The thirty-eighth year of Yuanyou.
In the incense-laden palace stood a small figure.
The child was sallow and emaciated, with chapped lips, tangled and dirty hair, and a tattered thin robe that made her utterly out of place in these grand halls.
A palace maid knelt beside her, holding out a set of lavish but ill-fitting garments, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead. "I beg you, young mistress, allow this servant to dress you."
Song Shihuan turned her dark, piercing gaze toward the maid, sending a chill down the woman’s spine.
"Leave."
Her voice was hoarse, yet despite being only ten years old, the maid trembled and scrambled away in fear.
Song Shihuan stared at her reflection in the bronze mirror. Her limbs were intact—her hands and feet not yet severed, her eyes not yet gouged out. She had been reborn.
Memories of her past life surged through her, and her entire body trembled violently.
She was the long-lost legitimate daughter of the Crown Prince, with three elder brothers and a twin sister, Song Xiyan. Today was the day she was brought back—the same day as her and Song Xiyan’s tenth birthday.
Unlike her, Song Xiyan had been the Eastern Palace’s treasured jewel since birth, blessed with fairy-like beauty and a voice like pearls. The entire household doted on her, and today, the Crown Prince had even petitioned Emperor Yuanyou to summon the court officials for a grand celebration in her honor.
But Song Shihuan’s arrival had disrupted everything.
Half an hour ago, the jade bowl used for the blood-testing ritual had been shattered by the Crown Princess. The Crown Prince, his face dark with fury, had shielded Song Xiyan in his arms. As the situation spiraled out of control, Emperor Yuanyou ordered Song Shihuan to be taken to a side chamber to change.
But after years of starvation and neglect, her frail frame made Song Xiyan’s clothes hang awkwardly on her, turning her into a pitiful spectacle.
In her past life, she had obediently let the maids dress her in Song Xiyan’s clothes, only for the Crown Princess to tear them off in a frenzy, warning her never to steal anything that belonged to Song Xiyan.
How foolish she had been—believing that blood ties would eventually warm even the coldest hearts.
She had knelt, begging to be taken into the Eastern Palace, crying until she vomited blood.
She had been so wrong.
In the Eastern Palace, she had exhausted herself trying to please her so-called family, only to be tortured to death—her body left in pieces.
A single tear slid silently down her cheek. Heaven had granted her a second chance, and this time, she would not repeat her mistakes.
......
In the main hall, silence fell as Song Shihuan entered.
"Why did you not change? Do you mean to disgrace the imperial family?"
The Crown Prince’s brows were tightly furrowed, his expression stormy. Such a disgrace had no place in the Eastern Palace.
"The clothes were too big. They didn’t fit me."
"How dare you touch Xiyan’s clothes!" The Crown Princess’s face twisted with rage. "If I had only given birth to Xiyan, I wouldn’t have suffered such a difficult labor that ruined my health! You are nothing but a curse!"
The court officials below exchanged glances—some curious, some disdainful, some pitying—but Song Shihuan remained unmoved, her eyes like stagnant water.
"Father, this child’s fate may clash with the Eastern Palace. She must not be allowed to live there."
The Crown Prince echoed his wife’s words, kneeling before Emperor Yuanyou with feigned sincerity. The rest of the Eastern Palace followed suit.
The Crown Prince’s eldest son, gripping Song Xiyan’s hand tightly, added coldly, "Imperial Grandfather, though the blood test confirmed her lineage, she has spent ten years among the common folk. Who knows what vices she has picked up? It would be safest to confine her to the Imperial Ancestral Temple."
The Imperial Ancestral Temple—a place reserved for disgraced members of the royal family.
The air grew heavy.
Emperor Yuanyou studied Song Shihuan. The girl was as thin as a stray kitten, standing motionless, having spoken only once since entering.
Was she simple-minded?
"Why do you not speak in your own defense?"
Only then did the court realize—despite the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s hostility, Song Shihuan had shown no reaction. No tears, no collapse.
As if their hatred meant nothing to her.
Song Shihuan sneered inwardly. Little did they know, her loathing for the Eastern Palace ran a thousand times deeper.
"I do not wish to live in the Eastern Palace."
Her words sent shockwaves through the hall.
Emperor Yuanyou paused, taken aback.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s faces darkened. Such words were a slap to the Eastern Palace’s dignity!
Song Shihuan met Emperor Yuanyou’s gaze. "A noble man does not take what others cherish, nor force what others despise. I do not wish to bring misfortune upon the Eastern Palace."
"You can read?"
Emperor Yuanyou straightened in his seat.
Oh, she could do far more than read.
In her past life, how many policy essays had she ghostwritten for her brothers? How many poems had she penned for Song Xiyan? Even the Crown Prince and Crown Princess dared not tally the number.
Reborn, she carried the Eastern Palace’s secrets—including Emperor Yuanyou’s past.
Last time, the Crown Prince had ordered her literacy concealed, fearing Emperor Yuanyou’s reaction.
This time, the Eastern Palace would not get its way.
"I learned by climbing the walls of a private school to eavesdrop on the tutor’s lectures. When I was engrossed, I forgot my hunger."
Emperor Yuanyou’s expression shifted instantly. Several elder ministers who knew of his humble beginnings also straightened, exchanging meaningful glances.
The Eastern Palace had just lost a treasure.
Emperor Yuanyou, now sixty-two, had risen from peasantry to the throne. In his youth, he too had starved while scrounging for knowledge.
His hardships had made him lenient toward his descendants, granting his sons princely titles and lands early.
Today, the Eastern Palace’s cruelty had displeased him.
"Child, you have suffered greatly these ten years." Emperor Yuanyou beckoned, his voice gentler. "Come here, to your Imperial Grandfather."
"Imperial Grandfather, this granddaughter has failed in her filial duties during her absence. I beg your forgiveness." Song Shihuan knelt, her tone solemn.
Touched, Emperor Yuanyou rose and personally helped her up, ignoring the still-kneeling Eastern Palace entourage.
"The fault lies with the imperial family, not you."
The Emperor’s heart ached. Despite the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s malice, the girl bore no resentment—a pure and virtuous soul.
She reminded him of himself!
A true descendant of his blood!
His favor tilted decisively. Taking her hand, he said, "Name your wish. Your Imperial Grandfather grants you one request."
Song Xiyan’s composure cracked. How dare this wild brat claim kinship? If she tried to cling to the Eastern Palace, Song Xiyan would make sure she regretted it!
Under the weight of the court’s gaze, Song Shihuan knelt once more and kowtowed. She would not enter the Eastern Palace—nor the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Her voice, steady and resolute, rang out:
"I beg Imperial Grandfather to grant me a new father."
