Free Web NovelChapter 132: Chapter 62: Clearly Summoned to Be a Target
Her raven hair was styled beautifully, her figure graceful. Feng Yi found himself staring, momentarily mesmerized.
Song Yunzhao naturally felt the Emperor’s gaze on her. She feigned having just noticed, turning her head slightly. Her eyes shimmered like autumn pools as she gave a small, demure smile. "Emperor, what do you think of the ink I’ve ground?"
Feng Yi felt a pang of awkwardness. He had actually been mesmerized by Song Yunzhao. He cleared his throat and said with a stern expression, "Of course, my dear concubine has done an excellent job."
Song Yunzhao scoffed inwardly. ’I only ground the inkstick five or six times. What’s so excellent about that? Is he talking about the ink that was already here?’
"With the Emperor’s praise, all my hard work has been worth it." Song Yunzhao’s smile grew even sweeter.
Feng Yi: ...
’He’d met shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless. Now *this* was the Song Yunzhao he knew.’
"You’ve worked hard, my dear concubine." Feng Yi glanced at Song Yunzhao. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she had an ulterior motive for immediately setting to work. After a moment’s thought, the Emperor still felt uneasy. He looked directly at Song Yunzhao and said, "Grinding ink is hard work. How could I tire you with such a task? You should go sit and rest."
Without giving Song Yunzhao a chance to object, he turned to Meng Jiuchang. "You fool, why haven’t you brought tea for the Noble Consort yet?"
Meng Jiuchang: ...
"Yes, this servant will go at once." Meng Jiuchang immediately turned and hurried out. ’What in the world is happening?’
’What’s gotten into the Emperor?’
’Consort Song barely did anything. She only ground the ink a few times, and the Emperor is already feeling sorry for her?’
’In the past, Lady Shufei would grind ink for ages, and Your Majesty never said a word.’
Meng Jiuchang sensed that His Majesty’s attitude toward Consort Song was unusual, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. He decided to deliver the tea first. After a moment’s thought, he also picked up two plates of the pastries that had been prepared for His Majesty.
’Until I understand the situation, I can’t afford to offend Consort Song. I’ll just have to wait and see.’
Inside the hall, Song Yunzhao immediately put down the inkstick upon hearing the Emperor’s words. Verbally, however, she protested, "The Emperor summoned me to be in his company. How could I do nothing? Would that not be a dereliction of duty?"
The corner of Feng Yi’s mouth twitched. He pointed to a seat by the window. "I remember you said you enjoy reading storybooks. I’ll have someone bring a few for you. Just sit over there and read."
Hearing the Emperor mention storybooks reminded Song Yunzhao of when they had met outside the palace. ’Alright then,’ she thought. ’No point in putting on an act for him. He’s already seen my true colors.’
’He’s trying to send me a message. That damned Emperor!’
Song Yunzhao immediately dropped the cloyingly sweet smile from her face. She walked briskly to the chair by the window and sat down before saying, "Thank you, Emperor. I’ll be waiting, then."
The words had barely left her lips when Meng Jiuchang entered carrying tea and pastries. He saw Consort Song sitting in the chair by the window—the very spot where Your Majesty often sat. His steps faltered for a fraction of a second, but he quickly composed himself and moved forward.
He placed the tea and pastries on the small side table and said with a smile, "High-ranking Consort, please enjoy." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
"Thank you for your trouble, Manager Meng," Song Yunzhao replied with a smile.
Meng Jiuchang smiled and offered a modest reply, but inwardly he was pondering Consort Song’s earlier words. ’She said she’d be waiting. Waiting for what? What did His Majesty promise her?’
Just as he was wondering, he heard the Emperor speak. "Meng Jiuchang, go to the book room and fetch a few storybooks for the Noble Consort to pass the time."
Meng Jiuchang quickly assented and headed for the book room next door. As he walked, he thought, ’No wonder Your Majesty had Zhang Maoquan bring in a box of storybooks a few days ago. I was wondering what Your Majesty wanted with them. They were actually for Consort Song?’
’Your Majesty would actually prepare something in advance for a concubine?’
Feeling a bit dazed, Meng Jiuchang subconsciously glanced back at Song Yunzhao. He saw Consort Song sitting there with an indifferent expression, all traces of her earlier delicate act gone.
Meng Jiuchang then looked toward Your Majesty. The Emperor was staring in Consort Song’s direction, lost in thought, and his gaze actually held a hint of concern!
Meng Jiuchang quickly averted his eyes and hurried away. ’All the other concubines serve Your Majesty with the utmost care and caution,’ he thought. ’Why does Consort Song seem so different?’
Meanwhile, the "different" Consort Song was racking her brain. ’What kind of persona should I adopt now?’
’In any case, the person she was in front of the Emperor couldn’t be the same as the one she showed to others. She has to make him understand that she is different with him. But how to strike the right balance?’
’They had met before; the Emperor knew her true personality.’
’Given the Emperor’s attitude toward her, the plans she had made back in Wangyou Palace were now useless. Clearly, he wasn’t accustomed to her gentle demeanor at all.’
’He even shooed her over to the window. Talk about ’out of sight, out of mind’!’
’Heh, just as she’d expect from the scumbag trying to use her as a human vacuum for the harem. What did he mean, ’accompany him’? He clearly summoned her here to be a target!’
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