded. "That’s the rumor."

"What do you mean, ’rumor’? It was her!" Lu Zhixue huffed. "You’re just too soft-hearted. You never want to kick someone when they’re down. Besides, does this situation even need you to kick her? We’re just stating the facts."

Song Yunzhao tutted. "I really didn’t expect to be so hated. I don’t have any grudges against Chu Yuying, so why would she plot against me?"

"No grudges, perhaps, but there’s definitely resentment and jealousy," Feng Yunjin said.

Song Yunzhao looked up at her.

Feng Yunjin chuckled lightly. "The Zhaoyi has probably forgotten about Consort Chu."

"Oh, now I understand."

Song Yunzhao really hadn’t thought of Consort Chu for a moment. She smiled and said, "Consort Chu and I don’t really have any connection. They say we’re distantly related, but we’ve never met. Besides, after I arrived in Shangjing, the Dingnan Bo Mansion never intended for me to use Consort Chu’s name to gain favor in the palace. We are two completely separate groups."

"I’m afraid the Young Madam of the Marquis Yongjia Mansion doesn’t see it that way," Lu Zhixue said mockingly. "Before Consort Chu passed away from illness, she was the sole Imperial Concubine in the palace. I heard she received overwhelming favor, and even the three concubines of the highest rank were slightly outshone by her. You have some distant relation to Consort Chu, so Chu Yuying must believe you’ve won the Emperor’s favor because of her. She thinks the Emperor is transferring his affections and letting you benefit from it."

Song Yunzhao thought that Lu Zhixue’s assumption was actually correct.

"After Huang Mingxiu suffered through that ordeal, the Marchioness Yongjia went back and interrogated Chu Yuying. The exact details aren’t clear, but early this morning, the Young Madam was sent on her way back to the capital," Feng Yunjin said.

"The Marchioness Yongjia certainly is a decisive woman," Song Yunzhao remarked. She didn’t particularly care about these matters. ’At the end of the day, this is the Marquis Yongjia Mansion’s own business,’ she thought. ’Besides, sending Chu Yuying back to the capital probably isn’t just because of Huang Mingxiu. It’s also because they’re afraid I’ll take my anger out on the entire Marquis Yongjia Mansion. This is a gesture for my benefit.’