Chapter 17 — Sacrificed by the Heir: Reborn as Yue Zhaoyue to Avenge Sixteen Years of Injustice

He turned around and stormed off in a rage, yet after only a few strides, he faltered and came to a halt.

"As for the Tranquil Heart Convent, I shall visit Shen Yuntang frequently. If you still wish to vent your grievances, direct your malice toward me instead."

I stared at his retreating back.

"Rest assured, young master. Neither of you shall escape the reckoning coming your way."

He did not look back. The snow began to fall in earnest, swirling in heavy, icy curtains. Qing Xing peeked out from the crevice of the door.

"My lady, that was a wonderful retort. I feel as though the pain in my back has vanished entirely."

I turned and stepped into the courtyard. The Grand Princess stood beneath the covered walkway, cradling a hand warmer. The look she cast upon me held a flicker of newfound admiration.

"I truly thought you would weep."

"To weep before him," I replied, "would be far less satisfying than scolding him to his face." The Grand Princess let out a soft laugh. It was the first time since my rebirth that I had heard someone laugh with genuine warmth. But the sound was fleeting. An elderly matron hurried toward us, clutching a letter in her trembling hands.

"Your Highness, a message from the Tranquil Heart Convent. The eldest lady of the Shen family has been abducted just as she arrived at the gates."

The Grand Princess’s expression darkened instantly, though I felt no surprise. In the life I had dreamt, Xie Linchu had risked everything to break into that convent for her sake. This time, someone had beaten him to it. "Who took her?" the Grand Princess demanded. The matron glanced at me.

"They left behind a badge marked with the wolf crest of the Northern Frontier."

I reached up and stroked the wooden token hanging beneath my collar. The Northern Frontier. They had arrived far earlier than they had in my past life. The Grand Princess immediately ordered a lockdown of all news within the Prince’s estate, yet by the following morning, the rumors had already swept through the capital. They did not speak of Shen Yuntang’s punishment for drugging others or her exile to the convent. Instead, the whispers painted me—a foster daughter of unknown origins—as a jealous, malicious creature who had colluded with the Grand Princess to persecute the eldest daughter of the Shen family until she vanished. Upon hearing these vile lies, Qing Xing was so incensed she shattered her bowl of medicine.

"Who is spreading this? Their mouths are so filthy, do they not fear their tongues will rot?"

The matron looked toward me.

"Second Miss, a massive crowd has gathered before the gates of the Shen estate. They are all demanding an explanation."

I looked at her coolly.

"An explanation for what?"

"They demand to know if you are truly the daughter of the Shen family, why the eldest lady was forced into a convent, and whether the Grand Princess is merely using her power to bully the innocent."

I laughed hollowly.

"The Minister of the Shen house is truly gifted at turning black into white."

The Grand Princess was adjusting her robes. Upon hearing the report, she merely commanded, "Prepare the carriage."

"Is Your Highness heading to the palace?" the matron asked.

"No, to the Shen estate."

I stood up. "I am coming with you."

The Grand Princess looked at me, weighing the gravity of my resolve. "Are you certain? The words you will hear outside will not be kind."

I replied, "Even if I hide within the safety of the estate, those words will not cease to exist."

The street in front of the Shen mansion was choked with a suffocating crowd. There were thrill-seekers, tribal elders invited by the Shen family, and high-born ladies who usually circled in Shen Yuntang’s social orbit. As our carriage came to a stop, a voice erupted from the throng:

"That is her! That foster girl!"

"They say that to marry into the Prince’s house, she drugged the young master’s wine and then framed the eldest daughter of the Shen family!"

"The eldest daughter was such a kind soul. When she returned to the capital, she had a smile for everyone. She is nothing like this one, who walks around with a shadow of gloom upon her face."

Qing Xing reached to pull back the carriage curtain, ready to lash out, but I held her back. "Let them speak."

The Grand Princess descended first. The cacophony before the gates hushed by half. My father stood on the steps, his appearance haggard and frail. He looked every bit the benevolent father driven to the brink by an unfilial child. My mother clutched the doorframe, weeping as if she could barely stand. When I stepped down, she looked at me with eyes filled with both misplaced guilt and desperate pleading. My father raised his voice.

"Shen Zhaoyue, must you push the Shen family to such a bitter end?"

The crowd burst into an uproar.

"The Minister is truly pitiable."

"They raised her for sixteen years, only to nurture a white-eyed wolf."

I walked up the stone steps, one steady pace after another. "Did you not announce yesterday that I was no daughter of the Shen family? Why then play the role of the devoted father today?"

My father’s face stiffened. An elder from the clan immediately stepped forward. "Even without blood ties, there remains the debt of upbringing."

I fixed my gaze upon him. "Is the 'debt of upbringing' you speak of the burden of being blamed for Shen Yuntang’s kidnapping, or the duty to shoulder the blame for the drugging she herself committed?"

The elder was rendered speechless. A noblewoman stepped forward—Khuong Dung, a close confidante of Shen Yuntang. She pointed a finger at me and cried:

"Shen Shen Zhaoyue, do not dare to spit venom! Shen Yuntang is pure and kind—how could she ever conceive of such a plot?"

Qing Xing could no longer remain silent. "Pure enough to drug the young master’s wine? Kind enough to drag my lady into this misery?"

Khuong Dung’s face flushed a deep, indignant red. "A mere maid dares to interrupt?"

I pulled Qing Xing behind me. "What she says is the truth. Why should she not speak it?"

Khuong Dung sneered, "Where is your proof? You claim Shen Yuntang drugged the wine, but where is the evidence?"