I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 60: Chapter 43: The Turtle Preaches, I Won’t Listen, I Won’t Listen

The teaching matron returned the courtesy, offered some meaningless pleasantries, and then announced the day’s objective: a test of their needlework. frёeωebɳovel.com

Palace maids soon came forward to distribute needles, thread, and embroidery frames, and the vast Qiushui Pavilion suddenly felt much more crowded.

Song Yunzhao silently stared at the needle and thread. ’Her needlework was actually better than it had been in her past life, but she’d never practiced it with any real dedication, so it was merely so-so.’

Song Yexi, seeing Song Yunzhao’s expression, smiled and said, "All that slacking off back at the residence... I bet you’re regretting it now, aren’t you?"

Song Yunzhao retorted stubbornly, "If I actually get serious, I can still manage something decent-looking."

Song Yexi didn’t call her bluff. ’To stand out among the concubine candidates, simply being ’decent-looking’ wouldn’t be nearly enough.’

Song Yunzhao took the small, round embroidery hoop, carefully stretched the fabric taut, and began to consider what she should embroider.

Watching her, Song Yexi shook her head. "Do you need my help?"

Song Yunzhao shook her head. "No, I’ll be fine."

’Aiming not for excellence but just to avoid making a mistake—that, she could manage.’

’As long as she didn’t finish last, she would pass.’

The matron had given them three hours. It was impossible to embroider a large piece in that time, so they could only make something small. Song Yunzhao quickly came up with an idea.

She threaded her needle, separated the silk floss, and lowered her head, her fingers beginning to fly.

’In this competition, the novel’s protagonist and Lu Zhixue were destined to steal the show. The protagonist would create a piece of Double-sided Embroidery that would outshine everyone else. Lu Zhixue would be no less impressive, showcasing a rare Su-style embroidery technique rumored to be on the verge of extinction. The two of them were set to be the dazzling twin stars of the event.’

’Under these circumstances, it was pure fantasy for Song Yunzhao to think she could stand out. It was far better to just phone it in, aim for mediocrity, and scrape by.’

The only sounds in the pavilion were the wind blowing across the lake and the soft pull of silk thread through fabric.

After outlining the general shape of her design, Song Yunzhao set down her work and flexed her wrist. ’This is actually pretty tiring. It’s been a long time since I’ve done needlework for this long.’

She gazed out across the lake, where she could faintly make out the silhouette of a distant mountain. It wasn’t very tall and had the auspicious name of Longevity Mountain. The Buddha Fragrance Pavilion was built upon it.

’The only reason she remembered the place was because that was where Song Qinghan had framed this body’s original owner.’

Suddenly, she felt a gaze fixed upon her. Song Yunzhao turned her head and met the large, expressionless eyes of He Lan Yun.

The corner of her mouth twitched. ’Ah, right. This one’s about the same as me—her needlework is just as mediocre.’

She expressionlessly pulled her gaze away and looked back down at her stitching.

As the sun moved from east to west, Song Yunzhao began to feel hungry, but no one had mentioned anything about a meal.

She quickened her pace and soon put in the final stitches. Looking at her little masterpiece, she was quite satisfied.

Song Yexi looked at Yun Zhao in surprise and whispered, "You’re finished?"

Song Yunzhao nodded.

Song Yexi craned her neck to get a look, and then... she was speechless.

Song Yunzhao kept a smile on her face.

Song Yexi, not knowing what to say, could only turn back to her own embroidery.

Song Yunzhao had been forced to go hungry yesterday, and she had no intention of repeating the experience today. She immediately stood up and said respectfully, "Matron, I have finished. May I submit my work?"

Everyone in Qiushui Pavilion looked up at her in unison, but Song Yunzhao remained perfectly composed.

The steward matron was obviously surprised that a concubine candidate would voluntarily stand up to submit her work early. However, there was no rule against it, so she had a little palace maid retrieve the piece. Then she said to Song Yunzhao, "Young lady, you may leave."

Song Yunzhao nodded eagerly and said to Song Yexi, "Ms. Xi, I’ll be heading out first."

Song Yexi, still worried, cautioned her, "Don’t wander off. Go straight back."

Song Yunzhao gave a quick "Okay!" and happily scampered off.

’Go straight back? Impossible. First, it was time to eat.’

When He Lan Yun saw Song Yunzhao leave, her own hands began to move a little faster. ’Why didn’t anyone tell me we could turn it in early?’

’If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been dawdling all this time!’ freewebnσvel.cѳm

Once out of Qiushui Pavilion, Song Yunzhao stopped a palace maid who had a friendly smile and looked approachable. "Excuse me," she asked, "could you please tell me where we can eat?"

The palace maid quickly stopped and curtsied. Hearing the question, she couldn’t help but smile. "Young lady, if you pass through here, you will find the Small Flower Hall. Meals are served there."

"Thank you." After saying her thanks, Song Yunzhao set off at once. ’The book never mentioned meals, but I figured the palace wouldn’t just let us starve. And sure enough, there’s a place to eat.’

’Nothing is more important than eating.’

She made her way through and, just as directed, saw a flower hall. It didn’t look small at all, however. ’Maybe "small" by palace standards is different from what I imagined.’