I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Feng Yi pulled Yun Zhao down to sit on the soft couch. They leaned against each other, and even without saying a word, he felt incredibly happy.

Song Yunzhao looked up at Feng Yi, and Feng Yi looked down. Their gazes met, and it seemed like sparks would fly at any moment.

Song Yunzhao blushed.

’Huh?’

’What’s going on?’

’My heart is pounding so hard. Now I finally understand what it means for your heart to race like a frightened deer.’

’I just can’t control it. I always used to pretend, but now I don’t have to.’

Song Yunzhao felt that something might be a bit off, but for some reason, she had no desire to change her current state.

In her past life, she had never married, though she’d been on blind dates. She never had time for romance and didn’t know what it felt like for a young couple to be in love.

But she never expected that in this life, having arrived in a Feudal Dynasty, she would actually be developing this kind of chemistry with the Emperor. It was thrilling.

Seeing Yun Zhao’s beet-red face, Feng Yi simply took her hand and led her outside. The two followed the path from Yaohua Palace all the way to the Imperial Garden. Xu Sixi cleared the way ahead, and Meng Jiuchang followed in attendance.

Feng Yi and Yun Zhao walked along the lush, green flagstone path. A gentle breeze caressed their faces, taking some of the heat out of the scorching summer sun.

"How about I take you and Feng Ze to Jincui Garden for a while?"

Hearing this, Song Yunzhao looked at Feng Yi. "To Jincui Garden?"

"Yes. We’re not going to the traveling palace to escape the summer heat, but we can still stay at Jincui Garden for a short while. What do you think?"

Song Yunzhao’s eyes shifted. Feng Yi hadn’t had this idea before, which showed just how busy things at court must be. His bringing it up now was likely related to her confrontation with An Shutong.

Judging by Feng Yi’s approach, he probably figured that since he couldn’t find fault with An Shutong to punish her, he might as well avoid her to prevent any more trouble.

Going to Jincui Garden was actually perfect. Song Yunzhao hadn’t even thought about going somewhere to escape the heat, but as soon as Feng Yi mentioned it, her eyes lit up.

"Then it’s settled. I’ll have someone tidy up the place. We’ll go in two days."

Song Yunzhao nodded in agreement, genuinely happy this time.

Jincui Garden had a huge lake, which meant they could go boating. Nothing could be more pleasant in the middle of a hot summer.

Feng Yi moved quickly. When he said two days, he meant it. Yun Zhao packed a few simple things, and on the morning of the third day, she arrived at Jincui Garden by carriage.

The place Yun Zhao was staying was called Jinfu Hall. The scenery was beautiful; opening the windows revealed a sea of flowers. The place was also spacious and comfortable, and with no one else around, Feng Ze could be let loose to play without any safety concerns. It was simply delightful.

Feng Ze, as expected, loved the place. He ran around the garden with abandon. Nanny Qi and Anshun followed closely with their attendants. Yun Zhao went to Jinfu Hall first, taking a stroll inside and out. The basic layout of the hall was similar to Roufu Palace, the only difference being the larger grounds and how well the palace was integrated with the gardens.

Moreover, with the lake, the overall temperature here was slightly more comfortable than in the palace. No one had mentioned Jincui Garden last year, so it hadn’t even occurred to Song Yunzhao that they could come here to escape the summer heat.

She called for a boat to be prepared, ready to take a trip around the lake.

Feng Ze was off playing somewhere, so she paid her son no mind and went down to the lake with her attendants.

Feng Yi was held up by court affairs. By the time he arrived, Yun Zhao had already taken a turn about the lake and was now fishing.

It was hard to say if she’d caught anything, but the sight of two figures—one large, one small—leaning together and staring at the lake made him stop in his tracks.

The evening glow filled the sky, dyeing it in brilliant colors. Song Yunzhao’s fishing rod suddenly twitched, and Feng Yi heard her shout happily, "I’ve got a bite!"

Seeing her fumbling to reel in the line with a little troublemaker by her side, Feng Yi hurried over, took a firm hold of the rod, and helped her pull the fish out of the water.

