Chapter 696 - 474: How Could Her Mood Be Good?

Chapter 696: Chapter 474: How Could Her Mood Be Good?

This matter involved sea bandits and the implementation of the new policies, so Yun Zhao had no choice but to report it to the Emperor. In doing so, she had fallen right into Lady Ding’s trap.

How could she possibly be in a good mood?

For the sake of the court’s grand plans, the Emperor, the new policies, and Song Bu Yue, Song Yunzhao had to hold her nose and jump into the fray.

Back in her inner chambers, the account books from Baozhuang Building and Treasure Pearl Building were still on the table. She had no mind for them now. Sweeping them aside with a flick of her hand, she sent Zhang Maoquan to deliver a message to Taixi Hall.

Song Yunzhao laughed in exasperation as she mulled it over. Since entering the palace, this was the first time she had been so thoroughly outmaneuvered. ’This Lady Ding is truly the woman who was ruthless enough to marry a widower and become a stepmother back then.’

Feng Yi was busy, and he had Zhang Maoquan return with a message saying he would come over once he finished his work.

Yun Zhao was in no hurry now. She picked up the account books again and went back to reconciling them. The beads of the abacus went CLACK-CLACK-CLACK, and the rhythmic sound gradually calmed her heart.

By lunchtime, Feng Yi still hadn’t returned. Now that Feng Ze had begun his formal studies, he didn’t come back for lunch either. Father and son were each busier than the other, leaving Yun Zhao to eat alone.

After her afternoon rest, she took her attendants for a walk in the Imperial Garden. She ran into Lu Zhixue, who was also strolling through the gardens with Talented Lady Qin from her palace. Yun Zhao exchanged a few words with Lu Zhixue before leaving. She noted Talented Lady Qin’s extremely cautious gaze, which she found both funny and dull, and decided not to disturb them.

She finally saw Feng Yi at dinner. He looked exhausted from his long day. "It was one thing after another today," he said upon seeing Yun Zhao. "I couldn’t get away. What’s the matter you needed to see me about?"

’If it were truly urgent, Zhang Maoquan wouldn’t have dared to delay,’ Feng Yi thought. Seeing Zhang Maoquan’s attitude, he knew the matter wasn’t that pressing; otherwise, he would have come sooner.

"Let’s eat first." Song Yunzhao was still worried about Feng Yi’s health. He might be young and strong, but he was constantly working himself to the bone—waking before the chickens and sleeping later than the dogs. ’I have no desire to be a young widow,’ she thought wryly.

Feng Yi was indeed starving, so they sat down to eat.

Yun Zhao ladled a bowl of restorative chicken soup and placed it before Feng Yi. "The kitchen made this specially for you. Drink up."

Feng Yi drank the soup sip by sip. He couldn’t quite tell what was in it; the soup had a peculiar taste. But it was a gesture of Yun Zhao’s sincere affection, so he drank two full bowls and felt himself relax.

With something in his stomach, he served Yun Zhao some of the sliced bamboo shoots she had been fond of lately. "Can you tell me now?" he said with a smile. "What happened?"

This time, Yun Zhao didn’t hold back and recounted the entire affair.

Feng Yi’s expression darkened. "No wonder there have been so many memorials from Huizhou lately," he said to Yun Zhao. "So this is the root of it all."

Song Yunzhao asked in surprise, "To impeach Governor Ding?"

"About half and half," Feng Yi replied, lost in thought.

Song Yunzhao ate slowly, not wanting to disturb his train of thought. As she was nearly finished, she heard Feng Yi add, "In that case, when Ding Xian fought the sea bandits last year and didn’t report it to the court, he must have known then that this would become a problem."

Hearing Feng Yi say this, Song Yunzhao thought about it and realized he had a point. "This matter concerns the new policies; you had best be careful."

In any case, Yun Zhao’s impression of this Ding Xian was already quite poor.

Still, he was a man who defended the nation’s shores, risking his life for the court. She wouldn’t slander him just because of her personal dislike.

Feng Yi patted Yun Zhao’s hand. "Since Ding Xian intended for this matter to reach my desk, he has clearly made his choice. That son of a bitch, he sure knows how to take a shortcut."

After cursing a few more times, Feng Yi looked at Yun Zhao and said, "Forget this marriage. That couple’s character is completely at odds with the Song Family. If they run into trouble in the future, I’m afraid they’ll just drag the Song Family down with them."

