I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

"Empress Dowager Xie." Consort Shu took her seat and got straight to the point. "I’ve come to ask the Empress Dowager for instructions regarding the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet."

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly. "The palace has its traditions. Just follow precedent."

The smile on Consort Shu’s face faltered. ’No wonder the Emperor isn’t close to the Empress Dowager,’ she thought. ’Even I would feel miserable if she were my mother.’

With that thought, Consort Shu’s tone became subtly pointed. She carefully composed herself and spoke slowly. "Empress Dowager, the Emperor is currently away on his northern tour, working tirelessly for the nation and its people. While we cannot share in His Majesty’s hardship, I cannot bring myself to host a banquet and indulge in pleasure here in the palace while he toils away. Therefore, I wish to request the Empress Dowager’s permission to cancel the palace banquet for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Instead, we could hold a small family dinner to pray for the Emperor’s well-being. What do you think?"

The Empress Dowager was speechless.

Her face stung with a faint, burning shame.

An Shutong hadn’t expected this to be the reason for Consort Shu’s visit and was momentarily dazed. ’That’s right,’ she realized. ’The Emperor is away, so how can the palace hold a banquet and celebrate? I didn’t think of that, nor did I remind the Empress Dowager. I wonder if she’ll take her anger out on me later.’

"It is rare for you all to be so considerate. The Emperor will be pleased when he learns of this. Let’s do as you suggest." The Empress Dowager agreed with a look of gratification, but inwardly, she was fuming. Even though Consort Shu’s tone was steady, she could detect an undercurrent of reproach.

’Consort Shu has certainly grown bolder, coming here to show off in front of me.’

But this time, the Empress Dowager was in the wrong, so she could only grit her teeth and bear it.

Consort Shu was in high spirits after leaving Shouci Palace. The memory of the Empress Dowager desperately trying to suppress her anger was truly invigorating.

News that the noble women would no longer be invited to the palace for the Mid-Autumn banquet was sent to the various households, and no one found it strange. However, word of Consort Shu’s visit to the Empress Dowager that day still quietly spread.

Song·Doing Good Deeds Without Leaving a Name·Yun Zhao smiled to herself. ’No need to thank me.’

’Given my relationship with the Empress Dowager, there’s no need to pretend to be on good terms. As long as the Empress Dowager is unhappy, I’m happy.’

The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ling Yunhe returned to the Capital City. When he learned that Xie Jinshu had been looking for him, he went to the Xie family estate that very night.

Xie Jinshu had already been preparing for bed. When he heard Ling Yunhe had arrived, he had him shown in. He was shocked by Ling Yunhe’s haggard appearance. "What have you been doing? Why do you look so worn out?"

’He came straight here without even cleaning up. He really doesn’t see me as a stranger.’

Ling Yunhe rubbed his face vigorously with his hands. "I made a trip back to the Ling Family."

Hearing this, Xie Jinshu’s expression turned solemn. He looked at Ling Yunhe. "Did you... discover something?"

That’s what he said, but inwardly he was thinking, ’Lady Ming is truly incredible. It seems what she told me before must be true, otherwise Ling Yunhe wouldn’t look like this.’

Ling Yunhe looked up at Xie Jinshu. "Before I left the capital, I had someone deliver an account book to Lady Ming in the palace."

Xie Jinshu’s heart skipped a beat. ’Just as I thought.’

"Judging by your expression, you must know now, right?" Ling Yunhe took a deep breath. ’My gamble paid off!’

Xie Jinshu frowned at Ling Yunhe. "We’ve been friends for years, but what you did this time was out of line. Since you ran into trouble, why didn’t you tell me?"

’Thankfully, Ming Fei trusts me. Otherwise, I would have been dragged into this as well.’

"Jinshu, I only had suspicions about this matter. Nothing was confirmed. How was I supposed to tell you?" Ling Yunhe said with a bitter expression. Even he hadn’t expected his own family to set him up like this.

Xie Jinshu’s heart sank slightly. "So now that you’re back, I assume you’ve gotten to the bottom of it?"

