I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

"What do you mean?" Consort Shu’s brow twitched when she heard this.

Song Yunzhao simply smiled without a word.

Consort Shu: ...

Consort Shu sent Song Yunzhao away. She sat alone by the window for a long while, her expression shifting from dark to pale, then to ashen. Finally, she looked at Nanny Wen and said angrily, "Is she a bloodhound or something? How could she possibly know about this?"

Nanny Wen was also surprised. "Indeed. This old servant never expected that someone of Lady Ming’s background would understand the inner workings of the palace. Your Ladyship, you must make plans quickly. I believe this is a hint from Lady Ming."

Consort Shu’s face was pale. "There weren’t many of them left from back then anyway."

"But they are still alive." Nanny Wen sighed. "Lady Ming passed this message to you so you can arrange for their departure. This is the perfect opportunity to send them away."

Consort Shu nodded. "Then send them away. Ask them if they would rather go to the Lu Family’s Manor or if they’d prefer I give them a sum of silver to leave the Capital City on their own."

At the Lu Family’s Manor, they wouldn’t have to worry about food or clothing, but they would have no freedom. If they took the silver and left the Capital City, once the money was gone, they’d have nothing left to hope for.

These people were spies her father had planted during the late Emperor’s reign. With each round of power shifts in the palace, not many of them survived. Only two or three were left.

Consort Shu didn’t like using them. They had seen too much, and the way they looked at people was unsettling. Although they were extremely respectful to her, she always felt uneasy around them.

’These people served the Lu Family. I can’t be so ruthless as to discard them after they’ve outlived their usefulness. Sending them away respectfully is a good solution.’

Nanny Yu worked quickly and had everything settled by that evening. "Your Ladyship, one person is willing to go to the manor. The other two want to take the silver and leave for a distant land."

Consort Shu nodded. "Then let them have their wish. Send a message to my father and have him arrange for people to escort them out of the capital."

Nanny Yu agreed. "We must act quickly. I fear Lady Ming is about to make her move."

Consort Shu snorted. "Send them out with the first group of attendants being dismissed from the palace. Make sure to cover our tracks."

"Yes."

The first batch of palace attendants was sent out of the palace quietly. They were all castoffs and rejects; no one would pay them any mind. Therefore, by mixing her own people in with them, Consort Shu could send them away without attracting any attention.

’Song Yunzhao did me a favor this time,’ Consort Shu thought. ’When she inevitably faces off against the Empress Dowager, she’ll surely drag me out to back her up. She never takes a loss.’

Princess Consort Wan’s quarters remained quiet. However, Nanny Sun and Nanny Yu had started interacting more since their last encounter. Sensing something was amiss, Nanny Sun spent some silver on a banquet and invited Nanny Yu over for drinks to discreetly probe for information.

Nanny Yu, having already received instructions from Song Yunzhao, revealed a few things vaguely.

Nanny Sun’s heart skipped a beat. She saw Nanny Yu off before hurrying back to report to her mistress.

Princess Consort Wan was initially unconcerned. But when Nanny Sun mentioned not implicating her father, she hesitated for a moment and then let Nanny Sun handle it. Following the example of Zhaoyang Palace, she had her people slipped into the first group being dismissed from the palace.

Princess Consort Wan still thought Nanny Sun was overreacting. ’These people have been in the palace for so many years. Every one of them is sharper than a ghost. How could they get into trouble so easily?’

However, Nanny Sun had served her loyally for many years, so she didn’t say anything more.

It was only much later that when Princess Consort Wan recalled this event, she wished she could have enshrined Nanny Sun in gratitude.

Song Yunzhao sat under the lamp talking with Feng Yi, holding the roster for the first group of palace attendants to be dismissed. About a dozen names on it had been circled.

"These are all the people the various palaces sent away in the first batch. I’ve already had Chief Steward Zhang keep an eye on their destinations and where they’ve settled. If the Emperor wishes to find any of them, you need only ask him," Song Yunzhao said with a smile.