"That’s what I was thinking, too. Besides, our family is composed of civil servants, loyal to king and country. It’s not proper for us to be related by marriage to a powerful governor," Song Yunzhao said playfully.

Seeing Yun Zhao smile, Feng Yi knew her resentment had faded. "There’s no rush for your second cousin’s marriage," he told her. "Let’s wait until after the results of the metropolitan examinations. By then, the new policies should be showing some initial results, and the Song Family will have risen to an even higher status. To arrange his marriage now would be to sell him short."

Song Yunzhao laughed. "Don’t say that. When the Song Family chooses a daughter-in-law, we don’t look exclusively at family background. We focus on character."

Feng Yi smiled at Yun Zhao. "Whatever you say."

Song Yunzhao couldn’t shake the feeling he was teasing her.

Ever since becoming pregnant, Yun Zhao had been in a near-constant state of discomfort, and the two of them hadn’t been intimate in a long time. It was a rare thing for her to be feeling so well and looking so vibrant these past few days. Now in her second trimester, it was safe to be together, so they shared a gentle, restrained encounter that night.

Feng Yi was afraid of hurting her and was therefore very restrained.

Yun Zhao found this endlessly amusing. ’He might as well have not bothered,’ she thought. ’This feeling of being left hanging is even more uncomfortable.’

Now that Feng Yi had taken over, Yun Zhao didn’t have to worry about it anymore. She just sent a message to her eldest aunt, telling her the marriage with the Ding family was off. She also passed on His Majesty’s opinion that her second cousin’s marriage should wait until after the metropolitan examinations.

Her aunt’s heart was put at ease. She still had her eldest daughter’s affairs to manage, and the matter of her two children staying in the Capital City to study needed to be discussed with her in-laws to avoid putting her daughter in a difficult position.

The Flower Festival in the palace was quite lively. Feng Yi was busy with court affairs and did not make an appearance, and Yun Zhao, focusing on her pregnancy, did not attend either. This time, however, the Empress Dowager came out from Shouci Palace, and An Shutong also reappeared in public.

After the festival, Feng Yunjin came with a few other friends to visit Yun Zhao. She mentioned that An Shutong looked much thinner. Yun Zhao paid it no mind. ’When people’s lives aren’t going their way, they either waste away or balloon in weight. They’ll be fine once they get over it themselves.’

Lu Zhixue looked at Han Jinyi. "I hear both Huang Mingxiu and An Wenying are engaged?"

Han Jinyi chuckled. "You’re well-informed. I just got the news myself, and you’ve already caught a whiff."

Song Yunzhao was also curious. She had a keen sense of Huang Mingxiu’s unlucky constitution. ’It’s not easy for that child to make it to adulthood,’ she thought.

Wang Zhaorong sighed. "Sixth Miss Huang is a fortunate girl. Marchioness Yongjia spent ages deliberating over her marriage before settling on the youngest son of Xu Changbo’s family. Although he won’t inherit the title, as the youngest son he is doted upon and lives without pressure. He’ll also get a substantial inheritance when the family property is divided. For someone with Huang Mingxiu’s temperament, a husband like that couldn’t be more perfect."

Song Yunzhao sighed at her words. ’Such is the heart of a parent.’ Marchioness Yongjia had indeed chosen the most suitable person for Huang Mingxiu.

"And who was An Wenying promised to?" Song Yunzhao asked curiously.

An Fangyi took the blame for the incident with Qin Xiyue and was demoted to An Pin, and even Duke Dingguo was reprimanded by the Emperor. ’An Wenying was only the daughter of a concubine from the Duke Dingguo Mansion, yet she always acted so high-profile,’ Song Yunzhao mused. ’Now that the Duke Dingguo Mansion has been implicated, her prospects are probably not very good.’

"I hear she’s been promised to a military officer who serves outside the Capital City. She’ll leave with her husband after they marry," Lu Zhixue said. She couldn’t recall which family exactly, which meant it couldn’t be a prominent one.

Besides, with the Duke Dingguo Mansion having just gotten into trouble, no prestigious family in the Capital City would want to form a marriage alliance with a daughter born of a concubine.

Song Yunzhao, however, was lost in thought. Marrying a military officer was indeed quite a surprise.