Chapter 459 - 237: An Emperor’s Heart, a Needle in the Ocean

Chapter 459: Chapter 237: An Emperor’s Heart, a Needle in the Ocean

Song Yunzhao happily agreed. ’What’s the point of living if not to be happy?’

If she were gloomy all the time whenever the Emperor visited, she’d scare anyone off. Who would want to see a sour, resentful face day in and day out? Besides, she wouldn’t like that herself.

Feng Yi listened as Yun Zhao chattered on, telling him about her chats with her sisters and Princess Ming’an. She spoke of which daughter-in-law in the Capital City was being worn down by her mother-in-law, which mother-in-law was too weak and was instead manipulated by her daughter-in-law, and which family’s son got a whipping for visiting the brothels...

Feng Yi: ...

’So this is what they talk about when they get together?’

Song Yunzhao saw the look on Feng Yi’s face and knew he wasn’t interested in these trivial matters. She smiled and said, "Is Your Majesty getting impatient with these topics?"

Feng Yi stiffened and immediately said, "Not at all. I’ve just never had anyone tell me these things before. It’s actually quite interesting to hear you talk about them."

Song Yunzhao thought, ’As if. The boredom is written all over your face.’ She huffed and continued, "We married women, why do we love hearing this kind of news? Do you think it’s really because we’re bored and have nothing better to do? That’s not it at all."

Upon hearing this from Yun Zhao, Feng Yi asked, "Then why is that?"

"It’s just as Your Majesty spars with the courtiers at court; we simply glean the information we need from the gossip about other families."

"Tell me more." Now Feng Yi was intrigued.

"Look at Marquis Guangxiang and his wife. They have a harmonious relationship, and his concubines are well-behaved. That’s why they could raise a son like the Heir of Marquis Guangxiang, who is open-minded and generous. Therefore, the Marquis Guangxiang Mansion is a family that countless young ladies in the Capital City want to marry into. Because the Marchioness is easy to get along with, and meeting a good mother-in-law is even rarer than marrying a good man."

Feng Yi frowned. ’What kind of nonsense is this?’

’On second thought,’ he mused, ’my own mother is quite the handful. Minus points.’

"Duke An Ding’s illegitimate son got a beating for visiting the brothels. From this, we can see that Duke An Ding doesn’t usually pay much mind to his illegitimate children, and Lady Ding’an doesn’t discipline them much either. However, the fact that he dared to frequent the brothels means he has money to spend. So, we can deduce that while Lady Ding’an may not actively manage her illegitimate stepson, she isn’t harsh with his allowance. And since Duke An Ding was willing to beat his son, it shows he hasn’t completely washed his hands of him. All things considered, a family like that is still passable."

As Feng Yi listened to Yun Zhao’s words and pictured Duke An Ding’s face, he instantly fell silent.

"Then there’s the Marquis Yongjia Mansion. Marchioness Yongjia sent Chu Yuying back to the Capital City because she was definitely worried that the last incident would implicate her own family. So she sent her daughter-in-law packing to let me vent my anger. This shows she puts her own interests first. You shouldn’t marry into a family like that unless you have absolutely no other choice."

As Feng Yi listened to Yun Zhao, he was dismissive at first, but after listening closely, he found that there was actually some truth to what she was saying.

He looked at Yun Zhao and asked, "Back when you were hoping to be rejected from the selection, was it because you also felt that entering the palace was a bad prospect?"

Song Yunzhao: ...

The fire was suddenly turned on her. It really caught her off guard.

Song Yunzhao immediately put on a stern face and said, "What is Your Majesty saying? What woman under heaven wouldn’t want to accompany the Emperor? It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but that I didn’t dare. With a personality like mine, I’d struggle to get by even in a normal household, to say nothing of the palace."

Feng Yi thought, ’You’re certainly self-aware. Your personality really isn’t what one would call good.’

"Before I entered the palace, my life was full of ups and downs, and I was truly unhappy. I even resented the heavens, wondering why I was so unlucky. It wasn’t until I entered the palace that I realized all the luck in my life was saved up just so I could meet you. Your Majesty, even though life has dealt me many hardships, being able to meet you, know you, and devote myself to you makes it all worthwhile."

