"What? Change fathers?"
Before Emperor Yuanyou could react, the Crown Prince erupted in fury. "Father, this child has no respect for her elders. If she remains in the palace, she will become a disaster in the future. If the words she just spoke were to spread, the imperial family would become a laughingstock for the entire realm."
Still kneeling on the ground, the Crown Princess shot Song Shihuan a venomous glare.
"Father, back then, your daughter-in-law carried her for ten months and nearly lost her life during childbirth." At the mention of the past, Emperor Yuanyou couldn't help but sigh—he had been present that day.
The Crown Princess had suffered a difficult labor, and the child refused to come out.
The three legitimate grandsons of the Eastern Palace wept outside the chamber, while the Crown Prince sat on the floor in a daze. Servants carried out basin after basin of bloody water. The Crown Princess had truly walked through the gates of death to deliver this pair of daughters, and her body was left broken, unable to bear children again.
"While I was still in confinement, that incident happened—she was kidnapped by bandits. I wept day after day, bedridden for six full years. And now, she wants to call another man her father? I... I would rather dash myself against a pillar and die."
Song Xiyan supported the Crown Princess, her eyes red and swollen even before she spoke, evoking pity from all who saw her. "Elder sister, your words just now have truly wounded our mother's heart."
At this moment, Song Shihuan felt that in the eyes of everyone present, she was a villain who deserved death ten thousand times over.
"Crown Princess."
The distant formality in Song Shihuan's address made the Crown Princess's heart tremble, and she instinctively avoided the girl's gaze.
"If I were to beg His Majesty to allow me into the Eastern Palace, would you consent?"
Seeing the Crown Princess remain silent, Song Shihuan felt an icy chill seep into her bones, radiating a coldness that made others shiver.
In her past life, what she had yearned for most was the Crown Princess's love.
They were both flesh of the Crown Princess's flesh. When she had been kidnapped, hadn't the Crown Princess wept for her? So why, in the end, had she allowed Song Xiyan to torment her, to kill her?
She couldn't understand.
"I suppose the Crown Princess is unwilling. Forced affection is no affection at all, so I will not go to the Eastern Palace." Song Shihuan's gaze slowly turned vacant. "But does that mean I should be sent to the Imperial Buddhist Temple instead?"
The question left the Crown Princess speechless.
"Crown Princess, today is the first time I have ever laid eyes on you."
At birth, Song Shihuan had no memories, so she didn’t know if she had been unwanted from the very beginning.
But now, it no longer mattered to her.
"I wear rags because I have no money to buy clothes."
"I am gaunt and sallow because I have never had three full meals a day."
"And yet, despite all this, I have never resented anyone. I have never strayed from the right path, never committed evil. I worked hard to study and learn." Song Shihuan's rapid-fire words drained the color from the Crown Princess's face. "Just because I share your and the Crown Prince's blood, does that mean I deserve to be sent to the Imperial Buddhist Temple—a place meant for criminals?"
"You... questioning your elders is a punishable offense."
The Crown Princess's words sounded feeble. Why did she see no trace of pain or struggle in this child?
It was as though the child was the one unwilling to acknowledge her as a mother, not the other way around.
"Crown Princess, I am not forcing myself upon you as your daughter. Asking His Majesty to allow me to change fathers is the only solution I could think of. So tell me, what have I done wrong to make you despise me so?"
Everyone in the hall held their breath.
Step by step, Song Shihuan approached the Crown Princess, a flash of crimson deep in her eyes. Today, she would confront her mother before the court!
She would ask the questions she had never gotten the chance to ask before her death in her past life.
She would make everyone understand—being despised by the Eastern Palace was not Song Shihuan's fault.
She had done nothing wrong.
......
"I..." The Crown Princess clutched Song Xiyan's hand tightly, her eyes flickering with conflict.
"Waaah! Don’t bully my mother! Mother, I’m scared..." Song Xiyan burst into tears, and the Crown Princess immediately pulled her into an embrace. When she looked up at Song Shihuan again, her eyes were filled with loathing.
"Your only mistake was being born unlucky. Your fate clashes with the Eastern Palace’s fortune. You and I... have no mother-daughter bond."
Hearing this answer, Song Shihuan felt an eerie calm settle over her.
A strange smile curled at the corners of her lips as she turned and knelt once more before Emperor Yuanyou.
"Your Majesty, this granddaughter cannot accept the Crown Princess's accusation. I have never believed in fate. If I had, I would have died countless times by now."
Crown Princess, this mistake—Song Shihuan would not take the blame!
"Crown Princess, your words are foolish." Emperor Yuanyou looked between the Crown Princess and Song Xiyan. "I know your childbirth was difficult, but what fault lies with the child? After being kidnapped and enduring ten years of hardship, it is you who owe her!"
"Even I am heartbroken hearing such words!"
The emperor's gaze lingered briefly on Song Xiyan before quickly shifting away.
"Father, the Crown Princess misspoke, but this child truly brings misfortune..." Seeing Emperor Yuanyou side entirely with Song Shihuan, the Crown Prince grew anxious.
"Crown Prince, do you still not understand my meaning?"
The emperor's voice carried an unshakable authority, and the Crown Prince immediately fell silent.
Emperor Yuanyou, his hair and beard white with age, exuded an innate imperial majesty that none dared defy.
"Father..."
"A child—you know she is blameless, yet you subject her to harsh words out of personal bias. She shares your blood, bound to the Eastern Palace by unbreakable ties!" The emperor's anger was genuine. "Let me ask you—if you refuse to let her into the Eastern Palace, and forbid her from seeking refuge elsewhere, are you trying to force her into the Imperial Buddhist Temple?"
"Have you forgotten? This child is also of my bloodline!"
The emperor's wrath sent everyone to their knees.
"Father, forgive me! I was wrong. I will immediately have a courtyard prepared for her in the Eastern Palace." Beads of sweat formed on the Crown Prince's forehead. He had miscalculated—he had provoked his father's temper.
Seeing her scheme succeed, Song Shihuan rejoiced inwardly!
Emperor Yuanyou, advanced in years, feared nothing more than his sons turning against each other after his death. As the heir apparent, if the Crown Prince could be so cruel to his own flesh and blood, how could the emperor not be furious?
"I dare not entrust this child to you again."
With that, Emperor Yuanyou took Song Shihuan's hand and led her toward a row of seats.
"This is my fourth son, Prince Qi. He has one legitimate daughter in his household."
"This is my third son, Prince Chu. He has one legitimate son and one legitimate daughter."
"And this..." The emperor patted Song Shihuan's hand. "Is my eldest son, Prince Qin. He has yet to marry." Emperor Yuanyou's voice was firm. "I give you my imperial word—your wish shall be granted. Choose one, and I will personally oversee your adoption."
Song Shihuan's eyes landed on the man clad in violet robes, his striking features marred by the scent of alcohol, his voice languid—the very picture of a dissolute noble.
"Your Majesty, this granddaughter chooses him."
The infamous wastrel prince—Prince Qin, Song Yu.
