Chapter 414 - 192: Song Yunzhao Has a Bad Feeling

Chapter 414: Chapter 192: Song Yunzhao Has a Bad Feeling

Princess Consort Zhuang’s expression changed instantly. "Have you found out for sure?"

"Yes. I spent a bit of silver to get the news from a Palace Attendant in Shouci Palace. Before Lady Shufei and Lady Wanfei went to the rear hall, Qin Wan Yi was not in the front hall. It was only after the bad news came from the rear hall that I finally spotted her. Thinking back on it now, her expression was indeed quite unpleasant. At the time, I just assumed she was upset about what happened in the rear hall, so I didn’t think much of it." Rouge’s expression was just as grim. ’Who would have thought? If Qin Wan Yi was going to join forces with Your Ladyship, she shouldn’t be pulling tricks behind our backs.’

"Were you able to find out where she went?" Princess Consort Zhuang asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.

"All I know is that Qin Wan Yi said she was going to change her clothes. But I asked the Palace Attendant on duty in the dressing room, and they never saw her," Rouge said.

Princess Consort Zhuang’s gaze darkened. "She said she was going to change, yet she was nowhere to be seen in the dressing room. Where do you suppose she went?"

"A little palace maid from Shouci Palace who does sweeping and cleaning in the rear hall said she saw a figure from behind that resembled Qin Wan Yi. But because she was quite far away and didn’t get a clear look, she couldn’t be certain."

Princess Consort Zhuang sneered. "What does she mean, she couldn’t be certain? She just doesn’t want to get herself into trouble. If that’s what she said, then it was definitely her. I was wondering how our plan for the rear hall could have gone so wrong. It turns out we had a mole!"

"Your Ladyship, do you mean Qin Wan Yi joined forces with Consort Shu?" Rouge asked through gritted teeth.

Princess Consort Zhuang couldn’t be sure either. Her gaze grew distant and mocking. "Whether they have or not... we’ll know by looking at the final result."

The final result was that An Shutong was sent out of the palace, unable to remain.

An Shutong was the Empress Dowager’s own niece. If she had remained in the palace, with the Empress Dowager’s support, she would have certainly received the Emperor’s favor. When that happened, with Song Zhaoyi already ahead and An Shutong on the rise, it would have been even harder for Qin Wan Yi and the others to stand out.

At this thought, Rouge drew in a sharp breath. "If that’s the case, then why did Qin Wan Yi agree to join forces with you?"

"She wants the benefits without offending me. What a beautiful dream she’s having." Princess Consort Zhuang was truly furious this time. She had never considered herself a purely good person, but someone like Qin Xiyue still filled her with disgust and revulsion.

"Your Ladyship, what do we do?" Rouge couldn’t swallow her anger. They couldn’t just let this slight go unanswered.

Princess Consort Zhuang had been having a run of bad luck lately. All her recent schemes had failed, one after another, which gave her a bad premonition.

"The Empress Dowager has returned, and it’s very likely the court will leave the Capital for the summer retreat this year." Princess Consort Zhuang chuckled lightly. "An Shutong suffered a huge setback. The Empress Dowager had no choice but to send her away to protect her. She will definitely use the trip to the traveling palace as an opportunity to bring her along."

"You mean we should leak this information to Miss An?" Rouge’s eyes lit up. ’That’s a great idea. Let Qin Wan Yi and An Shutong tear each other to pieces.’

Princess Consort Zhuang nodded. "You go do it. It’s imperative that An Shutong doesn’t find out who the information came from."

"Rest assured, Your Ladyship. I will handle it perfectly," Rouge said with a smile.

***

The summer retreat was still some days away, and Song Yunzhao wasn’t the least bit anxious. There were so many concubines in the harem with their own schemes; she could just sit back and watch the drama unfold.

Five or six days passed in the blink of an eye. One day, Anshun brought a letter from the First Madam.

