I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

A hush fell over Qiuyi Pavilion.

Xu Mingying had lost too much blood. Now, overwhelmed by fear and shock, she was struggling to hold on.

Song Yunzhao took one look and had someone help her inside to rest. An Shutong was still unconscious; they couldn’t afford to have Xu Mingying faint as well.

Xu Mingying thanked Ming Fei before entering the inner chamber, but her steps were unsteady and her figure wavered. She didn’t look well at all.

Tsk.

Song Yunzhao sighed. ’I really don’t get it. What are the Empress Dowager and An Shutong after?’

The person who had gone to report to the Empress Dowager returned, bringing back two injured individuals—Du Wanneng and Qin Xiaoyin, who had rescued them on the spot. Upon seeing Song Yunzhao, they hurried over to greet her.

"This concubine greets Lady Ming."

Song Yunzhao looked at the two of them and said, "No need for formalities. Sit down and let the Imperial Physician examine your injuries first."

It was the first time either of them had been so close to Ming Fei, and they were both a little reserved.

After they sat down as told, an Imperial Physician came over. They had bruises and scrapes, but their injuries were much lighter than Xu Mingying’s and An Shutong’s.

The Imperial Physician left some ointment before bowing and taking his leave. Since An Xiaoyi had not yet woken, they could not leave either and had to wait in the side hall to be summoned.

Song Yunzhao had a Palace Attendant take the two of them to apply the medicine first. She then sent someone to prepare a change of clothes for them. Only after they had cleaned up and re-emerged did Song Yunzhao begin her questions.

She mainly asked about the circumstances of the rescue.

Du Wanneng and Qin Xiaoyin’s stories were nearly identical. The two were on good terms and had been hiking together, so when they heard a noise, they saw An Xiaoyi rolling down while clutching Noble Lady Xu. Without a second thought, they both rushed to help. As for what had actually happened, they didn’t know; they could only recount exactly what they had seen.

Lady Shufei had already asked them these questions, so it was much easier to repeat them now.

Song Yunzhao: ...

’At least this proves one part of Xu Mingying’s story is true: when An Shutong fell, she really did grab her and pull her down too. Everything else remains unproven.’

Du Wanneng and Qin Xiaoyin exchanged a look. Seeing Ming Fei’s displeased expression, they sat to the side, not daring to speak rashly.

They had had very little contact with this famously untouchable concubine since entering the palace, almost never seeing her.

With no Empress in the palace and no requirement to pay daily respects to the Empress Dowager, lower-ranking concubines like them had few mandatory gatherings, so it wasn’t easy to see one another often.

Furthermore, Ming Fei was a favored concubine, and not just anyone could cross the threshold of Yaohua Palace. Not to mention, rumors claimed she had a domineering personality, making them even more reluctant to seek a meeting.

However, the gentle tone Ming Fei had just used with them was quite different from the rumors.

Moreover, the Ming Fei they saw in private was vastly different from the one she presented before the Empress Dowager.

A thoughtful look appeared in Du Wanneng’s eyes. She lowered her head slightly and began to sort through the day’s events in her mind.

’How could I be so unlucky as to be right there at that moment? If Qin Xiaoyin and I hadn’t intervened, the Empress Dowager would probably have made us suffer for it once she collected herself.’

Her faintly aching knees and arms put Du Wanneng in a foul mood. Growing up, she had never suffered such hardships at home.

Qin Xiaoyin was even less adept at hiding her emotions than Du Wanneng; the displeasure on her face was almost impossible to suppress.

Song Yunzhao didn’t notice. She was preoccupied, wondering why An Shutong would target Xu Mingying. ’There’s no reason for it.’

’So, did Xu Mingying lie?’

’But Xu Mingying’s expression at the time didn’t seem like she was lying, unless her acting skills are truly transcendent.’

Soon, word arrived that the Empress Dowager and her entourage were about to arrive. Song Yunzhao immediately summoned Zhang Maoquan and instructed, "Take the Eldest Prince back first. Once you’ve returned him, don’t come back here. Just stay with Anshun at Yaohua Palace and watch over the Eldest Prince."

