I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

"What are the stakes?" Lu Zhixue asked eagerly. She’d never beaten Song Yunzhao before. ’What if I can turn the tables this time?’

"What stakes do you want?" Song Yunzhao asked with a smile.

Lu Zhixue actually thought about it very seriously, then said, "If I win, you have to personally brew tea for me."

Song Yunzhao looked at Lu Zhixue. ’Is that all she wants? That doesn’t seem like her style.’ Of course, she agreed instantly. Then she added, "If I win, you have to be my little soldier for a month. You’ll have to do whatever I tell you to do."

Lu Zhixue was speechless.

She couldn’t keep a straight face. ’How could Song Yunzhao be so shameless?’

Han Jinyi and Feng Yunjin laughed so hard they were nearly in tears. Talk about digging your own grave. She had no one to blame but herself.

Song Yunzhao deliberately teased Lu Zhixue, "A gentleman’s word is his bond. Though we are women, we can’t lose in terms of spirit, right?"

What else could Lu Zhixue say? She suddenly felt a pang of regret. ’Why did I have to make a bet with her?’

’Was it all just to prove a point?’

"His Majesty, the Emperor, has arrived!"

All four women in the room froze. Song Yunzhao was also taken aback for a moment. ’Didn’t he say he would be in Taiji Palace today?’

Because the Emperor was hosting a banquet for his officials tonight, he had told Yun Zhao that morning, before he left for the prayer ceremony, that he wouldn’t be coming over during the day. ’And now there’s a formal announcement? The Emperor never used to have his arrival announced. He would come and go as he pleased.’

Her thoughts shifted, and Song Yunzhao realized the Emperor must know who was visiting her. ’There has to be a reason he had his arrival announced.’

Snapping back to reality, Song Yunzhao hurried out with the others to greet him. Before they could even reach the entrance of the hall, the Emperor had already strode inside.

"Your servants greet the Emperor."

The women curtsied in unison.

Feng Yi walked over to Yun Zhao, extending a hand to help her up. He said with a smile, "You may all rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Song Yunzhao placed her hand in the Emperor’s palm and let him help her to her feet. She stood up straight and glanced at him from the side.

Feng Yi’s expression didn’t change as he led Yun Zhao by the hand to the seat of honor. He then looked at the other women and said, "Please, be seated. What were you all talking about just now? You were laughing so happily, I could hear you from a distance."

The three women hadn’t seen the Emperor in a long time, so they were understandably a bit reserved.

Lu Zhixue was especially tense, sitting beside Han Jinyi without lifting her head. But her eyes inadvertently caught the small gesture of the Emperor holding Song Yunzhao’s hand.

A wave of bitterness washed over her. ’A person’s fate really is different from another’s.’

Song Yunzhao tried to figure out the Emperor’s intentions. Seeing how nervous Han Jinyi and the others were, she took the initiative and said, "This servant made a bet with Lu Pin. Does Your Majesty wish to know what we bet on?"

Feng Yi chuckled. "My dear consort, do tell. I am quite curious."

When the Emperor spoke like that, Song Yunzhao could smell a plot brewing.

’If the Emperor dares to make a move, I dare to call him out on it. Even if I don’t know what kind of trap he’s laid, I know that if I fall into it, I’m definitely taking someone down with me.’

"This servant heard that Lady Wanfei and Consort Zhuang asked for Your Majesty’s decision regarding today’s luncheon. Lu Pin and I hold different opinions, so we decided to make a bet on whether the luncheon will happen. This servant bet that Your Majesty would not agree, while Lu Pin bet that Your Majesty would. Han Guipin and Feng Xiaoyuan have not yet placed their bets. Your Majesty’s arrival is quite timely; you can be our witness."

As she spoke, Song Yunzhao looked at Han Jinyi and Feng Yunjin. "Han Guipin and Feng Xiaoyuan, you can place your bets now. But you’d better think carefully."

Hearing Song Yunzhao’s coquettish tone, Han Jinyi and the other two felt their skin crawl.

Even Feng Yi found it a bit unsettling. He glanced at Song Yunzhao, who took the opportunity to give him a meaningful look.

Feng Yi was speechless.

Who would have thought that Lu Pin would happen to see that look? Her mouth moved faster than her brain, and she blurted out, "Song Jieyu, you can’t seduce the Emperor!"

Everyone was speechless.

Lu Zhixue belatedly clapped a hand over her mouth. ’You and your big mouth!’

’But what’s said is said. If Song Yunzhao dares to do it, why shouldn’t I dare to say it?’

’I can’t win the Emperor, but can’t I at least win some fairness?’

A surge of reckless courage filled her, and Lu Zhixue was suddenly no longer afraid.

Song Yunzhao gave Lu Zhixue a complicated look. ’This girl’s intelligence is a lost cause. She was so clever in the book, so why is it that in reality, her mouth is always faster than her brain?’

"Lu Pin, you can question me, but how can you doubt the Emperor? His Majesty has always acted with impartiality and is exceedingly fair. You can rest assured."

Lu Zhixue thought, ’The more you say that, the less assured I feel. When has the Emperor ever been fair when it comes to matters involving you?’

Feng Yi glanced at Lu Zhixue. It took him a moment to place her, but then he remembered: this was Lu Pin, the one who had been confined to her quarters and later implicated by Zhu Cairen.