I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 372: Chapter 150: She Is Not a Brainless Beauty

Song Yunzhao was pleasantly surprised, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the Emperor.

’When a man gives you a gift, you have to act delighted whether you like it or not. Otherwise, there won’t be a next time.’

Besides, looking at these glittering golden gifts, there was nothing for Song Yunzhao not to like.

Although she didn’t lack Silver to spend, she wasn’t exactly wealthy and still had to live frugally.

The Emperor’s gift was incredibly thoughtful. It was all gold melon seeds, golden ingots, and gold jewelry. The sight not only dazzled her eyes but also made her heart pound fiercely.

Seeing Song Yunzhao’s eyes light up, Feng Yi couldn’t help but laugh. He had never seen any of his concubines so openly express their love for gold and silver. In any case, he now found everything about Song Yunzhao pleasing. What others might see as an indelicate fondness for wealth, he found to be refreshingly honest and quite adorable.

Song Yunzhao took the Emperor’s hand and led him to a soft couch. "I thought Your Majesty would be too busy with court affairs to have time to visit today."

"Today is your special day, so of course I had to come." Feng Yi was in a truly good mood. When he had announced at court that Yun Zhao was pregnant and would be promoted to Zhaoyi, he looked at the varied expressions of the courtiers and suddenly felt a sense of triumph.

It was a subtle feeling, one that even made him feel a little smug.

The courtiers had all hoped his firstborn son would come from one of the three high-ranking concubines, or at least from a concubine in the harem with a distinguished family background. But he had deliberately defied their expectations.

This joy lasted until he saw Yun Zhao. Seeing her looking just as happy as he was, he felt a moment of bliss, as if their hearts were connected.

Feng Yi briefly asked about her day. When he learned that no one had been tactless enough to cause trouble, he said to Yun Zhao, "I’ve already made arrangements with the Imperial Kitchen. From now on, Zhang Maoquan will oversee these matters, so you don’t have to worry about the safety of your food. With your current rank, it’s against the rules to add a private kitchen. Besides, even Shouci Palace doesn’t have one, so you’ll have to make do for now."

"For Your Majesty to assign an Imperial Chef from the Imperial Kitchen just for me is already a tremendous honor. And with Chief Steward Zhang personally overseeing it, what is there to worry about?" Song Yunzhao was truly grateful to the Emperor for this. ’Otherwise, I’d spend my entire pregnancy worrying about someone tampering with my food and would never have a moment’s peace.’

Feng Yi patted Yun Zhao’s hand. ’She has no idea how treacherous this palace is. During the late Emperor’s time, the harem was in chaos. So many concubines became pregnant only to miscarry. The Empress Dowager had to go to great lengths just to ensure I was born safely.’

’He himself had witnessed several children being lost before birth in this very harem. The late Emperor had many children and many concubines; an unfavored concubine who miscarried would receive no sympathy from him.’

’Most of them had been victims of schemes involving their food. It was better not to mention these things and worry Yun Zhao. He would, of course, protect her.’

After they finished dinner, Feng Yi strolled with her in the courtyard to aid their digestion. He looked at Yun Zhao and asked, "Now that your rank has been raised, you should probably add a few more servants to your palace."

Song Yunzhao shook her head. "The people at Wangyou Palace are enough for now. They’ve been with me for a long time, so I’m used to them and I trust them. Let’s not add anyone for now. We can reconsider after the baby is born."

Feng Yi felt the same way. Although he was the Emperor, when he had inherited the throne, both the court and the harem were riddled with problems. For the first few years, he was constrained by several powerful courtiers and had only begun to truly consolidate his power in the last two years. There was no way he could have plugged all those holes yet.

That was why he had sent Zhang Maoquan to Wangyou Palace to keep an eye on things for him.

’Give me a few more years,’ he thought, ’and I won’t have to be so cautious and hesitant about everything. I won’t have to rack my brains just to protect the person I want to protect.’

"I’m planning to hold a drill for the Capital Guard. What do you think?"

The Emperor’s sudden question stunned Song Yunzhao for a moment. ’This is such a major affair. Why would the Emperor think to discuss it with me?’

’But on second thought, this is a good thing. For someone with his disposition to discuss this with me, it clearly shows he trusts me.’

’I can build on this trust, deepening and strengthening it until it becomes unshakable.’

’Why have so many favored concubines throughout history fallen from grace?’

’It’s because while a beauty is beautiful, she is not irreplaceable.’

’My goal now is to make myself an irreplaceable woman by the Emperor’s side. Looks fade with time, but a partner in both mind and body is the key to a lasting bond.’

’I am a beauty, but I am not a brainless one.’

After Feng Yi spoke, he watched Yun Zhao’s face. He saw a flicker of surprise, clearly showing she hadn’t expected him to discuss this with her. Then, her expression turned worried, and he couldn’t help but ask, "What is it? You don’t approve?"

Song Yunzhao quickly shook her head. "It’s not that I don’t approve. I’m just afraid you’ll be greatly disappointed after the review."

"Military review?" Feng Yi thought that was a good term. "Tell me, why would I be disappointed?"

Song Yunzhao tilted her head slightly, meeting Feng Yi’s gaze with a matter-of-fact expression. "What is there to say? It’s like a new bride marrying into a family and having to take over the household accounts. If her mother-in-law was a capable manager, the household would be in perfect order, making it easy for the daughter-in-law to take over. But what if the mother-in-law was incompetent? The household stewards are all split into factions, each with their own selfish motives, and the entire estate is a mess. Do you think that daughter-in-law will be in a good mood after looking at the account books?"

Feng Yi found himself unable to argue. Yun Zhao had drawn a well-reasoned parallel between matters of state and the management of a household, and it actually made a lot of sense.

At this thought, Feng Yi looked at Yun Zhao and mused, ’If I hadn’t kept her in the palace, if she had left and married into an ordinary official’s family, she would surely have become an exceptionally capable Lady of the Family.’

’Not just anyone could articulate such things or see the situation so clearly.’

This was why he was increasingly willing to discuss matters of the court with Yun Zhao; he could always hear a unique perspective from her that would open up new lines of thought.

"If it were you, what would you do?" Feng Yi asked again.

Song Yunzhao looked at the Emperor. "Your Majesty must be joking. What opinion could I possibly have on such a major affair?"

"Just pretend you’re managing a household," Feng Yi said with a smile. "If you were in charge and encountered this kind of situation, what would you do?"

’The Emperor really knows how to play along,’ Song Yunzhao thought. ’He’s quite persistent in trying to get an answer out of me.’ She deliberately furrowed her brow, pretending to think for a long moment before saying, "Well, it’s not a perfect analogy, but I suppose there are ultimately only two paths one could take."

"Let’s hear them."

"Either you follow the rules set by your predecessors, or you establish a whole new set of rules."

Feng Yi gave Song Yunzhao a complicated look. Her words were tantamount to saying nothing at all. He certainly wanted to establish new rules, but it was nowhere near that easy.

Seeing Feng Yi’s slightly furrowed brow, a thought suddenly flashed through Song Yunzhao’s mind. ’The Emperor wants to hold a military review all of a sudden... is he planning to start by seizing control of military power to clean up the court?’

Hmm?