Chapter 204: Chapter 95: When It Comes to Grasping the Essence, Song Yunzhao Has to Hand It to Princess Consort Zhuang
Song Yunzhao’s large eyes darted between the two. The three concubines had always appeared harmonious on the surface, but now, it seemed a crack had formed.
’There must be a reason for this,’ she thought. ’But what is it?’
The book had described Princess Consort Wan’s personality clearly. She was a very proud woman, with the arrogance of an artist. Of course, she was also genuinely talented. This was her nature, but she also wanted to cultivate a unique persona in the palace to attract the Emperor. Therefore, unless it was something major, Princess Consort Wan wouldn’t do anything that would harm her own image.
As for Princess Consort Zhuang, she was renowned in the palace for her virtue and magnanimity. That reputation was clearly cultivated with the Empress’s throne in mind. For her to get into a serious confrontation with Princess Consort Wan now was also out of character.
And Consort Lu... Song Yunzhao saw her indifferent expression. She seemed to have no intention of getting involved. ’Tsk, now this is getting interesting,’ she mused.
She decided to stay put and continue watching the show.
Feng Yi paid no more attention to the two concubines’ dispute. His gaze kept drifting unintentionally to Song Yunzhao. Ever since she entered the hall and sat down, she hadn’t glanced at him even once.
Usually, when they were together in Wangyou Palace, Song Yunzhao’s eyes were always on him. She would pay close attention to his every move. But now, all that care and attention seemed to have vanished.
This was a completely different Song Yunzhao. Feng Yi had never noticed it before, but observing her closely now, he was certain that she truly had two sides to her.
He furrowed his brow slightly.
Song Yunzhao wasn’t a fool. Of course she could feel the Emperor’s gaze drifting toward her, intentionally or not. ’Good,’ she thought. ’Let him look. That’s the whole point.’
There’s a saying: a desperate seller makes no sale.
It’s the same with affection. If you’re too forward, you cheapen yourself in the other person’s eyes.
And she, Song Yunzhao, was very valuable indeed.
Thinking this, her mood soured. She really didn’t want to fight a group of women over one man.
Life is hard. Zhaozhao sighed.
Lost in thought for a moment, she looked up to see that Princess Consort Wan had won their little dispute. When she saw the lead dancing girl’s tiny waist, she suddenly understood. This was aimed at her.
It seemed Princess Consort Wan still held a grudge over what happened last time. She was trying to push forward a dancing girl to steal the Emperor’s favor from her.
The dancing girl’s movements were indeed beautiful. Her costume, in particular, was reminiscent of singers from the Western Regions, with her slender waist exposed. As she spun, she was truly gorgeous and alluring.
The smile on Song Yunzhao’s face vanished the moment she felt the Emperor’s gaze fall on her again. She put on a blank, unhappy expression, but her mind was already racing. ’How should I handle this?’
Princess Consort Wan had been in the palace for five years and had never tried to use a dancing girl to win favor. For her to do something so out of character now meant someone must have instigated it, or she had formed an alliance.
Song Yunzhao’s gaze subtly swept over Qin Xiyue. She saw her smiling as she enjoyed the performance, showing no sign of anything unusual.
Next, she looked at Lu Zhixue, who was staring blankly into space, lost in thought. Her expression wasn’t very pleasant either.
Finally, her eyes landed on Feng Yunjin. In the book, she had been the heroine’s strategist. But because of Song Yunzhao’s arrival, Feng Yunjin’s relationship with Qin Xiyue wasn’t as close as it was in the story.
However, since Song Yunzhao had entered the palace and monopolized the Emperor’s favor, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that Feng Yunjin would choose to ally with Qin Xiyue again.
She picked up her cup but only for show, not taking a sip. She had no intention of eating or drinking anything at this banquet. Who knew if something had been added to it? It was best to just pretend.
When the dance ended, Princess Consort Wan spoke up. "Your Majesty, this is a dance the Music Department specially choreographed for the Qixi Festival. I wonder if Your Majesty finds it to your liking?" As she finished, she glanced at the dancing girl.
