Chapter 14 — Sacrificed by the Heir: Reborn as Yue Zhaoyue to Avenge Sixteen Years of Injustice

My father’s face drained of all color, turning a sickly, ashen hue.

"Your Highness, this is a private matter concerning the Shen family."

The Grand Princess let out a cold, sharp laugh.

"Your private Shen family affairs have now endangered my own son, tarnished the innocence and reputation of a young lady, and implicated prohibited incense within the palace walls. Try saying those words 'private family matter' just one more time, and see what happens."

My father fell silent, his throat working as if he had swallowed lead. Finally, Xie Linchu turned his gaze toward me. The expression on his face was a ridiculous, tangled mess of emotions.

"You... you are not the daughter of the Shen family?"

I stared back at him, my voice steady.

"Is the Heir disappointed? You can no longer insist that I am perpetually indebted to your precious eldest sister."

He pressed his lips into a thin, tight line. After a long, heavy silence, he finally spoke.

"I never knew."

I asked, "And if you had known? Would you have believed me?"

He remained mute. The answer was painfully obvious. He would not have. Suddenly, Shen Yuntang grabbed the sleeve of Xie Linchu’s robe, her fingers trembling.

"Brother Linzhou, even if she is not a daughter of the Shen family, she is still my sister. She occupied my rightful place for sixteen years; that is an undeniable fact."

I looked at her, my eyes cold. "What place exactly did I take from you?"

Tears spilled from her eyes, tracing frantic lines down her pale cheeks.

"Father and Mother should have poured all their love upon me. You wore the identity of the Second Miss of the Shen household, enjoying sixteen years of prosperity and honor. Is it not only right that you return everything to me?"

I let out a harsh, incredulous laugh. This time, even the Grand Princess furrowed her brow in distaste. I continued, "Shen Yuntang, when I was brought to the Shen manor, the fate of my true parents was unknown; they were as good as dead. I filled the void left by their lost daughter, I shielded your father from the scandal of losing his own child, and I bore the weight of the blame for your long absence. After you returned, you took my courtyard, my jewelry, my engagement, and my reputation. And yet, you stand there asking if I should return things to you?"

Stung by my words, Shen Yuntang’s face shifted between shades of white and red. She turned frantically to Xie Linchu. "Brother Linzhou, I did not mean it like that."

Xie Linchu did not immediately comfort her. It was the first time. For the first time, he hesitated. Shen Yuntang panicked, scrambling to throw herself at our mother’s feet. "Mother, say something! All these years, my clothes, my food, my expenses—was any of it not from the Shen family? I only want to reclaim what was rightfully mine. Am I wrong for that?"

Mother looked down at her, her lips trembling. "Yuntang, Shen Zhaoyue was innocent in all of this as well."

Shen Yuntang’s entire body went rigid. She stared at Mother, unable to comprehend the betrayal. "Mother... are you helping her?"

Mother wept, her voice breaking. "I am not helping her. But at the time, she was merely an infant in swaddling clothes. She knew nothing of the world."

Shen Yuntang stumbled backward as if struck. "So everyone is blaming me? It was clearly she who stole my entire life!"

The Grand Princess cut in sharply, "If you want to know who stole your life, you should ask your father."

My father’s face turned deathly pale. The words pierced Shen Yuntang to the core. She spun around to face him. "Father, why? Why did you bring her into the house? Why didn't you go looking for me?"

My father closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging. "I did search."

"You did not!" Shen Yuntang shrieked, her voice shrill and jagged. "If you had truly searched, how could I have suffered out there for all those years? By the time I returned, everyone already had her. You all watched her read books, play the zither, and act with grace and obedience. While I knew nothing! Was everyone secretly ashamed that I brought disgrace upon the family?"

My father reached out to steady her, his hand trembling. "Yuntang."

She shoved his hand away with violent force. "You gave me Xie Linchu only to compensate for your guilt, didn't you? But he once liked her! Everything you give me is either something she didn't want, or something she has already used and discarded!"

Xie Linchu’s expression darkened. "Yuntang, I am not an object."

She looked at him through her tears. "But you hesitated just now. When you heard she was not a daughter of the Shen family, you wavered."

Xie Linchu opened his mouth to protest, but the words died in his throat; he could not deny it. I watched this absurd, pathetic drama unfold, feeling a sudden, crushing sense of exhaustion. The Grand Princess raised her hand, her voice icy with finality.

"Shen Yuntang has been found using prohibited incense to harm others. The evidence is undeniable; take her to the Quiet Heart Nunnery. As for Secretary Shen, you have concealed banned goods and distributed them to your daughter—you will follow me to the palace tomorrow to beg for imperial mercy. Shen Fu, Zi Su, and Chun Dao are to be handed over to the authorities for interrogation."

My father’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with horror. "Your Highness!"

The Grand Princess leveled a cold look at him. "If you refuse, feel free to head to the palace gates right now and strike the drum of grievances."

My father crumbled, unable to utter another word. Xie Linchu stepped forward, shielding Shen Yuntang with his body. "Mother, she cannot go to the Quiet Heart Nunnery."

The Grand Princess narrowed her eyes. "You still intend to protect her?"

Xie Linchu glanced toward me. His eyes were far more chaotic and conflicted than they had been moments ago. "Since Shen Zhaoyue is no longer a daughter of the Shen family, the debts incurred by the family should not be placed upon Yuntang's shoulders. As for the incense... perhaps it was merely a moment of confusion on her part."