I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Song Yunzhao entrusted the matter to Zhang Maoquan, instructing him carefully, "Everyone must be hand-picked, and the formula must absolutely not be leaked. You are to oversee it personally. I’ll also give you five spots for your own use, but you must screen the individuals carefully."

If she was eating meat, her people had to get some broth.

Zhang Maoquan had his own network of connections, and since Song Yunzhao was giving him this prestige, he would naturally be even more loyal to her.

As expected, Zhang Maoquan was overjoyed. He accepted the task with solemn gravity before leaving gleefully.

’He truly hadn’t misjudged her. Lady Ming was a good mistress, one who knew to let him have a taste of the broth.’

’Five spots weren’t many, but they represented Her Ladyship’s trust. It would also show outsiders his influence—she was helping establish his authority.’

’He couldn’t fail his mistress’s trust. He had to do this job perfectly!’

Song Yunzhao understood the importance of focusing on the big picture and delegating the details. Once she had assigned the tasks, she could finally catch her breath.

’Well, so much for resting. The selection was almost here.’

The day before the selection, Song Yunzhao carefully inspected her battle armor—a new palace gown from the Clothing Bureau. It was made from tribute silk that had just arrived from the south this year. Feng Yi had sent samples for her to look at, and she had immediately taken a liking to a silver-red plain satin. She then had an embroideress stitch geometric patterns onto it with gold and silver thread. When worn, the gown shimmered with flowing light as she moved.

She was very fond of this gown.

She also looked over the jewelry she would wear the next day. Only after everything was prepared did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

In truth, she was a little nervous.

She had deliberately opposed the Empress Dowager last time, so there was sure to be another major drama tomorrow. But she wasn’t yet sure how this drama would play out. Mostly, she couldn’t grasp the Empress Dowager’s intentions, so she could only react to whatever came her way.

Shouci Palace had been remarkably quiet lately. The Empress Dowager had wanted to use Qin Xiyue as a spearhead to cause trouble for her over the new shop, but Qin Xiyue had refused. And the Empress Dowager couldn’t very well pressure the Emperor before An Shutong’s rank was confirmed. She was probably just bottling up her anger.

"My Lady, a message just came from Taixi Hall. The Emperor will be coming for supper."

Song Yunzhao smiled at the news and reached out to poke her son, who was rolling about on the daybed. The little guy had recently decided he preferred rolling to walking, a strange new quirk he’d picked up somewhere.

The moment she poked him, he rolled onto his back, stretching out his little arms with a laugh. He babbled something that sounded like "Mother," though the word wasn’t quite clear. His smile revealed four tiny front teeth, making him look exceptionally cute.

Seeing his mother smile, Feng Ze rolled over in one smooth motion, asking to be held. Yun Zhao picked up her son and planted a kiss on his little cheek. ’Who wouldn’t love such an adorable little human cub?’

When Feng Yi arrived, he saw Yun Zhao and his son lying on their stomachs on the daybed, completely absorbed in something. The two of them were laughing with pure joy.

Hearing footsteps, Song Yunzhao turned. Seeing Feng Yi, she immediately sat up and said to her son, "Your Imperial Father is here. Let him play with you."

’This old mother is finally off the hook!’

Meeting Yun Zhao’s pleading gaze, Feng Yi was thoroughly amused. He strode forward to see that the mother and son were playing a little ball game. It was a game Yun Zhao herself had designed and commissioned from the Six Departments. A channel was carved into a foot-and-a-half-long plank of wood, leading to a small hole at the end. The goal was to flick a Jade Ball, made of Mutton Fat Jade, into the hole. It would then drop to a lower level filled with small wooden pins, and the winner was whoever knocked down the most.

The game looked simple, but it was incredibly addictive. Feng Ze had become hopelessly obsessed with it recently.

Feng Yi took over playing with his son, and Yun Zhao was finally liberated. She let out a long sigh of relief.

