He figured that having been pampered in the palace for sixteen years, proud and willful, she must have found it unbearable to be suddenly locked up and put through hardship in a place like Yongxiang these past few days.
Yet Little Sister was entirely innocent. Thinking of her young sister's pitiful and helpless state, Pei Shangyan's sympathy for Mu Yuanzhi faded somewhat.
"Sister Zhi, Little Sister's injuries are no lighter than yours. You must not harbor jealousy any longer; go back and offer her a proper apology. She is kind-hearted and will surely forgive you."
Jealousy? Mu Yuanzhi had indeed once been jealous of Pei Yunxi.
The Emperor had only sons, and as the sole princess—even though she was adopted—she had been showered with boundless affection.
Yet an adopted daughter remained merely an adopted daughter. Pei Yunxi, the true princess, was the apple of their eye. She was no longer their obedient daughter and good sister...
Blame her for overestimating her own abilities and trying to snatch back the affection that had once belonged exclusively to her, but her actions had never included harming Pei Yunxi. From start to finish, it was Pei Yunxi who had framed her!
Yet no one believed her. They thought her skill in crafting hidden weapons reflected a dark and twisted mind, forgetting that the weapons she developed were vital barriers protecting the Imperial City!
All those praises of her genius had been distorted and tainted the moment Pei Yunxi appeared.
"Thank you, Crown Prince." Mu Yuanzhi unobtrusively pushed Pei Shangyan away, stubbornly relying on her unsteady footing to force herself to stand straight.
She addressed him as Crown Prince as she always had, but every word carried a chilling distance that kept people thousands of miles away.
Pei Shangyan finally sensed the incongruity. In the past, even if she merely scratched a layer of skin, Sister Zhi would aggrievedly tug at him and act spoiled, demanding to be coaxed. Now, even though she could barely stand, she still stubbornly put up a front.
"Pei Yuanzhi, receive the Imperial Edict."
Mu Yuanzhi lowered her gaze and calmly knelt to receive the decree. In the freezing snow, the moment her knees hit the ground, a bone-chilling cold coursed through her, making her tremble all over. Her knees were already scraped, and through the thin prison garment, direct contact with the snow was piercingly cold.
After reading the Imperial Edict, Pei Shangyan wanted to help Mu Yuanzhi up, but she gathered her remaining strength to stand up with difficulty, dragging her faltering steps as she slowly walked away.
Watching Mu Yuanzhi's stubborn back, Pei Shangyan recalled how earnest she had been when pleading with him.
An indescribable feeling welled up in Pei Shangyan's heart.
By the time he snapped out of his trance, Mu Yuanzhi was already far away. He called out to her slender, emaciated back, "Sister Zhi, His Majesty is waiting for you at the Sacrificial Altar."
Mu Yuanzhi understood: His Majesty wanted her to apologize to his precious daughter in public. Very well!
The eunuch on duty outside looked at Mu Yuanzhi with indifference. The sedan chair nearby remained empty, and no one offered to let her ride—yet just days ago, they had been kissing up to her, calling her Princess at every turn.
People within the palace walls fawned on the powerful and trampled the weak; Mu Yuanzhi was long accustomed to it and couldn't be bothered to bicker with a eunuch.
Along the way, palace attendants whispered among themselves upon seeing her. In the past, every single one of them would have respectfully retreated to the side from afar; now, knowing that her weight in the Emperor's heart amounted to nothing, they naturally lost all respect.
Which favored person would ever be locked in Yongxiang? That was a place specifically used for imprisoning criminals and bondservants!
Mu Yuanzhi walked straight ahead toward the Sacrificial Altar, keeping her eyes fixed forward.
Suddenly, a shadow fell across her vision.
Mu Yuanzhi raised her eyes, colliding with a pair of deep, dark pupils.
"Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Mu Yuanzhi's heart tightened inexplicably. Seeing Xiao Yichen once more made her fingertips tremble uncontrollably.
