I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

Chapter 73: Chapter 46: You Sure Are Unlucky

Song Yexi felt unusually uncomfortable, her expression tense.

He Lan Yun, with her trouble-making nature, was quite at ease. When she heard someone mention her, she even turned to look, scaring the concubine candidate into silence, her face turning pale.

Song Yunzhao was even more fearless. She was here today to flaunt her power. After all, she was someone who had received His Majesty’s favor, so it was only reasonable for her to be a little arrogant and smug.

Lu Zhixue’s expression was anything but pleasant. She said to Qin Xiyue, "Some people have no backbone. The slightest thing goes to their head, and they forget who they are."

Qin Xiyue smiled helplessly. "Zhixue, Miss Song has always been free-spirited. Don’t say that."

Lu Zhixue huffed, her expression remaining sour.

Han Jinyi sat on the other side without a word, her eyes fixed on He Lan Yun’s face. She couldn’t help but feel that today’s He Lan Yun was much more pleasing to the eye, not as disagreeable as before.

Feng Yunjin, sitting next to Han Jinyi, said doubtfully, "Why do I feel that Princess Ming’an seems a bit gentler today than usual?"

’Is it just my imagination?’

As soon as Feng Yunjin said this, Lu Zhixue and Qin Xiyue’s gazes both fell upon He Lan Yun, their faces showing some surprise. It did seem to be the case.

She was the same person, but the impression she gave off had changed somehow.

Lu Zhixue frowned deeply, saying nothing.

Qin Xiyue’s expression was calm as she looked at Feng Yunjin and smiled. "Perhaps it’s because the princess’s clothes are of a softer color today."

He Lan Yun was wearing a light orange blouse and skirt today. She was saying something to Song Yunzhao, and a faint ray of sunlight streamed through the window, landing on her face. Her eyes suddenly curved into crescents, and her smile seemed to take on the warmth of the sun.

Qin Xiyue averted her gaze. ’I don’t understand. Outside the palace, Song Yunzhao and He Lan Yun had a falling out. How is it that after entering the palace, the two of them have grown closer and closer?’

’Outside the palace, Song Yunzhao refused to be outdone by He Lan Yun, and He Lan Yun was incredibly arrogant. Logically, they shouldn’t be the type to get along.’

Qin Xiyue lowered her eyes slightly. ’Entering the palace for the selection was not my wish; it was a family arrangement I couldn’t refuse. But since I’m here, I have no intention of being a loser.’

At this thought, her resolve hardened. ’So what if Song Yunzhao and He Lan Yun have teamed up? My destiny is different from theirs.’

’He Lan Yun is only participating in the selection out of spite. Her family has other plans for her; she definitely won’t be chosen.’

’As for Song Yunzhao...’

’Her family background is low, so she’s no threat to me. For the sake of the help she gave me outside the palace, I won’t do anything to her. But if she insists on competing with me, I won’t back down.’

’I carry my family’s expectations. I cannot retreat.’

Thinking of Ji Yunting again, a shadow passed through Qin Xiyue’s eyes.

’If, if only he had said a single word asking me to stay before the selection, I would have begged my family. But he didn’t...’

Qin Xiyue saw the Housekeepers enter and quickly reined in her thoughts, rising to greet them along with the others.

Learning etiquette was an exhausting affair. There were standards for walking, sitting, and standing. For instance, when standing, one had to be perfectly still, unswaying, with eyes fixed forward.

’It’s comparable to military training in my past life,’ Song Yunzhao thought, finding it very arduous. ’After all, I’ve been transmigrated for over a decade. Why do I have to suffer through military training twice?’

Standing was manageable; everyone could endure it. But when it came to walking, things got a little more difficult.

A palace maid had placed a step-shaker hairpin on each girl’s head and tied a jinyin to her waist. If one’s pace quickened or the upper body swayed even slightly, the step-shaker would fly about wildly, and the jinyin would make a tinkling sound.

Song Yunzhao was miserable. Summoning the perseverance from her military training, she thought, ’I can take this.’

The bright sun beat down from directly overhead, and beads of sweat trickled down their cheeks. A Housekeeper walked among the crowd, her scolding voice echoing incessantly.

"Straighten your backs! Heads up! No looking down."

"The length of every step must be identical. Not a bit more, not a bit less."

"Your step-shaker is about to fly off to the heavens! Straighten your shoulders and back, and stop swaying!"

In less than an hour, a long, spectacular line of people being punished had formed against the wall.

Song Yunzhao knew that standing against the wall was no joke. Just fifteen minutes of it would make one’s legs tremble uncontrollably.

Murmurs of discontent began to rise from the crowd, but no one dared to make a loud scene. Everyone just gritted their teeth and persevered.

This was when the differences in family background became apparent. A well-bred lady from a good family like Qin Xiyue had been learning these rules since she was a child, so this training wasn’t as difficult for her. She looked much more at ease than the others.

Those from less prominent families had never had the chance to learn such etiquette, so they naturally found the training much more painful. Song Yunzhao could even hear more than one stifled sob.

Her gaze swept over to Song Qinghan. She saw her face was flushed, but she was still holding on. Although she looked like she was at her limit, she hadn’t given up, and she hadn’t been punished yet. ’As expected of the number three supporting female character who gets chosen in the book.’

Just as her mind wandered, Song Yunzhao suddenly felt a gust of wind rush toward her. She was violently shoved, causing her to stagger a few steps before falling to the ground. A searing pain shot through her knee.

She whipped her head around and saw a timid-looking girl on the verge of tears, stammering, "It wasn’t me... I didn’t mean to. Someone pushed me..."

Song Yunzhao’s eyes scanned the area around the girl. The figures were backlit, so she couldn’t see their faces clearly. But judging by how the girl looked frightened enough to faint, it probably wasn’t her.

’Someone must have deliberately pushed that girl to make her bump into me.’

Song Yunzhao had been wanting to get out of standing there for a while. In an instant, her eyes reddened, and she said to the approaching Housekeeper, "Housekeeper, my leg... I can’t move my leg! It hurts so much..." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

It was the same Housekeeper from yesterday. She was startled to hear this. This was the young lady Chief Steward Zhang had asked about. She hurried forward and knelt, lifting Song Yunzhao’s skirt. She saw a patch of blood on the knee of her trousers, which looked quite alarming.

"Housekeeper, you must seek justice for me! The girl who bumped into me said someone pushed her first. This was clearly done on purpose! I beg you, Housekeeper, to find out the truth and give me justice."

Song Yunzhao hadn’t forgotten the persona she was supposed to maintain today, so she naturally latched onto the issue and wouldn’t let go. Besides, if she let it slide this time, the person who acted in secret would think she was an easy target and would surely try to harm her again.

The Housekeeper had a massive headache. She looked at Song Yunzhao and said, "Miss Song, you should go back and treat your injury first. It would be terrible if it left a scar. As for what happened today, so many people were watching. I will naturally investigate this matter thoroughly."

Song Yunzhao was about to get up, but to her surprise, the Housekeeper had people bring a soft sedan chair, and she was carried back.

’This Housekeeper knows how to get things done,’ Song Yunzhao thought, giving her a good review. ’She’s worthy of her position.’

As she passed by He Lan Yun, she heard her say, "You’re really unlucky." frёewebηovel.cѳm

Song Yunzhao was also confused. ’The female lead is right here, so how did the script go so far off track? Why am I the one suffering all the disasters and calamities?’

’This shouldn’t be happening.’

Thinking of this, she suddenly froze. ’That’s right! In the book, wasn’t the female lead the one who got pushed down?’

’But now, it was me instead?’

’This... Did something happen that I don’t know about?’