I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

While Song Yunzhao and her son were having a blast in Jincui Garden, An Shutong grew ever more withdrawn back in the palace.

She didn’t think it was a coincidence that Ming Fei had gone to Jincui Garden. She suspected her words from that day had displeased Ming Fei, which was why Ming Fei had asked the Emperor to let her spend the summer at Jincui Garden.

This meant Ming Fei wanted to avoid her completely. Ming Fei only wanted to avoid her, not act against her, and An Shutong knew this was because of the Empress Dowager. But this realization only made her more and more frustrated.

It seemed that no matter what she tried or what she did, she couldn’t get Ming Fei to let go of her grudge.

An Shutong had never felt so helpless. She never knew getting close to someone could be this difficult.

Song Yunzhao, of course, had no idea what An Shutong was thinking. Even if she did, she wouldn’t have paid it any mind. ’Some people are just fated to never get along. Why force it? It’s better to just go our separate ways.’

An Shutong didn’t write to the Empress Dowager about this, but the spies the Empress Dowager had left in the palace reported it to her anyway. When the Empress Dowager found out, she fell ill for a short while, purely out of anger.

She cursed An Shutong for being a disappointment who couldn’t seize the opportunity given to her. At the same time, she cursed Song Yunzhao for being treacherous and cunning enough to coax the Emperor into letting her go to Jincui Garden. What was the point of leaving An Shutong behind, then?

If An Shutong had any sense, she would have followed them. What a blockhead!

No matter how angry the Empress Dowager got, Song Yunzhao couldn’t see or hear it. Out of sight, out of mind. The mother and son played to their hearts’ content for two solid months. Feng Yi would come over to spend time with them whenever he was free. Life couldn’t have been more blissful.

Before the Empress Dowager returned to the palace, Song Yunzhao brought a tanner and much more talkative Feng Ze back with her. She couldn’t very well wait until after the Empress Dowager was back to return herself. That would give the Empress Dowager a chance to accuse her of neglect.

Back in Yaohua Palace, Song Yunzhao felt a little out of sorts. After getting used to living in a large garden estate, Yaohua Palace now seemed a bit small.

’Ah, it’s easy to go from a simple life to one of luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to simplicity.’

’I’m just a mortal, after all. I’m no exception.’

Upon returning to the palace, the first thing she did was check on the palace affairs from her time away. Nanny Yu had been shuttling people back and forth, so the palace duties had not been neglected. Yun Zhao had also arranged for the Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Hospital to check on the well-being of the concubines who remained in the palace every few days.

Now, she began preparations to welcome the Empress Dowager, ordering all palaces to be cleaned and tidied. Everything had to be spotless so the Empress Dowager couldn’t find any fault.

While Song Yunzhao was busy running off her feet, Feng Yi had people bring Feng Ze to Taixi Hall. Although there was no precedent for an emperor having his son live in Taixi Hall, no one said it was forbidden either.

After spending so much time in Taixi Hall, Feng Ze became a familiar face to the various ministers. Coupled with his new tan, his appearance was quite the novelty for everyone.

Surprisingly, Feng Ze wasn’t embarrassed at all. In fact, he thought it made him look impressive.

Even his maternal grandfather, Song Nanzhen, didn’t approach him casually. He would bow respectfully just like everyone else.

Feng Ze didn’t understand at first. Later, Feng Yi deliberately kept Song Nanzhen behind to talk a few times, helping Feng Ze recognize him. Only then did Feng Ze realize that this man was his mother’s father. He started calling him "Grandfather" over and over, but Song Nanzhen hardly dared to respond. Even with His Majesty’s permission, he didn’t dare be too conspicuous for fear of bringing trouble to his daughter.

Feng Yi approved of Song Nanzhen’s caution but felt he was perhaps a bit too careful. However, remembering that this was his usual way of doing things, he didn’t criticize him. It would be fine once Feng Ze was a little older.

As autumn approached, Feng Yi began preparing for his northern tour. The courtiers’ reactions were mixed, with some in support and some in opposition.

