I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Feng Yi saw Yun Zhao’s nervous expression and was immediately amused. He said with a smile, "I’m leaving the palace to inspect the river channels. I’ll probably be back in a little over a month."

Song Yunzhao looked at Feng Yi in surprise. ’Inspect the river channels? So suddenly?’

"Why the sudden need to inspect the river channels? The flood season is still a long way off." Song Yunzhao felt a little uneasy for some reason. She couldn’t quite remember if this event was in the book.

’Besides, I’m about to give birth, yet he’s choosing to leave the palace now, and for a whole month at that.’

Feng Yi nodded. "It is still a long way from the flood season, but last year’s corruption case uncovered by the Ministry of Personnel involved the embezzlement of silver meant for river channel construction. I have to go see for myself how the repairs are progressing. Don’t worry, I will definitely be back before you give birth."

Song Yunzhao knew this was an important matter and couldn’t stop him, so she said, "Matters of state take precedence. If the Emperor wishes to go, then you must."

Feng Yi actually didn’t want to go, but so much silver for the river channels had been embezzled last year. With construction resuming this year after the spring thaw, he wouldn’t be able to rest easy without seeing it for himself.

Some things couldn’t be left solely to the courtiers. These people colluded from top to bottom to deceive him, and it was easy for him to be kept in the dark while sitting high on his throne in court all day.

The two returned to Wangyou Palace, where Feng Yi explained the details to Yun Zhao. "The midwives and wet nurses have all been selected. Meng Jiuchang handled it personally. Every one of them has a clean background. When they are sent into the palace, you can look them over again and keep whichever ones you take a liking to."

Song Yunzhao was a little surprised. "When did you pick them? How come I didn’t know?"

’She spends all day strolling around and playing cards with Wang Zhaorong and the others,’ Feng Yi thought. ’How would she have the energy to manage this? It falls to me to be more concerned with these things.’

But he couldn’t say that out loud, so he said with a smile, "Why should you trouble yourself with such minor matters? You just need to wait."

Song Yunzhao had originally planned to wait another half month and select people a month before her due date. That way, it would be harder for anyone to tamper with them. But since Feng Yi had already chosen, she was quite satisfied, especially since she could still perform another round of selection herself.

In addition, there were the newborn’s clothes, diapers, and other items. There were all sorts of things, and Nanny Yu kept a small booklet to record everything. She had also cleared out a room specifically for storing these items.

Yun Zhao’s own needlework was not very good—so-so at best. She couldn’t make clothes or stitch shoes for the baby. Thankfully, she had Nanny Yu.

A couple of days after speaking with Yun Zhao, Feng Yi quietly left the capital. Yes, the Emperor was traveling incognito, setting out to see what the river channels were truly like.

On the morning she saw him off, Song Yunzhao felt a great reluctance to part. The two of them had rarely been separated. Although he was sometimes too busy to return for several days, knowing he was just nearby always put her heart at ease.

On the first day of Feng Yi’s absence, Song Yunzhao met with the wet nurses and midwives that Meng Jiuchang had handed over to Zhang Maoquan. After seeing them, she didn’t say who would stay and who would go. Instead, she had them sent to the Six Departments for a short stay, ordering people to secretly observe their movements.

Such a significant move at Wangyou Palace would surely attract attention. Everyone knew she was selecting staff.

The news of the Emperor traveling incognito was kept under tight wraps. On the pretext of the Emperor being unwell, court was canceled for three days. Meng Jiuchang remained in the front palace to create a diversion, while Xu Sixi was the one who accompanied the Emperor out of the capital.

Xu Sixi was so ecstatic he could have burst. It hadn’t been easy! After being sidelined for so long, he was finally seeing the light of day again.

Neither Meng Jiuchang nor Zhang Maoquan was happy, but there was nothing they could do. One had to stay behind to guard Song Zhaoyi for the Emperor, and the other had to create a diversion to keep the courtiers steady. Neither could leave their post, so Xu Sixi got to reap the benefits.

