I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

She understood him.

Feng Yi stayed for lunch, which was when Song Yunzhao remembered the New Year’s banquet and brought it up with the Emperor.

"Consort Zhuang and Lady Lu both said that noble women are to be invited to the palace for the New Year’s banquet to celebrate. Emperor, will we be doing that this year?"

Feng Yi nodded. "Yes, that is the custom."

He looked up at Yun Zhao and saw her frowning, a conflicted look in her eyes. He couldn’t help but smile. "What are you thinking about?"

"Emperor, if I invite my aunt to the banquet, will people point their fingers at me and call me unfilial?" Song Yunzhao asked with an earnest expression.

’How could I not see through her little scheme?’ Feng Yi thought. ’She doesn’t get along with her birth mother and doesn’t want the woman to bask in her glory, but she also wants to avoid being labeled unfilial. So, she’s deliberately testing me. Doesn’t she just want me to step in? For me to take the heat for her?’

Feng Yi looked at Yun Zhao with a serious expression. "Of course they will."

Song Yunzhao silently watched the Emperor. ’He’s quite the actor,’ she thought. ’But then again, who isn’t?’ She immediately replied, "Emperor, my aunt has helped me through so much and always protected me. What’s wrong with wanting her to be the one to attend on an occasion like this? My mother may have given birth to me, but she has never shown me an ounce of affection. In fact, she detests and shuns me, even trying to use me as a stepping stone for her other daughter. If I invite my mother to the palace, wouldn’t that break my aunt’s heart and be a betrayal of all the love she’s given me?"

"If your aunt truly cares for you, why would she mind such a small thing? She should be able to understand your predicament."

Song Yunzhao smiled. "Just because others are understanding doesn’t mean I should take their kindness for granted. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. If the Emperor thinks it’s improper for my aunt to come, then neither of them should come at all."

Feng Yi looked at Song Yunzhao in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to say that. "If you do that, what will happen to your reputation when Mrs. Song starts talking?"

Song Yunzhao glanced up at the Emperor. ’He’s actually concerned about my reputation right now? That’s a bit of a surprise.’

Feeling a rare twinge of guilt, she cleared her throat. "It would be a lie to say I don’t care about my reputation at all. But I refuse to let it force me into doing something I don’t want to do. If you repay injury with kindness, with what do you repay kindness? I am no saint. People have wronged me, and I’m not willing to bow my head just to maintain a good name. So if it really comes to that, then we can just have a clean break."

Feng Yi gazed at her intently. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest to hear her say such a thing.

’If any of the court scholars heard such words, so contrary to the moral order, they would surely curse her for three days and three nights.’

But while Feng Yi said nothing, he inwardly found that her words resonated with him.

’He, too, was a child unloved by his parents. He knew all too well the injustices and sorrows faced by a child with no one to protect them.’

’If he were the type to repay injury with kindness, the Empress Dowager would be living comfortably in the palace right now, not still at the traveling palace.’

’Did the Empress Dowager not want to return?’

’No, it was that *he* didn’t want her coming back and meddling in his life.’

’With the Empress Dowager’s personality, if she were living in the palace, she would throw the entire harem into chaos. Before his power was fully consolidated, how could he possibly keep his throne secure if she was here making things even more difficult?’

’That’s why he’d made a six-year agreement with the Empress Dowager. She would remain at the traveling palace under the guise of mourning the late Emperor, and he would welcome her back to the main palace in six years.’

As this thought crossed his mind, Feng Yi suddenly realized the six-year agreement would be up next year. He would have to honor his promise and bring the Empress Dowager back.

’But right now, there isn’t a single concubine in the harem capable of keeping the Empress Dowager in check. This is a major problem.’

’If no one can rein in the Empress Dowager, the harem will surely be plunged into chaos.’

At this thought, Feng Yi’s gaze landed on Yun Zhao.

As the Emperor’s dark eyes stared at her, Song Yunzhao’s heart gave a sudden lurch. She had a very bad feeling about this.

Just as this thought occurred to her, she heard the Emperor say, "Rest assured, I will write the guest list for the banquet myself."

Huh?

’The good news had come so suddenly, like a whirlwind, that she couldn’t quite process it.’

’But he agreed so quickly... he wasn’t planning on using me to solve some other problem, was he?’

’Regardless, she was thrilled to have this major problem solved. If she had been the one to handle it, it would have been a monumental issue. With the concept of filial piety hanging over her head, she would have been damned if she did and damned if she didn’t.’

’But an imperial decree from the Emperor was another matter entirely. Even though the Song Family had split into separate households, her aunt was the official Lady of the Family. It would be perfectly reasonable for her to be the one to enter the palace.’