Chapter 528 - 306: What a Divine Plot

Chapter 528: Chapter 306: What a Divine Plot

The Emperor’s procession was still outside the palace gates, but Song Yunzhao had already seen the Emperor. He was dressed in plain clothes, looking travel-worn.

Song Yunzhao had just finished her makeup and changed into her Zhaoyi formal attire. She was waiting for word from Consort Shu to go and welcome the Emperor’s procession at the palace gates, but she never expected to see Feng Yi right here.

’I must be seeing things.’

She stared at the man in the doorway without blinking. She hadn’t seen him in over two months. Feng Yi was tanned dark, and the aura about him had changed significantly. For a moment, he seemed like a stranger.

Feng Yi was also taken aback when he saw Yun Zhao. Other women became plump and fair after giving birth, but not only had Yun Zhao not gained weight, she seemed even thinner than before.

A reminder from Nanny Yu brought Song Yunzhao back to her senses. She curtsied to greet him, but before she could speak, she was pulled into a tight embrace.

Song Yunzhao’s first thought was of the clothes she had just changed into. ’I still have to welcome the procession later!’

As soon as the thought arose, she felt a pang of guilt. Pressing her cheek against Feng Yi’s chest and listening to his familiar heartbeat, she belatedly wrapped her arms around his waist.

’Did giving birth make her silly?’ Feng Yi wondered.

People have a certain aura about them. No matter how familiar or close two people are, if they haven’t seen each other for a long time and a lot has happened in between, there’s bound to be a sense of unfamiliarity.

Song Yunzhao had been locking horns with the Empress Dowager recently. How could she have had time to think about Feng Yi? So of course he seemed like a stranger to her now.

She suddenly realized that she had been so tormented by the Empress Dowager that she hadn’t thought about Feng Yi in a very long time.

Only when one’s life is comfortable and free of worry is there leisure for romantic trifles. When she was in the midst of a battle, her only thought was how to protect herself and her child. How could she have spared a thought for such things?

But now Feng Yi was back. His imperial procession was still outside the city, yet he had secretly appeared before her.

She didn’t even have to think to know that Feng Yi must have snuck back to see her first. At that thought, the flicker of unfamiliarity vanished in an instant.

Feng Yi was still the same Feng Yi.

"You’re finally back. If you hadn’t returned soon, the Empress Dowager would have bullied me to death."

Listening to this very familiar-sounding complaint, Feng Yi actually found it nostalgic.

He would rather have Yun Zhao air her grievances to him than see her look at him with that slightly unfamiliar gaze from just a moment ago.

He knew he hadn’t been by her side when she went through a near-death experience giving birth. He knew what the Empress Dowager had done. He knew she had been wronged.

"It’s my fault. I came back too late. You’ve suffered."

Song Yunzhao had only intended to cry strategically for a bit, but once she started, she couldn’t stop. She truly felt wronged. As a mere Zhaoyi, she had been forced to stand against the Empress Dowager with no real confidence.

Thankfully, she had Consort Shu by her side to bolster her courage and take the lead, and she was borrowing the authority of Zhang Maoquan and Meng Jiuchang to bluff her way through. It was a good thing the Empress Dowager hadn’t dared to completely tear off the mask and eliminate her. Otherwise, it was doubtful she would have survived to see the Emperor’s return.

"If you’d come back any later, I was afraid I wouldn’t have been able to hold on until I saw you." Song Yunzhao was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, her words broken and intermittent. The gasps mixed with her cries were painful to hear.

"I know." Feng Yi held her even tighter. This was why he had traveled through the night to rush back.

He didn’t tell Yun Zhao that the reason for his delay was that while inspecting the final section of the river dike, it had suddenly collapsed. He had been on the dike at that moment and was instantly swept away by the current.

Xu Sixi had desperately held onto him, nearly losing his own life in the process. Fortunately, the guards caught up to them quickly, but he still fell ill after being submerged in the water, which delayed his return to the Capital City.