"For the past few days, all twelve of them have been staying quietly at the Six Departments. There haven’t been any unusual movements."

Song Yunzhao nodded after hearing Zhang Maoquan’s report. "Don’t let your guard down. Keep watching them."

"Rest assured, My Lady," Zhang Maoquan nodded in acknowledgment.

Song Yunzhao put away the booklet in her hand and turned to Zhang Maoquan. "Has any news come back from the Emperor?"

Zhang Maoquan shook his head. "Not yet. My Lady, you don’t need to worry. The Emperor is likely still on the road these past few days. Once he has settled in somewhere, he will surely send a letter back to you."

Song Yunzhao felt a strange sense of urgency. The matter of the Emperor traveling incognito couldn’t be hidden for long. Once the news got out, she feared the harem would become unstable. She had to use these few days to make her arrangements.

"I asked you to find people to watch their families. What’s the progress on that?"

"People have already been sent. Meng Jiuchang arranged them. The Emperor left some men for you to command, and Meng Jiuchang is in charge of them. Rest assured, My Lady. If anything is amiss, it will surely be discovered."

Song Yunzhao nodded. "That’s good. You and Manager Meng will have to work hard during this time. When the Emperor returns, I will certainly request a reward for you."

Zhang Maoquan beamed with such joy that his eyes nearly vanished. "Easing Your Ladyship’s burdens is this servant’s duty."

Song Yunzhao waved her hand for him to leave. After Zhang Maoquan left, she summoned Anshun.

"Has there been any movement from Huayang Palace these past few days?" The one Song Yunzhao was least certain about was Qin Xiyue. After all, she was the original female lead of the story; if she ever seized an opportunity, she could be very destructive.

"Qin Wan Yi has been in close contact with a few people from Qingyun Palace and Lin Hua Palace these past few days, but they’ve only been drinking tea, admiring flowers, and strolling through the gardens. Nothing unusual has been discovered," Anshun replied.

Song Yunzhao gave a slight nod. ’The news hasn’t reached the harem yet. As long as Qin Xiyue doesn’t know, she certainly won’t make any unusual moves.’ "Keep watching. The moment news of the Emperor’s incognito travel enters the harem, I want you to watch Huayang Palace like a hawk."

’Just as there are laws governing all things, there are also laws for being the villainess. In any case, for my own safety, I can’t relax for even a moment.’

Better safe than sorry.

Song Yunzhao was busy for several days. The news took two days longer than she expected to get out. It was only then that everyone learned the Emperor had left the palace incognito, though they didn’t know the specifics of his trip.

Song Yunzhao let out a long breath of relief. Meng Jiuchang was even more capable than she had anticipated. He had actually managed to delay things for a few extra days. No wonder Feng Yi had left him behind and taken Xu Sixi instead.

The news of the Emperor’s incognito trip had just spread in the morning, and by the afternoon, there was already activity from Shouci Palace. Consort Shu and Princess Consort Wan had been summoned over.

Song Yunzhao: ...

’This Empress Dowager really is something else.’

’The moment her son is out of sight, she starts making her moves.’

Song Yunzhao was a vigilant person. She immediately had the gates of Wangyou Palace closed, summoned an Imperial Physician, and spread the word that she was feeling unwell.

She was about to give birth, and with such a large belly, it was perfectly normal to feel unwell at this time.

Song Yunzhao had acted fast. Nanny Yao arrived a step too late and was unable to summon her to Shouci Palace.

Nanny Yu used a mix of soft and hard tactics to send the woman away. Her expression immediately darkened, and she ordered the guards to secure the palace gates before hurrying to see the Zhaoyi.

’Song Yunzhao wasn’t surprised in the least.’

’It wouldn’t be the Empress Dowager if she didn’t stir up trouble. The Empress Dowager isn’t the brightest; if she were truly clever, she wouldn’t have been completely dominated by the other concubines during the late Emperor’s reign. But you can’t call her stupid, either, as she could be quite thorough at times.’

’Take now, for instance. She’s using her status as Empress Dowager to pressure people.’