07

A few days after the incident in the Imperial Garden, Qiuhe quietly brought back a message—the eldest princess, Siyun Jin, who had been devoted to Buddhism and detached from worldly affairs, would be returning to the palace in three days.

Information about this princess immediately flashed through Si Mianmian's mind: she was the eldest daughter of the late Emperor and Empress, of noble birth, only twenty-two years old this year, yet already widowed for five years. Her husband had been the youngest top scholar in the Great Yu Dynasty, exceptionally talented, but unfortunately, fate was cruel, and he died less than two years after their marriage. Afterwards, the princess lived a secluded life, spending most of her time practicing Buddhism at the imperial temple outside the capital, praying for the late Emperor and her husband, rarely returning to the palace. During the late Emperor's reign, the princess had a close relationship with the young "original owner" Si Mianmian, and was one of the few who had shown kindness to Consort Wen and her daughter.

Survival Handbook Rule #7: Rebuilding broken old friendships is often easier than establishing new ones. The key is to find the root cause of the rift and skillfully mend it.

Si Mianmian keenly sensed that this might be an opportunity to break free from her current confinement to the corner of Zhuixia Pavilion. If she could regain the favor of her elder sister, the princess, her situation in the palace would greatly improve. She instructed Qiuhe to try to find out more details about the princess's past, especially her interactions with the "original owner" and why they gradually drifted apart.

In the past few days, Qiu He had been cultivating relationships with some of the older palace maids and had indeed learned some past events. It turned out that Princess Si Yun Jin, due to her noble status and her own experience of losing her mother at a young age, felt great pity for Consort Wen and her daughter, who were also somewhat "out of place" in the palace. Especially when Si Mianmian was young, the Princess had taken great care of her, even personally teaching her to write. About four years ago, shortly after the death of her husband, the Princess received a letter addressed to "Ninth Princess Si Mianmian." The letter's contents seemed quite hurtful, mentioning the husband's early death and containing offensive language. From then on, the Princess became heartbroken, completely severing ties with Si Mianmian and becoming even more immersed in Buddhism.

Si Mianmian pondered carefully. Four years ago, the original owner of this body was only ten years old, timid and cowardly, and only dependent on her loving elder sister. How could she have written such a harsh letter? There must be someone behind this. She recalled the Seventh Princess Si Yunshang's almost worshipful jealousy of the Eldest Princess, and the character of Consort Li, and had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth. In this palace, weren't those few the most skilled at forging handwriting and spreading rumors?

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. On the day the eldest princess returned to the palace, no grand ceremony was held. She only brought a few personal maids and quietly moved into the palace where she had lived before she was married—Chang Le Palace.

Si Mianmian waited patiently for two days. After estimating that the Princess had settled down, one afternoon, she took Qiuhe and carried a small food box, heading towards Chang Le Palace. She did not dress up deliberately, wearing only an elegant moon-white palace dress, with no other ornaments in her hair, making her look refreshing and not overly ostentatious.

The area in front of Chang Le Palace was indeed deserted. Si Mianmian introduced herself to the palace maid guarding the gate, speaking in a gentle tone: "Si Mianmian from Zhuixia Pavilion has come to pay her respects to my elder sister, the Empress. Please announce my arrival."

The palace maid went in and came out a moment later, looking somewhat embarrassed: "Your Highness, the Eldest Princess said that she is tired from her journey and needs to rest. She is not available to receive guests today. Please go back."

This result was within Si Mianmian's expectations. She did not show disappointment or dissatisfaction, but simply smiled and handed over the food box in her hand: "It's alright, please give this to my elder sister. Inside are some light lotus flower pastries, made with dew collected from last year's petals. They taste sweet and not greasy, perhaps they will suit my elder sister's taste. Mianmian will come to pay her respects another day."

She didn't linger. She put down the food box, bowed, and left with Qiuhe. Her manners were impeccable.

In the following days, Si Mianmian would go to Chang Le Palace to pay her respects at roughly the same time each day, bringing a small gift with her each time—sometimes a scroll of the Heart Sutra she had copied herself, with neat and beautiful handwriting; sometimes a vase of fresh lotus flowers still covered in dew; sometimes a box of exquisite pastries made by Consort Wen. She did not insist on meeting, and each time she would put down her gift, exchange a few gentle greetings, and then leave.

On the fifth day, when Si Mianmian arrived at the gate of Chang Le Palace again, the palace maid guarding the gate actually smiled and said, "Your Highness, the Ninth Princess, the Eldest Princess invites you to come in and talk."

