I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 339: Chapter 134: The Emperor Has Made Great Progress

But it was Feng Yunjin who thought it over carefully. She looked up at the other two and said, "The way this is stirring up the harem is meant to make every concubine who donated silver fight for a spot. As long as enough people are fighting, the mastermind behind this can better fish in troubled waters. But if others find out that not just anyone can get on this Merit Stele—that there are thresholds for the amount of silver donated and a limited number of spots—it’s like setting up two hurdles. They’ll have to first see if they’re even qualified before they can think about competing."

If you’re not even qualified to compete, what’s there to fuss about?

"Feng Xiaoyuan has a point," Lu Zhixue praised.

Feng Yunjin looked at her. ’Was I the one who said that? I was just helping the Concubine explain her point. She can’t even flatter the right person. How exasperating.’

Song Yunzhao paid no mind to what Lu Zhixue said. ’The woman’s gotten a bit smarter, but she’s still got a screw loose. She’ll learn more after running into a few more walls; I’d better not stand in her way.’

’Some people are just like that; they won’t turn back until they’ve hit a wall. And isn’t it worse when you meet the stubborn type who hits the wall and still refuses to turn back?’

"But if we leak this information, how will we catch the person behind it all?" Han Jinyi asked. "We can’t just let them get away with it. If we don’t catch them this time, they’re sure to cause trouble again."

"Then it’s all up to Lady Shufei’s abilities," Song Yunzhao said. She had no intention of stealing Consort Shu’s thunder. For now, the more magnificent Consort Shu appeared, the better. That way, when the Empress Dowager returned to the palace, Consort Shu would still be standing in front of her as a shield.

’If she gifted this achievement to Consort Shu now, perhaps Consort Shu would help protect her when the Empress Dowager inevitably came to make things difficult.’

’When facing the Empress Dowager, she couldn’t rely solely on the Emperor. The Emperor wasn’t Cao Cao—he couldn’t just appear the moment he was mentioned. What if she was waiting for him to save her life and he couldn’t come?’

Feng Yunjin knew Song Jieyu was determined to hand this glory to Consort Shu, and she marveled internally. ’Not just anyone could have such boldness.’

The three of them finished their tea and went back to their card game. Lu Zhixue was rather distracted this time, and after a few rounds, her face was covered in paper strips. She was panting with frustration, and every time she exhaled, the slips of paper would flutter up, creating a truly spectacular sight.

By the time the Emperor was finished with matters of the court, word had already reached the harem, where the concubines had long since adorned themselves and were waiting. If the Empress Dowager had been present, the Emperor would have led the concubines to offer her New Year’s greetings first. But as the Empress Dowager was not in the palace, this formality was waived.

If there were an Empress, all the concubines would have proceeded to Changle Palace to await the imperial arrival and offer New Year’s greetings to the Emperor and Empress.

But the harem had no Empress, either.

With no one to receive these two great honors, things were naturally much simpler.

As for the palace banquet, the Emperor was exhausted and didn’t want to hold one, but it was an unavoidable tradition. He therefore issued a decree appointing Consort Shu to lead the arrangements, with Princess Consort Zhuang and Princess Consort Wan assisting. The banquet was to be held at Consort Shu’s Cuiwei Palace.

The moment the decree was issued, Consort Shu’s status skyrocketed. Song Yunzhao, however, detected the faint scent of the Emperor’s scheming. ’Could it be that we’ve spent so much time together we’ve developed some kind of telepathy? Are we both aiming to fleece the same sheep—Consort Shu?’

Song Yunzhao felt a twinge of guilt.

So when she went to the banquet at Cuiwei Palace, she made a point of keeping a low profile. She didn’t stir up any trouble, and she didn’t even look up at the Emperor when he arrived, lest anyone think she was casting flirtatious glances his way.

Song Yunzhao’s tactfulness delighted Consort Shu. She had been terrified that Song Yunzhao would cause a scene in her Cuiwei Palace. If a fuss were truly made, Song Yunzhao was like a piece of tough, un-cuttable meat on a chopping block—impossible to handle, whether gently or harshly.

’The Emperor has only just begun to show me favor again. If he were to become displeased with me over this, who could I possibly complain to?’

Song Yunzhao’s discretion put Consort Shu in a pleasant mood, but Feng Yi’s feelings were far more complicated. He couldn’t shake the sense that Yun Zhao was unhappy—after all, she hadn’t even spared him a single glance.

As for Princess Consort Zhuang and Princess Consort Wan, the less said about their expressions, the better. To say they were forcing a smile would be an overstatement. The three concubines had been rivals for years. A short while ago, Consort Shu had finally had her title revoked, only to somehow get it back again.

And now, the Emperor was having Consort Shu host the New Year’s Day banquet at Cuiwei Palace. What was this supposed to mean?

It meant that among the three concubines, the Emperor still favored Consort Shu the most.

They had expected that Song Yunzhao, the favored concubine, would surely stir up some trouble. Instead, she was uncharacteristically docile for the entire banquet. How utterly frustrating was that?

Feng Yi was only at Cuiwei Palace to make an appearance. He stayed for less than a quarter of an hour before departing, shooting a subtle glance toward Song Yunzhao just before he left.

But Song Yunzhao’s head was bowed, so his glance met nothing.

Once the Emperor left, the banquet at Cuiwei Palace lost much of its luster. Although there were singers and dancers performing, and the music of pipes and strings was incessant, the atmosphere had become decidedly strange.