I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 54: Chapter 42: A Spectator Loves a Big Scene

Song Yunzhao’s feet had a mind of their own. Before her brain could react, she had already pushed the door open, slipped inside, and shut it behind her.

She stood at the door with a wooden expression, then took a deep breath. ’This is definitely post-traumatic stress disorder.’

First, she surveyed the room she would be living in for the next month. Against one wall was a carved bed with light-colored curtains embroidered with a folded-flower pattern. Against the other wall stood a wardrobe and a dressing table, its surface empty. Besides that, there were only two chairs, a small tea table, and a washstand holding a copper basin.

Of course, a room like this wasn’t as comfortable as her own back home, but it had all the necessities. She was adaptable—able to enjoy wealth but also endure hardship.

Thankfully, the room was clean. A three-legged bronze incense burner sat on the windowsill, wisps of white smoke curling up from it. The fragrance was pleasant. ’It’s not bad that they even provide incense.’

She took out her bundle and began arranging her belongings. It only weighed four jin, so there wasn’t much.

Two sets of clothes took up most of the space. The rest consisted of various medicinal pills and powders she had prepared, which she carefully put away. There was also a stack of silver notes, which she tucked into a special inner pocket she had sewn into her innermost garment.

The stack of silver notes was substantial. The largest portion was the two thousand taels Xie Linlang had given her for bringing her to Shangjing. Later, after she wrote a few more storybooks, Linlang had topped up her writer’s fee. She had also prepared a box of gold and silver ingots for tipping. Besides that was her own savings from over the years. Her monthly allowance had been small and her expenses large, so she could never save much from it.

Her main savings actually came from supplements her father gave her, which had added up to one or two hundred taels. Plus, for this selection, her father, feeling guilty about Mrs. Cai, had given her another one thousand taels. She was practically a wealthy young woman now.

She put the silver notes away safely, placing only the box of gold and silver ingots in the dressing table drawer. The rest of her belongings were a few pieces of jewelry. There weren’t many since there was a weight limit. She had chosen pieces that were pretty and light, but not so flashy as to outshine others.

’Anyway, I’m just here to go through the motions. I can’t get eliminated too early, but I can’t actually be chosen for the palace either. It’s a fine line to walk.’

Once everything was put away, she sat down on a chair to catch her breath. Only then did she have a moment to ponder the question of why she was living across from the female protagonist.

In the book, she was just cannon fodder who appeared briefly at the beginning. Her main rival wasn’t the female protagonist but Song Qinghan. So, after entering the selection, her assigned room was supposed to be very close to Song Qinghan’s, with no mention of any connection to the protagonist.

But now, something had changed.

This change reminded her of how her body had felt the moment she had completely broken with Mrs. Cai. ’So, is this change because of that?’

’By escaping Mrs. Cai’s control and manipulation, I broke free from the original character’s fated path. That’s why things are starting to deviate, like this situation right now.’

Thinking of this, she felt she needed to verify it.

She immediately opened the door and went to find Song Yexi.

The hazy night concealed her figure as she walked. Palace lanterns cast a faint glow. Hurrying along, she soon arrived before Room Qiu 18 and raised her hand to knock.

"Who is it?"

Song Yexi’s voice came from inside the room.

"It’s me."

The door opened quickly. Song Yexi invited Song Yunzhao in and shut the door behind her before asking, "What brings you here? Have you finished unpacking?"

Song Yunzhao nodded. "I didn’t have much to unpack."

Song Yexi felt like she’d just been hit by a stray bullet. She hadn’t even finished unpacking yet.

Song Yunzhao couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the bundle spread out on the bed. Song Yexi threw her hands up in surrender. "Go on, laugh." She wasn’t angry, though, and asked, "Coming over so soon, is something wrong? Or did someone bully you?"

"Who would bully me?" Song Yunzhao laughed. "I just wanted to ask if you know where Song Qinghan is staying."

Song Yexi gave her a complicated look and glanced toward the room opposite her own.

Song Yunzhao was speechless.

In the book, Song Yexi hadn’t participated in the selection; Song Jinxuan had. And Song Jinxuan had also lived across from Song Qinghan. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

’So, this means that while plot points related to me might change, the plot points concerning others won’t necessarily be altered.’

Thinking of this, she looked at Song Yexi and warned her, "Ms. Xi, you need to be careful. Try not to be alone with Song Qinghan. If anything happens, come find me. We’ll stick together."