Feng Yi saw how clearly Yun Zhao had marked which people were sent from which palace. He knew she must have put a lot of thought into it. "This must have been hard on you."

"It was no trouble for me. Chief Steward Zhang is the one who truly worked hard. The Emperor should reward him generously later," Song Yunzhao laughed.

Feng Yi squeezed her hand. ’Without her orders, how would Zhang Maoquan dare to do any of this?’

"Since you did Consort Shu and Princess Consort Wan a favor, we’ll let these few go for now." Feng Yi pointed to several names.

Song Yunzhao nodded, then looked back at Feng Yi with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Then I thank the Emperor for helping me save face."

Feng Yi pulled her into his arms, and they leaned against each other, continuing to look at the roster. "Were these few arranged by Shouci Palace?"

"I’m not certain about two of them, but those two were sent away by Nanny Yao herself." Song Yunzhao pointed to two names. "But Nanny Yao was very discreet. If not for Zhang Maoquan’s resourcefulness, I wouldn’t have received this information either."

Feng Yi snorted. "Nanny Yao has spent her entire life in the palace with the Empress Dowager. Of course her methods are more formidable than yours."

Hearing the tone in Feng Yi’s voice, Song Yunzhao knew he was thinking about the past again. Nanny Yao was indeed capable; otherwise, she couldn’t have protected the Empress Dowager and ensured her survival in the palace.

’But Nanny Yao was tied so closely to the Empress Dowager, she probably didn’t have the spare energy to care for the young Feng Yi. The Empress Dowager herself didn’t pay much attention to her own son. As a servant, Nanny Yao was already expending all her effort protecting her mistress, so of course she couldn’t attend to everything.’

’But from another perspective, in Feng Yi’s eyes, Nanny Yao was just another servant who neglected him. That’s why his tone is so cold when he mentions her now.’

’None of this has anything to do with me, though,’ Song Yunzhao thought. ’Given my relationship with the Empress Dowager, the colder the Emperor is toward the people of Shouci Palace, the better.’

She had circled the names and given them to the Emperor. If he wanted to investigate past events, there would now be people to question. Her strategy of casting a line to see who would bite had really hooked a few fish, even if they weren’t the big, important ones.

’Big fish or small fish, it doesn’t matter. The first step is to catch one and tear an opening.’

Feng Yi put the list away and handed it to Meng Jiuchang, instructing, "Send people to keep an eye on them. And have Zhang Maoquan free up his hands to run errands for Ming Fei."

Meng Jiuchang quickly bowed, took the list, and backed out of the room to make the arrangements, murmuring his assent.

Once the palace affairs were in order, Song Yunzhao finally remembered to ask about the situation with Beiming. She hadn’t heard much news of fighting, so she figured the problem wasn’t too serious.

When Feng Yi heard Yun Zhao ask about it, he answered casually, "It’s currently a stalemate. We’ll just have to see who gives out first."

He then sighed, looking at Yun Zhao with a helpless expression. "If only the National Treasury were full, we wouldn’t have to fight such a frustrating war."

"You’ve already done your absolute best. In another three to five years, the Emperor will surely be able to command the royal army to crush Beiming!"

Feng Yi was instantly amused. "Alright. I’ll take that as an auspicious prediction."

Song Yunzhao mused that this war was also different from how it was in the book. It wasn’t being fought as intensely. ’Since it’s a stalemate, they can only wear each other down and wait for a result. Unless Beiming decides to burn its bridges and take Great Chu down with it, which is obviously impossible.’

As she thought of this, Song Yunzhao suddenly remembered something. "Will there be a celebration for the Empress Dowager’s birthday this year?"

Last year, the mother and son were on bad terms. The Empress Dowager had wanted the Emperor to bow his head and take the initiative to celebrate it for her, but Feng Yi had played dumb and gotten away with it. This year, she feared, that wouldn’t be possible.