Chapter 55: Chapter 42: Spectators Don’t Mind a Big Scene
Song Jinxuan had been sabotaged by Song Qinghan during the selection, which ruined her reputation. After she was eliminated and returned home, Mrs. Cai took control of her fate and married her off to a poor scholar.
She wasn’t sure if Song Qinghan would still dare to make a move now that Song Yexi was a candidate, but it was never wrong to be cautious.
"Of course. I wouldn’t dare be anywhere near her," Song Yexi huffed. "I already suffered at her hands once back at the Uncle Mansion. I’m not a fool. You think I’d fall for it a second time?"
"Then I can rest easy," Song Yunzhao said, getting up to leave.
Song Yexi walked her to the door. "I’ll come find you tomorrow morning. I wonder what we’ll have to do."
Song Yunzhao knew, but she couldn’t say anything. ’Otherwise, Song Yexi would wonder how I knew, and I wouldn’t be able to explain it.’
On the walk back, just as she rounded a corner, she sensed a figure moving in the distance. She glanced over, but it was difficult to make out details in the dim lamplight. ’Probably just someone else meeting people, like me,’ she thought, and paid it no mind.
A night breeze brushed past her temples, and she quickened her pace toward her room. After a dozen steps, she suddenly heard a voice say, "Surprised? Qin Xiyue, if you can be here, why can’t I?"
’Hm?’
Song Yunzhao stopped in her tracks. ’That’s He Lan Yun’s voice. I wasn’t mistaken. The person I glimpsed in the carriage today really was her.’
’So... the plot has changed again.’
’In the book, He Lan Yun never even entered the selection. She was always outside the palace, harassing Ji Yunting. But now, here she is.’
"Princess Ming’an, whether you join the selection has nothing to do with me. I only hope that you are fully aware of what you’re doing."
Song Yunzhao thought Qin Xiyue’s words were perfectly reasonable, but she knew they would make He Lan Yun fly into a rage.
Sure enough, she heard He Lan Yun make a threat. "Qin Xiyue, you stole what I wanted. Now, it’s my turn. Just you wait."
Then Song Yunzhao heard the violent SLAM of a door.
The sound was so close that Song Yunzhao had a terrible feeling. She craned her neck to look, and her expression immediately soured.
’He Lan Yun is in Spring-Twelve!’
She took a deep breath, and then another. ’This is just my luck, isn’t it? I really know how to pick a spot for myself.’
The movement gave her away. She heard Qin Xiyue’s voice, tinged with pleasant surprise. "Miss, is that you?"
Song Yunzhao forced a smile. "Hello, Miss Qin."
Qin Xiyue was genuinely surprised to run into her here. She walked over quickly. "Come to think of it, I never had the chance to thank you properly. May I ask your name, Miss?"
Song Yunzhao really didn’t want to get too close to the novel’s heroine. She replied immediately, "It was a trivial matter, Miss Qin. Please think nothing of it. My surname is Song, and my given name is Yun Zhao."
"So you are Miss Song. Do you live nearby as well?"
Song Yunzhao simply pointed to her room.
Qin Xiyue beamed. "This must be fate! To think we’re living right across from each other."
’Yes, what a fateful connection,’ Song Yunzhao thought wryly. ’Not everyone can handle this kind of fate. This is my destiny, alright.’
Song Yunzhao found the heroine’s enthusiasm a bit overwhelming. "We’ve been busy all day and must be tired. You should get some rest too, Miss Qin."
Hearing this, Qin Xiyue smiled and said, "But there’s still dinner. You should rest after you’ve eaten, Miss Song."
Qin Xiyue’s reminder made Song Yunzhao realize she was starving. She had been so busy all day that she hadn’t had a single bite of lunch. She was truly famished.
At that thought, she said, "You’re right, I am a bit hungry. I’ll head back now, then. See you around."
’Living right across the way, it’ll be hard *not* to see each other.’
Qin Xiyue smiled and bid Song Yunzhao farewell. As she watched the other woman’s door close, the smile slowly faded from her face. Then, she turned and returned to her own room.
Dinner was brought over a short while later: two dishes, one soup, and a bowl of rice. It was rather plain compared to the meals back at the mansion, but at least it was food. ’This is no time to be picky.’
This was Song Yunzhao’s first time eating palace food. She tasted it thoughtfully. The flavor was mediocre, not nearly as good as the dishes from the Song Family’s private kitchen.
’Then again,’ she thought, ’with so many candidates, the Imperial Kitchen must be cooking in huge pots. How good can food from a giant pot be?’
’I’ll just have to make do.’
After she finished eating, a palace maid came to collect the tableware. Song Yunzhao washed up and lay down to rest. The day had been exhausting. ’If I don’t build up my energy, how am I going to enjoy the show tomorrow?’
Her mind relaxed, and she quickly fell asleep. She had no idea what He Lan Yun was doing next door, but every so often a loud CLANG would ring out, making it impossible to sleep well. After being woken up for the second time, Song Yunzhao couldn’t take it anymore. She got up, took a copper basin, faced the wall of He Lan Yun’s room, and banged it hard.
