Chapter 539 - 317: She Actually Kind of Likes This Sugar-Coated Bullet

Chapter 539: Chapter 317: She Actually Kind of Likes This Sugar-Coated Bullet

The red silk canopy was warm, the beauty’s affection deep. Even Feng Yi, with his will of steel, couldn’t resist any longer.

The canopy rocked for half the night before finally settling down. But Song Yunzhao couldn’t sleep. ’I wonder why people crave this kind of pleasure. It is, I suppose, a satisfying way to relieve stress.’

"Can’t sleep?" Feng Yi asked, smiling at Yun Zhao. ’She must have recovered fully to handle all that.’

Seeing the suggestive glint in Feng Yi’s eyes, Song Yunzhao immediately covered them with her hand. ’Even if the saying goes that the ox tires but the field is endless, I still need a break.’

"Let’s just talk for a while."

Hearing Yun Zhao’s words, Feng Yi pulled her into his arms, holding her against his chest. "What do you want to talk about?"

Song Yunzhao had a million questions she wanted to ask, but when it came time to speak, the words wouldn’t come. None of them felt right. After a long pause, she finally said, "I just feel that the greatest blessing in my life has been meeting you."

At this very moment, she meant every word.

It didn’t matter what calculations they both had when she first entered the palace. Though she had spent the past few years remaining wary of Feng Yi and securing her own future, his actions toward her now were completely different from how they had been at the start.

Even someone as vengeful and petty as her was starting to feel a pang of guilt.

’Ah, one must never have a guilty conscience. The moment guilt sets in, you lose your nerve, and when your nerve goes, so does your power.’

Just like now. All she wanted was to be good to Feng Yi, to be even better to him, as if to patch up what little was left of her conscience.

Hearing Yun Zhao’s words, Feng Yi felt a pang of guilt himself. ’Back then, my intentions toward Song Yunzhao were anything but pure.’

’He didn’t know when it started, but slowly, Yun Zhao had become different in his heart. She was no longer a tool to be used. Thinking back now, he couldn’t even pinpoint when that change had happened.’

’It seemed to have happened without him even noticing.’

’Yun Zhao was different from the others, too. In this harem, only she showed him a sincere heart and never put on an act in his presence. How could those who approached him for the glory of their families even compare?’

’They couldn’t. It wasn’t even a comparison. Only from Yun Zhao could he get what he truly desired.’

"Meeting you was my good fortune, too," Feng Yi said with a smile. "Once you move into Yaohua Palace, I will have you share in the management of the harem."

"Wonderful. Nothing I like more than borrowing the tiger’s might."

Feng Yi smiled again. "The harem used to be full of leaks. I had no one there I could trust, so I let them do as they pleased. But from now on, while I don’t expect it to become an impregnable fortress, I at least don’t want it to be a place where something happens and the next day, the entire capital knows about it."

Song Yunzhao: ...

"The Empress Dowager already can’t stand the sight of me. If I do this, I’m afraid she’ll be the first one to make trouble for me," Song Yunzhao said, stating the plain truth. She could handle Consort Shu, and even pull her into her schemes. With a bit more effort, she could achieve her goals with Princess Consort Wan, too.

But the Empress Dowager was a trickier matter.

She wasn’t the Empress, after all. She couldn’t justifiably and confidently go head-to-head with the Empress Dowager.

"I will issue an imperial edict to bring order to the harem in my name."

"I knew you were the best, Your Majesty! That makes things much easier."

’With the Emperor’s edict, even if the Empress Dowager is displeased, she’ll have to argue with the Emperor herself. As for me, my actions will be completely justified. Anyone who dares to stand in my way will be defying an imperial command!’

’The Emperor was taking all the heat for her. What more could she ask for? She could hit the ground running now.’

Fearing Yun Zhao might not understand the full scope of the situation, Feng Yi slowly explained, "During the late Emperor’s final years, it wasn’t just the imperial court that was in chaos; the harem was as well. As my several elder brothers fought for the throne, their mothers used every trick in the book. That’s when all order and rules in the harem completely collapsed."

