I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Even a Dog Barking Twice Is a Slight Against Song Yunzhao

’Oh, whatever. I might as well go. After all, I did stay at the East Courtyard for a few days last time.’

Song Yunzhao had no choice but to get up again and change into outdoor clothes, a dejected look on her face. ’All I want is to lie flat in comfort. Why is that so hard?’

She passed through several moon gates on her way to the East Courtyard and, to her surprise, ran into Song Jinxuan at the entrance. The two sisters froze for a moment upon seeing each other.

"Third Sister, are you here for tea as well?" Song Jinxuan spoke first.

Song Yunzhao found this even stranger. ’Song Yexi invited Song Jinxuan, too? But Song Jinxuan isn’t even participating in the selection. What is she up to?’

"Yes, I didn’t expect to run into you, Second Sister," Song Yunzhao replied with a smile, walking inside side-by-side with Song Jinxuan.

Seeing the surprise on Song Yunzhao’s face, Song Jinxuan knew that she, too, had been unaware that Song Yexi had invited the other. She lowered her voice and said, "Ms. Xi and Song Qinghan had a bit of a falling-out today."

’Something like that happened?’

Song Yunzhao hadn’t heard about this commotion before leaving her courtyard. She looked at Song Jinxuan and asked, "Second Sister, do you know what it was about?"

"They say it was over a bracelet."

’A bracelet?’

’What kind of bracelet could make those two fight?’

Song Yunzhao had a feeling that Song Yexi had invited them here precisely because of this bracelet.

When Bai Lu saw the two arrive, she immediately came out to greet them. "This servant greets you, Young Ladies."

Song Jinxuan, noticing that Song Yunzhao had no intention of speaking, said with a smile, "There’s no need for such formalities. Where is Ms. Xi? We’ve come for tea. Is it ready?"

A wide smile on her face, Bai Lu replied, "Our mistress had us servants prepare it long ago. Please, come in, Young Ladies."

Bai Lu personally lifted a curtain woven from fine bamboo threads. It was bordered with brocade the same color as the bamboo and embroidered with a fine, scrolling vine pattern, making it very elegant and beautiful.

The two entered, and Song Yexi came out to greet them at the sound of their arrival. She took each by the hand, led them into the main room to sit, and had a maid serve tea and refreshments.

The maids bustled back and forth. Song Yunzhao observed that Song Yexi’s expression didn’t look like that of someone who was upset after arguing over an object, which made her curious.

She sent her own maid, Jiangxiang, out to talk with Bai Lu and the others. Song Jinxuan’s maid, Shihu, glanced at her mistress and also withdrew.

"Ms. Xi, you didn’t call us over just for tea, did you?" Song Jinxuan’s mouth twitched as she looked at the imperturbable Song Yunzhao. ’I’ve finally realized it,’ she thought. ’Ever since I allied with her, this little sister has really been making full use of me. Now I have to be her vanguard.’

Song Yunzhao took a sip of her tea. It tasted pretty good, certainly better than the rationed tea Mrs. Cai allotted to her courtyard. Song Yunzhao never drank that stuff, giving it all to her maids instead. The tea she drank was all filched from her father’s side in the front courtyard.

’When your own mother acts so unreasonably, your own father has to pick up the slack.’

At these words, Song Yexi smiled. "Of course not. I have something to show you. You’ll understand once you see it."

Song Yunzhao finally lifted her eyes to look at Song Yexi. She watched as Song Yexi took a palm-sized brocade box from a curio shelf, placed it on the table, and opened it herself. "Take a look at this."

Song Yunzhao looked down, first frowning. It looked familiar, but for a moment she couldn’t recall where she had seen it before.

While she was still hesitating, she heard Song Jinxuan exclaim, "Isn’t this... isn’t this Grandmother’s bracelet?"

It dawned on Song Yunzhao. No wonder it looked familiar. It was just that their grandmother had passed away a long time ago, and she wasn’t very interested in such things, so she hadn’t immediately recognized it as one of her grandmother’s belongings.

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She looked at Song Yexi. "As I recall, there were two pairs of these bracelets in total. Grandmother gave one pair to First Aunt and one pair to my mother. Ms. Xi, this single bracelet... could it be that First Aunt gave it to you?"

"Exactly." Song Yexi nodded. "I wasn’t supposed to be so fortunate as to have Mother be willing to part with it. But who could help it, when Ms. Han was wearing one? I saw it and grew envious."

’Grew envious?’

’Envy alone could cause a scene?’

’Clearly, there was more to the story, but Song Yexi just wasn’t willing to say.’

Song Jinxuan’s expression was complicated. Her eyes darted, and then she said with a smile, "Something so fine would certainly make anyone who sees it fall in love with it. It’s just that I was born to a concubine, so I would never dare to dream of such things."

Song Yunzhao glanced at Song Jinxuan. ’So petty. Even now, she’s taking subtle jabs at me with her words.’

Song Jinxuan met Song Yunzhao’s gaze with a smile, her posture like that of a dead pig that doesn’t fear boiling water. This bracelet had a significant history. As the daughter of a concubine, she wouldn’t dare contend for it, but Song Yunzhao was the daughter of the legal wife. She couldn’t possibly not contend for it as well.

A pair of bracelets should mean one for each of the two sisters.

Seeing that Yun Zhao was completely unmoved, Song Yexi was amused. "I just knew Little Sister Zhao wouldn’t care about such worldly possessions. But with the selection so close, you should at least have one or two presentable pieces of jewelry, shouldn’t you?"