’All the luck in my life was saved up just so I could meet you...’

Feng Yi was deeply shaken when he heard this. He suddenly felt that her words resonated with him.

Like Yun Zhao, he had also felt life was meaningless before meeting her.

Feng Yi gazed at Yun Zhao.

Song Yunzhao stared into the Emperor’s eyes, her heart pounding with unease. ’Did I overdo the flattery?’

’The look in the Emperor’s eyes seems a bit off.’

’I should have toned it down.’

However, she wasn’t entirely bluffing. At least eighty percent of what she said was true. After meeting Feng Yi, she had indeed begun to live a good life, borrowing the tiger’s might.

"Your Majesty, what’s wrong?"

"My dear concubine’s words have merit. We couldn’t agree more."

Song Yunzhao: ...

"Your Majesty, an urgent memorial has arrived from the Capital City. The Left Minister requests an audience."

Feng Yi stood up, looked at Yun Zhao’s wooden expression, and chuckled. "You get some rest. I’ll go take a look."

"This concubine respectfully sees Your Majesty off."

After sending the Emperor off, Song Yunzhao replayed the conversation in her mind. ’I don’t think I said anything wrong. So what did the Emperor mean?’

’Was he mocking me?’

’It didn’t seem like it.’

She thought it over and over but couldn’t figure it out. ’The Emperor’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea.’

’Forget it. I’m not going to think about it anymore.’

Song Yunzhao summoned Anshun and had him send a message to He Lan Yun, conveying her wish to meet Princess Fuke and arranging to see her at the foot of the mountain tomorrow.

Tonight, Princess Duanjing was holding a bonfire banquet and had even sent an invitation to Linlang. Fortunately, Song Yexi and He Lan Yun would be there to look after her, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

However, the Xie family were merchants. Princess Duanjing must have sent the invitation on Princess Fuke’s instruction. So what exactly did Princess Fuke mean by this?

’Merchants...’

A glint appeared in Song Yunzhao’s eyes. ’Could it be that Princess Fuke wants to go into business?’

Thinking of it this way, things started to make sense. Otherwise, why would a dignified Princess pay any mind to a mere merchant family?

Even though this merchant family had some connection to her, it wasn’t enough to make a Princess lower herself.

Princess Fuke and her Prince Consort had a harmonious marriage; she was even willing to leave the Capital City to live in his hometown. Now that the Prince Consort has passed away, Princess Fuke’s choice to return to the Capital must be for her children’s sake.

However, Song Yunzhao didn’t have much faith in royal love stories. She preferred to believe that when Princess Fuke and the Prince Consort went back to his hometown, it was partly because they had a good relationship, and partly to put the newly enthroned Emperor at ease.

Princess Fuke had been away from the Capital for many years. Moreover, she surely knew that the Emperor was currently cracking down on the court. If she wanted to do something without arousing the Emperor’s suspicion, then going into business was one possible path.

The Princess also has two sons. Now that they’re back in the Capital, they can’t just have empty titles; they’ll need proper posts.

The Emperor asking her to go was likely also a way to test Princess Fuke.

Tsk.

’This is so tiring.’

’I should just go to sleep.’

’Everything’s possible in dreams.’

Money is a wonderful thing. In the high-stakes game of power, while it might not be something discussed in polite company, what family could live a respectable life without Silver?

Among all the courtiers, which one of them doesn’t have their own shops and estates?

Money isn’t everything, but you can’t do anything without it.

’Wasn’t she, a favored concubine, also scheming to earn her own private savings?’

Early the next morning, Yun Zhao rose feeling refreshed. She had breakfast, but before she could finish her makeup and change her clothes, Meng Jiuchang ran over with a message: the Emperor wanted her to go ahead first.

’Looks like yesterday’s matter was quite troublesome.’ Song Yunzhao had Meng Jiuchang go back and report to the Emperor, then she told Zhang Maoquan to prepare for the trip.

Anshun was following Zhang Maoquan to learn from him. After all, when it came to putting on airs and displaying prestige, Zhang Maoquan knew far more than Anshun.

In any case, she was a favored concubine. She had to have the proper pomp and circumstance.