"A fish!" Feng Ze was overjoyed, trotting over to get a closer look at the fish on the line.

Song Yunzhao turned to Feng Yi, an unstoppable smile spreading across her face. "Emperor, your timing is perfect! If you hadn’t been here, I might not have been able to land this fish."

Feng Yi knew Yun Zhao was just saying that to please him, but he was happy to hear it nonetheless. He slowly reeled in the line. He watched Feng Ze squatting on the ground, looking at the fish flopping by the lake’s edge. The boy didn’t reach out to grab it—it was unclear whether he thought it was dirty or was too scared to touch it.

Feng Yi stepped forward and tossed the fish into a wooden bucket. Feng Ze’s eyes followed it into the bucket as he said, "Eat. Eat tonight."

Feng Yi laughed at his words. "Alright. We’ll have the Imperial Kitchen cook it for you tonight."

Song Yunzhao peered into the bucket at the lone fish, which weighed about two or three pounds. She figured it would be enough for them; it wasn’t as if they would only be eating fish for dinner.

Showing great perceptiveness, Anshun immediately had someone take the bucket to the Imperial Kitchen. Meanwhile, Zhang Maoquan promptly brought over a new bucket to replace it.

Song Yunzhao praised him silently. ’Now that’s how you do your job.’

Feng Ze watched the fishing for a little while before losing interest and running off to play elsewhere. Song Yunzhao quickly had someone follow and watch him, while she sat down next to Feng Yi to keep him company as he fished.

"You seem to be in a very good mood today, Emperor. I imagine it’s because matters of state are going well," Song Yunzhao said with a smile.

Feng Yi smiled. "And how would you know that?"

"Just a guess."

"The new policies are being implemented rather smoothly, so of course I’m happy."

"Then congratulations, Emperor." Song Yunzhao was happy too. The smooth implementation of the new policies was probably related to that power struggle with the Six Departments. The fall of Yao Zongjing had certainly served as a deterrent.

Seeing Yun Zhao’s joyful expression, Feng Yi’s mood improved even more. "After the summer harvest this year, once the National Treasury has more Silver, I plan to train troops."

Song Yunzhao was taken aback and asked subconsciously, "Is Beiming causing trouble again?"

In this timeline, the relationship with Beiming was like that between the historical Great Ming and the minority peoples outside the border. They were locked in a stalemate, constantly at each other’s throats, but neither side could deliver a decisive blow to the other.

"Beiming has a new leader." Feng Yi’s gaze drifted toward the lake, his expression becoming profound. "When a new leader takes power, they always want to bring glory to their people."

Song Yunzhao hated war more than anything. But as a woman of the harem, she was powerless to stop such things. She could only hope that the soldiers and generals under Feng Yi’s command were skilled enough.

’According to the book, the wars with Beiming were a series of back-and-forth struggles with wins and losses. But in the early days, the nation’s strength was lacking, making it a monumental struggle to mobilize for a full-scale war.’

’In the end, it all came down to a lack of money.’

"After autumn, I plan to go see for myself."

Song Yunzhao fell silent, pressing her lips together without a word.

Feng Yi turned his head to look at her.

Song Yunzhao found it hard to describe her feelings. She knew Feng Yi was watching her. After a long moment, she said, "My heart tells me I don’t want you to go into danger. But I also know you are a monarch who carries the world in his heart, and I shouldn’t stand in your way for my own selfish reasons. So, if you must go, I only hope that you will protect yourself."

Feng Yi squeezed Yun Zhao’s hand. "Of course. You and our son will be waiting for me, so I must return safely. Zhaozhao, regarding Beiming... I’ve only ever heard about it from memorials and from my ministers and generals. I’ve never seen it for myself. I want to go and see. One day, I hope I can take you outside the border to admire the scenery and watch the sunset, and the soldiers at the border will no longer have to worry day and night about when Beiming might launch another sneak attack."

He wanted peace and prosperity for his country.