Xiao Mingyu threw herself onto Xiao Minghua's soft, fragrant brocade quilt, weeping uncontrollably, as if she wanted to pour out all the grievances, frights, shame, and pain of rejection she had endured along the way.

“Royal sister! He…he’s like a rock that can’t be warmed! No, an iceberg! An ancient piece of cold iron!” She raised her tear-streaked face, her eyes swollen like peaches, her voice hoarse, “I was like that…I almost died…I told him I liked him…and he still…still said it was duty! Duty! He dared not presume to be with me! Waaah…Does he think I’m annoying? Hateful? Shameless?” A huge sense of defeat and self-doubt almost overwhelmed her.

Xiao Minghua tenderly embraced his younger sister, gently patting her back as he listened to her intermittent sobs and recounted everything that had happened in the cave. Once she had calmed down slightly, he carefully wiped her face with a warm handkerchief, his voice gentle yet firm:

"Silly Mingyu, you're crying like this, do you even want to keep your eyes open?" She cupped her younger sister's face and looked at her earnestly. "I heard from my elder sister that Shen Wensong rejected you, not because he disliked you."

"Then why..."

“Because he’s ‘stupid’.” Xiao Minghua smiled helplessly, his eyes filled with insightful wisdom. “A ‘stupid’ man who has only known martial arts, military strategy, and defending the territory since childhood. The string in his heart hasn’t been tied to the pillar of ‘romantic feelings’ yet! If you suddenly throw such a big basket of burning affection at him, what can he do except block it with the shield of ‘duty’? He simply doesn’t know how to receive it!”

Xiao Mingyu sobbed, seemingly understanding but not quite.

“Think about it again,” Xiao Minghua coaxed gently. “If he really didn’t care about you at all, would he have rushed to save you without a second thought on that cliff edge? Was the injury on his arm fake? You cried so bitterly in the cave. If he really hated you, he could have stayed far away. Why did he stand there frozen? He was clearly… confused!”

Xiao Minghua's words were like a ray of light, piercing through the gloom in Xiao Mingyu's heart. She remembered the force with which Shen Wensong grabbed her, almost crushing her bones; she remembered his bloodshot yet unusually bright eyes; she remembered his posture of shielding her in the darkness... and the stiffness and... desolation in his eyes when he was shaken off?

“But…but he said he didn’t dare to aspire to such a high position…” Xiao Mingyu’s voice lowered, carrying a hint of hopeful cowardice.

“That’s nonsense!” Xiao Minghua tapped her forehead. “He is the youngest son of the Shen family, a fifth-rank general at a young age, with a bright future ahead of him. The Emperor and Empress are enlightened; they have never judged a consort based on family background. Your brother-in-law was just a compiler in the Hanlin Academy back then. His so-called ‘not daring to aspire to such a high position’ is just an excuse when he hasn’t figured things out yet and hasn’t realized his own feelings. It’s also a barrier he’s set up for himself.”

A faint light gradually rekindled in Xiao Mingyu's eyes: "Then... what should I do?"

"What should we do?" Xiao Minghua smiled gently, her eyes gleaming with the shrewdness of someone with experience. "Didn't your elder sister tell you long ago? You can't rush things when dealing with this kind of 'stubborn rock.' It's like 'boiling a frog in lukewarm water,' the key is perseverance, and even more importantly... winning his heart is the best strategy. Since he's focused on his duties and responsibilities, then show him that you, the princess, are not just about romance and poetry, but can also share his ideals! Let him know that your affection is not a burden, but a source of strength that allows you to walk alongside him."

Xiao Mingyu listened intently, her chaotic thoughts gradually settling down in the gentle yet powerful words of her elder sister. The despair and coldness in the cave seemed to recede somewhat, replaced by a rekindled, resolute determination, tinged with grievance. She wiped away her tears, sniffed hard, and her eyes regained their brightness and stubbornness.

Yes, she is Xiao Mingyu, the precious pearl held in the palm of her father and mother's hands, the second princess who dares to love and hate! He's just a stubborn rock that won't understand anything, but she refuses to believe that she can't cook him with all the warm water she has in her life!