Chapter 19: She Was Seen Through by Everyone
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Song Shiwei listened to her father’s plan, nodding occasionally while calculating quietly in her mind. Starting with Princess Anning was indeed a clever approach. This Princess Anning was notoriously arrogant and overbearing; even favored princes and consorts were at her mercy whenever she chose to act against them.
Her father’s throat was dry from speaking, so he poured himself a cup of water. “Our plan needs the right ally, and Prince Ding is that ally.”
Song Shiwei understood perfectly. “Prince Ding harbors ambitions for the throne, so Princess Anning stands as an obstacle to him.”
“A princess so brazen and contemptuous of the other princes will only bring endless trouble and danger if she remains.”
Her father nodded. “There’s another point: Princess Anning is peculiar.”
Song Shiwei looked at him with curiosity.
He narrowed his sharp eyes and explained, “Have you ever wondered why Princess Anning was unusually clever and talented from a young age?”
Hearing this, Song Shiwei recalled the things Princess Anning had done as a child and began to sense the problem.
“Father, do you mean Princess Anning is too clever?”
He shook his head and then nodded again. “Actually, before she fell into the water as a child, she was timid, cowardly, and rather dull.”
“After she nearly drowned, she became smart, bold, arrogant, and extremely adept at vying for favor.”
“When I saw young Princess Anning back then, her behavior seemed more like an adult’s than a child’s.”
Song Shiwei was startled, her eyes widening slightly. “Father, this...”
She covered her mouth. “Do you mean to say that after that near-drowning incident, Princess Anning might have been possessed by a water spirit?”
Her father lightly tapped her forehead with a finger, helpless. “There’s no such thing as water spirits in this world; those are just stories made up by people for their own ends.”
“I’m not certain what happened to Princess Anning, but one thing is clear: there are two Princess Annings.”
No one’s personality changes so drastically yet keeps the same appearance. Moreover, Princess Anning’s sudden brilliance and knowledge cannot be simply explained by ‘awakening’ after nearly drowning.
Song Shiwei patted her chest and exhaled. “Father, your words scared me.”
“So, Princess Anning is a big problem.”
Her brow furrowed slightly. “She’s probably not an imposter.”
“At the time, she was an overlooked, unloved nobody; no one would bother to impersonate her.”
“Besides, with such a transformation, I don’t believe the Emperor hasn’t secretly investigated.”
Her father nodded. “Indeed, the Emperor did investigate the cause of Princess Anning’s drastic change.”
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“But it seems he found no explanation.”
“Later, because of Princess Anning’s cunning and her actions, the Emperor pretended not to notice her changes and let her run wild to serve his own purposes.”
Song Shiwei gleaned some insight. “Father, are you saying the Emperor’s favor towards Princess Anning is based on her usefulness in covering up certain matters?”
Her father glanced at her. “The Emperor is a shrewd and calculating man. He wouldn’t truly favor a reckless princess.”
“The Emperor uses Princess Anning as a shield.”
“What better shield than a willful and arrogant princess?”
A cold sweat broke out on Song Shiwei. At that moment, she truly realized how cunning and deep the Emperor was.
Her face paled slightly, but her gaze was resolute. Even though the Emperor was difficult to confront, she would stand against him.
Only by replacing the Emperor or by her family gaining enough power could justice be restored and she could stand proudly before everyone again.
“Father, since Princess Anning still has value to the Emperor, would he deal with her maternal family?”
Her father saw her spirits were still steady and nodded with satisfaction. More hardships were to come, and Shiwei had to stay strong.
“To a certain extent.”
He implied, “If that limit is crossed, the Emperor will not spare Princess Anning or her maternal kin.”
Song Shiwei felt somewhat reassured and began to make plans. “Father, I will contact Prince Ding.”
“It’s best to let Prince Ding handle this matter; we just need to continue our exile and wait.”
In such circumstances, they must behave prudently, giving no one a chance to scheme against them.
Her father’s eyes were full of admiration but tinged with regret—how he wished Shiwei were a son.
The father and daughter discussed the details of their plan.
Elsewhere,
Song Mingtian approached the firewood storage with a willow switch in hand.
Song Shilan and Aunt Qin saw him coming, their faces paling as they stepped back repeatedly.
“Second Brother,” Song Shilan forced a smile despite her unease and bowed slightly.
“Second Brother has come to save—ah!”
Song Mingtian lashed her face fiercely with the switch.
Seeing the whip marks on Song Shilan’s face, he laughed with cruel abandon. “Song Shilan, haven’t you always enjoyed beating and framing me since childhood?”
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“Now, I’ll let you taste what it’s like to be whipped.”
He struck her again and again with the slender willow switch.
The thin switch stung painfully, even more so than a regular whip.
Song Shilan dodged left and right, even hiding behind Aunt Qin, but the lashes still found their mark.
“No!”
She tried to protect herself but failed. “Second Brother, please don’t do this to me.”
“I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong.”
She cried out desperately, “Auntie, save me, save me! I’m going to be beaten to death!”
Aunt Qin wanted to help her but whenever she tried, the switch would lash against her instead.
After several attempts, she dared not intervene and kept her distance.
“Song Shilan, keep screaming; the louder you shout, the better,” Song Mingtian said with brazen delight.
“I told you, I would torment you slowly on the road to exile. Now, I’m fulfilling that promise.”
Song Shilan’s face and body were marked with welts from the lashes.
Her whole body ached, tears and snot streaming down her face. “Second Brother, I was wrong. Please spare me, will you?”
She tried to escape from the firewood storage.
But Song Mingtian blocked the only exit, smiling menacingly. “You want to run?”
“Song Shilan, if you dare run out, the officials will deal with you.”
Her screams were loud enough that many at the relay station heard them, yet no one intervened.
At most, the deputy stationmaster quietly checked on the situation.
He only glanced briefly.
When Song Shiwei learned of this from her third sister, she merely raised an eyebrow, showing no intent to intervene.
“As long as Song Shilan and Aunt Qin don’t die, that’s enough,” she said calmly.