Song Shihuan nodded obediently.
"I've always heard Father mention you, Old Master Zhou. Meeting you today, I can see you truly are the legendary hero who once single-handedly took the enemy commander's head."
Hearing her words, even Song Yu felt a pang of guilt.
Apart from briefly introducing Old Master Zhou to her last night, he had never mentioned the old man in front of her before.
"This humble servant pays respects to the County Princess."
Old Master Zhou, upon hearing her words, dropped his cane and made to kneel, startling Song Yu so badly he immediately rushed to support the old man.
This was no joke—if the old man injured himself from kneeling, the consequences would be unbearable.
But then again...
Old Master Zhou hadn’t even considered kneeling when meeting him, the prince. Why was he so moved upon seeing Shihuan?
How strange.
Noticing this, Song Shihuan stepped forward and gently held Old Master Zhou’s arm. "Old Master Zhou, how has your health been lately?"
"Good, good, good."
The old man repeated the word three times, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"His Majesty has entrusted the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War to my father. He’s not the same as before."
Watching Song Shihuan speak so animatedly, Old Master Zhou wiped his eyes with a trembling hand.
"Heaven’s will... This is truly heaven’s will."
"My dear child, you... you are the very image of the late Empress. And now you’ve become part of the Qin Prince's Mansion." Old Master Zhou clasped her hand tightly. "The late Empress showed great kindness to us old ministers."
"It is my fortune to resemble Her Majesty."
Beside them, Song Yu froze as if struck by lightning, instinctively touching his own face. "Shihuan resembles Mother?"
"Your Highness, the County Princess resembles Her Majesty more than you do."
With that, Old Master Zhou continued fussing over Song Shihuan. "My dear child, you must have suffered outside the palace, haven’t you? But now that you’re back, with His Majesty watching over you, no one will dare mistreat you."
"Old Master Zhou, I haven’t suffered. His Majesty and Father have protected me well."
Song Shihuan smiled sheepishly. "But now that Father oversees the Ministry of War, I worry about General Zhou’s side..."
"He wouldn’t dare!"
Old Master Zhou’s eyes sharpened, revealing the ruthless decisiveness of his younger years.
"Someone! Call my eldest son here!"
Completely ignoring the stunned Song Yu, Old Master Zhou showered Song Shihuan with concern, as if afraid she might endure even the slightest grievance.
Zhou Yan arrived in a hurry, his expression stiffening when he saw Song Yu.
As a court official, he was well aware of the tensions between the Eastern Palace and the Qin Prince's Mansion.
"Eldest Son, from now on, the entire Zhou family must dedicate themselves to protecting the Qin Prince and the County Princess."
"Father?"
Zhou Yan was utterly bewildered. His father had once insisted that only a prince with the Xu family’s bloodline could ascend the throne—but he had never singled out the Qin Prince by name.
"Are you deaf to my words?" Old Master Zhou had little patience for hesitation.
"No matter what, the County Princess must be safeguarded by our entire family."
The old man’s grip on Song Shihuan’s hand tightened.
Had it not been for the late Empress’s mercy, he and his fellow old ministers would have perished long ago.
This was a debt he could never repay.
......
Even after returning to the Qin Prince's Mansion, Song Yu remained dazed.
"Shihuan, you..."
"It was the maidservant who told me." Song Shihuan looked nervous. "I didn’t know how to bring it up to you... The palace must know as well."
"Do they all say the resemblance is strong?"
To her surprise, Song Yu didn’t dwell on why she hadn’t told him sooner. Instead, his star-like eyes fixed intently on her face.
"It must be very striking."
Song Yu paused, then suddenly burst into laughter so hearty that tears welled in his eyes.
"To have a daughter like you, Song Yu is truly blessed by the heavens."
Under Song Shihuan’s gaze, he slowly knelt, one knee touching the ground.
"Shihuan, it seems fate destined us to be father and daughter."
Song Shihuan nodded fervently. "I don’t look like the Eastern Palace at all. I resemble Her Majesty... and I resemble you, Father."
Song Yu reached out, gently tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, his touch as careful as if handling a priceless treasure.
That night, Song Yu drank himself into a stupor.
Shen Qingping had no choice but to pack his belongings and head to the Qin Prince's Mansion—after all, his career advancement depended on this very man.
Snatching the wine jar from the drunken prince, Shen Qingping sighed.
"Stop drinking. If you don’t sober up, you won’t be able to send the County Princess to the academy tomorrow."
At the mention of Song Shihuan, Song Yu broke into a foolish grin.
"Do you know? Shihuan looks just like Mother... and like me! Nothing like that bastard Song Ling." His words slurred with intoxication. "Just thinking about it makes me ecstatic."
"So it’s true..."
Shen Qingping was inwardly shocked.
"Your luck is truly... With the County Princess by your side, winning over the remaining old ministers will be effortless."
Tsk.
Was the prince’s fortune a little too good?
......
The next morning, after seeing Song Shihuan off, Song Yu went alone to the imperial mausoleum, lingering before the late Empress’s tomb for a long time.
"They all say Shihuan resembles you. Now I can’t wait to see how she’ll look when she grows up. Father wouldn’t even let me take your portrait back to the mansion."
"So stingy."
Song Yu grinned brightly. "You know, it was Shihuan who chose me that day."
After rambling on for a while, his expression suddenly darkened.
"Those brats Song Yanchao and Song Yanming tried to humiliate Shihuan at the mansion, and just days ago, Song Xiyan tried to scratch her face! Damn them all—how dare they treat Shihuan like this?!"
The realization hit him like a thunderbolt. He had been kept in the dark all this time!
"I’m going to settle this with them."
With determined strides, Song Yu left the mausoleum. Behind him, a gentle breeze carried a single fallen leaf, landing perfectly before the memorial tablet.
The Hall of Purple Zenith.
"Where’s Father? I demand an audience!"
The moment Emperor Yuanyou heard Song Yu’s voice, he knew the prince had come to collect a debt.
A few moments later, the emperor regarded his fuming son. "Who provoked you this time?"
"The Eastern Palace."
"The Eastern Palace still has the means to provoke you?" Emperor Yuanyou glanced at him. "The only one left there who can cause trouble is Yanzheng."
"Father knew all along that Shihuan resembles Mother, didn’t you?"
When the emperor remained silent, Song Yu pressed on. "Then how do you explain the Eastern Palace’s brats targeting Shihuan’s face at the mansion, or Song Xiyan trying to disfigure her? What’s to be done about this?"
