I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

The ladies of the Yue and Yang Families sent requests to visit Jincui Garden, wishing to express their gratitude.

They were coming to thank Yunzhao for her gifts.

It would have been improper for Yunzhao to refuse them, but the weather was so hot. She sent Nanny Yu to make a personal trip, telling the Grand Dowagers of both families not to exhaust themselves traveling back and forth. After all, both boys’ mothers were with their husbands at their respective posts and couldn’t possibly rush back from thousands of miles away.

This time, Yunzhao had Nanny Yu bring gifts for the two Grand Dowagers as well. Each received a gold-inlaid, jewel-encrusted Jade Ruyi over a foot long. The jade was smooth and lustrous, and the inlaid gems, each the size of a thumbnail, sparkled with a translucent brilliance.

A Jade Ruyi was the perfect, foolproof gift. It was impossible to find fault with such a present.

Song Yunzhao loved such impeccable things. Her storerooms were filled with several crates of them, all specially crafted by the Inner Workshop for her to bestow as gifts.

Feng Yi laughed heartily when he found out. He then sent Meng Jiuchang to visit both families, each of whom received a case of medicinal herbs and health supplements.

Yunzhao was reluctant to gift food, fearing an "accident" might occur, but Feng Yi had no such misgivings. Who would dare try to frame the Emperor, after all?

With the gifts from Ming Fei and the Emperor arriving one after another, both the Yue and Yang Families accepted the honors, expressed their thanks, and then promptly closed their doors to all visitors.

At such a critical juncture, they couldn’t afford to get cocky. If anyone found a pretext to cause trouble, the consequences would be disastrous. They also had to carefully instruct the boys to take excellent care of the Eldest Prince and make absolutely sure that no harm whatsoever came to him.

First Madam sent a request for an audience. While Yunzhao might refuse others, she would certainly see her aunt.

But she hadn’t been sleeping well lately with so much going on, and Feng Yi had been visiting frequently. Whenever he came to the garden, it was as if he was experiencing a second spring; he had suddenly become very clingy. Even when he finished handling state affairs late into the night, he would often still come over to see her.

Fortunately, now that Feng Ze had playmates, he no longer clung to his mother all day long. He was already the type to vanish the moment you let go of his hand, and now she could barely even catch his shadow. Feng Yi was also planning to pick out a small courtyard for Feng Ze to move into once they returned to the Imperial Palace. Then, Yue Guanlan and Yang Weiqing could either stay in the palace or go home.

That made lodging them in the harem rather inconvenient. Yunzhao was a little reluctant. She wasn’t accustomed to the idea of living apart from her son at such a young age.

Feng Yi reasoned that it would only be a place to sleep; Feng Ze could still visit her anytime during the day. It would be good for their son to cultivate independence early, he said.

And since Feng Ze was so excited about the idea right now, it was the perfect opportunity to make the change.

Yunzhao thought about it and saw his logic. She joined Feng Yi in picking out a courtyard for their son. They spread out a map of the Imperial Palace and went over the options, finally settling on Yangde Hall.

Yangde Hall was situated right behind Taixi Hall, accessible directly through its rear entrance. It would be very convenient for Feng Ze to see Feng Yi, and the proximity would also make it easier for Feng Yi to look after his son. With that, Yunzhao could finally rest easy.

Right under Feng Yi’s nose, no one would be reckless enough to scheme against Feng Ze.

Having come to an agreement, they told Feng Ze, who was thrilled by the news. He felt like he was a grown-up now that he would have his own place and was very excited.

A chill went through Song Yunzhao’s poor, motherly heart.

Yue Guanlan and Yang Weiqing often followed the Eldest Prince to Qingyao Palace. At first, they were quite reserved, but as they visited more often, they grew less nervous around Ming Fei.

Outside, many people said Lady Ming was arrogant and tyrannical, cruel and vicious. But they found her to be as kind as she was beautiful. Every day, she prepared plenty of delicious things for them to eat and drink and even assigned eunuchs to serve them. They couldn’t imagine anyone being nicer. ’You really can’t believe rumors,’ they thought.

