I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 187: Chapter 78: The Emperor Wants to Settle Old Accounts

"I was too young to fight back then, so those years were truly difficult. Your Majesty probably can’t imagine it. I had both parents and siblings, yet my life was nothing short of hell."

Feng Yi deeply empathized when he heard this, because he had gone through the same thing.

"And then? What did you do?" Feng Yi had only ordered an investigation into Song Yunzhao’s recent years. The events of her childhood were difficult to look into, so he hadn’t.

"No one in my family celebrated my birthday. My sister did, and so did my brother, but I never did. When I was five, my wet nurse took my monthly allowance. I wanted to buy a nice treat for myself but had no money. I didn’t want to keep starving and being bullied, so on my birthday, I deliberately sent my maid to invite my father for a meal. Your Majesty can imagine what happened next, can’t you?"

Feng Yi looked at Yun Zhao. "Your monthly allowance was gone, and no one in the household was celebrating your birthday. So when your father arrived, he discovered the truth?"

"Your Majesty is wise. The wet nurse knew my mother despised me and paid no attention to anything concerning me, so she completely disregarded me. When my father arrived that day, the table was set with only a bowl of cold rice and a dish of vegetables. There wasn’t even a bowl of longevity noodles. My father held me and cried. That was when I realized there was at least one person in my family who genuinely cared for me."

"And then?"

"After that, my father sold off the entire family of the wet nurse who was supposed to be looking after me. He also had a huge fight with my mother. It was from that moment that I learned a lesson: if you’re being wronged, you have to speak up. If you don’t say anything, how will anyone know?"

Feng Yi looked at Song Yunzhao, feeling a pang of envy. He was just like her—an unloved child. But at least Song Yunzhao had a father who truly doted on her. As for him? ’There was no one I could count on. I had to struggle to survive in this palace all by myself.’

Song Yunzhao watched the Emperor’s expression closely. Seeing how moved he was, she knew she had done the right thing.

’To heal someone else’s wound, you just have to tear open your own for them to see.’

’It’s a cruel saying, but it’s very effective.’

Seeing the look in the Emperor’s eyes gradually soften, she knew she hadn’t made a mistake.

"Your Majesty doesn’t seem to be in good spirits. Is something troubling you?" Song Yunzhao asked tentatively. She had been in the palace for a long time, but the Emperor had never once mentioned matters of the court to her. ’I can’t just remain deaf and blind to everything,’ she thought. So today, she decided to dip a toe in the water.

"What, you think you can solve my problems for me?" Feng Yi was amused, his eyes glinting with playful mockery as he looked at Song Yunzhao.

"Well, why don’t you tell me what it is? Perhaps I really do have a solution," Song Yunzhao said, as if challenging him.

Feng Yi didn’t take her words seriously, but perhaps it was the pleasant atmosphere of the evening, or a sense of mutual sympathy between fellow sufferers. For whatever reason, he found himself opening up. "Since the start of summer, the flood season has arrived in the south. I’ve already received several reports of dikes being breached. I’m currently troubled by the matter of disaster relief. Does my dear concubine have any good ideas?"

Song Yunzhao was speechless.

’I’m out!’

’The Emperor is too much! He started with his ultimate move. How is anyone supposed to respond to that?’

Seeing Song Yunzhao’s brow furrowed in concentration, Feng Yi chuckled. ’That’s what you get for talking big. Backfired on you, didn’t it?’

But Song Yunzhao didn’t want to miss this opportunity. After a moment’s thought, she said, "I don’t know much about these matters, but I do know that managing rivers is no simple task."

"’You don’t know much?’ That implies you know something. Go on, let’s hear it," Feng Yi pressed, deliberately goading her.

Song Yunzhao snorted inwardly. ’He took the bait.’ She began slowly, "I don’t know how to control floods, but I do know that resettling the victims afterward is also no simple task."

Hearing Yun Zhao’s words, Feng Yi took the cue and asked, "You know about such things?"

"I heard my father mention it a few times. Your Majesty, my father served as a county magistrate for ten years. These kinds of disasters occurred in the regions where he served, and I saw the elders of my family help with resettling the victims, so I know a little about it."

"The elders of your family?" Feng Yi asked, intrigued.

"Yes," Song Yunzhao nodded. "When my father was away managing disaster relief, the women of our household couldn’t remain idle. We had to help him raise funds for grain and provisions, to ensure the victims wouldn’t be without food or clothing. We had to appeal to the local gentry and wealthy families, asking them to pull together in the face of disaster—to contribute money if they could, or lend their strength."

This was no lie on Song Yunzhao’s part; such things had indeed happened.

Feng Yi listened, lost in thought. None of his courtiers had ever told him that resettling disaster victims involved contributions from the local gentry and wealthy families. He had always assumed the court’s relief funds covered everything.

This raised a question. If local people were also providing aid, then where did the Silver allocated by the court ultimately end up?

’Thinking about it, wouldn’t that mean the disaster relief officials were double-dipping?’

Feng Yi’s expression turned grim. He looked at Yun Zhao and asked, "Would the local gentry and wealthy families really be willing to part with their Silver? Once that money is given, it’s gone for good."

Song Yunzhao feigned surprise. "Your Majesty, why wouldn’t they be willing? It’s their homeland; they have deep ties to the land. Besides, it’s an opportunity to build their reputation, which is a good thing for their families." She paused. "I remember my father mentioning that in some places, they would even request a decree to grant tax exemptions to families that contributed. However, some local officials wouldn’t pass this benefit on to the gentry, pocketing it for themselves instead. If the officials don’t say anything, the gentry would never know. I’m not too clear on the specific details, though."

Feng Yi’s expression grew even darker. This year, the court officials hadn’t even left the capital to distribute relief, yet they had already submitted memorials asking him to grant tax exemptions for the local gentry who would participate. In past years, he had always approved such requests. How could he not be shocked to learn the truth of the matter from Song Yunzhao?

"My dear, are you certain of this?"

’It couldn’t be more true,’ Song Yunzhao thought. She nodded and said, "I would never dare to deceive Your Majesty."

"You said your father took part in disaster relief efforts?"

Song Yunzhao recalled that this had indeed happened. "I heard my father mention it," she said. "But he rarely spoke of official business at home. That particular time, the disaster was so severe that my eldest aunt and my mother were running all over to help the victims. That’s the only reason news of it reached the inner courtyards."

Song Yunzhao didn’t want to bring up Mrs. Cai, but her mother had indeed helped out back then. It was a fact that could be easily verified by an investigation, so she couldn’t omit it.

Feng Yi seemed lost in thought. He then stood up and said, "My dear, you should get some rest. I must return to Taiji Palace to attend to some matters."

Song Yunzhao was confused.

Nevertheless, she rose at once. "I will see Your Majesty off."

Watching the Emperor’s rapidly retreating back, Song Yunzhao carefully went over everything she had said. ’There were no holes in my story.’ Only then did she begin to relax.

But clearly, she had relaxed too soon.

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