I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

"Our family’s assets haven’t been seized, so how could we be destitute?" Wang Yunhua asked, her eyes wide. Her voice held a note of tension and fear she herself hadn’t noticed.

"It’s true, our assets weren’t seized. But some things still must be returned. As long as I can save your father’s life, I would give up everything we have," Mrs. Wang said, her face expressionless.

’Give up everything?’

Wang Yunhua was stunned.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but lost her nerve when she met her mother’s gaze. Crestfallen, she walked back to her own courtyard.

Mrs. Wang watched her daughter’s retreating figure, her lips pressed into a tight line, but her eyes began to redden.

**

Song Yunzhao looked at Anshun. "You’re saying Mrs. Wang really handed over all their family’s wealth to atone for Wang Xuanfan’s crimes?"

"Yes. Lord Wang’s guilt has been established, but because his assets weren’t officially seized, the silver in his accounts could not be confiscated. However, Mrs. Wang took the initiative to reduce her husband’s sentence. She managed to gather most of the required silver—I hear she even sold off her dowry," Anshun replied with his head lowered.

At that moment, Song Yunzhao found herself looking at Mrs. Wang in a new light. ’I thought that with Wang Xuanfan in prison and unlikely to escape his fate, Mrs. Wang would at least keep something in reserve for herself and her children.’

’I never expected she’d have the courage to sacrifice her wealth to save her husband. If Wang Yunhua had possessed half her mother’s courage and foresight, the Wang Family might have gotten support from the Ji Family and wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable state.’

’Then again, it’s hard to say. Although the Left Minister didn’t suffer a devastating blow this time, it was a close call. Saving Wang Xuanfan would have been extremely difficult. Even if they had become in-laws, he wouldn’t have risked dragging himself down to save him.’

"I also heard that Mrs. Wang’s daughter-in-law took out a portion of her own dowry and had it sent over, but I don’t know if that information is reliable yet."

Song Yunzhao knew that Wang Xuanfan’s son, Wang Guanwen, was serving as a County Magistrate away from the capital. Feng Yi had not enforced collective punishment in this matter, so Wang Guanwen still held his official post.

’So many days have passed since the incident; Mrs. Wang must have sent a letter to her son. I didn’t expect this daughter-in-law of the Wang Family to have such a strong sense of family loyalty. It seems she still has the backbone befitting someone from a scholarly family.’

Yun Zhao didn’t know what the future held for Wang Guanwen, nor could she recall if the book ever mentioned it. The character had almost no screen time, so to speak.

’But judging from this, Wang Guanwen and his wife seem to have some integrity.’

’Compared to her older siblings, Wang Yunhua really falls short; she can’t even hold a candle to the sister-in-law who married into the family. She was probably spoiled rotten as the youngest daughter, which is why she developed such a personality.’

"Has there been any movement from Wang Zhaorong’s side?" Song Yunzhao asked.

Ever since Princess Consort Zhuang was demoted to Zhaorong, she had naturally lost her honorific title. She was now addressed by her surname and known as Wang Zhaorong.

"Wang Zhaorong has closed her doors to all visitors. I heard she’s copying Buddhist Scripture to pray for Lord Wang," Anshun replied.

Song Yunzhao thought about how Wang Zhaorong had always been very generous in the palace. ’She could only afford to be so carefree because she had the Wang Family’s backing. Now that the Wang Family has fallen, they likely no longer have the means to support her.’

’The personal silver she’s saved up over the years in the palace probably doesn’t amount to much. After all, Wang Zhaorong likely never imagined that her father would fall from grace one day. She probably can’t bring herself to part with her silver now, so all she can do is copy scriptures to find some peace of mind.’

’Although she and Wang Zhaorong were both of the Secondary Second Rank, she was the head of the nine concubines. Now, Wang Zhaorong would have to bow to her. The thought was strangely thrilling.’

’Her own father had become the Minister of Revenue through a twist of fate. Just thinking about it was exciting. They had truly lucked out.’

’This was all thanks to the Marquis Yongjia Mansion. She had truly felt the sincerity of their apology.’