Feng Yi glanced at Song Yunzhao out of the corner of his eye. Her head was slightly lowered, so he couldn’t see her expression, but he could tell she was unhappy.
"The Music Department was thoughtful. Reward them," Feng Yi said indifferently.
Princess Consort Wan frowned slightly. She hadn’t expected the Emperor to show no interest in the dancing girl, a beauty she had gone to great lengths to select from hundreds of candidates. With a quick change of thought, she smiled and said, "Since Your Majesty likes the performance, why not have this dancing girl attend you? That would make it much more convenient whenever you wish to see a performance."
Hearing this, Song Yunzhao finally looked up. She didn’t look at Princess Consort Wan, but turned her head to face the Emperor.
Feng Yi looked up, and his gaze met Song Yunzhao’s. Her face was blank, but her eyes were gleaming. He suddenly had a bad feeling.
’This whole scene feels a little too familiar,’ he thought.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Song Yunzhao spoke.
"Lady Wanfei, the entire court is currently worried sick about flood control and disaster relief. The Emperor is losing sleep over the victims. At a time like this, you present a beauty to His Majesty. Are you trying to make the courtiers and the common people think the Emperor is a debauched ruler who indulges in women and ignores his subjects?"
Princess Consort Wan’s heart skipped a beat. She glared at Song Yunzhao and snapped, "Song Jieyu, don’t you dare spout such nonsense! I was merely acting out of goodwill, hoping to help His Majesty relax after seeing him so burdened by matters of state."
"Is that so?" Song Yunzhao sneered. "You say it with such righteous conviction. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I might have actually believed you."
Princess Consort Zhuang found this immensely satisfying and immediately chimed in, "Song Jieyu has a point. Princess Consort Wan, I told you before that the Emperor has no time to be admiring beauties while he is preoccupied with court affairs. Yet you insisted on going your own way. If you wanted to present a beauty to His Majesty, you should have at least waited until the flood disaster was over. How could the Emperor possibly be in the mood for such things right now?"
Princess Consort Zhuang’s words weren’t as sharp as Song Yunzhao’s, but by pointing out that the Emperor had no time for beauties and that Princess Consort Wan had acted willfully, she still managed to land a painful blow.
Song Yunzhao thought to herself that siding with Princess Consort Zhuang had been the right move. With her stepping in to counter Princess Consort Wan, Song Yunzhao immediately switched on her inner actress and said in a passive-aggressive tone, "Consort Zhuang, why would Lady Wanfei care about matters of state or easing the Emperor’s burdens? Tell me, does this dancing girl look familiar to you?"
Princess Consort Zhuang didn’t find her familiar at all, but she knew not to cross Song Yunzhao and immediately said, "She does look a bit familiar."
Song Yunzhao immediately stood and walked over to the dancing girl. She did a slow turn. In the light, the hem of her dress shimmered, but no one had time to admire her beautiful gown. All eyes were fixed on her slender waist.
When the crowd looked back at the dancing girl, the entire hall fell silent.
Putting on an expression of someone who had just misspoken in shock, Princess Consort Zhuang exclaimed, "Song Jieyu, your waist is even slimmer than this dancing girl’s!" Then, feigning regret, she quickly tried to backtrack, "Song Jieyu, I misspoke. I had no intention of comparing you to a dancing girl."
’When it comes to getting to the heart of the matter,’ Song Yunzhao thought, ’I have to hand it to Princess Consort Zhuang.’
She immediately feigned a look of humiliation turning to anger. "Consort Zhuang has always been magnanimous. If even you can see it, do you think I am blind?" She then fixed her gaze on Princess Consort Wan. "Lady Wanfei, though my birth may not be as noble as yours, my father is a court official, and I was raised as a proper young lady. My slender waist is a natural gift. For you to bring out a dancing girl, baring her chest and waist to humiliate me... I must ask, what exactly is your intention?"
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