I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Gu’en Houfu hosted a lively banquet, finally breaking the oppressive and constrained atmosphere caused by the great Ministry of Revenue case. Once that floodgate opened, banquets became more frequent again.

Song Yunzhao wasn’t surprised at all.

’The Empress Dowager is truly an intriguing person.’

Song Yunzhao’s belly grew larger by the day. Coupled with the hot weather, she couldn’t be bothered to go out, spending all her time cooling off and escaping the summer heat in the traveling palace. The newly appointed officials for the Ministry of Revenue were successively taking their posts, and Song Nanzhen, as the new Minister, was so busy he barely had a moment’s rest.

Even so, he still carved out a day to visit the Left Minister and his wife with the Xie family.

In the end, just as Linlang had wished, the marriage between the two families was settled.

Once the engagement was set and the news spread, it caused quite an uproar.

Previously, when Ji Yunting had declared he would marry no one but Xie Linlang, everyone had treated it as a joke. Xie Linlang was merely a merchant’s daughter; at best, she could be Ji Yunting’s concubine. How could she possibly be his official wife? The discerning Madam Ji would never agree.

Even with Ji Yunting injured in *that* sort of way, Madam Ji would have carefully selected a well-bred lady to marry into the family, not take in Miss Xie.

But who would have thought that Song Nanzhen would actually land the position of Minister of Revenue? The Xie family and the Song family were related by marriage, and through a twist of fate, Miss Xie had actually managed to secure this match.

Such incredible luck.

The Song Family produced a Song Zhaoyi, and now even their chickens and dogs are ascending to heaven.

As He Lan Yun’s marriage to Duke Qin was also officially settled, people began to think it over and realized something seemed a bit off.

On the day Sixth Miss Huang’s horse was spooked, Xie Linlang and He Lan Yun fell off the mountain. Weren’t the ones who went down to save them Ji Yunting and Duke Qin?

A debt of life repaid with a promise of marriage?

Duke Qin was one thing; his match with Princess Ming’an was a suitable one between families of equal standing.

As for Xie Linlang... well, that was another story.

Listening to the rumors Anshun had gathered, Song Yunzhao’s mood soured. However, when the marriage was first arranged, she had anticipated that Xie Linlang would face this kind of situation.

’She has probably prepared herself for it, but I can’t just stand by and watch her be slandered like this. What a joke. Ji Yunting was the one who insisted on this marriage, yet Linlang is shouldering all the blame.’

Because it was inconvenient to handle such matters at the traveling palace, the official betrothal ceremony would have to wait until their return to the capital. The two families simply exchanged preliminary gifts.

The Duke Qin Mansion was, needless to say, fabulously wealthy, and their betrothal gifts were exceptionally generous. The heritage of an old, aristocratic family was not to be underestimated. The Ji Family’s gifts were simpler; they sent a pair of Mutton Fat Jade Bracelets to the Xie family. However, word later got out that this pair of bracelets was a Ji family heirloom, reserved only for the wife of the eldest son.

Song Yunzhao had originally wanted to send some rewards to Xie Linlang to bolster her standing, but after learning the origin of the bracelets, she reconsidered and decided against it.

’Madam Ji’s actions this time were acceptable enough. Whether her intentions were sincere or not, the result was good. If I were to slap Madam Ji in the face, it would only make things difficult for Linlang.’

As mid-August approached and preparations for the return to the capital were about to begin, Yun Zhao realized she had been at the traveling palace for quite a while. In the blink of an eye, it was almost time to go back.

Because so much had happened this time, the originally planned events like the hunt and the evening banquets were never held.

Feng Yi had originally wanted to find time to take Yun Zhao on an outing around the traveling palace, but it never came to pass. The two of them had only managed to stroll through the market at the foot of the mountain a couple of times.

He had been feeling a little guilty toward Yun Zhao, so a few days before their return to the capital, he specifically came to ask if she wanted to go out and have some fun for a day or two.

Yun Zhao hadn’t expected Feng Yi to ask such a thing, but she understood after a moment’s thought. She smiled and said, "I don’t want to go out. My belly is getting bigger and bigger, and it’s not very convenient for me to move around. It’s much more comfortable to just stay here in the traveling palace, cooling off and enjoying the scenery."