Tucked inside the First Madam’s letter was another one from Xie Linlang. She opened Xie Linlang’s letter first, and to her surprise, a silver note fell out. She glanced at it casually. ’Whoa, 1,500 taels of silver? That’s a lot.’

She placed the silver note on the table and picked up Xie Linlang’s letter. From it, she learned that Xie Jinshu had sold the design blueprints for the Futu suspension system to the largest carriage company in the Capital.

Song Yunzhao was speechless.

’What a talent. How did I not think of that?’

The Xie family didn’t build carriages, so even with the blueprints, they wouldn’t go through the trouble and expense of opening their own workshop. It was far better to sell them directly to an established company.

The letter added that the carriage company had offered 600 taels, but Xie Jinshu had negotiated the price up to 800 taels. The price was lower than Yun Zhao had expected, but on second thought, it made sense. Everyone was already accustomed to carriages without suspension. A carriage with the new system would certainly be more expensive, and the market’s reaction might not be very enthusiastic.

The company was being cautious, so a price of 800 taels was fair and reasonable.

The rest of the silver was from the profits of Yun Zhao’s play scripts. Several new theater troupes had opened in the Capital this year, so profits had inevitably declined. Xie Jinshu was already working on a plan, and things might improve in the second half of the year.

Song Yunzhao wasn’t surprised. It was human nature to follow a trend. Yuquan Building’s troupe was so successful that it was bound to attract envy. It was only natural that others would see the profits and want to open their own troupes.

However, although Xie Linlang hadn’t mentioned it in her letter, Yun Zhao could guess that Yuquan Building must be facing trouble as well. But since Linlang didn’t bring it up, it meant the Xie family could still handle the situation on their own.

After finishing Xie Linlang’s letter, she read the one from the First Madam. This time, the First Madam’s letter was quite simple, briefly updating her on the family’s situation and telling her not to worry, as everything was fine. She also mentioned that the First Master was able to extricate himself from his troubles so easily entirely because the Emperor had dispatched men to investigate, and that this was all thanks to Yun Zhao’s influence.

Yun Zhao smiled. ’My aunt must be saying this to stop me from feeling guilty.’

The First Madam also wrote that her husband was planning to arrange a transfer. The Salt Commissioner’s Office was a place fraught with conflict, and she feared he wouldn’t know a day of peace if he stayed there any longer.

Song Yunzhao knew it wasn’t that her uncle didn’t want to stay, but that he simply couldn’t anymore.

It was all because of her, the Emperor’s favored concubine. Her family’s every move was being watched. She had risen too far, too fast, and neither her uncle nor her father could keep up. They had no choice but to find a different path.

Song Yunzhao was silent for a long moment. She knew that since her uncle had made this decision, he must have his own plans. Leaving the Salt Commissioner’s Office behind wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

After reading the letters, Yun Zhao was not in a good mood. Just then, she faintly heard a commotion from outside. She put the letters away and looked at Xiangxue. "What’s going on out there? Why is it so noisy?"

Xiangxue’s expression was momentarily awkward. She answered cautiously, "My Lady, they are holding a banquet at Roufu Palace. There are many people coming and going, so the noise must have disturbed you."

Song Yunzhao was taken aback. ’Who?’

’Princess Consort Wan is hosting a banquet?’

Now that was a rare occurrence. She looked at Xiangxue curiously. "Lady Wanfei is hosting a banquet? How is it that I’ve heard nothing about it?"

"Hasn’t Lady Wanfei been plagued by illness? She’s much better now, so Mrs. Yao came to the palace to visit her. The matter only received the Empress Dowager’s approval this morning. I only heard the news after Mrs. Yao had already arrived."

Song Yunzhao was baffled.

Everything was so rushed. Song Yunzhao had a bad feeling about this. She looked at Xiangxue and asked, "If Mrs. Yao is just visiting her daughter, how did it turn into Roufu Palace hosting a grand banquet?"

’Mrs. Yao’s visit alone wouldn’t cause such a huge commotion.’