Song Yunzhao knew this all too well. Forget when she had first entered the palace—even now, it was incredibly easy for a concubine to meet with her family or gather information from the outside.

Of course, she herself was one of the people who enjoyed this convenience.

As a low-ranking concubine with no control over harem affairs, she had certainly found the situation quite beneficial.

But thinking about it from the Emperor’s perspective, it was an absolute disaster.

The palace had no secrets to speak of. Two concubines could have a squabble in the morning, and the entire world outside the palace would know about it by the afternoon.

Feng Yi looked at Yun Zhao. "I know it will be difficult, but besides you, there is no one else I trust."

Song Yunzhao: ...

’This sugar-coated bullet was one she was actually quite fond of.’

"It is my honor to be of service to Your Majesty."

Feng Yi broke into a smile at her words. He had already made his plans. He explained them to Yun Zhao in detail, "I’ll have people begin major renovations on Yaohua Palace. Later, I’ll have Zhang Maoquan bring you the blueprints. You can see if there’s anything you’d like to change."

Song Yunzhao shook her head. "The palace layouts are all more or less standard, so there isn’t much that can be changed. I only have one request. Ze’er is still too young, so he needs to live next to me where I can look after him. The East Wing should be reserved for him."

Feng Yi readily agreed. He didn’t want his son to lack the things he himself had gone without as a child. "Then I’ll have them be extra meticulous with the renovations on the East Palace."

Song Yunzhao nodded, then added, "For now, I’m managing the servants attending to Ze’er, but Your Majesty will need to find people for him."

She didn’t hold any authority in the harem yet, so the only people she could use were her own from Wangyou Palace. She didn’t dare use outsiders whose backgrounds she didn’t know, which was why she had to ask Feng Yi.

"I’ve already had Meng Jiuchang keeping an eye out. I’ll have them sent over for you to choose from later."

"That works. He’s still young and doesn’t need many people, so the East Palace will be able to accommodate them."

"But too few isn’t good either. First, pick a few capable ones to serve him personally. The rest can be kept on hand to await orders."

Song Yunzhao considered it. Yaohua Palace was much larger than Wangyou Palace, so a few more people could be accommodated. It was a sign of Feng Yi’s love for his son, so she didn’t refuse. Besides, a little competition would make the servants more loyal.

"Then I will do as Your Majesty says."

The two of them talked for half the night. It was only when Yun Zhao remembered that Feng Yi had to attend the morning court session that she cut the conversation short so they could sleep.

The next day, she was still sleeping soundly when Feng Yi heard the wake-up call. He rose quietly, lifted the bed canopy, and stepped out with light feet before lowering it again to block the light.

Seeing the Emperor emerge from the bedchamber as stealthily as a thief, Meng Jiuchang quickly lowered his head and pretended he hadn’t seen a thing.

’That dog Xu Sixi had earned great merit for saving the Emperor, and now he was getting arrogant. I can’t let him get the upper hand,’ he thought, resolving to serve with even greater diligence.

’Even Zhang Maoquan, whom he had always been wary of, was starting to look like a decent, upstanding fellow by comparison.’

’His life was so hard.’

Meng Jiuchang attended to the Emperor’s change of clothes with extreme care and thoughtfulness, not making a single sound the entire time.

’The Emperor himself was sneaking around like a thief so as not to wake Lady Ming. He certainly couldn’t afford to make such a mistake.’

As expected, Feng Yi was very pleased with Meng Jiuchang. He led his entourage out of Wangyou Palace and headed for Taixi Hall.

Once the Emperor had left, Zhang Maoquan finally emerged. He covered his mouth with a yawn and began to ponder his future.

’Xu Sixi’s recent accomplishment was something he couldn’t hope to match. If he continued to vie for favor by the Emperor’s side, he’d be at a disadvantage. It would be better to commit to serving Lady Ming for the long term.’

’It was all about getting ahead in the world. Lady Ming had given birth to the Eldest Prince. As long as the Eldest Prince’s future was secure, what did he have to worry about?’

’In another ten or twenty years, perhaps even Meng Jiuchang and Xu Sixi would have to curry favor with him.’

’A man had to have dreams and a bit of fighting spirit, after all.’