I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 347: Chapter 136: Struck by Lightning

In a flurry of bizarre activity, the days rushed by, and suddenly it was March. Court affairs had been relentless throughout the second month, causing the Emperor’s visits to the harem to plummet. Even the concubine Song Yunzhao only saw the Emperor five or six times.

Song Yunzhao focused on writing her novels, lately enjoying writing sweet, romantic plots about young masters and ladies. She didn’t know if the Emperor read them, but she figured if she wrote enough, he was bound to see one eventually.

What Song Yunzhao didn’t know was that Zhang Maoquan paid close attention to the novels published by Yuquan Building. As soon as a new one was released, he would buy it and have it delivered to the Emperor’s imperial desk. As for whether the Emperor actually read them, he had no idea.

Song Yunzhao’s novel-writing enterprise was in full swing. The silver she received from the Xie family was increasing. They were no longer paying her a one-time buyout fee per book; instead, they had given her shares. She was now someone who could collect dividends. Before and after the new year, the Xie family alone had given her more than three thousand in silver, which was truly a huge sum.

Song Yunzhao had earned it all through her own skills, and she was overjoyed to add it to her little private stash.

She was the type of person who always had a backup plan. If she ever had a falling out with the Emperor, she could still live a carefree and comfortable life in the palace with this silver.

Take, for example, those few concubines in Qingyan Palace. They had fallen out of favor, but their families were well-off. With their families’ support, they could still get by in the palace even without the Emperor’s affection.

Just a few days into March, fierce winds suddenly rose, accompanied by lightning and thunder. Without warning, a heavy downpour began to fall on the Capital City.

Pedestrians on the streets scattered for cover. Mules and horses neighed, and animals scurried in all directions. Bean-sized raindrops smashed down, and before long, it was a torrential downpour.

Startled by the thunder, Song Yunzhao dropped the novel she was holding. She immediately rose and went to the window. Lightning tore across the sky, and the wind howled. The sky, bright just a moment before, was instantly blanketed by dark clouds.

The palace attendants busy sweeping the courtyards of Wangyou Palace had no time to take cover and were soaked to the bone in an instant. They scattered to find shelter as the thunder rolled without end and lightning seemed to roar, turning day into night.

Xiangxue entered and lit the palace lanterns. Seeing her mistress by the window, she said at once, "My Lady, you should close the window to avoid catching a chill."

Although spring had arrived, the downpour made the weather turn cold again.

Song Yunzhao closed the window and turned to Xiangxue. "Tell the palace attendants who were caught in the rain to stop their duties for now. Have them go change their clothes and dry their hair."

Xiangxue smiled. "You are too kind, My Lady. I’ll go tell them right away."

’This is hardly kindness,’ Song Yunzhao thought. ’The palace attendants on duty wouldn’t dare abandon their posts without an order from above, even if they’re soaked to the bone. I’m not heartless; I couldn’t just watch and do nothing. It was just a matter of saying a few words.’

Through the window, she could hear the palace attendants’ voices of thanks. Song Yunzhao smiled and casually picked up another book. She had no intention of reading it; she just felt more secure holding something in her hands.

"Thunder in the first month, piles of human bones. Thunder in the second month, piles of cattle bones. Thunder in the third month, piles of rice grains. This is sure to be a good year. A bountiful harvest, with grain piled as high as mountains!"

"It is, isn’t it? A true blessing from the heavens. Last year was one disaster after another; we can only hope this year goes smoothly."

This was the first time Song Yunzhao had heard such a proverb, but she knew that in the book, this year was indeed blessed with favorable weather. For once, the Emperor wasn’t either providing disaster relief or on his way to do so. It was a rare, peaceful year.

The rain fell for a full hour before the sky began to clear. Rosy sunlight peeked through the thick clouds as they dispersed, a sight that soothed the soul.

But she felt like she had forgotten something. She thought hard, but nothing major had happened to her recently, other than the Emperor being so busy that they rarely saw each other. ’What could I be missing?’ she wondered.

"My Lady, Feng Xiaoyuan has arrived."

’Feng Yunjin?’

Song Yunzhao said, "Show her in."

Feng Yunjin rushed in, looking quite upset. The hem of her skirt was splattered with water, a clear sign of her haste.

Seeing her troubled expression, Song Yunzhao had a bad feeling. "What’s wrong?"

Too anxious to even curtsy, Feng Yunjin looked at Song Yunzhao and blurted out, "A side hall of Shouci Palace was struck by lightning!"

Song Yunzhao: ...

’No wonder I felt like I was forgetting something. How could I have forgotten about this part?’

"How bad is it?" Song Yunzhao asked, not particularly worried. She knew that in the book, it wasn’t a major incident—just a few tiles falling from the eaves. The book only mentioned it because the Empress Dowager was displeased upon her return and used it as an excuse to punish several palace attendants from Shouci Palace.

’She couldn’t be blamed for forgetting. In the book, it wasn’t a major event, just a minor incident the Empress Dowager used to create a fuss after her return. It never even escalated into a confrontation with the Emperor; she merely took her anger out on a few palace attendants.’