After a long moment, Ling Yunhe finally nodded. "It was my third uncle. He was bribed, and that’s what caused all this trouble."

Xie Jinshu scoffed. "I warned you a long time ago. Although this business venture might not have been hugely profitable at first, with Baozhuang Building’s golden reputation, the Ling Family would have had plenty of opportunities to make money in the future. It’s precisely because that reputation is so eye-catching that I told you to act with caution. What did you say to me back then?"

Ling Yunhe sighed. "I’ve let you down, and I’ve let Lady Ming down. I knew my third uncle was always scheming, but I never imagined he’d be this audacious."

Anger surged within Xie Jinshu. He forced it down before speaking. "After what’s happened, I have no face to plead for you before Lady Ming. Whether you can get through this is up to you."

Xie Jinshu knew Ling Yunhe valued loyalty, but if he remained indecisive, he would have to advise Lady Ming to find a new partner. He’d have to admit that he had misjudged his character and misled her. If it came to it, he would personally go south to open shops for her to atone for his mistake.

"I know." Ling Yunhe felt ashamed before his friend. "We’ve been friends for years. I’ve already wronged you with this affair; I can’t drag you down with me."

Hearing this, Xie Jinshu sighed. "If you had just listened to me and separated this part of the business from the start, it wouldn’t have become such a mess."

’Take me, for example. I separated my Capital City business from the one in Xuanzhou right from the beginning, and my partnership with Ming Fei has been smooth sailing. Now, the people in Xuanzhou wouldn’t dare to cause trouble for me; in fact, they have to curry favor with me.’

"It’s not too late. That was the whole reason I returned to the Ling Family." Ling Yunhe had nothing to hide from his friend. "My third uncle has always been cunning. This time, I finally managed to get a hold on him. The evidence was irrefutable, and he couldn’t argue his way out of it. The clan elders opened the ancestral hall and presided over the division of the Ling Family."

Xie Jinshu was stunned.

"So you just split the family and that’s it? What about Lady Ming’s losses?" Xie Jinshu couldn’t let Third Master Ling off so easily. Someone had to compensate for Lady Ming’s losses.

"My third uncle was bribed to counterfeit Baozhuang Building’s goods in our shops. That’s why the volume of authentic goods from Baozhuang Building was much lower."

"Counterfeit? It seems Third Master Ling has a death wish!"

’Whose merchandise is this?’

’It belongs to Ming Fei!’

’And he dared to secretly counterfeit it? Those are just fakes!’

It was infuriating.

Ling Yunhe’s expression also grew serious. "The clan knows my third uncle caused a huge disaster. His share of the family assets from the division will be used to compensate for Lady Ming’s losses. Furthermore, the Ling Family has guaranteed that for the next three years, they will give an additional twenty percent of the profits to Lady Ming."

Xie Jinshu scoffed. "The Ling Family is dreaming. After something like this, do you really think Lady Ming will still entrust her business to your family?"

Ling Yunhe nodded. "Yes, I also think it’s unlikely. I’ve already tried to persuade the clan, but they still want to give it a shot."

Xie Jinshu stood up, his face cold. "The Ling Family truly is rich and arrogant. You should go back and get some rest. I won’t see you out."

He was genuinely angry. ’The Ling Family thinks giving up twenty percent of their profits is some kind of grievance?’

’Pah!’

Ling Yunhe didn’t try to defend the Ling Family. He looked at Xie Jinshu with utmost seriousness. "Jinshu, I’ve wronged you and caused you to be implicated. No matter how Lady Ming decides to deal with the Ling Family, I will accept it."

Xie Jinshu looked at Ling Yunhe as if he were a fool. "You’re not planning to take the fall for the Ling Family, are you? Third Master Ling committed the crime, so he should be the one to come to the Capital City and admit his guilt."

Ling Yunhe shook his head. "I know what to do. My friend, once the dust settles on this matter, I’ll come back and make it up to you."

Ling Yunhe left, but Xie Jinshu’s worries did not lessen in the slightest.

He had been genuinely angry a moment ago, but now he was genuinely worried for Ling Yunhe.

’What a mess!’