At the second watch, Ruyi and Jixiang brought dinner to the inner chambers. Yunyi remained as before, sitting silently at the table without saying a word. Jixiang forced a smile and said: “Princess, please have your meal. Look, these are all your favorite dishes. I even specially cut a piece of the cured meat you personally prepared before.”
Ruyi added from the side: “This cured meat is just as you said – it doesn’t look like much, but once steamed, it’s so fragrant it makes one’s mouth water. When we brought it just now, Jixiang and I couldn’t help but steal a piece – it was truly delicious. Please try it quickly; it won’t taste as good once it gets cold.”
No matter what they said, Yunyi only sat quietly, not even glancing at the delicacies the imperial chefs had carefully prepared. Ruyi sighed and crouched before Yunyi, saying softly: “Princess, this servant knows you’re hurting inside, but you can’t go on not eating like this. What if you damage your health from hunger?”
Jixiang also persuaded: “Princess, even if you don’t care for yourself, you must consider Her Majesty the Empress. If anything happens to you, the person who would be most heartbroken would surely be Her Majesty the Empress.”
Her words made Yunyi’s gaze flicker slightly, but she still didn’t speak or pick up chopsticks to eat. Just as the two were at a loss, footsteps sounded outside, followed by Xiao Shi pushing the door open. Ruyi and the other quickly curtsied in greeting.
Xiao Shi glanced at the untouched meal still arranged on the table and said: “You may all withdraw. Hongli, you go out as well.”
After only the mother and daughter remained in the hall, Xiao Shi took Yunyi’s cold hands, tears falling before she could speak. After a long while, she said hoarsely: “I’m sorry. It’s because Mother failed to protect you properly, allowing you to suffer such grievance and humiliation. I’m sorry!”
Yunyi’s eyes moved slightly, her gaze falling on Xiao Shi as she opened her mouth to speak the first words since leaving Chengxiang Hall: “Who… is actually my father?”
Xiao Shi had come this time intending to tell Yunyi the truth and let her know her origins. She wiped her tears and said: “Back then, Mother was still a princess of the Liang Dynasty. Though I was a princess, because Mother was born in the second month, the customs of that time considered women born in the second month inauspicious, so I was raised under my uncle Zhang Ke. In my fifteenth year, I met Yang Yong, then the Crown Prince of the Sui Dynasty. Mother and he fell in love at first sight. Though he already had a Crown Princess, Mother didn’t care about status – I only wanted to spend my life with the person I loved. He also promised Mother that upon returning, he would inform the Emperor and Empress and make me his secondary consort. Originally everything should have been fine, but unfortunately at this time, the Emperor and Empress chose a consort for their second son, Prince Jin, from the Liang state.”
“Prince Jin…” Yunyi murmured, repeating: “That is… Yang Guang?” She could not bring herself to say the words “father emperor.”
“Correct. The divination results for all the Liang princesses said they were unsuitable, so Father brought me back from Uncle’s residence. After divination, it was declared highly auspicious, and he wished to make me Prince Jin’s consort. But I was already devoted to the Crown Prince – how could I agree to this marriage? So I went to see the Emperor and Empress who were in the Liang state at the time, explaining my feelings to them. It was then that I met Yang Guang.” Speaking to this point, Xiao Shi sighed: “What a calamity, truly a calamity. If I hadn’t been so eager to go, or if he hadn’t seen me then, none of the subsequent troubles would have arisen.”
“He took a fancy to Mother?” With Xiao Shi’s beauty, few men would remain unmoved, especially someone like Yang Guang who was greedy for women.
“Correct. Right after I left, he petitioned the Emperor and Empress, saying he would marry none but Xiao Weiyang as Prince Jin’s consort. On the other side, the Crown Prince also went to see the Emperor and Empress about wanting to take me as his secondary consort. For the Emperor and Empress, both were their sons – the palm and back of the hand were both flesh, making it difficult to choose.”
“Seeing the Emperor and Empress delay their decision, Yang Guang went to beg the Crown Prince, even threatening death. The Crown Prince, mindful of brotherly affection, though reluctant, ultimately betrayed our vows of eternal love for Yang Guang’s sake. And I… finally became Prince Jin’s consort.” Though the events had passed many years ago, recalling the past still made Xiao Shi unable to hide her sadness. She took a breath and continued: “I only learned of this affair afterward. At the time, I thought the Crown Prince’s feelings for me weren’t deep and harbored some resentment toward him. Though I didn’t love Yang Guang, since I had married him, I decided to be a proper Prince Jin’s consort. Not long after, I gave birth to Nanyang.”
Yunyi said hoarsely: “If that’s the case, why do Meixue and I exist?”
Xiao Shi sighed: “Though I intended to be a proper Prince Jin’s consort, someone wouldn’t let me live in peace. The secondary consort Qi Shi at the time was an extremely scheming woman. Seeing Yang Guang’s favor toward me, she became jealous and repeatedly sowed discord, saying I still had feelings for the Crown Prince and was secretly corresponding with him. Yang Guang didn’t believe it at first, but under Qi Shi’s constant persuasion, he finally became suspicious. Later, I carelessly fell into Qi Shi’s trap and was discovered by Yang Guang having a private meeting with the Crown Prince in the garden. Actually, Qi Shi had people separately imitate my and the Crown Prince’s handwriting to arrange this so-called ‘private meeting.'”
“Even now, I clearly remember Yang Guang’s expression then – terrifying, like he wanted to devour someone. That was also the only time he ever struck me. The Crown Prince, seeing me beaten without cause, became angry and said a few words, which only made Yang Guang angrier, leading to a fight between them that even escalated to drawing weapons. Fortunately, Empress Dugu arrived in time, or the consequences would have been unthinkable.”
“After that incident, Yang Guang began to neglect me. Since I didn’t love him anyway, being neglected was fine – it actually gave me peace and freedom. But I never imagined that Yang Guang, under Qi Shi’s instigation, would secretly send people to kill me. Originally he could have been more open about it, but I was after all the daughter of Emperor Liang – killing me openly might cause adverse effects. If not for the Crown Prince’s rescue that time, I would have died long ago. Years of marriage couldn’t withstand a few slanderous words. From that moment on, I completely gave up on Yang Guang!”
“After the Crown Prince saved me, he settled me in a civilian residence. Except for him, everyone thought I was dead, including Yang Guang. I thought I could finally completely sever ties with Yang Guang, but it turned out not to be so. He and I seemed bound by some past-life enmity that could never be untangled. Once, when I went to buy rice, I unexpectedly encountered Yang Guang, letting him know I was still alive. Upon seeing me, he grabbed me and wouldn’t let go, saying he had always regretted what happened and that he had already executed Qi Shi, begging my forgiveness. Naturally I refused, so he brought me to see the Crown Prince, questioning why the Crown Prince had secretly hidden me without telling him, and saying he wanted to take me away. The Crown Prince naturally refused, saying that the moment Yang Guang sent people to kill me, the original Xiao Weiyang had already died. Moreover, he had already yielded once back then and would absolutely not yield a second time – Yang Guang should abandon that hope.”