Chapter 144: Chapter 66: The Emperor is Hard to Handle
Consort Shu, Princess Consort Zhuang, and Princess Consort Wan—even An Fangyi, who was out of favor with the Emperor, or Zhao Liangren and Lady-in-Waiting Qin, who might as well have been in the Cold Palace—all lived comfortable lives because their families supplied them with silver.
Zhang Maoquan had expected the Emperor to be angry. Who would have thought that after leaving Wangyou Palace, the corners of his mouth would be turned up in a smile? He really couldn’t fathom what the Emperor was thinking.
’But this just goes to show Consort Song’s skill. To say such things and still manage to coax the Emperor into a good mood... She’s no ordinary person. I have to learn from her so I can secure the position of First Chief Steward as soon as possible.’
Back in Taiji Palace, the more Feng Yi thought about it, the more he smiled. Of course he could see through Song Yunzhao’s little scheme; he was just deliberately teasing her.
At this thought, he looked at Zhang Maoquan and said, "Go fetch a case of gold beans for Consort Song." He paused, then remembered she had given the jewelry he’d gifted her to her family. He added, "And find a case of jewelry from the treasury to go with it."
"Yes, this servant will go at once." Zhang Maoquan clicked his tongue inwardly. ’I thought the Emperor fled from Wangyou Palace because he didn’t want to spend money. Turns out he’s giving away even more now that he’s back.’
’Consort Song really has a way with things. She’s bold enough to complain, and even gets rewarded for it. This is a first for me. What an eye-opener.’
Zhang Maoquan, wanting to get on Consort Song’s good side, opened the Emperor’s private treasury and deliberately chose two large cases. He personally carried them to Wangyou Palace and made a point of presenting them to Consort Song. After receiving her thanks, he left, pleased with himself.
’A good deed shouldn’t go unrewarded. It’s enough that Consort Song remembers this favor.’
Song Yunzhao was nearly blinded by the huge case of gold beans. When she opened the case of jewelry, the impact was much less dramatic. The pieces were conventional, all appropriate for her rank, which meant there was nothing too spectacular.
’Compared to this, the gold beans are much more to my liking.’
’It really doesn’t pay to be too concerned with face. If you don’t plead poverty, where would the rewards come from?’
’Was she after the reward?’
’Of course she was.’
’But the most important thing was to let the Emperor know she wasn’t well-off!’
’Why didn’t the other concubines plead poverty? Because their families sent them money. She wasn’t well-off because the Song Family didn’t have much spare cash to support her.’
’With this contrast, the impression of the Song Family’s integrity would be planted in the Emperor’s mind.’
’Killing three birds with one stone,’ Song Yunzhao thought, delighted.
’As for her manuscript fees, that was her private stash, earned through her own abilities. She had to keep that little secret under wraps; the Emperor absolutely could not find out.’
’After all, she still had to write stories for the Emperor to read.’
Xiangxue and the other maids were all smiles seeing the Emperor reward their mistress again. It was a wonderful thing for their mistress to be treated so generously by His Majesty.
Among the newly arrived concubines, no one else had received a reward yet, but this was their mistress’s second time. What an honor!
For the next several days, the palace was quite lively. The new concubines were busy meeting with their families, so for a time, no one was causing trouble. Song Yunzhao enjoyed a few days of peace and quiet.
During this time, the Emperor didn’t summon her to accompany him, nor did he stay overnight in the harem. He merely visited the palaces of Consort Shu and the others every few days for a cup of tea before leaving.
As a result, rumors began to spread that Song Yunzhao had fallen out of favor. After all, the Emperor had visited the three concubines but not Wangyou Palace.
Song Yunzhao had a faint feeling the Emperor was trying to stir something up, but she refused to take the bait. She simply holed up in Wangyou Palace, not taking a single step outside, determined not to give anyone an opportunity to attack her.
When Feng Yi found out...
’That girl is unbelievably lazy!’
Song Yunzhao was happily reading a storybook. That’s right—she’d paid someone to bring her storybooks written by other authors from outside the palace, all of which were currently trending in the Capital City.
’You can’t just build a cart behind closed doors. I have to keep up with the latest trends, grasp the central themes, and make sure my own stories don’t lose touch with the masses.’
’Do you think my life is easy?’
’Besides, while it was true she was willing to be a vanguard for the Emperor, she wasn’t about to steal the female lead’s job. She’d pass on being a garbage disposal.’
Thinking of this, Song Yunzhao remembered the case of gold beans and jewelry and felt a little guilty. ’I should probably do *something* to look busy.’
With this in mind, she called out, "Xiangxue."
"This servant is here." Xiangxue entered at once. "Mistress, what are your orders?"
"I hear the Imperial Garden has been very lively recently?" Song Yunzhao asked.
Xiangxue replied, "It’s only because you dislike going out, Mistress. In this weather, everyone likes to go to the garden to cool off, so it’s naturally gotten crowded."
"Help me change and do my makeup. We’re going for a walk, too," Song Yunzhao said with a smile, rising and sitting down at her vanity.
Xiangxue immediately called Shizhu in, telling her to pick out an outfit for their mistress. She herself began to unpin her mistress’s hair to style it anew. The Jade Comb glided through her hands as she worked. "Today, I will style your hair in a single spiral bun," she said as she combed. "It’s beautiful and refreshing."
