The words of Prince Chu stirred unrest among the crowd behind him.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the capital, and soon, everyone began speculating about the connection between Song Shihuan and the case.
As the most likely sole survivor depicted in the portraits, Song Shihuan was thrust into the eye of the storm.
With the added push from factions within the Eastern Palace, the discussions about her took a turn for the worse.
Qin Prince's Mansion.
Song Yu punched Prince Chu squarely in the face, causing blood to trickle from his nose.
"Elder Brother, all I did was say that the person in the portrait was Ah Huan. What did I do wrong?" Prince Chu stood on his moral high ground. "I don’t know why her portrait appeared in the Cui residence either."
"Do you take me for a fool?"
Song Yu’s gaze bore into Prince Chu. "Such a major incident—yet after recognizing Ah Huan, you neither reported it to His Majesty nor sought her out to understand the circumstances. Instead, you shamelessly threw her to the wolves. A prince of the realm, resorting to such tactics against his own niece."
Prince Chu’s eyes flickered at the accusation.
"Elder Brother, I spoke without thinking in the heat of the moment." Before deciding to post the portraits, they had already prepared an excuse that left no room for criticism.
"The priority now is to investigate Ah Huan."
Investigate.
The moment the word left his lips, Song Yu’s eyes turned murderous, as if he wanted to tear Prince Chu apart.
"Don’t look at me like that, Elder Brother."
Prince Chu wiped his nosebleed with his sleeve. "I know you treasure Ah Huan like a jewel, but do you truly understand her?"
"Do you know her past?"
"During the ten years she wandered alone as an orphan, do you know how she survived?"
Three questions in a row. Seeing Song Yu fall silent, Prince Chu grew even more smug. "That Cui Qian was a beast in human skin. For Ah Huan to be involved with him, she couldn’t possibly be..."
A decent person.
Before Prince Chu could finish the sentence, Song Yu seized his throat in a vice-like grip. As his breathing grew labored, Prince Chu’s face turned red.
"My daughter does not need judgment from a cold-blooded, selfish man like you."
When Song Yu finally released him, Prince Chu collapsed to the ground.
"Get out."
Song Yu glared down at him.
Prince Chu left in disgrace, while Song Yu stood frozen in place, rubbing his face wearily.
"Father."
From outside the courtyard, Song Shihuan walked in slowly, her expression unreadable. She had heard everything.
At the sight of her, Song Yu’s eyes finally regained some warmth.
Before she could speak again, he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Don’t be afraid, Ah Huan. Leave this matter to me."
Song Yu, who had never known responsibility in his life,
now stood as a towering mountain shielding his daughter from the storm—without even asking how much she knew of the situation.
"Father, may I see the other twelve portraits?" Song Shihuan’s lips parted, her voice slightly hoarse.
A quarter of an hour later.
Song Shihuan stared at the twelve portraits before her.
A tempest raged in her eyes.
They were indeed the twelve girls who had been imprisoned with her in that courtyard all those years ago.
"Ah Huan." Song Yu noticed her fists clenching and spoke with concern.
Tears welled in Song Shihuan’s reddened eyes.
"Father, what if I told you... I once saved them?"
......
That very night, Song Yu brought Song Shihuan to the palace.
Purple Dawn Hall.
At the sight of Ah Huan, Emperor Yuanyou exhaled heavily in relief.
"That fool Third Brother—all his petty cleverness is spent scheming against his own family."
The emperor was furious, but the priority now was to clear Ah Huan’s name of any association with Cui Qian.
"Imperial Father, I brought Ah Huan here to tell you the truth."
As Song Yu spoke, Emperor Yuanyou turned his gaze to the young girl before him.
On the desk lay the portraits that had spread throughout the capital.
"Imperial Grandfather, when I was lost outside, an elderly woman took me in." This was the first time Song Shihuan had voluntarily spoken of her past. Both Emperor Yuanyou and Song Yu held their breaths.
"But she fell gravely ill when I was seven and passed away. I wanted to use all the silver I had to buy her a proper coffin." Remembering the twelve girls, her heart ached. "That was when three thieves captured me and took me to a courtyard in the outskirts."
She could have easily escaped, but she overheard them mention other kidnapped children.
So she let them take her.
"In the courtyard, I saw the girls from the twelve portraits."
Here, Song Shihuan paused. "They said the thieves promised them silver to work as maids in wealthy households."
"Those vile scum, deceiving children!" Song Yu seethed.
"I warned them not to trust those men." Her eyes filled with sorrow. "Knowing they needed money, I gave them all the silver I had."
Pointing at the portrait of a girl with a mole under her eye, she added, "She said her grandmother was ill too, so I gave her my peachwood charm for protection."
Through her words, Emperor Yuanyou and Song Yu could almost see the scene unfold.
"I was in a hurry to bury my grandmother, so after showing them the way out, I left first."
What she didn’t say was that the three thieves were already dead—she had made sure of it.
That was why she left without worry.
"Later, I returned to the courtyard and found it abandoned. I thought they had all escaped. That’s the full story."
Song Shihuan bowed her head heavily.
She mourned the twelve lives lost.
But she had done all she could back then.
"But you had no silver left..." Song Yu struggled to speak. He had lived extravagantly all his life—never imagining his daughter lacked even the means to bury her guardian.
"I wove a tight mat of grass and buried her with my own hands."
At these words, Song Yu’s eyes burned with tears.
"Grandmother said the living matter most, so she wouldn’t blame me."
With her grandmother gone and her master missing, she was left penniless.
For the next three years, she drifted like a lone reed on the water.
Song Yu slowly knelt and took her hands.
"I failed you. I should have found you sooner."
"Imperial Father, Ah Huan was their savior—yet now she’s entangled in rumors and linked to Cui Qian. How unjust is this? How innocent she is!"
His eyes bloodshot, Song Yu declared, "We must clear her name."
