The thought struck Shi Lingyi’s mind like a bolt of lightning, leaving her whole body rigid.
She released the rope and stumbled back two steps, steadying herself against the old locust tree beside her. The rough bark dug into her palm, but she felt no pain.
The Crown Prince—the heir to the Great Yan Dynasty, the future emperor.
If Youlan truly became the Crown Princess, she would one day be the empress.
And Shi Lingyi was merely the unfavored eldest daughter-in-law of the Shen family, enduring each day beneath her mother-in-law’s strict rules and her husband’s indifference.
Why?
Shi Lingyi’s fingers clawed into the bark, leaving mark after mark. The pain of her broken nails finally pulled her back from the frenzy of her emotions.
She lowered her head and glanced at her broken nails, then looked up at the old locust tree beside the swing.
Its leaves rustled in the wind, as though mocking her overestimating herself.
She drew a deep breath, forced down the anger churning inside her, straightened her wind-tossed collar, and turned toward her own courtyard.
She walked very slowly.
She had traveled this path from the garden to the eastern courtyard for more than a decade, yet never had it seemed so long.
Shi Lingyi entered her courtyard, closed the door, and leaned against it. Slowly, she slid down until she was sitting on the floor.
She buried her face in her knees, her shoulders trembling again and again, yet she made no sound.
The maid outside heard a muffled sob from within. After hesitating for a long while, she still did not dare knock.
Shi Lingyi sat by the door for a very long time.
Long enough for the light outside the window to fade from bright white to a warm orange.
Long enough for her legs to go numb, recover, and then go numb again.
Only then did she rise from the floor and walk over to the dressing table.
She stared at her tear-streaked reflection in the bronze mirror. Her eyeliner had run, and her face powder was smeared, leaving her looking utterly disheveled.
She picked up a handkerchief and slowly wiped away all the makeup on her face, revealing the pale, unadorned features beneath.
Without cosmetics to soften her appearance, her face looked at least five years older than usual.
The fine lines at the corners of her eyes were impossible to hide, and the lines beside her mouth stood out clearly. Her whole person radiated an indescribable weariness and age.
She was only twenty-one, yet she looked like a woman of thirty.
Shi Lingyi tossed the handkerchief onto the table and smiled at her reflection in the bronze mirror.
Her smile was filled with bitterness and resentment.
The next morning, Shi Lingyi did not return to the Shen residence.
She sent a maid to inform Madam Liu that she wished to stay at her parents’ home for a few more days to keep her mother and younger sister company.
Madam Liu was naturally delighted, and Shi Youlan was delighted as well.
Early that morning, she ran to Shi Lingyi’s courtyard and took her elder sister by the hand, chattering excitedly without pause.
Shi Youlan said that the princess had taken her to see the peonies that had recently bloomed in the imperial garden. The flowers were so beautiful—more beautiful than anything in a painting.
She also said that the princess had given her an inkstone.
It was a Duan inkstone bestowed by the Emperor. The princess herself had been reluctant to use it, yet had given it to her instead.
Shi Lingyi sat on the couch with a cup of tea in her hands, listening to her younger sister chatter about the princess. A faint smile remained on her face throughout.
Her gaze settled on her sister’s features.
The girl’s cheeks were rosy, her eyes bright and sparkling, and the smile at the corners of her lips seemed impossible to suppress.
She was like a blooming peach blossom, so fresh and tender that one might be tempted to pinch her.
“Youolan, you and the princess are so close. Has the princess ever mentioned anything unusual to you?”
Shi Lingyi set down her teacup and leaned forward slightly, a trace of scrutiny and probing in her eyes.
“Anything unusual?”
Shi Youlan tilted her head and thought for a moment.
“The princess has asked about our younger brother. She asked what he likes to eat, what colors he likes, and what he usually does at home.”
Shi Lingyi paused abruptly. “The princess asked about Shi Huai?”
Shi Youlan nodded, completely unaware of the change in her sister’s expression.
“Yes. The princess seems very concerned about our younger brother. Every time we meet, she asks all sorts of questions about him and has me take things to him.”
“What sort of things?” Shi Lingyi asked, setting down her teacup. Her fingers slowly tightened around its rim.
“Sometimes pastries, sometimes books. Last time, she even gave me a sachet and said that she had embroidered it herself.”
A trace of envy crept into Shi Youlan’s voice. “The princess is so kind to him.”
Shi Lingyi drew a deep breath, her voice growing tense. “Youolan, do you think the princess’s feelings toward him are merely ordinary concern?”
The question left Shi Youlan stunned. Her face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes.
“I... I don’t know. The princess treats him well, and he treats the princess well too. They... they probably...”
She did not finish, but Shi Lingyi understood exactly what her sister meant.
Shi Lingyi’s hand clenched inside her sleeve until her knuckles cracked, yet her face retained a gentle smile.
“Youolan, let me ask you something. Do you want to become the Crown Princess?”
Shi Youlan abruptly raised her head, her eyes wide and round, her lips slightly parted. She sat frozen in place as though someone had cast a spell on her.
“C-Crown Princess? Sister, what did you say?”
Shi Lingyi reached out and took her sister’s hand, lowering her voice to a whisper.
“Listen to me, Youolan. The princess is so close to you that she may very well want you to marry into the imperial family—even to become the Crown Princess. Have you ever considered it?”
Shi Youlan’s face instantly turned scarlet, all the way to the roots of her neck. Her lips trembled several times before she managed to stammer, “S-Sister, don’t say things like that. H-How could I become the Crown Princess? Why would His Highness the Crown Prince ever take an interest in me?”
“Why wouldn’t he?”
Shi Lingyi’s voice was tense.
“You are the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongning’s household. Your family status is not low, and you are close to the princess. His Highness the Crown Prince may have already fallen for you.”
Shi Youlan’s mind exploded with a loud buzz, and her entire body felt as though she had been plunged into boiling water, burning from head to toe.
She remembered the time she had accidentally encountered the Crown Prince visiting the princess. She had secretly hidden behind a corridor pillar and stolen a glance at him.
His Highness the Crown Prince was incredibly handsome. Dressed in an apricot-yellow robe embroidered with a python, he was brimming with heroic spirit, like a heavenly god from a painting.
Yet she had never imagined that she might have anything to do with His Highness the Crown Prince.
He was the Crown Prince, the future emperor. How could he possibly take an interest in the second daughter of a fallen marquis’s household?
“Youolan, listen to me.”
Shi Lingyi’s voice pulled Shi Youlan back from her chaotic thoughts.
“If the princess truly wants you to marry into the imperial family, you must seize this opportunity. This is your only chance to change your fate.”
Shi Youlan looked into her sister’s earnest eyes, her heart filled with panic and confusion.
“Sister, I... I don’t know. I truly don’t know.”
“You don’t need to know. You only need to do as I tell you.”
Shi Lingyi tightened her hold on her sister’s hand.
“First, you must continue cultivating your relationship with the princess. Do whatever she asks, and like whatever she likes.”
Shi Youlan nodded, her mind completely blank.
“Second, whenever you see His Highness the Crown Prince, you must greet him properly and speak with confidence. Don’t cower as though you’ve never seen the world.”
Shi Lingyi lowered her voice even further.
“Finally, stay away from Shi Huai.”
