“If fate allows us to meet again, I will introduce myself properly. Rest assured, I won’t say a word about today’s events.”
Song Yunzhao wasn’t surprised by the folding fan gentleman’s refusal. It was just his way of telling her not to flirt with him, as it wouldn’t lead anywhere.
Tsk, good cabbages weren’t that easy to take home.
He politely declined, and Song Yunzhao could understand. Never mind, never mind. By the time she finished participating in the palace selection, she might be granted a marriage. Even if she met him again, there probably wouldn’t be any predestined affinity between them .
Ah, it was a bit of a pity that their fate was so shallow.
Song Yunzhao no longer had the intention of getting closer to him. She focused entirely on the gossip coming from the second floor, wondering what the situation was like. Even though she wrote the script herself, not being able to witness the drama live was still frustrating.
“Brother, did you see what happened on the second floor?”
Even if she couldn’t see the scene herself, she didn’t mind hearing a recount.
Feng Yi glanced at Song Yunzhao’s face, which was brimming with undisguised curiosity and gossip, and for some reason, he suddenly smiled.
Song Yunzhao: …
She felt that the smile was a bit strange and charming, and quite good-looking.
Feng Yi recounted what he had seen, and Song Yunzhao’s information matched. His intel was correct.
Tsk, scumbags like this truly exist across all times and spaces.
Noticing Song Yunzhao’s peculiar expression, Feng Yi calmly asked, “What does the young lady think of this matter?”
Since fate had destined them to be apart, Song Yunzhao didn’t bother pretending to be gentle and ladylike. She straightforwardly said, “This scholar is truly a person who endures what others cannot and accomplishes what others cannot. He’s quite a talent.”
Feng Yi: ?
This sarcastic compliment gave him the feeling of dealing with those cunning old ministers in court.
“Young lady, feel free to speak your mind,” Feng Yi maintained a smile.
“For money, he bends his back; for power, he breaks his promises. Anyone who encounters such a self-serving person is unlucky.”
A self-serving person?
This term was indeed uncommon, but upon reflection, it was quite fitting.
Feng Yi raised his eyes to look at Song Yunzhao, noticing her craning her neck to look in the direction of the second floor, as if she could see something. It gave an inexplicable sense of joy.
“Young lady, your words are quite different from others. After the scholar attained a government position, the engagement with that young lady indeed became a climb for her. Marrying a wife of equal status, then bringing the young lady into the household as a concubine, seems like the best of both worlds.”
Upon hearing Feng Yi’s words, Song Yunzhao smiled mockingly. Despite his seemingly noble and elegant demeanor, he turned out to be fickle in love. Thankfully, this charming and attractive “cabbage” wasn’t hers; otherwise, it would have made her sick.
“One should not compare oneself too much; it only hurts in the end. How could this scholar have gone to the capital to seek a master without money? And without seeking a master, how could he have secured a good marriage? Ultimately, this cause and effect were all thanks to that young lady. Eating from the bowl while cursing the cook, such an ungrateful and unscrupulous person, yet in your eyes, he becomes an all-accomplished and clever man. I used to think you were noble and virtuous, but it turns out you’re just so-so.”
Feng Yi was immediately rendered speechless, caught between laughter and tears. But upon further thought, he felt his judgment wasn’t wrong. He needed someone like Song Yunzhao, with her forthright personality, to handle his harem.
With this in mind, Feng Yi asked, “If you were in this situation, what would you do?”
“Of course, I’d seek justice, reclaim the money, and clear my name. From then on, all grudges would be settled, and each would marry without further entanglement,” Song Yunzhao said firmly.
What’s the point of keeping such a despicable scumbag around? To offer him as a sacrifice to the ancestors and make a dish out of him for the New Year?
Feng Yi’s eyes lit up. Yes, these words were exactly to his liking. He was particularly annoyed by the women who had been forced into his harem. Even sleeping with them made him feel dirty. He needed someone like Song Yunzhao, with her fiery personality, to clear the place for him.
At that moment, a woman in a goose-yellow dress suddenly rushed down from the second floor, her face full of anger, and left with her servants in large strides. Right after, a fair-faced man in a bamboo-green robe chased after her from upstairs. In the blink of an eye, the two of them disappeared from sight.
Before Song Yunzhao could react, she heard someone loudly announce, “Ladies and gentlemen, I am the manager of Yuquan Tower. I am sure everyone is curious about the outcome of this matter. I will make sure to inquire thoroughly on your behalf. The day after tomorrow, we will invite a storyteller to recount this amusing incident. You are all welcome to come and listen.”
Song Yunzhao was astonished. This Xie Jinshu was really something, leaving a cliffhanger at such a crucial moment—he would absolutely be a marketing genius in the future.
It suited her taste, and the Xie family would surely earn back the money spent on buying the script, so she could collect her money with a clear conscience.
Feeling pleased, Song Yunzhao watched as Feng Yi stood up and said, “Thank you for the tea today, brother…”
“Watch out!” Feng Yi stretched out his long arm and pulled Song Yunzhao aside.
Song Yunzao stumbled as she was pulled, her vision blurred, completely unaware of what was happening. Instinctively, she grabbed onto the folding fan gentleman’s arm. Before she could steady herself and figure out what was going on, she heard a sharp voice, “You’re still protecting her? I’ve asked around, and today she deliberately came to intercept Yunting gege[mfn]it’s a way of address. It means “brother”, but there usually isn’t a family relationship between the two people[/mfn] after receiving the news that he’s here”
Yunzhao: …
Really, now she felt a physiological urge to run away every time she heard the words “Yunting gege.”