’So, so satisfying.’

Song Yunzhao was in a great mood. Everything she saw seemed pleasing to the eye. This trip to the traveling palace had been more than worth it.

Feng Yi was busy wrapping up the major case concerning the Ministry of Revenue. Aside from having Zhang Maoquan regularly report on Yun Zhao’s situation, he had been working around the clock and hadn’t seen her for the better part of half a month.

As the lucky one who had benefited from all this, Song Yunzhao knew to keep as low a profile as possible. She stayed indoors whenever she could, lest others see her and get ideas about throwing a sack over her head.

When it was time to be discreet, one must be discreet.

At a time like this, she would absolutely not go to the front hall to seek attention as she might have before. Instead, she secretly had Zhang Maoquan deliver a specially prepared soup to him every day.

’I don’t have to go in person, but my affection must be delivered.’

’Currying favor is something that should never be neglected, no matter the circumstances.’

A few more days passed, and the final verdict was delivered. In light of the Wang Family’s excellent attitude in atoning for the crime, Wang Xuanfan’s life was spared. In sharp contrast, the Cao Family’s assets were seized, and their family members were placed under house arrest to await sentencing.

In the end, the Emperor sentenced Cao Dingwen to immediate execution, and the Cao Family members were exiled.

Merely being exiled, without being sold into slavery, could be considered an act of mercy from the Emperor.

Those who were exiled could still hope for a general amnesty. But if they were enslaved, the Cao Family would not be able to recover for generations. The men might fare slightly better, but for the female family members forced into certain establishments, survival itself would be a struggle.

It was a major affair, and though Song Yunzhao felt some pity for the female family members, there was nothing she could do to help.

Song Yunzhao had seen Mrs. Cao at palace banquets a few times but didn’t have a strong impression of her. The woman had a very reserved personality. Even at banquets, she wasn’t a social butterfly like the other ladies. Most of the time, she would just sit there quietly, making her easy to overlook.

Only after careful recollection could Song Yunzhao vaguely recall her face. She also remembered that after Cao Dingwen’s downfall, the Cao Family had been torn apart by internal strife over their wealth. No one had made any effort to save him.

In comparison, the Wang Family was far more united. The Wang Family’s sensible actions made the Cao Family look even more pathetic, and the Emperor’s different punishments for the two families made his stance clear.

As the Ministry of Revenue affair came to a close, the wealth seized from the Cao Family, the atonement silver from the Wang Family, and the hidden silver recovered from other officials helped replenish a portion of the National Treasury. The next step was to fill the vacant positions in the Ministry of Revenue.

Song Nanzhen had rendered great service and secured the position of Minister of Revenue. But the other official posts in the ministry couldn’t remain empty. This time, the Emperor personally promoted several of his trusted officials to the Ministry of Revenue, and for once, the Left and Right Ministers did not object.

The two of them had managed to extricate themselves from the quagmire of the Ministry of Revenue case partly because the Emperor had been lenient. Otherwise, they would have inevitably been tainted by the scandal.

Feng Yi was in high spirits and finally had time to see Yun Zhao.

When he saw her, he noted her rosy complexion and fair, supple skin, which put him in an even better mood.

The two were cooling off in a pavilion. Yun Zhao leaned back in a gooseneck chair, tilting her head to look at Feng Yi with sparkling eyes. "Your Majesty, my father was made a Minister. Was it because you were doing me a favor? If so, that won’t do. If my father doesn’t have the ability, that position is a hot seat. I’m afraid he won’t be able to hold it for long before being replaced, and that would be so embarrassing. It’s one thing if I lose face—he’s my father, so I suppose I’d have it coming. But I can’t let Your Majesty lose face as well. If that happened, I’d be too ashamed to ever see you again."

After listening to her, Feng Yi replied with a serious expression, "Others couldn’t hope for such a favor, yet here you are, trying to push it away."

"One should only carry a bowl as big as one’s ability. I belong to Your Majesty now. A married daughter is like spilt water. Though I still care for my maiden family, I must consider you above all else."