Feng Yi gazed into Yun Zhao’s eyes and could see a slight hesitation, a subtle evasion, as she spoke. ’She must have understood the meaning behind my words. That’s why she said that.’

’How could there be someone in this world so understanding? She even gave me a way out so I wouldn’t have to feel guilty.’

"After the baby is born next year, I’ll take you out to have a proper good time." Feng Yi looked at Yun Zhao’s belly; it was true that she shouldn’t overexert herself.

"Alright! But I have a lot of places I want to go. Your Majesty can’t complain that it’s too much trouble."

"Okay."

Song Yunzhao thought to herself, ’He’s already thinking about how to spend time with me next year. This means my importance in the Emperor’s heart has grown, even if just a little. That’s definitely something to be happy about.’

"Since we’re preparing to return to the capital, will there be another banquet at the traveling palace?" Song Yunzhao was still preoccupied with the Empress Dowager and Gu’en Houfu. There had been no further movements after Duchess Gu En’s birthday banquet, and she couldn’t figure out what the Empress Dowager was planning.

’Without the golden finger from the book, I can only rely on my own intelligence. This is a bit difficult.’

"You want to host a banquet?" Feng Yi asked, looking at Yun Zhao. He thought about how Song Nanzhen had become a Minister; Yun Zhao certainly had the confidence now. It was about time she had a chance to show off. "If you want to, we can..."

"I don’t want to," Song Yunzhao refused flatly.

Feng Yi looked at her with rare surprise. If she didn’t want to, why did she ask?

Seeing that Feng Yi didn’t understand, Song Yunzhao said softly, "I was just thinking that when we first arrived at the traveling palace, the Empress Dowager hosted a banquet for all the noble ladies. Now that we’re about to leave, I was wondering if the Empress Dowager would host another one. I’m getting heavier, and sitting at a banquet for several hours is difficult, so I’d rather not attend. That’s why I was hoping to ask Your Majesty to help me get out of it."

Feng Yi immediately thought of the last incident and assumed Yun Zhao was worried the Empress Dowager would try something against her again. His expression darkened slightly. "Don’t worry," he said. "There won’t be a banquet."

’Huh? The Emperor is so certain?’

’Well, as long as I don’t have to attend the Empress Dowager’s banquet, that’s all that matters.’ She wasn’t going to concern herself with how the Emperor and his mother schemed against each other. Yun Zhao immediately said, "Then I can pack my things and prepare to return to the capital in peace. I had a lot of things when I came, but somehow I have even more on the way back. It gives me a headache just thinking about it."

Feng Yi laughed heartily. "Just have Zhang Maoquan handle it."

"Chief Steward Zhang can handle the external matters, but my personal affairs should still be managed by Nanny Yu and the others." Most people didn’t consider eunuchs like Zhang Maoquan to be men, so they would have them handle even intimate tasks.

But Yun Zhao wasn’t used to it.

Knowing that Yun Zhao’s way of thinking was always different from others, Feng Yi was quite accustomed to it by now. He looked at her and said, "Since you don’t have enough people, I’ll select a few more to serve you."

"Let’s talk about it after the baby is born. We have enough hands for now, they’re just a little busy, and Nanny Yu and the others are used to it." Song Yunzhao didn’t dare to add new people casually right now. She couldn’t know if they would be trustworthy. If someone with ulterior motives were to arrive, she would be the one to suffer.

’It’s mainly because I have the constitution of a villainess, prone to attracting trouble and troublesome people. I can’t control others, only myself.’

Feng Yi watched Yun Zhao, listening as she discussed the matters of returning to the capital with him one by one. Her voice was gentle, and her face always held a smile, which made his own heart grow calm.

Before he became emperor, no one had talked with him about these mundane, everyday matters.

After he became emperor, no one dared to talk with him about the trivialities of daily life.

The former found him annoying; the latter feared they would annoy him.

Only... Zhaozhao was different.

You could feel that she was genuinely living her life together with you.

She let you participate in every part of her life. This was a feeling he had once longed for but could never have. Now, he had it too.