Chapter 4 — The Golden Crow Reclaims Her Fate

In an instant, the celestial tremors subsided, and the majestic divine projection of my royal father dissolved into golden mist. He materialized beside me, tall and imposing. Overwhelmed with relief, I rushed forward, burying my face against his robes and clinging to him tightly.

Father, you have finally come.

A collective shiver ran through the assembled crowd. They exchanged bewildered, fearful glances, struggling to process the reality unfolding before their eyes. Seeing the imperial guards standing motionless and respectful behind my father, the realization finally dawned on them: the girl they had ridiculed was the true princess.

Disaster! Khuong Ninh is truly the princess! Did she see us mocking her earlier? Will she hold a grudge?

It does not matter, at least we have Khuong Nhu. But that girl dared to impersonate the daughter of the Celestial Emperor; she must have grown tired of living.

My brothers watched the familiar silhouette of our father, their voices trembling in unison: Father, why are you here?

Under the icy gaze of the imperial guards, the immortals finally shook off their stupor, hastily dropping to their knees to kowtow. Celestial Emperor, your majesty!

My brothers stared at me, nestled safely in our father’s arms, their expressions shifting from confusion to shock. Father patted my back gently, his divine power washing over me to erase the lingering wounds and exhaustion from my body.

It is I who arrived too late, allowing you to suffer such indignity, he murmured softly.

My eyes welled with tears and I shook my head. You labor day and night for the welfare of the three realms, Father. I should not have burdened you with such trivial matters.

I understood perfectly well that Father was often occupied with petitions and state affairs, and that our distance was a natural byproduct of his responsibilities. Compared to the stability of the realms, our personal grievances felt insignificant. In my previous life, I had chosen silence to avoid distracting him, suffering in isolation until our bond withered into indifference. When he finally learned of my death—he, who was destined to live as long as the heavens—his hair turned snowy white overnight. To avenge me, he had sent the archer Hou Yi to pierce the source bloodlines of my nine brothers with the Sun-Shattering Bow, banishing them to the mortal world.

In this new life, the first thing I did was send a divine message to Father, detailing every grievance and imploring him to intervene. Seeing that I had not been traumatized beyond repair, Father led me directly to the throne of the Celestial Emperor atop the Nine Heavens. Only then did I realize that the guests were still kneeling on the ground, as Father had not yet granted them permission to rise. While immortals possess long lives and formidable power, making a short vigil on their knees harmless, the imposter Khuong Nhu—a mere mortal bird spirit—was already pale and shivering, struggling to remain upright.

The Crown Prince could not help but speak up: Father, the guests are still kneeling. You have not signaled for them to stand.

Instead of softening, Father let out a cold, sharp huff. His voice rang out, heavy with divine authority: You have eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. You could not even distinguish my only daughter from a common spirit; let them stay on the ground! Besides, are you not all immortals? What does a little kneeling matter? Or is it that there are those in my Celestial Court who do not even deserve the title of immortal?

My second brother, hearing Father rebuke his favorite, stiffened his neck in defiance. Father, Khuong Nhu is merely a little sparrow we rescued in the mortal realm. For years, she has stayed by our side to repay that kindness. It was Khuong Ninh who was abusing her status, so we only administered a minor lesson to temper her character! Furthermore, the eyes of the ten directions are upon the Celestial Court; we should not let our family affairs spill into the public eye. Perhaps we should discuss this another time.

Father’s expression grew increasingly grim as he listened. Then, Khuong Nhu dared to speak, her voice trembling: Celestial Emperor, the situation is not what it appears. You have truly misunderstood my nine brothers.