Si Mianmian felt reassured, knowing that the first step had been successful. She took a deep breath, her face displaying just the right amount of anticipation and unease, and stepped into Chang Le Palace.

The hall was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, and the furnishings were elegant and refined. Princess Si Yunjin sat upright on a couch by the window, dressed in plain white robes, without any makeup. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, yet shrouded in an impenetrable aloofness and sorrow, like a delicate jade statue. Her gaze towards Si Mianmian was scrutinizing, and also contained a very faint, almost imperceptible, complex emotion.

"Mianmian greets the Imperial Elder Sister." Si Mianmian performed a deep bow with utmost respect, keeping her posture extremely humble.

"Get up," the princess said calmly. "It's kind of you to have been running around so diligently these past few days. Sit down."

"Thank you, Eldest Sister." Si Mianmian carefully sat halfway down on the embroidered stool below, her head slightly lowered, her hands obediently placed on her knees.

"You are quite different now than before." The eldest princess spoke slowly, her gaze falling on Si Mianmian, as if observing her reaction. In the past, the ninth sister was always timid when she saw her, not even daring to raise her head.

Si Mianmian raised her head, her eyes quickly welling up with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. Her voice was choked with emotion: "Elder Sister... Mianmian knows that I was young and ignorant before, and I may have... may have done things that hurt you. I dare not ask for your forgiveness, but... but now that I'm all grown up, whenever I think of how you took care of me and my mother, I am filled with gratitude and... and I am filled with remorse."

Her words acknowledged potential past mistakes while adopting a humble stance, focusing on expressing gratitude and remorse rather than rushing to defend herself.

The princess looked into the sincere yet regretful eyes of the girl before her, which seemed to overlap with, yet also different from, the timid child she remembered. She was silent for a moment, then softened her tone slightly: "Let bygones be bygones. I have been away from the palace for a long time, and many things have faded from my memory."

Si Mianmian gently shook her head, tears finally rolling down her cheeks. She rose and knelt on the ground: "Elder Sister, there are some things that I've kept in my heart for a long time... about that letter four years ago... I was young and naive then, and I don't remember ever writing such an offensive letter to you... It wasn't until recently, when I overheard palace servants talking, that I vaguely learned about it. I'm terrified. If... if it really happened, someone must be using my name to sow discord! You've been so kind to me, Elder Sister. No matter how unworthy I am, I would never do such a heartless thing!"

She finally steered the conversation to the crucial point. Her words were sincere and heartfelt, perfectly portraying the image of a wronged younger sister who might have been framed but had no evidence.

Upon hearing this, Princess Si Yunjin's hand, holding the teacup, paused almost imperceptibly. That letter had always been a thorn in her side. Now, hearing Si Mianmian mention it, and even say that someone might have framed her, her long-buried suspicions were stirred up again. Yes, her ninth sister was only ten years old at the time, so gentle and weak-willed, how could she suddenly write such sharp and hurtful words? Especially regarding the驸马 (the驸马)... the tone was more like imitating someone else's.

She looked at Si Mianmian kneeling before her, her shoulders trembling slightly from crying, and finally sighed: "Get up and speak. I... believe you."

The words "I believe you" brought a huge weight off Si Mianmian's heart. She knew that the rift had begun to heal.

She stood up, wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and smiled through her tears: "Thank you, Eldest Sister! As long as Eldest Sister isn't angry with Mianmian anymore, Mianmian will be content." She cleverly stopped dwelling on the topic and instead talked about some interesting things in the palace. Her tone became lighter, and occasionally she would ask some questions about the outside world and about Buddhism. She handled the situation very well, neither offending the Eldest Princess nor failing to satisfy the Eldest Princess's possible desire to confide and teach.

Looking at the cheerful young girl before her, the princess seemed to see, for a moment, the little girl from many years ago who followed behind her, calling out "Elder Sister" in a soft, sweet voice. The previously tense atmosphere in the hall eased considerably without her noticing.

When leaving Chang Le Palace, the princess even had her personal maid give Si Mianmian a string of fine sandalwood beads as a reward, and told her to "come and visit often when you have time".

Survival Handbook Postscript: The key to resolving misunderstandings lies in making the other person believe that you stand on the same side, and that the misunderstanding stems from external malice. A sincere attitude and reasonable explanation are far more powerful than weak and feeble defenses.

Si Mianmian stroked the serene incense beads on her wrist, knowing that she had successfully taken a crucial step on her path to winning over the eldest princess. Her elder sister's attitude would become an unexpected talisman for her in this deep palace.