The Right Minister rarely opposed the Emperor these days. Although he was worried about the Emperor’s safety, he didn’t voice any direct opposition.

The Left Minister, however, naturally disagreed. The Emperor’s safety was more important than anything else. The debate raged once again in court.

Feng Yi had already made up his mind. He secretly met with Prince Zhenbei and ordered him to prepare and drill the troops.

What could Prince Zhenbei say? Naturally, he would do whatever the Emperor commanded.

Drilling troops cost money, and so did the northern tour. Fortunately, the National Treasury was a bit fuller after the summer harvest. Otherwise, he’d really be tearing his hair out.

The Empress Dowager’s entourage returned from the traveling palace with great fanfare. Song Yunzhao led An Shutong and the few other remaining concubines to greet them. Before the Empress Dowager could even put Yun Zhao in her place, she learned of the Emperor’s planned northern tour and couldn’t be bothered with Song Yunzhao anymore.

Song Yunzhao couldn’t care less about the Empress Dowager’s mood. It had been a long time since she had seen Consort Shu and Princess Consort Wan, and now that they were reunited, they couldn’t help but exchange a smile.

The Empress Dowager hurried back to Shouci Palace, and An Shutong followed with a silent sigh.

Song Yunzhao dismissed the others, telling them to go back and rest first, as there would be a welcome banquet in the evening.

Song Yunzhao was still arranging the welcome banquet when gifts from Consort Shu, Princess Consort Wan, Wang Zhaorong, and Han Jinyi arrived. They had all brought her tasty treats and interesting trinkets from the traveling palace.

Looking at the large and small boxes that filled the floor, Song Yunzhao couldn’t suppress the smile on her face.

’I’m just that popular,’ she thought. ’Can’t be helped.’

Everyone attended the welcome banquet in their finest attire. This time, however, Song Yunzhao was dressed plainly. The Empress Dowager had not yet arrived. Consort Shu and Princess Consort Wan arrived one after the other, and Wang Zhaorong and the others were gathered around Yun Zhao, talking. Qinghua Hall was filled with lively chatter.

Consort Shu waved her hand for everyone to rise, then looked at Song Yunzhao and said, "Why, you look a bit plumper. It seems life was good for you while you stayed in the capital."

Song Yunzhao smiled and replied, "A carefree heart makes for a healthy body. You’re looking so well yourself, Consort Shu. It seems you also had a comfortable time at the traveling palace."

"But of course."

Qin Xiyue sat in a distant corner of the hall, watching the lively scene. Beside her was the equally quiet An Fangyi.

"It seems Lady Ming truly had a happy time staying in the capital," Qin Xiyue said softly.

An Fangyi clutched her teacup and said flatly, "She’s certainly blessed by fortune."

Who in this palace hadn’t stumbled a few times before they could stand on their own? But not Song Yunzhao. She had won the Emperor’s favor right after entering the palace, given birth to the Eldest Prince, and had a smooth journey to becoming a high-ranking concubine.

An Fangyi’s life these days wasn’t easy either. The longer she spent in the palace, the more her family lost hope that she would ever rise in status. Their expectations for her dwindled, and the amount of silver they now sent to the palace was a far cry from before.

An Fangyi understood perfectly. Her family was unhappy that she had forbidden her half-sister from entering the palace, so they were making her suffer a little.

’If I’d known my good intentions would be treated like dirt, I would have let that idiot An Wenying enter the palace back then. It would have been better to let her bash her head against a wall and come crawling back in defeat.’

During her two months at the traveling palace, her family hadn’t sent her a single cent. Without the silver from her family, she had to get by on just her monthly stipend, so life was tight and certainly not as comfortable as before.

She and Qin Xiyue had a falling out before, but now they were comrades in misery, and they had started interacting again at the traveling palace.

Just as she was thinking this, An Fangyi saw An Shutong walk in. Noticing that she hadn’t arrived with the Empress Dowager, An Fangyi gave a scornful smile and said to Qin Xiyue, "An Xiaoyi is such a clever one, isn’t she."