I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Noticing Princess Consort Wan’s eyes were fixed on Feng Ze, Song Yunzhao immediately thrust her son into the other woman’s arms.

Princess Consort Wan froze, holding the child as if he were a ticking time bomb.

Song Yunzhao pretended not to notice. "This little guy is getting heavier and heavier. Sister Wan, could you hold him for a moment for me?"

Princess Consort Wan wanted to refuse, but when she met Feng Ze’s big, sparkling, smiling eyes, she couldn’t help but hold him tighter. A child’s body was so soft—it was a novel experience for her.

Song Yunzhao followed Princess Consort Wan into the hall and watched as she placed the boy on a large couch, even taking out several Jade Handicrafts for him to play with. One of them, a Jade Toad, was so exquisitely carved that Feng Ze refused to let it go.

Watching Feng Ze’s delighted expression, Princess Consort Wan thought to herself, ’The Eldest Prince is far more likable than his mother.’

A Palace Attendant from Roufu Palace served tea and refreshments. It was only then that Princess Consort Wan seemed to remember Song Yunzhao. She turned to her and asked, "Is there a particular reason for your sudden visit, Ming Fei?"

Song Yunzhao immediately replied, "I came to discuss some formulas with you, Sister Wan."

Princess Consort Wan had a hobby of crafting little things herself. Hearing Yun Zhao’s words, she instructed her personal attendant, Le Chun, "Go to my study and bring me the wooden box."

Le Chun acknowledged the order and withdrew. She soon returned carrying a three-tiered wooden box, about a foot long, and placed it gently on the carved mahogany table.

Princess Consort Wan opened it and began laying out the contents, tier by tier. "Take a look and see what you like."

Song Yunzhao was astonished by the dazzling array of items. She first picked up a wooden box painted with gardenias. A faint fragrance, reminiscent of pear blossoms, wafted out the moment she opened it. The cream itself was a lustrous, jade-white. "Is this a fragrance cream?" she asked in amazement. "It seems to have pear blossom in it."

Princess Consort Wan nodded. "I made it this past spring. There are dozens of pear trees in the northwest corner of the palace, and it felt like such a waste to let the wind scatter the blossoms. So, I gathered some and made this pear blossom fragrance cream."

Song Yunzhao’s eyes were practically glowing. ’A true artisan, through and through.’

She then opened a clam-shaped silver box. Inside was a peach-blossom pink lip balm. The color was pale, but it looked very moisturizing and carried the fragrance of peach blossoms. ’This color is so youthful, I love it,’ she thought.

In that one tier alone, there were five or six different lip balms, each a unique shade, mostly inspired by the flowers of the four seasons. The containers themselves were all different, and every single one was exquisite.

From the bottom of the final tier, Song Yunzhao even pulled out several sachets. The embroidery on them was exceptional, and their fragrance was different from the creams—much sweeter.

Song Yunzhao completely forgot about her son. Her eyes sparkled. ’Have I just unearthed some kind of priceless treasure?’

Princess Consort Wan felt goosebumps break out all over as she met Song Yunzhao’s radiant gaze.

Song Yunzhao briefly explained her idea to Princess Consort Wan. She added that she had already secured the Emperor’s promise to personally inscribe the sign for Baozhuang Building. With that, she was certain their debut would be a resounding success.

Princess Consort Wan...

’Anyone who knew the situation would think you came to discuss formulas,’ she thought wryly. ’Anyone who didn’t would assume you’re just here to show off.’

Song Yunzhao’s plan was simple: she needed to start on solid footing. Princess Consort Wan was clearly more skilled with lip balms and fragrance creams, so she decided to focus on those two products first.

She only had to mention a few of the vast array of lipstick colors and perfume scents from her past life to spark Princess Consort Wan’s inspiration. The look Princess Consort Wan gave her now held a newfound appreciation.

Song Yunzhao...

Princess Consort Wan then brought out her personal fragrance book for Yun Zhao to inspect. It documented everything she had created over the years and, to Song Yunzhao’s surprise, even included notes on her experiments and her reflections.

Song Yunzhao was thoroughly impressed. ’She’s a natural-born researcher!’ she thought. ’I absolutely have to hold on to Princess Consort Wan and never let go.’

