Shen Xihe looked at Shen Xihe, then turned toward Shen Yueshan, who nodded.

For some inexplicable reason, anger surged in her heart, and Shen Xihe said, “Weren’t you also pushed off a boat that day?”

Shen Yueshan’s gaze turned sharp – how could Shen Xihe have been pushed off a boat? Wasn’t it just the doing of Madam Xiao’s carefully planted spy who had been hiding for ten years?

Noticing Shen Yueshan’s anger, Shen Xihe realized she had misspoken. This matter was her mother’s doing, and she shouldn’t have been impulsive, but she still stubbornly refused to bow her head.

“What Lingrong was to me then is what Madam Tan is to you now. Do you think if one day Madam Tan were to scheme against you, you could force her away?” Shen Xihe wasn’t angry though – Madam Xiao and Lingrong were both dead, and she had already taken her revenge.

Moreover, if not for Lingrong’s push, how would she have had the opportunity to receive Gu Qingchi’s guidance, and how would she have encountered the Immortal’s Sash, thereby obtaining the Bone-Shedding Pill? If she hadn’t gotten the Bone-Shedding Pill, even without falling into the water, she probably wouldn’t have many days left to live by now.

Fortune and misfortune were intertwined, so she had long since put that day’s events behind her.

Shen Xihe looked at Madam Tan beside her, and she had to admit that if Madam Tan were to scheme against her, it would surely be a fatal blow. Madam Tan had grown up with her, just as Lingrong had grown up with Shen Xihe.

“I neither like nor dislike you,” Shen Xihe decided to speak plainly. “I understand your desires, but you’ve forgotten your identity. Besides being Father’s daughter, you’re also His Majesty’s niece. Don’t forget how you came into this world. His Majesty was able to use your mother back then, and he will use you in the future.”

Shen Xihe seemed to have a sudden enlightenment, her pupils constricting. She appeared to have her soul stripped away in an instant, becoming completely dispirited and unsteady on her feet, requiring Madam Tan’s support.

Madam Tan couldn’t bear it: “Princess, please show mercy in your words.”

Such truth was too cruel. Over these years, His Majesty’s favor toward Shen Xihe might not have been excessive, but he never neglected her in anything, being the only relative who kept her in his heart.

“I’m not saying His Majesty’s kindness to you must have ulterior motives,” Shen Xihe softened her heart after all. “Perhaps it’s to make up for his guilt. But you should know that His Majesty’s current favor, which you see as genuine affection, only feels genuine because you’re not close to us. Otherwise, do you think His Majesty’s favor could remain so pure?”

Shen Xihe clutched Madam Tan tightly, looking as lost as a child who had lost her way, her eyes filled only with tears and confusion.

“You’ve had His Majesty’s protection since birth because Father didn’t favor you, which is why His Majesty showed you genuine affection,” Shen Xihe said softly. “You’re not an ignorant child anymore. You’re exceptionally clever and should understand better that we and His Majesty will one day find it difficult to coexist. You don’t lack wealth and status now, and it will be the same in the future.”

Whether His Majesty won in the future or they did, as long as Shen Xihe maintained her current position, they wouldn’t harm her, and His Majesty wouldn’t implicate her. Even if the Shen family faced complete execution, at worst she could follow Xiao Fuxing’s example and take her mother’s surname.

Tears involuntarily slid down Shen Xihe’s cheeks.

“Neither I nor Father have ever resented you for your birth,” Shen Xihe continued. “But ask yourself honestly, if right now you had to sever the blood ties between you and His Majesty, and in the future maintain a superficial relationship with him as I do, only then could you receive Father’s care – could you do it?”

In the cold wind, Shen Xihe opened her mouth, wanting to say she could do it, but she couldn’t make a sound, because her reason told her she couldn’t!

Just as Shen Xihe said, His Majesty’s favor toward her until now should be free of any ulterior motives, even if there might be some watchful intent. His Majesty took her into the palace, let her be a princess’s study companion, taught her to read and understand principles, and was the only one who never forgot her birthday year after year.

Her respect and gratitude toward His Majesty wouldn’t allow her to be an ungrateful person. She couldn’t bring herself to dismiss all of His Majesty’s kindness over the years as calculation for future use just to gain Father’s care.

She wasn’t important enough for that. If His Majesty truly had such intentions, he wouldn’t have allowed her sister to enter the capital. His agreeing to her sister’s entry to the capital was an acknowledgment that Shen Yueshan showed her no parental affection, yet his rewards to her during festivals and celebrations never diminished.

“I… have become greedy…” Shen Xihe almost used all her strength to utter these words.

“It’s not too late to realize this now,” Shen Xihe lowered the carriage curtain. “Live your life well from now on. Father said he won’t let anyone bully you.”

Shen Yueshan sighed lightly and also said, “Take care of yourself.”

Shen Xihe watched their carriage disappear into the distance, tears rushing forth. When no one was around, she could no longer hold back and collapsed into Madam Tan’s arms, sobbing loudly.

Madam Tan gently patted her back, and after a long, long time, Shen Xihe finally choked out, “I’m not as good as her…”

“The Princess’s magnanimity is beyond ordinary comparison,” even as Shen Xihe’s confidante, Madam Tan couldn’t help but praise Shen Xihe.

Shen Xihe desperately yearned for her father’s care, which undoubtedly competed with Shen Xihe’s interests. Shen Xihe never resented her for this, showing mercy for the second time after not resenting her for Madam Xiao’s actions.

Shen Xihe had forgotten her situation, forgetting that she was still connected to His Majesty. If it were other sisters, they would have long used this to mock her, able to shame her to the point of extreme humiliation with their words.

Shen Xihe didn’t do that, instead gently awakening her – this was the third mercy.

Finally, Shen Xihe acknowledged Shen Yueshan’s promise that he wouldn’t tolerate anyone bullying Shen Xihe – this was the fourth mercy.

If their positions were reversed, Shen Xihe knew she couldn’t have done it. Not only could she not do it, but there probably weren’t many in this world who could.

She had always thought herself excellent in virtue, appearance, words, and achievements. She had believed that even if she wasn’t better than Shen Xihe, she wouldn’t be inferior. But today she understood that she was far behind Shen Xihe in both virtue and magnanimity.

“Why did you need to tell her all this?” Back at the Princess’s mansion, walking with his daughter in the inner courtyard, Shen Yueshan sighed softly.

“Just as Father told her not to think too much, better a short pain than a long one,” Shen Xihe replied. “If we didn’t wake her up, she might maintain her rationality once or twice, avoiding being used or provoked, but it would be hard to guarantee she wouldn’t waver the third or fourth time.”

Those words were somewhat cruel to Shen Xihe, making her clearly understand her situation. If not for her softening at the end, she would have made Shen Xihe deeply believe that the only person who had ever kept her in their heart had ulterior motives from beginning to end.

“Youyou is kindhearted,” Shen Yueshan smiled appeasingly.

Making Shen Xihe completely disillusioned with His Majesty would have been the way to eliminate the possibility of her turning to His Majesty’s side. Though they weren’t close to Shen Xihe, they were still connected by blood. If one day His Majesty hardened his heart to use Shen Xihe, it might not be without impact on them.

It would be better to make Shen Xihe guard against His Majesty early.

In the end, Shen Xihe couldn’t bear to let Shen Xihe be too miserable, and so showed mercy in her words.