Quick Transmigration: The Supporting Female Lead is Too Arrogant - Chapter 12

The first day of the selection ended. Because of Yan Qing’s previous incident, the Empress Dowager was cautious and selected ten beautiful women.

However, sitting all day had left her sore and exhausted. Ji Yechen had left at noon and hadn’t returned, so Yan Qing followed suit.

In this palace, life and death decisions were Ji Yechen’s to make. As long as he didn’t kill her, the others didn’t matter.

Yan Qing was brazen and remained so in front of others, much to the Empress Dowager’s chagrin.

The second day of the selection began.

It was a good day. The morning rain had stopped after a brief downpour, leaving the ground damp and the air cool. The temperature had dropped significantly, negating the need for ice or fans. The breeze outside was pleasant, requiring only a light shawl.

Today, Ji Yechen, persuaded by Jiang Wende, was in a much better mood.

To avoid back pain, he had even brought a couch.

Seeing Yan Qing looking at him, Ji Yechen smirked. “Would you like to join me, my dear?”

Yan Qing’s face remained expressionless as she turned away. Though she was tempted, she wanted her own couch.

Today’s candidates seemed more attractive than yesterday’s.

Yan Qing was slightly more interested, occasionally asking the ladies to perform a talent, though she didn’t care whether they were selected.

Marrying Ji Yechen was a disaster; she wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

However, this attitude slowed the progress, so Yan Qing suggested increasing the number of candidates from three to five. The space was ample enough for five to stand comfortably.

This sped up the process.

Everything proceeded smoothly until a commotion arose at another entrance to the Imperial Garden.

Several people instinctively looked over and saw a group of eunuchs hurriedly trying to stop someone.

For context, the Imperial Garden served as the boundary between the inner palace and the outer court, though it was generally considered part of the inner palace. No court official dared to intrude unless there was a banquet. The other entrance led to the outer court.

The person now barging in was audacious, causing quite a stir as everyone craned their necks to see.

The Empress Dowager reprimanded, “Who dares intrude upon the Imperial Garden during the selection?”

“I will find out,” Jiang Wende quickly responded, rushing over.

However, the young man, dressed in official robes and wearing a gauze hat, strode forward with large steps. When the eunuchs blocked his way, he simply brushed them aside. The eunuchs, fearing his status, dared not use force, allowing him to approach.

“Minister Song Yu greets Your Majesty,” he announced in a clear, strong voice as he knelt on one knee.

Yan Qing froze, the fruit in her hand stopping mid-air.

Song Yu?

The man the original host loved deeply, the male protagonist of the novel?

Pain gripped her heart, a deep, instinctual ache as if a part of her soul had been hollowed out. The apple in her hand fell to the ground.

She felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

Yan Qing clenched her fists inside her sleeves, trying to suppress the urge.

She couldn’t afford to act recklessly now. An affair between a consort and a courtier was a capital offense!

Despite her efforts, she couldn’t fully control the pain. Her body trembled, and her eyes reddened.

The man kneeling on the ground didn’t even look up, his voice the only thing that reached her.

Ji Yechen, noticing her reaction the moment Song Yu appeared, felt a surge of jealousy and anger. How dare she still think about another man?

Murderous intent flared in his eyes as he stared coldly at Song Yu. His thin lips curved into a cruel smile. “Minister Song, you had better explain your presence. Trespassing in the harem is a capital offense!”

Yan Qing, startled by his voice, quickly wiped her tears and took a sip of tea to compose herself.

The pain in her heart remained but had lessened enough for her to regain her composure.

Song Yu lifted his head, his gaze immediately landing on the radiant figure. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes, but his handsome face remained expressionless. “Your Majesty,” he began, “I have collected all the evidence of the officials’ crimes in the prefecture. When will Your Majesty apprehend them? The longer their stolen funds remain unrecovered, the more lives will be lost in the prefecture due to starvation!”

The prefecture was a large area. Song Yu had initially served as a local magistrate in a small county within the prefecture.

Six months ago, a disaster struck the prefecture, displacing millions. Many people became homeless, and the court allocated five million taels for disaster relief, which was a significant sum. However, Song Yu discovered that less than one million taels actually reached the disaster victims.

Where did the rest of the money go? The little that did reach the victims could only help a few.

This was because Song Yu, being from the Song family, prioritized relief for his county. Initially, he didn’t notice anything amiss until more and more refugees started arriving, and the relief funds he received ran out quickly.

When people are hungry, they become desperate.

As the situation worsened, Song Yu couldn’t stand by and began investigating. This led to the discovery of the corruption. At the same time, Yan Qing entered the palace. Song Yu decided to uncover the full extent of the corruption and use it as a bargaining chip to get Yan Qing out of the palace.