No matter what others were plotting, Song Yunzhao would protect her own child first.

Zhang Maoquan quickly agreed. The Eldest Prince’s safety was more important than anything.

As for An Xiaoyi and Xu Mingying getting injured, they were just concubines the Emperor didn’t favor. They weren’t dead, so what did it matter?

Zhang Maoquan hurried away, and Song Yunzhao breathed a small sigh of relief. She stood and walked outside. Du Wanneng and Qin Xiaoyin, assuming she was going to receive the Empress Dowager, immediately followed.

Song Yunzhao saw them but said nothing. She had no grudge against the two of them, and seeing their uneasy expressions, she tacitly allowed them to follow.

She had originally intended to question Nanny Yu, but with these two following her, Yun Zhao decided against causing more trouble.

Soon, the furious-looking Empress Dowager arrived, followed by a flock of concubines. Song Yunzhao quickly exchanged a look with Consort Shu, then led Du Wanneng and Qin Xiaoyin forward to curtsy.

The Empress Dowager didn’t even glance at Song Yunzhao, sweeping directly into the hall.

Song Yunzhao: ...

’I know the Empress Dowager is just using this as an excuse to humiliate me, and I refuse to stomach it.’

Consort Shu came over and helped Song Yunzhao up, then said to Du Wanneng and Qin Xiaoyin, "You two may rise as well."

The two thanked her and stood to the side with their heads lowered, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Qin Xiyue, mixed in with the crowd, watched Song Yunzhao’s expression, and her own mood improved considerably.

’With the Emperor away, the Empress Dowager can give Song Yunzhao a hard time and humiliate her, and what can she do but swallow it?’

Song Yunzhao and Consort Shu entered the hall. With a stern face, she reported the Imperial Physician’s detailed diagnosis for An Shutong and Xu Mingying, and also mentioned the condition of Du Wanneng and Qin Xiaoyin. Then, with a wooden expression, she said, "This concubine has just received word that the Eldest Prince was frightened and has been taken back to Yaohua Palace by Zhang Maoquan. This concubine is terribly worried about the child. If anything were to happen to the Eldest Prince, how could I possibly answer to His Majesty upon his return? I beg the Empress Dowager to forgive me, but this concubine must take her leave to care for the Eldest Prince."

After speaking, Song Yunzhao performed a curtsy and, without waiting for the Empress Dowager’s reply, turned and left.

A dreadful silence fell upon the hall.

The Empress Dowager had just finished humiliating Ming Fei, and in the next moment, Ming Fei had walked out on her.

Such audacity truly matched the rumors about her.

Fearless and heaven-defying, a person who refused to suffer any grievance.

Du Wanneng and Qin Xiaoyin instinctively exchanged a look, their hearts pounding. The Ming Fei of this moment was like a completely different person from the one they had met earlier.

Qin Xiaoyin’s hands went weak. ’Just a little while ago, I was ambitious enough to want to vie for the Emperor’s favor when he returns. Now, I’m suddenly thinking that just staying alive is pretty good too. With Ming Fei looking like she’s ready to eat someone alive... I... I don’t stand a chance against that.’

Song Yunzhao exited Qiuyi Pavilion and directly ordered her carriage prepared. Her voice carried back into the hall, where everyone saw the Empress Dowager’s expression darken even further.

But Song Yunzhao had played the Eldest Prince card. As much as the Empress Dowager disliked him, he was, after all, the Imperial First Son. If an accident were to truly befall him, her own son, with his awful temper, would undoubtedly cause a major scene with her.

The Empress Dowager’s face was a ghastly mix of pale and livid, darkening with fury.

’That Song Yunzhao!’

Song Yunzhao boarded her carriage and returned directly to her palace, not giving a damn whether the Empress Dowager lost face or not.

’The Empress Dowager has no official power in the palace. I, on the other hand, am one of the three top concubines, have borne the Imperial First Son, and hold administrative authority. The Empress Dowager wouldn’t dare punish me without an open and shut case. And that’s why I can be so brazen!’