I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 163: Chapter 72: Song Yunzhao, You’re Something Else

After handing in The West Chamber, she felt much more relaxed. Anshun even brought back the silver Xie Linlang had given her—it was the earnings from her last story. Her little rainy-day fund was a bit fuller now. Once the hottest part of the season arrived, she would have enough money to buy ice for all-day use.

"My lady."

Song Yunzhao fanned herself, looking at Yulu’s troubled expression. "What is it?" she asked lazily.

This blasted weather was so hot it made a person not even want to speak. She didn’t have an ounce of energy.

"The Emperor has summoned Consort Shu to attend him."

Song Yunzhao frowned slightly. "When did this happen?"

"A quarter of an hour ago."

The news had spread throughout the palace in just a quarter of an hour. ’That was fast.’

Song Yunzhao did a quick mental calculation. The Emperor hadn’t visited the harem in half a month. She never expected the first one he summoned would be Consort Shu.

’Was she being too much of a slacker?’

Song Yunzhao’s expression tensed. She looked at Yulu and asked again, "Do you know why he summoned Consort Shu to attend him?"

Yulu shook her head.

"Go find Anshun. Tell him to look into it," Song Yunzhao said immediately.

Zhang Maoquan was keen on maintaining good relations with Wangyou Palace, so Anshun had been interacting with him more frequently. It should be possible to get a bit of information.

"Yes, I’ll go at once."

After Yulu left, Song Yunzhao tried her best to recall the plot of the book, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember a scene like this.

Before any news came back from Anshun, Han Jinyi arrived.

The two of them went into the inner hall to speak. Han Jinyi opened with, "Chancellor Lu was reprimanded by His Majesty."

Song Yunzhao was stunned for a moment, then it hit her. ’Isn’t Chancellor Lu Consort Shu’s father?’

"Reprimanded?"

Han Jinyi nodded and whispered, "Chancellor Lu wants to have my father’s ministry absorbed by the other Ministry of Justice. The Chief of Staff there is his man. And it was only the day before yesterday that someone impeached my father."

Song Yunzhao’s heart skipped a beat. ’That’s right,’ she thought. ’Han Jinyi’s father is the Minister of the Ministry of Justice.’

Her mind raced. Then she said, "Is this aimed at me?"

She was close with Han Jinyi. Since others couldn’t get to her directly for the time being, they were trying to cut off her closest allies. Han Jinyi was the first to bear the brunt of it.

"My father had a message sent to me; that’s how I found out. It’s not entirely aimed at you. My father and Chancellor Lu have always had political disagreements. Chancellor Lu is just using this as an excuse to make trouble," Han Jinyi said with a sneer.

Song Yunzhao’s expression darkened. She had a very bad feeling about this.

She had no news from the imperial court because she had no family members serving as officials.

Being so out of the loop was not a good thing for her.

Just like now. She only knew that the Emperor had summoned Consort Shu to attend him, but she had no idea why.

Right now, the harem was like a leaky sieve because there was no one the Emperor trusted to manage it. In the book, the harem was only brought to order in the middle-to-late stages, after the Emperor had secured his power in the court.

Chancellor Lu attacking the Minister of the Ministry of Justice—wasn’t that just an indirect warning to her?

How audacious!

How arrogant!

At that moment, Song Yunzhao felt a fraction of the Emperor’s frustration and helplessness. When you have no people and no power, and someone bullies you, you can’t even fight back.

"Yun Zhao, are you all right?" Han Jinyi asked, looking at Song Yunzhao with some concern. Her face was pale. ’I should have waited and told her more gently.’

Song Yunzhao shook her head and looked at Han Jinyi. "Have my uncle and father also been impeached?"

Her family hadn’t sent her any message.

Han Jinyi hesitated for a moment.

"Jinyi, tell me the truth."

Han Jinyi nodded slightly. "Actually, right after you first gained favor, there were people submitting memorials to impeach them. It wasn’t too serious for your father because of his post, but it was more severe for your uncle."

A heavy weight settled on Song Yunzhao’s heart. Her uncle was in charge of the salt administration, so naturally, many people had their eyes on him.

She had become a Noble Consort, and instead of bringing blessings to her family, she had brought them disaster. At this moment, her heart ached terribly.

Thinking of her father and her aunt, she felt she couldn’t face them.

Seeing Yun Zhao’s troubled expression, Han Jinyi said, "My father said that His Majesty has shelved all the impeachment memorials without acting on them. It shows that the Emperor still values you, so don’t worry."

Song Yunzhao nodded slightly. She had been living a leisurely life in the harem, unaware of how treacherous things were at court.

"Did Lord Han say anything about my uncle’s situation?" Song Yunzhao asked, looking at Han Jinyi.

Han Jinyi shook her head. "If you want to know, I can ask for you."

"Thank you, Jinyi."

"There’s no need to be so polite between us. I’ll head back for now. I’ll come tell you once I have news."