I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 337: Chapter 133: She Knew It Couldn’t Be Good

It was a good thing there was no Empress in the palace. If an Empress were in charge, they’d all be kneeling in Changle Palace right now.

Most of the well-bred young ladies in the Capital City knew how to play leaf cards to some extent. Regardless of their actual skill, it was a form of socialization, so they all learned the basics.

Song Yunzhao watched Lu Zhixue shuffle the cards and said with a smile, "I can see it now. Our Lu Pin is quite the expert. Look at that technique! You couldn’t master that without twenty years of practice."

Lu Zhixue’s hands faltered, and her face flushed with indignation. "How old do you think I am? Twenty years of practice? I wouldn’t have that much time even if you counted my days in the womb!"

Feng Yunjin and Han Jinyi burst out laughing.

Once the cards were dealt, everyone began to draw their hands. Lu Zhixue spoke first. "No intentionally discarding cards for someone else to pick up."

"Of course," Song Yunzhao agreed with a smile. ’We’re playing for fun. What’s the point if you deliberately help someone win?’

"Naturally," Feng Yunjin said as she drew a card. "Should we play for stakes?"

"Anything goes?" Han Jinyi asked.

Lu Zhixue’s eyes twinkled. "Gambling with silver during the New Year is unseemly. If word got out, we’d be gossiped about. Instead, how about the loser gets a paper strip stuck on their face?"

"Sounds good," Song Yunzhao chimed in. ’Having a face covered in paper strips on New Year’s does sound kind of festive.’

Lu Zhixue was overjoyed. ’This time I’ll definitely win!’ she thought. ’My skills at this game are actually pretty good.’

After a few rounds, Han Jinyi’s face was covered in the most paper strips. Lu Zhixue hadn’t come in last this time, but she couldn’t help but feel annoyed seeing Song Yunzhao’s face, still completely clear. ’Her luck is just too good!’

Han Jinyi, however, was unfazed. She wasn’t very skilled at cards, just barely able to play. The fact that not every single strip was on her face was enough to satisfy her.

During a break, the women sat down for tea, peeling the paper strips from their faces. Feng Yunjin held her teacup and looked at Song Yunzhao. "Word about the Merit Stele has already spread through the harem. Have you heard, Concubine?"

Song Yunzhao actually didn’t know. She put down her teacup and looked at Feng Yunjin. "So quickly?"

Lu Zhixue was also taken aback. "Who spread it?"

She hadn’t known it had already spread throughout the palace either.

Han Jinyi looked at Lu Zhixue. "No one knows who spread it. But now that it’s known that donating silver can get one’s name on the Merit Stele, all the concubines who contributed are overjoyed."

Lu Zhixue had only donated the silver and hadn’t been involved in what followed, as Consort Shu had taken over the project. But judging from Han Jinyi’s tone, there seemed to be more to the story.

"Just say what you mean. What exactly is going on?" Lu Zhixue asked with a frown.

Han Jinyi said, "The amount of silver donated varies, and so will the space on the Merit Stele. Get it?"

Lu Zhixue was taken aback.

Feng Yunjin added with a smile, "It’s not just people from the harem who donated silver and goods; there were also courtiers and merchants. If everyone’s name were to be carved on it, how large would the stele have to be?"

Besides, a Merit Stele was meant to bring renown. The original idea might have been well-intentioned, but once the project was announced, more people began to covet a spot on it, and its purpose naturally shifted.

Lu Zhixue finally understood and said, displeased, "Back when the donations were being collected, some people were so reluctant. They accused others of seeking fame and ran their mouths, but they barely donated any silver themselves. Now that they see there’s a benefit, they want to come and take a piece of the pie? Do they have no shame?"

"It’s not that simple. Think about how this news even spread. Someone must be fanning the flames behind the scenes," Han Jinyi said, reminding Lu Zhixue to focus on the real issue.

Lu Zhixue shot back, "And who would that be?"

Han Jinyi shook her head. "That’s what we don’t know yet. That’s why I brought it up, so we could discuss it."

Feng Yunjin looked at Lu Zhixue and offered a reminder. "No matter whose names get left off, ours won’t be. After all, the Emperor himself gave his word."

In her agitation, Lu Zhixue had completely forgotten that. She instantly relaxed and said with a grin, "We donated heaps of silver. How could people who only gave a pittance dare to compete with us?"

’It stung a little to part with the silver back then, but it doesn’t hurt at all now. In fact, I’m glad I donated so much. Otherwise, what right would I have to argue about it now?’

Thinking of this, she looked at Song Yunzhao again. "Lady Shufei gave one thousand taels. Was that the highest amount?"

Song Yunzhao nodded. "Yes, it was."

Lu Zhixue: "..."

’She couldn’t help but feel a little envious of Consort Shu’s luck. None of them were particularly charming people, so how had things been going so smoothly for Consort Shu lately?’

Feng Yunjin looked at Lu Zhixue and spoke in a soft, gentle voice. "Lady Shufei’s rank is what it is. How could we possibly surpass her?"

’Back then, Song Jieyu had also made sure her donation was one hundred taels less than Consort Shu’s. I had the impression that she originally intended to donate more, but after Consort Shu put forth one thousand taels, she quietly reduced her own amount.’