Furthermore, with the sudden collapse of the dike, there were many follow-up matters to attend to. No matter how worried Feng Yi was about Yun Zhao, he couldn’t just abandon the common people.

He just hadn’t expected the Empress Dowager to be so outrageous.

Fortunately, Yun Zhao knew how to bluff by borrowing the might of others.

Song Yunzhao was terrified after hearing Feng Yi’s words and hurriedly looked him up and down. Feng Yi grasped her hand. "I’m fine now."

Song Yunzhao hadn’t expected that while she was facing turmoil in the Capital City, Feng Yi had also encountered danger.

’Could it be that the book’s plot created this storyline just to eliminate a BUG like me? Keep the male lead from returning to the Capital City, have me face a near-death experience during childbirth, and once an unstable element like me is gone, the female lead can return to her original position?’

Song Yunzhao was furious. ’This book’s world is insane!’

Feng Yi glanced at the time and turned to Yun Zhao. "I have to leave the palace now."

Song Yunzhao couldn’t help but smile. "Then why bother making this trip first? It would have been the same to meet after you officially entered the palace."

"How could that be the same?" Feng Yi reached out and pinched Yun Zhao’s cheek. "The one who sees you after returning to the Capital City is the Emperor. The one seeing you now is just Feng Yi."

Song Yunzhao clutched her chest. ’He’s too good with sweet words!’

’I love it!’

Song Yunzhao threw herself at him in an embrace and gave him a firm kiss on the lips before saying, "You should go now. If you don’t, I won’t want to let you leave."

Feng Yi: ...

’So should I go or not?’

Song Yunzhao laughingly pushed him toward the door. "Hurry up and go. I have to fix my makeup and clothes."

’All he knows is how to make trouble for me.’

Feng Yi glanced at Yun Zhao’s clothes and rubbed his nose. She only had one set of formal attire, and after all the hugging and crying, it was indeed a bit of a mess. Before leaving, he said, "I have to meet the courtiers before entering the harem, so don’t rush. Just take your time getting ready. I’ll have another set made for you as a spare later."

Song Yunzhao naturally agreed, pushing him out. "Hurry and go, before someone sees you. Otherwise, the courtiers will call me a siren again."

This time, Feng Yi really left.

Only after he was out of the palace did he remember that he hadn’t even seen his son yet.

After seeing Feng Yi off, Song Yunzhao was fixing her makeup when she felt she had forgotten something. It took her a long moment to realize—Feng Yi hadn’t even glanced at their son!

’What does this mean? It means that in Feng Yi’s heart, I’m more important than our son!’

Although she probably shouldn’t be happy about it, Song Yunzhao truly felt a little thrill of secret joy.

Parents grow old, and children grow up. Only the person by your side will accompany you for life.

She hoped Feng Yi would love their child, but she also hoped to be just as important in his heart.

To put it bluntly, in a place like the harem, only if her own position was stable and she was deeply favored could her child walk a steady path.

Song Yunzhao smiled at her reflection in the mirror, growing happier the more she thought about it.

She truly hadn’t expected Feng Yi to ditch his imperial procession and sneak back into the palace just to see her. ’What kind of fairytale scene is this that I got to experience it?’

’So this is what it feels like to be cherished by someone.’

Shizhu and the others were quickly ironing the clothes, making sure they were pristine and wrinkle-free. Xiangxue was redoing her mistress’s hair, and seeing her mistress grinning foolishly in the mirror, she couldn’t help but smile too.

’It’s so good that the Emperor is back. The mistress finally doesn’t have to worry about Shouci Palace trying anything anymore.’

Word came from Consort Shu: they were to gather at the palace gates in half an hour to welcome the Emperor’s procession.

Previously, they would always gather at Shouci Palace and proceed with the Empress Dowager.

But this time, Consort Shu didn’t do that.

Song Yunzhao smiled.