I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

While Ling Yunhe was clashing with the Ling Family, news of the incident in Yan City broke.

Song Yunzhao was stunned. She knew nothing about it; no one from her family had told her. She only found out her eldest uncle had returned to the Capital City when she sent a letter home, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

Consort Shu came to see Song Yunzhao, her face clouded with frustration. Looking at her, she asked, "Do you know what happened in Yan City?"

"I just found out myself." Song Yunzhao observed Consort Shu’s troubled expression, finding it odd. ’The incident in Yan City shouldn’t affect her, so why does she look so upset?’ "But this matter has nothing to do with you, does it?"

Consort Shu was so angry she could barely speak. Yes, it shouldn’t have had anything to do with her. But at some point, a very distant relative of her family had settled in Yan City and was committing all sorts of misdeeds under her father’s name. Of all the rotten luck, he just had to get mixed up in this incident. Can you believe how unlucky that is?

Song Yunzhao fell silent after Consort Shu finished speaking. ’So this is the kind of bad luck that plagues a supporting character, huh?’

’Someone can pop up out of nowhere at any time and drag you down with them.’

Perhaps Yun Zhao’s expression was a little too telling, because Consort Shu understood immediately, which only made her angrier.

"There’s no need to be angry. Since he’s a very distant relative with whom you have little contact, even if he was using the Right Minister’s name, the Right Minister himself wasn’t actually involved in the Yan City affair. I’m sure His Majesty will see the truth of the matter."

"Easy for you to say. It’s not that simple." Consort Shu sighed. ’The Royal Family loves guilt by association. How could my father be so unlucky?’

An idea flashed in Song Yunzhao’s mind. "In that case," she said immediately, "the only option is for the Right Minister to place justice before family and disown him."

Consort Shu: ...

’You’re the ruthless one!’

"If only it were that simple."

As Consort Shu explained the full story, Song Yunzhao listened, falling silent once she had finished.

This distant relative of the Lu Family had managed to secure a post as a steward at the Yan City granary. He was usually very negligent, and on the day of the fire, when he was supposed to be on watch, he had gone off to a brothel instead.

Who started the fire? He didn’t know.

Any suspects? None.

Any clues found after the fact? No.

He was a complete and utter waste of space. Not only was he no help, he was actively making things worse. ’Truly impressive,’ Yun Zhao thought with a sense of awe.

Song Yunzhao looked at Consort Shu. "Don’t you think this was all planned? How could it be such a coincidence that the fire started precisely when your relative was on duty? It was probably a deliberate attempt to drag the Right Minister into this. That way, when everything came out, he would have no choice but to protect them."

’Song Yunzhao’s guess is the same as what Mother said,’ Consort Shu thought. ’Father was so angry he was stomping his feet at home, thinking the very same thing.’

’How can there be such a huge difference in how people think?’

’I would never have thought of that. I just thought this relative was a good-for-nothing who slacked off on the job.’

"What can be done? This is so frustrating." Consort Shu had no ideas. She was completely useless in this situation and could only hope that the clever Song Yunzhao might be able to come up with a solution.

To Song Yunzhao, however, this was a golden opportunity. ’Talk about perfect timing,’ she thought. She had been worrying that when her grain purchasing plan eventually came to light, she would need at least one of the Left and Right Ministers to lend a hand.

’But getting people like that to help is no easy task.’

’And now, hasn’t an opportunity presented itself?’

’With the granary burned down, the Right Minister has been dragged into this. It’ll be impossible for him to completely clear his name, since that distant Lu Family relative did, in fact, use his reputation to get that post. The only way out is to atone for the misdeed with a great service.’

’If the shortfall from the granary can be replenished, perhaps the Emperor will show him some leniency.’

Song Yunzhao was a little stunned by this line of thought. ’The Right Minister is actually pretty lucky. He gets dragged into this mess and is about to suffer for it, only to run into me just when I need to offer someone a ladder, and I end up saving him instantly.’

But she couldn’t explain all this so candidly to Consort Shu. After a moment’s thought, she said, "We’re stuck here in the palace, so it’s very difficult for us to help. Besides, His Majesty isn’t even in the Capital City. We couldn’t plead for mercy even if we wanted to."

That was precisely why Consort Shu was so anxious. She looked at Song Yunzhao and said, "You don’t have a plan either? What are we to do?"

"Why don’t I send a message home and ask my eldest uncle to visit the Right Minister? Perhaps they can come up with a solution together," Song Yunzhao suggested.

Consort Shu asked doubtfully, "Your eldest uncle has already resigned from his post. How can he help?"

Song Yunzhao: ...

’He resigned his post, he didn’t die. Why wouldn’t he be able to help?’

Meeting Song Yunzhao’s glittering eyes, Consort Shu must have realized her words were out of line. She cleared her throat and said, "I mean, wouldn’t it be better for your father to go?"

’He’s a Chief of Staff, after all. He has some real authority.’

"My father is under the scrutiny of so many people right now. It wouldn’t necessarily be a good thing for him to visit your family. Don’t you agree?" Song Yunzhao said with a smile.

Consort Shu: ...

’I feel like Song Yunzhao is calling me stupid, but I have no proof.’

"Alright, then." Beggars can’t be choosers. What else could Consort Shu do but agree?

"I’ve been contacting the outside world quite frequently lately, and I’m worried it might displease those at Shouci Palace," Song Yunzhao said, feigning concern. Because of the matter with the Baozhuang Building, her attendants had been coming and going quite often.

Consort Shu immediately said, "I’ll handle that. You can rest easy."

"Then I must thank you for your trouble."

Consort Shu waved her hand dismissively. "It’s a trivial matter. Think nothing of it."

’Song Yunzhao is helping me with such a huge problem. What’s solving a small issue for her in return?’

Events in Yan City unfolded with startling speed. As expected, the Right Minister was the primary target. With the Emperor away from the Capital City, the Left Minister wrote a memorial and had it dispatched overnight.

The Right Minister, naturally, did not just wait idly by. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate the fire. As for the relative connected to him, he told the ministry to pay him no mind and to interrogate the man as they saw fit, insisting that they must uncover the truth.

By taking this action, the Right Minister made his stance unequivocally clear.

Song Nanzhen remained silent in court. While the granary fire had some connection to his Ministry of Revenue—namely, the grain itself—it wasn’t a major one. Since it was now a criminal case, it fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, and he would not interfere in their investigation.

The Left Minister had also been under great pressure lately. The Emperor had ordered the Ministry of Revenue to prepare grain and fodder, but Song Nanzhen had come to him crying poor, going so far as to show him the ministry’s secret ledgers. ’That man has no sense of propriety,’ the Left Minister thought. ’He doesn’t even care about the dignity of his own ministry.’

Now, with this scandal involving the Right Minister, the Left Minister wanted to fish in troubled waters and pin the entire matter on him.

But who would have thought the Right Minister would be so decisive and state his position immediately? ’How can I attack him now?’

’This job is getting harder and harder.’

After Song Nanzhen finished his duties and returned home, his older brother, Song Nanyong, came to see him. He got straight to the point: "Ling Yunhe has already contacted several grain merchants, but the harvest was only average this year, so their reserves are low. It will be very difficult to gather enough provisions for the army. We can’t rely on merchants alone. You must discuss requisitioning grain from the local governments with the Left and Right Ministers."

Song Nanzhen froze, his head snapping toward his brother. "Brother, do you think the fire at the Yan City granary could be related to requisitioning government grain?"

Song Nanyong was also taken aback. "You mean...?"

"Someone definitely doesn’t want this war to happen," Song Nanzhen said, "which is why they targeted the grain."