Chapter 12 — Sacrificed by the Heir: Reborn as Yue Zhaoyue to Avenge Sixteen Years of Injustice

I looked up at my father, my voice steady despite the turmoil churning within me. "Father, do you truly wish to ruin me just for the sake of Shen Yuntang?"

His gaze darkened, heavy with a cold, impenetrable shadow. "Shen Yuntang is your older sister."

"And I am your daughter," I countered.

Father fell silent. That silence was more cutting, more agonizing, than if he had struck me across the face. Suddenly, Shen Yuntang scrambled to her feet. She hurried over to where I stood and threw herself onto the floor, kneeling at my feet.

"Younger sister, I will kneel before you. If you want me to admit fault, I shall. If you wish to strike me or curse me, I will endure it all. I only beg of you, do not force Young Master Lin Chu, and do not force Father."

She slammed her forehead against the floor with a resonant thud. My mother let out a shrill, piercing cry, "Shen Yuntang!"

Xie Linchu bent down, reaching out to help her up, but she refused to budge. In that brief moment, a bright red welt had already blossomed across her brow.

"Younger sister, if you are still not satisfied, then I shall repay you with my life."

She reached out, attempting to snatch the hairpin from the floor, but Xie Linchu lunged to restrain her. My mother wept so uncontrollably that she seemed on the verge of collapsing. Father, too, sank to his knees before the Grand Princess.

"Your Highness, I beg you, for the sake of the years I have served you with all my heart, please spare my daughter just this once."

The entire hall was a flurry of activity, everyone crowding around Shen Yuntang in a protective frenzy. I alone remained rooted to the spot. I heard my own voice, cold and detached, ring through the room: "Does my elder sister truly wish to pay with her life?"

Shen Yuntang’s movements froze. Xie Linchu whipped his head around to glare at me. "Shen Zhaoyue!"

I walked over to Shen Yuntang, picked up the fallen hairpin, and held it out to her. "Then by all means, pay."

My mother let out a sharp, hysterical shriek. "You’ve gone mad!"

Father raised his hand to strike me, but the guards intervened just in time. Xie Linchu snatched the hairpin from my grasp and flung it aside. "How can you be so vicious?"

I replied, "She was the one who offered to pay with her life; I am merely granting her wish. How does that make me vicious?"

Shen Yuntang cowered in Xie Linchu’s arms, sobbing as if she could barely draw breath. I looked down at her. "Elder sister, next time, do not use your death to threaten others. Those who truly wish to die do not wait for others to stop them every single time."

Shen Yuntang’s face turned paper-white. The Grand Princess looked at me, her eyes reflecting a newfound, subtle change. Xie Linchu stared at me as if he were seeing a stranger for the first time. "Shen Zhaoyue, you have changed."

"The Young Master should change as well," I said. "Perhaps by growing a brain of his own."

The Grand Princess struggled to maintain her composure. She lowered her head to sip her tea, though a flicker of amusement touched her lips, and the old matron beside her pressed her own lips together to hide a smile. Xie Linchu was trembling with such fury that the veins on his hands stood out.

"Mother, I will handle this matter myself," he declared.

The Grand Princess looked at him coolly. "Your way of handling it… is to marry the victim and shelter the perpetrator?"

Xie Linchu retorted, "Shen Yuntang has done nothing wrong."

The Grand Princess tossed a small paper packet containing incense ash at his feet. "Both witness and material evidence are here. Do you still intend to lie through your teeth?"

Xie Linchu spoke through gritted teeth, "Evidence can be forged. People can be bought. But Shen Yuntang would never harm me."

I asked softly, "And what of the person she harmed—me? Is that acceptable to the Young Master?"

Xie Linchu turned his gaze toward me. "If you had not occupied the position that belonged to her… why would she have felt so insecure?"

I laughed. So, it turned out that after all this, the fault was still mine. The Grand Princess let out a laugh born of sheer disbelief.

"Guards," she commanded. "Take Shen Yuntang to the Temple of Serenity. Without my express order, she is not to step a single inch beyond the gates."

Xie Linchu immediately fell to his knees. "Mother!"

Shen Yuntang wailed, "Young Master Lin Chu, save me!"

My mother threw herself at the feet of the Grand Princess. "Your Highness, Shen Yuntang is physically frail. Life in the temple is ascetic and harsh; she will not be able to endure it."

The Grand Princess replied, "The second young lady of the Shen family endured it. Why would she not be able to?"

My mother was rendered speechless. Father stared at me, his eyes sharp as daggers. I knew then that he truly hated me. Xie Linchu stood before the guards, blocking their path. "Let’s see who dares touch her!"

The Grand Princess trembled with rage. "Xie Linchu, would you defy your mother’s command for her sake?"

He remained on his knees but refused to yield. "I am willing to accept the punishment in her stead."

Shen Yuntang cried even harder. "No! Young Master Lin Chu, I cannot allow you to be implicated because of me."

I watched the two of them, their love seemingly so deep and devoted. I only felt the stench of blood from my dreams rising once more. Their love was always built on trampling over others to prove its worth. This time, I would not be the stepping stone.

The Grand Princess gestured to the guards. "Take her away."

Xie Linchu sprang to his feet, snatching a blade from one of the guards. Chaos erupted in the hall. The old matron hurried to shield the Grand Princess. Taking advantage of the confusion, Father closed in on me. I retreated until I was pressed against a pillar. He lowered his voice, his tone venomous.

"You defiant wretch. Do you truly believe the Grand Princess can protect you for the rest of your life?"

I looked into his eyes and asked, "Does Father wish to kill me to silence me?"