After being pursued and returning to the capital, he submitted the evidence. But due to the widespread involvement of officials in Chang’an, the investigation took another three months.

Now, everything was ready, and they were only waiting for the emperor’s decree to arrest the culprits. But the emperor had been preoccupied with the consort selection and hadn’t held court sessions!

Song Yu was anxious and determined to see if his beloved was faring well in the harem, so he crashed the selection today.

He needed the emperor’s decree because some of the involved officials were beyond the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court of Justice.

****

Song Yu’s blunt words shocked the assembly. Most of the people in the harem were unaware of the situation, so they had no reaction.

Yan Qing was also in the dark.

Historically, noblewomen were not expected to understand these matters.

Only the empress dowager’s expression changed slightly, but no one noticed as everyone focused on the young man.

Song Yu was the most esteemed young man in Great Qi. People said he was like jade, and indeed, he was.

Even Yan Qing, who had a faint memory of the original host’s infatuation with this man, could only see a vague image of him. She might have recognized him in person, but she had never clearly imagined his appearance.

Seeing him now, Yan Qing could understand why.

His skin was fair, his features delicate and handsome, with a soft facial structure, and his thin yet not overly so lips. His body was lean, with a prominent Adam’s apple, yet he stood tall and elegant.

Unlike Ji Yechen’s wild and unruly demeanor, Song Yu’s slightly drooped eyes conveyed gentleness and humility.

After Song Yu finished speaking, Ji Yechen’s temples throbbed, and he noticed Yan Qing’s mesmerized look. His eyes darkened with killing intent, but a cool breeze brought him back to his senses. “I’ll issue the decree. Now get out!” he commanded coldly.

He wanted to kill him but lacked the excuse for now.

Moreover, dealing with the Song family wasn’t something he could do impulsively.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Song Yu nodded and turned to leave without looking at Yan Qing again.

However, as he walked away, his hand twitched at his side, and his head seemed to tilt slightly toward her, showing his struggle to maintain composure.

…

“Young Master Song!” a small voice called out in surprise.

Yan Yin and Song Yu encountered each other by the lotus pond in the Imperial Garden.

Yan Yin’s delight was genuine; she hadn’t expected to see him here. Since they arrived in the capital, she had been occupied with the selection process and hadn’t seen him in three months.

“Second Miss Yan,” Song Yu greeted politely, his eyebrows gentle and handsome, though his mind seemed elsewhere.

Yan Yin had come to see the excitement, despite her affection for Song Yu. Her curiosity about the emperor, notorious for his brutality yet admired by many women, remained. She hadn’t been able to come the previous day and was eager to see him today.

Yet, Song Yu’s indifferent reaction left her biting her lip, feeling frustrated.

He walked away swiftly.

His long strides quickly took him past Yan Yin.

From her vantage point, Yan Yin could see the people on the platform, including Yan Qing.

It must be because of her!

Yan Yin couldn’t explain her feelings, a mix of bitterness and unwillingness. At that moment, a rival candidate sneered, “Calling out so affectionately, did you really think Young Master Song would pay attention to you?”

She gritted her teeth, glaring at the woman before looking back at Song Yu. Even in his distracted state, he maintained an upright posture and elegant demeanor. Resolving herself, she rushed forward, “Young Master Song, I have something to—Ah!” A scream pierced the air.

Everyone turned to see a pink-clad girl fall, dragging the young man beside the lotus pond into the water with her.

The cold water brought Song Yu back to his senses, surrounded by chaos.

What happened?

“Help!” Yan Yin, not knowing how to swim, struggled in the deep water, grabbing onto the man beside her.

Yan Qing had been watching them all along—not intentionally, but because this body instinctively couldn’t take its eyes off Song Yu.

With a single glance, trouble was apparent.

The piercing scream reached her ears, and the original host’s memories, sharp and searing, matched the voice. It was Yan Yin.

Drowning?

But Song Yu had just walked over there!

“Zhu Yin!” Yan Qing commanded.

With a swift response, Zhu Yin flew into action. There was no need for Yan Qing to explain further. In the blink of an eye, Zhu Yin arrived at the scene. Seeing the men and women struggling in the water, her eyes flashed. She subtly nudged a few other ladies-in-waiting into the pond as well.

She then pulled Yan Yin out first, freeing Song Yu from her grasp.

Song Yu knew how to swim, but Yan Yin had clung to him, making it difficult to move. Additionally, his official robe was cumbersome, dragging him down. Once released, he quickly surfaced and climbed ashore with a few swift strokes.

With Zhu Yin there, Yan Qing didn’t need to assist.

All the young ladies were rescued, resulting in a chaotic scene.

Aside from Yan Yin, the others were pale with fear, having fallen into the water with a man. The consequences…