Song Qingshu said awkwardly, "Didn't I tell you already? Last night, I met Shen Biqun, A Zhu, A'zi, and the others one after another..."
Zhao Min raised a hand to cut him off. "You don't need to explain anything to me. I'm not that petty. Besides, none of them poses a threat to me."
She was not lying. A'zi and A Zhu were of too lowly a birth, while Shen Biqun would have been more troublesome. But Shen Biqun had first been the Crown Princess of Southern Song, then Consort Hui of Liao Country. Though she was still untouched to this day, in the eyes of the world, she had already lost the right to compete with Zhao Min.
Song Qingshu looked at her in surprise. Seeing how natural her expression was, he remembered that she had been born into royalty and was long accustomed to men being surrounded by wives and concubines. What she cared about were rivals of equal standing. She harbored no hostility toward women destined to be concubines; on the contrary, she would make an effort to win them over.
Just as in the original story, although she and Zhou Zhiruo had been bitter enemies, she had gotten along well with Xiao Zhao and could coexist with her peacefully.
"Tell me everything that happened yesterday in detail. Let's discuss how to rescue Xiao Feng next," Zhao Min said. After a pause, she revealed a faintly teasing smile. "Of course, there's no need to mention your romantic escapades. Hearing them would only make me upset."
Song Qingshu's face heated up. He sat down beside her and began discussing serious business.
For the next stretch of time, Song Qingshu, Zhao Min, and Su Quan busied themselves arranging matters large and small within Shangjing City. At the same