This was her fiancé, the dream of countless maidens in the Capital, the young and promising Grand Secretary Xiao—the man she had once loved and hated to the extreme.
"Grand Secretary Xiao." A bitter ache surged from her heart to her throat, but in the end, Mu Yuanzhi merely offered a flat reply, too lazy to even feign a polite smile.
There is no greater despair than a dead heart.
A fleeting flash of surprise crossed Xiao Yichen's eyes as he scrutinized her from head to toe.
No wonder he had found it strange. In the past, whenever she saw him, she would invariably cling to him, calling him Brother Chen over and over, refusing to stop until she had pestered him endlessly.
Once, Mu Yuanzhi had thought he valued quiet and thus found her annoying, but later, when she saw Pei Yunxi buzzing around him like a chattering bird while he looked on with doting smiles, she had suddenly awakened: when someone dislikes you, even your breathing is wrong.
It wasn't that he liked quiet; it was simply that he didn't like her.
The ironic part was that in her past life, even after hitting a brick wall, she refused to turn back, insisting on competing with Pei Yunxi, only to end up being personally tortured by him—subjected to the punishment of flaying!
He had ruthlessly and coldly used a small blade to slice open her skin, stating with icy indifference that she deserved it all for almost disfiguring his darling.
Xiao Yichen would never know that the one who had nearly been disfigured was her, not Pei Yunxi, who had set the trap.
The past was too painful; Mu Yuanzhi found even breathing somewhat difficult.
Assuming she was cold, Xiao Yichen removed his cloak and draped it over her shoulders.
The scent belonging to Xiao Yichen instantly enveloped Mu Yuanzhi tightly. Emotions churned within her, spreading and rapidly forming a faint wave of nausea; she wanted to vomit.
Almost instinctively, Mu Yuanzhi reached out to take it off, but a hand moved faster than hers. A broad palm pressed down over her hand, and a chilly voice came from above: "The Princess is about to meet His Majesty; do not lose your decorum."
Xiao Yichen was stating a fact. Mu Yuanzhi looked down at the cloak once more, the corners of her lips curling into a smile. She quietly withdrew her hand and nodded at him.
She recognized this cloak; Pei Yunxi had embroidered it for Xiao Yichen with her own hands. In her past life, upon discovering this, she had flown into a jealous rage and tried to burn it. For that, he had laid hands on her for the very first time, pushing her away so hard she crashed into a desk, a candle burning her wrist—yet he never offered a single apology.
Conversely, he had never once worn any of the garments she embroidered for him.
Since it was such a deeply affectionate garment, she might as well wear it to attend Pei Yunxi's grand recognition ceremony.
That way, their little princess would surely be very pleased!
Seeing that Mu Yuanzhi did not linger and was about to walk away, Xiao Yichen suppressed his lingering doubts and said to her, "Since the Princess has difficulty moving, this official will have a sedan chair called for you."
"No need to trouble Grand Secretary Xiao." Mu Yuanzhi didn't even look back.
She knew Xiao Yichen's concern stemmed merely from his duty as a prospective husband. Once the recognition ceremony was over, this prospective husband would belong to Pei Yunxi, and he wouldn't even deign to offer this kind of superficial concern to her anymore.
After all, when the marriage was originally bestowed, the Imperial Edict simply stated "the Princess," without specifying which one. It would naturally transition over to Pei Yunxi just like that.
Xiao Yichen was a top-tier gentleman of the empire; of course His Majesty wouldn't be willing to let him marry her, choosing instead to keep him for his own biological daughter.
Naturally, Xiao Yichen did not press the matter further. He gazed intently at Mu Yuanzhi, full of puzzlement, but quickly dismissed the thought as too much trouble.
She was probably just throwing a temper tantrum. In less than half a day, she would come scampering back to pester him—she was always like that, used to being willful and headstrong, never caring about anyone else's feelings.
Suffering a little hardship this time would do her good and teach her a lesson, saving her from becoming increasingly abrasive and ultimately harming both herself and others.