She herself was terrible at research. She simply couldn’t sit still long enough.

However, with the knowledge from her past life, she could offer small suggestions to Princess Consort Wan that proved to be quite effective.

At least Princess Consort Wan no longer saw her as a useless glutton... ’Pfft, I mean, as a decorative but useless embroidered pillow.’

"Yu Rong Powder is mainly for treating melasma," Princess Consort Wan explained. "At first, the spots are the color of dust, but over time, they darken to the color of coal. They appear on the face in various sizes and shapes and are quite unsightly. Applying this as a facial mask and using it consistently for some time does have a noticeable effect."

She sighed as she spoke. "Before I entered the palace, one of my personal maids developed these spots. My mother found it improper for her to remain by my side and had her sent away to do rough labor. I saw how pitifully she cried, so I searched through my books and eventually found this formula. The spots on her face are barely noticeable now, and she just recently got married."

Song Yunzhao was surprised that such a wonderful product existed. ’Dealing with blemishes is such a painful struggle,’ she mused.

"There are many kinds of fragrances," Princess Consort Wan said, looking at Song Yunzhao. "Scent for clothing, for breath, for the body, for sachets, for creams... each has a different formula. It would be far too much trouble to produce them all. Since your shop is just opening, I think it’s best to choose just a few."

Song Yunzhao nodded. "I was thinking the same. Great minds think alike, after all."

Princess Consort Wan shot Song Yunzhao a look before saying, "Most of the formulas in this fragrance book are my own creations, though some are adapted from ancient texts. Choose whichever you like. But be warned, the ingredients for some of them are hard to come by, so choose carefully."

"I don’t know the first thing about any of this," Song Yunzhao said. "I came to ask for your guidance today, Sister, because I was hoping you would take full charge of the formulation side of things. What do you think?" ’Song Yunzhao knew how to delegate authority. For a talented woman like Princess Consort Wan, earning Silver was secondary; the feeling of being recognized for her skills was what mattered most.’

Princess Consort Wan eyed her suspiciously. "You’ll entrust it to me?"

’She trusts me that easily?’

’If I were in her shoes, I would never hand something so important over to someone I dislike.’

’My relationship with Song Yunzhao is hardly that good.’

"Of course. I have complete faith that you’ll do an excellent job, Sister Wan," Song Yunzhao said with a particularly sincere smile.

Princess Consort Wan hesitated. Just then, she felt a warmth in her palm. She looked down to see the Eldest Prince gripping her hand, trying to pull himself up. When he realized she had seen him, he beamed up at her.

’A child’s eyes are so pure,’ she thought. ’So much more likable than his mother’s.’

Princess Consort Wan exerted a bit of pressure, allowing Feng Ze to pull himself to his feet. Feng Ze immediately stuffed the small jade rabbit he was holding into her hand, muttering indistinctly, "Here."

’For me?’

Princess Consort Wan was pleasantly surprised. ’See? The Eldest Prince is so much more likable than his mother. He’s so young, yet he already knows to present gifts to his elders.’

Princess Consort Wan completely forgot that she was the one who had given Feng Ze the little jade rabbit in the first place. Her mind was completely filled with the image of Feng Ze giving her a gift.

’Oh, very well.’ For the Eldest Prince’s sake, she gave a slight nod of agreement.

Song Yunzhao glanced at her son. ’I didn’t expect him to be such a good little wingman,’ she thought. ’All my pampering hasn’t been for nothing.’

With Princess Consort Wan’s nod, the most vexing problem—the formulas—was finally settled. Song Yunzhao breathed an inward sigh of relief. The rest would be much easier to handle.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard Princess Consort Wan speak again. "Have you rented a shop yet?"

Song Yunzhao nodded. "I’ve picked out a location, but I haven’t leased it yet."

"For a prominent concubine to have to rent a storefront... how embarrassing," Princess Consort Wan sniffed. "I have a property. You can use it for now."

Song Yunzhao looked at her dubiously. "Why do you have a shop property?"

"It was part of my dowry."

"Concubines get dowries?" This was news to Song Yunzhao. She was completely floored.