I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 113: Chapter 57: Not Afraid of Being Called a Fatuous King

Besides these, there was a dressing table, a desk and chairs, and a tea table. The curio cabinet was also filled with gold, silver, and jade ornaments. Song Yunzhao was very satisfied. She exited the bedchamber and sat on the large daybed by the window, gazing thoughtfully at Xiangxue, who had not yet left.

Xiangxue stood to one side and spoke, "Your Highness, I am originally from Wangyou Palace. I will be serving you from now on."

Song Yunzhao was not surprised, because that was how it was written in the book: the palace maids of each palace would welcome their respective mistresses.

"Besides you, who else is there?" Song Yunzhao asked with a smile, but inwardly she wondered, ’Can I trust these people? The power struggles in the harem are no joke, and it’s not impossible that spies have been placed among my staff.’ fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

’Especially since Consort Shu and the others have a head start in the palace, I have to be on my guard.’

"I will call them in to pay their respects to Your Highness," Xiangxue said immediately.

Song Yunzhao nodded slightly.

Xiangxue walked out quickly and soon returned. A few people followed behind her. Walking abreast of Xiangxue was a nanny with a kind face and smiling eyes.

"Your Highness, this is the Housekeeper of Wangyou Palace, Nanny Yu."

Nanny Yu stepped forward to greet her. "This old servant pays her respects to Your Highness."

"Nanny Yu, please rise. I’ll be in your care from now on," Song Yunzhao said with a smile. ’The Housekeeper manages all the personnel in the palace, a position with considerable power. It would be best if we could get along. If she harbors disloyal thoughts, getting rid of her will take some effort.’

"Your Highness is too kind. This old servant will naturally do her utmost to serve you," Nanny Yu replied.

Song Yunzhao nodded and looked at the only eunuch present. Xiangxue then said, "Your Highness, this is Anshun, the eunuch of Wangyou Palace."

"Anshun pays his respects to Your Highness."

"Rise," Song Yunzhao said with a nod.

Xiangxue then nudged the other palace maids forward. "Your Highness, these are Shizhu, Qingfeng, and Yulu. The four of us will be in charge of attending to you personally."

Qingfeng... Yulu...

’What wonderful names!’

"We pay our respects to Your Highness."

Song Yunzhao looked at the pretty palace maids, then at the kindly Nanny Yu and the taciturn Anshun. ’This starting lineup is decent enough,’ she thought. ’As long as they’re loyal, I can train them over time.’

’It’s just a pity that my people from the Song Mansion couldn’t come with me. Otherwise, things would have been much easier.’

At this thought, Song Yunzhao remembered how she had expected to leave the palace before the selection. She hadn’t made any arrangements for Mrs. Luo, Jiangxiang, and Qiancao. Worry crept in as she considered that Mrs. Cai might take her anger out on them.

But now she couldn’t leave the palace. Her only option was to write a letter to her father and ask him to arrange for their well-being.

However, this matter couldn’t be rushed. Her own situation in the palace was still uncertain, so Mrs. Cai probably wouldn’t dare to act just yet. She still had time to maneuver.

Thinking this, Song Yunzhao looked at Nanny Yu and the others and said slowly with a smile, "From now on, we, master and servants, must help and protect each other here in Wangyou Palace. If you are loyal to me, I will naturally ensure your safety and promise you a good future. But if you dare to betray me, I am not a soft-hearted person. If you don’t believe me, Nanny, you are free to inquire at Zhichun Palace about my character."

Song Yunzhao was not like the book’s heroine, who primarily used gentleness to win people over. She came right out with a show of force to intimidate them. ’In this world, people’s hearts can change, but their interests do not.’ fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

’It’s a cynical and crass thing to say, but it’s very effective.’

’I don’t have the protagonist’s halo, so I’d better do something practical.’

She opened the bundle she had placed on the daybed and took out a box of gold and silver ingots. Looking at Nanny Yu, she said, "Nanny, please go to the trouble of distributing these. Consider it a greeting gift. From now on, if I prosper, so will you. If we, master and servants, are of one mind, our days will only get better."

Nanny Yu immediately smiled and said, "Thank you for the reward, Your Highness."

At her words, the others also chimed in with their thanks, and for a moment, the hall became lively.

Nanny Yu told Xiangxue to brew tea for their mistress, instructed Shizhu to distribute the gold and silver ingots, and had Qingfeng take their mistress’s bundle inside to be properly put away. Yulu and Anshun, unsure of what to do for a moment, looked to Nanny Yu.

Nanny Yu said to Anshun, "Go out and gather some information. See when the Six Departments will be coming to take our mistress’s measurements for new clothes."

Anshun immediately agreed and turned to run out.

Yulu looked at Nanny Yu. "Nanny, what about me?"

"Go see if there’s any news from the other palaces, what the arrangements are for the next steps."

"Yes, I’ll go right away," Yulu also turned and ran off.

Song Yunzhao watched Nanny Yu delegate the tasks without saying a word. ’Not bad,’ she thought. ’This housekeeper is certainly capable—organized and methodical. She must have been prepared for this.’

"Nanny, do you have a moment to tell me about the situation in the palace?" Song Yunzhao decided to test Nanny Yu. ’This nanny is a character who never appeared in the book, so I have no way of knowing her true nature.’

Nanny Yu smiled and agreed. After composing herself, she began to speak slowly. "To answer Your Highness, back when Consort Chu was still alive, the rank of Imperial Concubine was supreme. But after Consort Chu passed away from illness, the situation in the harem changed. The three concubines are of the same rank and are evenly matched, so for the moment, no one has a clear advantage."

Song Yunzhao nodded inwardly. Nanny Yu’s words were honest and matched what was written in the book.

’The reason no one could gain an advantage was simply that the Emperor was a master at balancing power.’

As Nanny Yu spoke, she observed Consort Song’s expression. She saw that her new mistress was young but very composed, her face betraying nothing. This made Nanny Yu even more cautious with her words.

"The other ladies who entered the palace with the three concubines have now either fallen out of favor or been demoted. On a normal day, they have almost no chance of seeing the Emperor."

Hearing this, Song Yunzhao looked at Nanny Yu and asked, "I heard that the concubines who entered the palace last time all came from good families. For them to end up like this, don’t their families do anything?"

Nanny Yu chuckled softly at her words. "Your Highness is new to the palace and may not yet understand these matters. Think about it: every lady in the harem comes from a good family, but there are still differences in status. You see, those who are granted the rank of concubine are the ones with the best family backgrounds. The others are naturally not as important."

Song Yunzhao understood. Consort Shu and the others suppressed their rivals inside the palace, while outside, their families restrained the families of the demoted concubines. With this coordination between the court and the harem, their rivals couldn’t make any waves.

In the past, the Emperor had chosen Qin Xiyue because her family background was exceptional and she herself was very intelligent. By using the Qin Family, the Emperor could execute his political strategies at court.

’So, the heroine’s value was immense. It was only natural for her to remain in the palace.’

’But what do I have?’

Song Yunzhao still couldn’t figure out what use the Emperor had for her.

’After all, my strategic value is genuinely not that high.’

Thinking of this, Song Yunzhao looked at Nanny Yu. "Nanny, do you know about the tea banquet that Lady Shufei hosted earlier?"

Song Yunzhao watched Nanny Yu, her gaze fixed on the nanny’s face, unblinking. This was her real test for her.

Come to Xiao Xiang Academy to see the update.