I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

"Don’t cry... Why are you still crying..." Feng Yi grew truly flustered watching Yun Zhao’s ceaseless tears and quickly pulled her into his arms to soothe her.

Realizing that Yun Zhao did care for him, but was simply too afraid to speak up or cause a scene, Feng Yi’s heart ached for her.

He had been so caught up in his own pique that he hadn’t considered her current predicament.

After a torrent of reassuring words, Yun Zhao’s sobs finally began to subside. She had cried so hard that even after she stopped, she was still taking slow, hitching breaths.

Feng Yi poured her a cup of tea to help her calm down, but Yun Zhao shook her head, not wanting any.

"I was being thoughtless, and I let you misunderstand. I should have explained things to you sooner. I just assumed that with your personality, you had nothing to fear, but I failed to consider Feng Ze."

Song Yunzhao said nothing, listening quietly. The tightness that had constricted her heart for so many days slowly began to loosen with his words.

"You’re only a concubine right now, not the Empress. Why are you trying to be so virtuous and demure?"

Song Yunzhao froze.

Feng Yi felt the woman in his arms stiffen slightly and knew he’d hit the mark. He had figured out exactly what Yun Zhao was afraid of, and a wave of sadness washed over him. "If you want to be virtuous, you can worry about that after you’ve taken the Empress’s throne."

"Then I’d rather never be the Empress."

Hearing this, Feng Yi’s heart instantly felt at ease. ’This was his Zhaozhao. The Empress’s throne wasn’t even as important as he was!’

The gloom in his heart scattered, and feeling immensely relieved, he hugged her even tighter.

"Zhaozhao, no one can compare to you. You don’t need to be afraid."

"But everyone says that no flower blooms forever. I’ve monopolized your favor for so many years; you must be sick of looking at my face by now."

"They also say I have a bad, domineering personality, and that the only reason I’ve remained in your favor for so long is that the other Beauties in the palace don’t suit your taste. They say that if I knew what was good for me, I’d learn to restrain myself."

Feng Yi’s eyebrow twitched. "Who’s been spouting such nonsense?"

"Everyone’s saying it. You can’t punish the whole crowd, so what can I do?"

"Who cares what they say? Don’t you know how I treat you?"

"What does it matter if I know? I’m still scared. All these beautiful young women are coming to compete with me, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to win. I’m also afraid that if I act out, you’ll grow to resent me. What would I do then?"

"Nonsense. Your temper has been terrible ever since you entered the palace. If I didn’t like it, I would have stopped liking it a long time ago."

"Hmph. Of course you’d say that when we’re on good terms. The day you find a new favorite, you’ll suddenly find fault in everything I do."

Feng Yi’s heart clenched with a bittersweet pang. ’No wonder Zhaozhao has been acting so strangely lately. She’s been afraid, hasn’t she?’

"How could anyone else compare to you? You’re always letting your imagination run wild."

"Really?"

"Of course it’s true."

"So if the new Beauties enter the palace and I give them a hard time, you won’t get angry?"

"You’re not the type to stir up trouble for no reason. If you give them a hard time, it must be because they did something wrong. And if they did something wrong, then you’re right to do so."

Song Yunzhao couldn’t help but laugh.

Hearing Yun Zhao laugh, Feng Yi also breathed a sigh of relief. He lowered his head to look at her, but she refused to look up. "My eyes are all swollen from crying. I’m too ugly, don’t look."

Feng Yi scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the bedchamber. As the bed curtains fell, the world around them darkened. "There. Now I can’t see."

Song Yunzhao was speechless.

’Is this what they call kissing and making up?’

But now that they had cleared the air, her mood was completely different. Before, things had been awkward and tense, and she hadn’t been in the mood for this sort of activity. It was different now. Feng Yi was like a tiger descending from the mountains, thrusting into her so hard she felt her back might break.

When Yun Zhao finally fell asleep from exhaustion, Feng Yi felt no desire to sleep.