Feng Yi shot her a look that clearly said, ’So much for your stamina.’

Song Yunzhao merely smiled, saying nothing. ’Let’s see how long *you* can last.’

Fifteen minutes... an hour... two hours... four hours...

The smile on Feng Yi’s face gradually vanished.

’How does this kid have so much energy?!’

Having no other choice, Feng Yi finally packed up both child and toy and sent them next door, ordering Anshun and the others to continue playing with him.

When Feng Yi returned, he too let out a long sigh of relief. "How is that boy so energetic?"

Song Yunzhao gave the Emperor a knowing look. "I heard from Princess Fuke that Your Majesty also had a great deal of stamina as a child."

Feng Yi was speechless.

Feng Yi’s eyes drifted toward the bedchamber as he said meaningfully, "I *still* have plenty of stamina."

Song Yunzhao blushed.

The Emperor, ever so full of stamina, had sent his son away precisely so he could pull Yun Zhao behind the bed curtains and demonstrate with his own body that he wasn’t lying.

Toward the end, Song Yunzhao truly couldn’t take it anymore. "We have the selection tomorrow," she said in a trembling voice. "The Emperor should rest early."

"It is precisely because of the selection that I must show my beloved concubine my sincerity."

Song Yunzhao covered her face. ’Who could possibly withstand this?’

The Emperor spent half the night showing his "sincerity." The next day, Song Yunzhao rose with dark circles under her eyes and had to carefully apply powder to conceal them. If the Empress Dowager saw her like this at Changyin Pavilion, she would think Yun Zhao was deliberately flaunting her favor.

Xiangxue and the other maids wore smiles on their faces. It was naturally a good thing that their mistress was so favored, especially since newcomers were about to enter the harem. They had, of course, been worried that some new Beauty might catch the Emperor’s eye.

Now, seeing how much the Emperor doted on their mistress, how could they not be happy?

Song Yunzhao’s skin had grown thick enough by now that she could pretend not to see Xiangxue and the others exchanging glances. ’Sigh, in the harem, one’s fate is not one’s own.’

With palace attendants on night duty right outside the hall, how could they possibly not hear what she and the Emperor got up to behind closed doors?

At first, she had been unaccustomed to it, and terribly shy. But over time, she had simply grown used to it.

’Habit truly is a terrifying thing.’

After a simple breakfast, she played with her son in the courtyard for a while. When Xiangxue came to remind her that it was time, she finally set off for Changyin Pavilion.

The distance from Yaohua Palace to Changyin Pavilion wasn’t great; the journey by sedan chair took only fifteen minutes.

Changyin Pavilion had been scrubbed clean and bright for the occasion. Fresh flowers adorned the courtyard, and the hall’s furnishings had been completely refreshed. To her surprise, she was the first to arrive.

She had barely taken her seat when Consort Shu arrived. The two exchanged greetings, and Consort Shu said, "I wonder how many will be chosen to stay today."

Song Yunzhao understood Consort Shu’s implication. The number chosen would likely depend on the outcome of her own clash with the Empress Dowager.

Meeting Consort Shu’s knowing gaze, Song Yunzhao threw up her hands. "I don’t know either. Sister Shu, don’t look at me like that. There’s nothing I can do."

Consort Shu huffed. The thought of the Empress Dowager was vexing. "Regardless, with this new batch entering the harem, there certainly won’t be any peace."

With An Shutong in the mix, the Empress Dowager would certainly try to pave the way for her.

Paving the way for An Shutong meant stealing Song Yunzhao’s favor, and a woman as territorial as Song Yunzhao would never give it up without a fight.

Just as they were speaking, Princess Consort Wan arrived, looking rather listless. She had been up until midnight adjusting a new formula. Song Yunzhao wanted to make some sort of face cream, and it was making her want to tear her hair out.

However, seeing that Song Yunzhao didn’t look too energetic either, she felt a subtle sense of satisfaction.