Every time she heard those words, she got into trouble.
After she steadied herself, she turned to look at her seat and indeed saw a large puddle of tea spilled on it.
Was she destined to have a grudge with teapots, teacups, tea bowls, and tea water in this lifetime?
Song Yunzhao’s face darkened, and she said nothing.
Feng Yi looked at her expression and remembered how unlucky she had been at Sanyuan Tower, and suddenly he found it amusing.
Really, it was the first time in his life that he had seen such an unlucky woman.
He had always thought his own life was not smooth, but now he felt much better. Indeed, one needed contrast.
Happiness was all about comparison.
Song Yunzhao took a deep breath, then another, silently chanting in her heart, “I am an unranked cannon fodder supporting character. The female protagonist is present, so I need to stay calm. Supporting character number one needs to court disaster, and I’ll just watch the drama unfold.”
Don’t get angry, don’t get angry, if you get sick from anger, no one will take your place.
Hearing Song Yunzao muttering to herself, Feng Yi couldn’t help but twitch his lips. He often heard her say strange things that somehow made twisted sense.
Song Yunzhao decided to endure it. Helan Yun only spilled tea on Qin Xiyue, and she was just unlucky to be implicated.
Helan Yun didn’t intentionally spill it on her; it was an accident, just an accident. She wasn’t unreasonable and could endure it!
Song Yunzhao swallowed her grievances and forced a smile to thank the folding fan gentleman, “Thank you for your chivalrous assistance…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the crowd suddenly surged, and a great force pushed her into the folding fan gentleman, causing her to stumble into his arms. If this were modern times, she might have just gone with the flow and embraced him.
But here, no way!
She immediately planted her feet firmly, her fingers tightly gripping his arm, her hips thrusting backward with all her might, determined to preserve her reputation.
Feng Yi noticed the change in Song Yunzhao’s movements and expression. His arm subtly shifted, supporting her in line with her actions. Before the person who had pushed her could notice, he smoothly turned and disappeared into the crowd, as if he had been pushed away.
Song Yunzhao didn’t have time to care about the folding fan gentleman. She steadied herself and immediately went into battle mode, turning to face Qin Xiyue’s extremely embarrassed face.
Behind Qin Xiyue were Ji Yunting and Helan Yue, protecting her, while Chu Donghui was holding onto Helan Yun.
It was like the Calabash Brothers animation[mfn]I couldn’t find a photo of this exact scene, but you can reference photo 1 at the end of the chapter [/mfn], all seven of them neatly lined up on one vine.
At this moment, with the female protagonist, the female supporting character, and the male supporting characters all in a chaotic battle, why should she, who hadn’t even squeezed into the harem, be the cannon fodder vanguard?
Song Yunzhao was furious. Once, twice, but never thrice; she had endured it the first two times, but now she could no longer tolerate it.
Because of Helan Yun’s whip, Yuquan Tower was in chaos. After Song Yunzhao steadied herself, she grabbed the table to avoid being knocked over and discreetly stretched out her foot, tripping Ji Yunting. He was about to fall into Qin Xiyue’s arms when Helan Yue suddenly found his strength, shouted, pushed through the crowd, and with immense force, pushed Qin Xiyue away.
Song Yunzhao watched as Qin Xiyue was forced to spin around, directly facing Helan Yun’s whip.
Oh my gosh, how exciting.
Although Song Yunzhao knew the female protagonist wouldn’t get hit by the whip, she instinctively covered her face and peeked through her fingers, just in time to see Chu Donghui intercept the whip.
Tsk.
Song Yunzhao thought to herself, the female protagonist’s aura was truly invincible. Her strategy of staying away from the female protagonist was correct.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Song Yunzhao decided to retreat immediately. As she sneaked out of Yuquan Tower, she remembered that the folding fan gentleman had long since fled.
Hmph, it’s true that you can’t judge a book by its cover. But considering that he helped her maintain her reputation, she should give this clever little rascal a thumbs-up.
If you don’t want to become a canon folder, you need to run fast.
It wasn’t until she got into the carriage, with the wheels rolling swiftly away from the scene of trouble, that Song Yunzhao patted her chest and took a deep breath.
Thankfully, thankfully, she managed to slip away.
If she had stayed to watch the excitement, who knows what more bad luck might have found her. As a nameless, low-level cannon fodder, she couldn’t allow herself to become a stepping stone for Helan Yun, the number one cannon fodder.
As for the chaos between the female protagonist and the supporting characters, what did it have to do with her?
Although she loved to gossip, she had to stay alive to enjoy it.
Back at the manor, Song Yunzhao changed into her everyday clothes, cradled a book, and sipped tea, feeling utterly at ease.
After more than half an hour, she finally remembered that she hadn’t done the important task. She had forgotten to give the new script to Xie Linlang.
Oh well, she would have someone deliver it tomorrow. It wasn’t a good idea to go out again today.
“Miss.”
Song Yunzhao, still recovering from the fright, slowly calmed herself and lazily looked up at Qian Cao, who had just lifted the curtain and entered.
“Miss, Yexi from the East Courtyard would like to invite you for tea.”
Song Yunzhao frowned, “Now?”
Wasn’t it almost mealtime?
Tea at this hour?
“Yes, Yexi’s maid said that she insists on your presence.”
Song Yexi wasn’t planning to participate in the selection, so why was she inviting her for tea?
Song Yunzhao felt that something was definitely up and was not too keen on getting involved.
photo 1
