I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 103: Chapter 55: What a Coincidence, a Persona Clash!

’But it seemed she had things backward.’

The little palace maid was smiling so happily that Song Yunzhao didn’t have the heart to crush her spirits. She smiled and said, "You’re very skilled. It’s beautiful." freewebnσvel.cѳm

Yiyue’s eyes lit up. "I learned from the head hairstyling matron. It’s just a shame she left the palace for a comfortable retirement not long after I started."

Song Yunzhao could hear the melancholy in Yiyue’s voice. ’She must have been very close to that matron,’ she thought.

A sudden knock came at the door. Yiyue hurried over to open it, revealing Song Yexi.

Yiyue curtsied and withdrew. Song Yexi walked straight in, and her eyes widened when she saw Song Yunzhao. Then she smiled and said, "Why are you wearing this? You know, it’s surprisingly attractive."

Song Yunzhao: "..."

"I think it’s attractive too." Song Yunzhao forced a smile.

"Let’s go. It’s almost time." As she spoke, she glanced at the hairpin in Yun Zhao’s hair and nodded with satisfaction.

Song Yunzhao followed her out, her face impassive. Just as they stepped outside, the door across from them also opened.

Qin Xiyue and Lu Zhixue emerged one after the other, coming face-to-face with the Song cousins.

The four of them stood facing each other. When Lu Zhixue saw Song Yunzhao, her expression shifted slightly, a look of disdain appearing on her face.

Song Yunzhao couldn’t be bothered with her. She gave Qin Xiyue a slight nod in greeting, then left with Song Yexi.

Song Yexi whispered to Song Yunzhao, "That Miss Lu is so arrogant. Who does she think she is, looking down on people like that?"

"Don’t mind her. All she dares to do is glare, anyway."

Song Yexi was amused by Yun Zhao’s words. "Let’s get going."

Lu Zhixue stared at the backs of the Song cousins up ahead and said to Qin Xiyue, "Red and green. I can’t believe she actually dared to wear that. Just what you’d expect from a minor family—utterly tacky."

Hearing this, Qin Xiyue glanced at Lu Zhixue and said slowly, "I think Miss Song looks quite beautiful in it. Whether red and green works depends on who’s wearing it. With a face like Miss Song’s, she can pull it off. In fact, it makes her stand out even more."

Lu Zhixue looked at Qin Xiyue. "Why do you always defend her? What kind of spell has she put on you?"

"Zhixue, you’re being a bit too prejudiced against Miss Song. There’s no conflict between you two, so why target her?"

"No conflict? You must be joking. If she gets selected, how much of a threat do you think she’ll be to us?" Lu Zhixue stared at Qin Xiyue, refusing to believe she wasn’t the least bit concerned.

Qin Xiyue met Lu Zhixue’s displeased gaze and replied, "If you’re going to put it that way, there are many Beauties in the palace. Are you going to try and outdo every single one of them?"

Beauty has never been the most important thing for survival in the harem. Seeing that Lu Zhixue still hadn’t figured this out, Qin Xiyue couldn’t help but shake her head slightly.

Lu Zhixue snorted. She refused to believe it. ’There’s no man in this world who isn’t captivated by looks. Your Majesty is a man, so he’s no different when he sees a Beauty.’

’Qin Xiyue is just putting on airs now, thinking her literary talents can put her above everyone else. A day will come when she’ll be crying.’ frёeωebɳovel.com

’What’s the use of being well-read? Sometimes, it’s really not as important as a pretty face.’

Neither could convince the other. Not wanting to argue with Lu Zhixue, Qin Xiyue conceded and said with a smile, "We should get going too. Look, isn’t that Yun Jin and Jinyi up ahead?"

Lu Zhixue looked and saw that it was indeed them, so she followed Qin Xiyue to catch up.

The four of them walked abreast. Lu Zhixue glanced at Han Jinyi and saw she was listening to Feng Yunjin speak. Feeling bored, she remained silent and just walked along with them.

They gathered at Qiushui Pavilion again. Everyone arrived one after another in short order. Song Yunzhao surveyed the group and realized that fewer than half the candidates remained.

Besides her and Song Yexi, who were cousins, there had been another pair of sisters. Now, only the younger one was left. The older sister had been one of the girls who fell from the Buddha Fragrance Pavilion yesterday; having injured her leg, she was no longer eligible and had left the palace this morning.

There was also a pair of maternal cousins, of whom only one remained today.

Song Yunzhao found it all rather interesting. ’When there are too many siblings in a family and limited resources, conflict is inevitable.’

’It was just like how she’d had a complete falling out with Song Qinghan after entering the palace. She did it precisely to prevent Song Qinghan from using the pretense of sisterhood to frame her.’

’She hadn’t heard of any disputes between the other two sets of sisters on a normal day, but now that it had come down to the final stage, those who needed to make a move still did. The result was still the same.’

’Whoever was more ruthless got to stay.’

’The late Emperor had so many sons, and their fight for the throne had left many dead, injured, or crippled. Otherwise, how could the current Emperor, the late Emperor’s least favored son, have seized the opportunity to ascend the throne?’