Yunzhao was run off her feet for several days straight. Only after everything was settled for Feng Ze did she finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

Perhaps it was the recent exhaustion, or perhaps her nerves were stretched too taut, but she felt deeply fatigued. It was the height of summer, and even though the garden was more refreshing than the harem, the stifling heat killed her appetite. On top of that, she had to divide her attention between the affairs of Qin Xiyue and Xu Mingying, and she was visibly growing thinner.

"Your Ladyship, you’ve lost so much weight. You must take care of your health," First Madam exclaimed, alarmed the moment she entered the garden and laid eyes on Yunzhao.

Song Yunzhao touched her cheek and smiled. "Don’t worry, Aunt. It’s just the summer lethargy, and with so many things going on, I haven’t had much of an appetite. It will pass in a few days."

First Madam was still concerned. "Your Ladyship should still have the Imperial Physician take a look, just for peace of mind."

"Alright, I’ll summon an Imperial Physician to have a look later," Song Yunzhao casually agreed. "But Aunt, did you come to see me because something has happened? Is everyone at home alright?"

First Madam said, "Everyone at home is well. It’s just that Mrs. Cai had a minor illness a while ago. She’s much better now."

Hearing that Mrs. Cai had been sick, Song Yunzhao felt not the slightest flicker of emotion. "She has always been a broad-minded person," she asked coolly. "How could she have fallen ill?"

First Madam hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I heard that the Cai Family found a suitable child and wanted Mrs. Cai to recommend him to serve by the Eldest Prince’s side. But she refused, and her family had a big fight with her over it."

Song Yunzhao let out a cold sneer. ’The Cai Family can dream on!’

’As if I would let someone from the Cai Family get close to my son.’

Seeing Song Yunzhao’s dark expression, First Madam quickly added, "Mrs. Cai refused them unequivocally this time. She seems to be much more sensible than she used to be. She didn’t mention it to Your Ladyship, fearing it would only upset you."

Yunzhao said, "Aunt, there’s no need to cover for her. She only refused because she knew perfectly well that I would never agree. If she had come to me, she would have only ended up losing face with her family. It was better for her to just say no from the start."

"Whatever the reason, the outcome was good."

Song Yunzhao let out a derisive chuckle. "That’s true, I suppose."

First Madam had only mentioned it so Yunzhao would know why Mrs. Cai had gotten sick, preventing anyone from twisting the story later. Now that she had clarified things, she changed the subject. "Mrs. Feng sent word to me that Marchioness Wu Xin has been visiting Imperial Awakening Temple quite diligently, often going to see Xu Ji. The first few visits were nothing out of the ordinary, but the last two times she went laden with parcels, big and small. We don’t know what she’s been giving her."

Hearing this, Yunzhao’s spirits lifted. "Oh? And are there any rumors circulating about how Xu Ji ended up at the Imperial Awakening Temple in the first place?"

First Madam nodded. "The rumor out there now is that Xu Ji ignored the three senior concubines and petitioned the Emperor directly to go to the Imperial Awakening Temple, without going through them."

Song Yunzhao let out a long breath. ’It seems my guess was right. Xu Mingying has probably teamed up with Qin Xiyue.’ The rumors now spreading were detrimental to her reputation. ’She’s a woman who intends to return to the palace someday. How can a concubine poised for a comeback have a tarnished name?’

After waiting for so long, Song Yunzhao had finally forced Xu Mingying’s hand.

"Aunt, I need you to relay a message to Song Qinghan for me," Song Yunzhao said, a sharp glint in her eyes.

"I’m listening," First Madam replied.

"Tell Song Qinghan to get in touch with Xu Mingying. If she can help me accomplish this one thing, all past grievances between us will be settled. And if Xu Anxing tries to bully her in the future, I will have her back."

Song Yunzhao couldn’t meddle in affairs outside the palace herself, but Song Qinghan was a potent weapon. It would be a shame not to use her.