’Who would have been spouting such nonsense to Yun Zhao? Who could make her suppress her feelings like this? In the entire harem, there was only one person capable of it.’

Feng Yi’s expression grew darker and darker. He had endured so much for so many years, and now he finally had Yun Zhao by his side. He would not allow anyone to bully her.

Feng Yi held her tightly in his arms, and only then did he slowly close his eyes.

「The next day」

Song Yunzhao woke up, massaging her aching back, only to learn that Feng Yi had issued an edict to hold a grand first birthday banquet for Feng Ze.

Song Yunzhao became thoughtful upon hearing the news. ’It seems Feng Yi wants to shut everyone up and bolster my prestige.’

This was, of course, a good thing for her. But Song Yunzhao was stunned when she saw the procedural plans sent over by the Ministry of Rites. The scale of the event was nearly on par with the honors reserved for the Crown Prince.

Song Yunzhao did not refuse. The Emperor was bolstering her prestige; how could she possibly retreat?

On the day of the birthday banquet, Feng Yi remained by the side of Yun Zhao and their son nearly the entire time. The court’s civil and military officials and the various noble women watched on, their hearts growing heavy.

The Empress Dowager’s expression was even fouler. She was likely still preoccupied with getting An Shutong into the palace, so despite her terrible mood, she didn’t leave halfway through and forced herself to stay until the very end.

Song Yunzhao, naturally, was in high spirits. She played along with Feng Yi the entire time in what could only be described as a public display of affection.

After the birthday banquet, the day for the new concubine candidates to enter the palace for inspection quickly arrived.

Upon entering the palace, they first had to learn etiquette. All the new concubine candidates were sent to Zhichun Palace to study the rules under the tutelage of the senior palace matrons.

Song Yunzhao had once stayed in Zhichun Palace herself, so she was familiar with the entire process. She discussed the matter with Consort Shu and Princess Consort Wan with practiced ease.

Princess Consort Wan was listless and clearly didn’t want to be involved, a hint of melancholy clouding her features.

Consort Shu paid it no mind. Princess Consort Wan fell into a foul mood every so often anyway; she was long used to it.

"The young lady from Gu’en Houfu did indeed enter the palace. The Empress Dowager will definitely ensure she is selected. We need to be careful with things at Zhichun Palace and make sure no trouble breaks out," Consort Shu said with a frown.

In the past, Consort Shu would have been delighted to see the concubine candidates tear each other apart.

But now that she had given up hope of winning the Emperor’s favor, her mindset had changed. All she wanted was for them to behave. If they actually stirred up trouble and caused her to lose face, that would be a serious problem.

She could do without the Emperor’s favor, but she would not let them jeopardize her authority in the harem. If their infighting led to her being implicated and stripped of her power by an angry Emperor, she would skin them alive.

Now emboldened by Feng Yi’s words, Song Yunzhao was no longer as worried as before. She nodded slightly. "You are right, Consort Shu. Many of the candidates on this list come from prominent families. As for who will be selected, I’m afraid we will still have to defer to the Emperor’s wishes."

Consort Shu looked up at Yun Zhao but couldn’t read anything from her expression. She snorted inwardly. ’She’s certainly confident now. She doesn’t even see these newcomers as a threat.’

"The Empress Dowager will likely select a few of her own candidates as well. You should be prepared for that."

"I know." Song Yunzhao nodded. ’The Empress Dowager wouldn’t just push An Shutong forward by herself; that would make her an obvious target. She’ll pick a few others to spread out the risk.’

’But what did any of that matter? Yun Zhao was no longer afraid.’

"The preliminary selection is in half a month, correct?" Song Yunzhao asked.

"We don’t need to be present for that. The matrons at Zhichun Palace will handle the first round." Consort Shu said dismissively. "The official selection in a month is the main event."

Song Yunzhao thought to herself, ’Zhichun Palace is going to be very lively this month.’

’After all, back when her own group was there, "lively" had been an understatement.’