I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 153: Chapter 68: Song Yunzhao’s Silk Cave

Feng Yi subconsciously took a step back.

Song Yunzhao: ...

’What are you running for?’

’This is infuriating!’

’Am I not beautiful? Am I not captivating? Am I not sincere enough for him?’

’And he still runs away?’

’Does he have any idea how hard it is for a thick-skinned person like me to act all shy like some innocent maiden?’

Song Yunzhao knew she needed to take drastic measures. She watched the Emperor retreat, her face a mask of shock and hurt. She opened her mouth as if to speak, only to seem at a loss for words. Then, she also took a step back.

Feng Yi froze. Meeting Song Yunzhao’s slightly pale face, he suddenly realized his previous action seemed to have hurt her.

"Song Yunzhao..."

Song Yunzhao’s eyes reddened. Looking as if she were fighting back tears, she lowered her head slightly, took a deep breath, and spoke with a hint of distance in her voice, "Your Majesty, if you do not like me, you are free to leave."

For a moment, Feng Yi was at a loss for words. He had seen Song Yunzhao arguing with people, seen her proud and flamboyant, and even seen her slamming the table and cursing while reading a novel. But he had never seen her cry.

Feng Yi suddenly strode forward and grabbed Song Yunzhao’s wrist. "That’s not what I meant..."

"Then what do you mean, Your Majesty?"

Though her tone was accusatory, Song Yunzhao’s words carried a pitiful air. Humiliated and indignant, she shook off his hand.

Feng Yi was speechless. In that moment, he realized Song Yunzhao was not like Consort Shu and the others. She was here because *he* had kept her here.

He felt a rare pang of guilt for projecting his own dark, hidden thoughts—things that couldn’t see the light of day—onto her.

"You are very beautiful tonight. I was so dazzled I couldn’t think straight." Feng Yi lied through his teeth, deciding to placate her first.

Song Yunzhao looked up abruptly, stunned at first, and then a light seemed to ignite in her eyes.

Feng Yi’s heart skipped a beat.

Right after, he heard Song Yunzhao say, "I thought Your Majesty found my temperament disagreeable and was regretting seeing me now."

Feng Yi did regret it, but not for the reason Yun Zhao had mentioned. It was because he couldn’t face her purity head-on.

A person who has spent too long in the dark will instinctively shy away when suddenly thrust into the light. Even though he was the Emperor, he was no exception.

Hearing Song Yunzhao mention her bad temperament, Feng Yi couldn’t help but chuckle.

Song Yunzhao: ...

’The sweet talk was going so well. Why don’t you keep it up? Now that you’ve broken character, how am I supposed to salvage this?’

’In any case, she wasn’t going to let the Emperor escape.’ Thinking this, she deliberately revealed a wry smile and said softly, "I know most men prefer women with gentle temperaments, and I know I’m far too strong-willed. If Your Majesty dislikes me for this, I have nothing to say."

Feng Yi frowned slightly.

"But this is my first time being a concubine. Tonight is my wedding night, and I, too, had my hopes... Time flies and the years pass. When I look back on this day many years from now, I want to have a perfect memory." Song Yunzhao’s voice grew softer and softer until she lowered her head again.

’I’ve made it so obvious. The Emperor should get it by now, right?’

"A woman’s most beautiful years are few. I want Your Majesty to remember me more deeply, more fully, more fondly."

"If... if Your Majesty truly dislikes me, then it must be my fault. I won’t blame you. Please, Your Majesty, you should go back."

Choking back a sob, Song Yunzhao covered her face and ran into the bedchamber. Steeling herself, she kicked off her embroidered slippers carelessly, letting them land in a messy heap on the floor, and then slipped behind the bed curtains.

’I wonder how much time has passed.’ Just as she felt her heart beating faster and faster, she heard soft footsteps. She immediately buried her face in the pillow. ’How am I supposed to cry beautifully again? A forty-five-degree angle or thirty? And I can’t ruin my makeup!’

As soon as Feng Yi walked in, he saw the pair of slippers tossed on the floor. Their messy state made it obvious their owner had taken out her bad mood on them.

Through the light aqua, sheer silk curtains, he could see Song Yunzhao’s body shaking slightly. Her crying was silent and suppressed, a sound that left a bitter feeling in one’s heart.

Feng Yi sighed inwardly. He walked over slowly, reached out to lift the curtain, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

He had once been an unfavored prince. No one paid him any mind as he lived alone in a corner of the vast Imperial Palace. He never had to comfort anyone, and no one ever comforted him—he wasn’t considered worth the effort.

Later, he became the Emperor, the supreme sovereign. He still didn’t comfort anyone, for now, no one was worthy of *his* comfort.

But then, Song Yunzhao had suddenly popped into his life. He remembered the vivid sight of her with hands on her hips, arguing with someone when they first met. And now, here she was, suppressing her sobs even as she cried.

Feng Yi truly didn’t know what to do. He had never encountered a situation like this before.

He had indeed only planned to come and go through the motions. But after hearing what Yun Zhao said earlier, he had thought about it seriously, and she was right.

She wasn’t a woman from a noble family or a high official’s household who had entered the palace with an agenda. He had investigated her and knew she had been sent to the palace because of sibling rivalry and her mother’s favoritism. Later, during the selection, he could even tell that she had wanted to be eliminated.

It was he who had kept her.

Song Yunzhao said this was her first time being a concubine. And, Feng Yi thought, she was the first woman he had actively chosen to keep.

She said she hoped for a perfect wedding night. On second thought, Feng Yi figured he couldn’t remain a monk his whole life just because of the other women in the harem who didn’t suit his taste.

With that thought, he had stepped inside.

Feng Yi reached out, scooped her up from the pillow into his arms, and said with a hint of resignation, "I didn’t even say much. Your temper really is something."

Hearing this, Song Yunzhao’s heart finally settled. ’No matter what the Emperor is thinking, tonight he has to stay for real. This is my first wedding night in two lifetimes, and I can’t let it go to waste. I have to see it through.’

Song Yunzhao wrapped her arms around the Emperor’s waist. She felt his body stiffen slightly and immediately began to worry. ’The Emperor doesn’t... not know what to do, does he?’

’She didn’t have any practical experience either, but she certainly had theoretical knowledge.’

While thinking this, she said aloud, "What kind of person I am... didn’t Your Majesty already know that from before I entered the palace? You insisted on keeping me despite my bad temper, so that’s hardly my fault."

’You’re the one who kept me, so what are you complaining about?’

Feng Yi thought about it and found that, surprisingly, she had a point.

He was the one who chose her; it really wasn’t right to be too picky.

Song Yunzhao noticed the Emperor’s heartbeat was racing just as fast as hers. ’I have to seize this opportunity.’ Her mind raced. ’How do those teary-eyed beauties in the movies do that heart-wrenching, pitiful look?’

Song Yunzhao couldn’t remember. ’To hell with the angle.’

Feng Yi lowered his head to gaze at the woman in his arms as she looked up. A red agate pendant rested against her fair collarbones. Her large eyes still shimmered with unshed tears, yet her lips were curved high in a smile, both radiant and unabashed. As she smiled, a lone tear traced a path down her cheek. She was as fiery as the midday summer sun, and it seemed to warm even his frozen heart.