Her face was gentle and affectionate. Shen Wangshu sat by the window, looking up at her quietly.
It was nearly dusk, and the last rays of the setting sun shone through the window, illuminating the eldest princess and creating a delicate halo around her.
Shen Wangshu could clearly see a tiny wrinkle at the corner of the eldest princess's eye and a few strands of white hair, traces that could only be formed from years of frowning and thinking.
She suddenly felt a lump in her throat, as if only now did she understand why the eldest princess always lectured the third princess and was always so disappointed in her.
Perhaps in her past life, the Third Princess had regrets as she lay dying, because if Shen Wangshu were in her shoes, the thought of losing her only truly loving sister would be unbearable. The First Princess didn't necessarily want to ascend the throne and become Empress; she simply wanted to provide a better future for her younger sister, her husband, and her daughter. She knew the First Princess wasn't deceiving her.
"What if I did something to hurt my elder sister?" she suddenly asked.
After thinking for a moment, the eldest princess honestly said, "As long as they don't harm your brother-in-law and your niece, so be it."
In her early years, the Third Princess often found her annoying, so how much harm did she cause?
Shen Wangshu immediately fell silent.
In her past life, the Third Princess really screwed over Prince Xiao.
She snorted, tossed herself into the armchair behind her, and stopped looking at the Third Princess. She just slowly squinted and said, "The Empress Mother loves power, and the Princess must feel uncomfortable sharing her burdens. Take me for example, I'm famously all show and no substance, but the Empress Mother loves me to death. Do you think it's because I'm a loving mother?"
She chuckled, a glint of alluring light flashing in her eyes as she slowly twirled the teacup beside her and said softly, "The better you do your job, the more you can win over the court officials and receive their praise, and the more the Empress Dowager will become wary of you. But if you do nothing, the court officials and the Empress Dowager will think you're incompetent, and that will only be your own fault."
In her early years, she lived through a dynasty that was turbulent and unpredictable, in which all the outstanding princes were involved in the struggle for the throne, known as the Nine Princes' Succession Struggle.
Shen Wangshu still remembers that thrilling era.
Of course, she was no ordinary person in that dynasty.
At that time, she was the most well-behaved girl in the imperial family. She entered the palace at a young age and was raised under the care of the imperial concubine, who was the emperor's cousin. The concubine had a deep affection for the emperor, but she had no sons of her own and had raised her as her own daughter after her own daughter died.
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When she transmigrated, the Imperial Concubine had already adopted a prince. The original owner of that world was completely blind to the truth; despite their childhood bond, she managed to thoroughly offend the prince, even secretly poisoning him to ensure her beloved Eighth Prince became Crown Prince. Unfortunately, the prince's household was infested with a shrew, and she couldn't marry into the family. Having offended the prince beyond measure, she ultimately met a tragic end, her head severed from her body.
Heaven help you, that prince never shed a single tear for her, even until her death.
He said he would marry her, but because he had a shrewish wife at home, it was just an excuse.
When Shen Wangshu transmigrated, she naturally learned her lesson and obediently and lively served as Qianlong's well-behaved cousin, doing nothing.
Because the throne is a matter of life and death, even if she doesn't act, the powerful emperor won't let his political enemies off the hook. There's no room for brotherly affection in the struggle for the throne.
She merely watched coldly as the original owner experienced everything in that life: the prince who was once admired was expelled from the royal family, unable to even preserve his status, and ultimately even his name was degraded.
She was just a pitiful wife of the prince. No matter how jealous or bad she was, she was devoted to her husband. If a woman could remain unmoved and watch her husband have multiple wives and concubines with a smile, how much love did she really have for him?
The reason she was heartbroken, the reason she risked being insulted to protect her mansion and her husband, was simply because of her sincere heart. The original owner might have interfered in this relationship, but Shen Wangshu had no interest in that; she only pitied her, who in the end was divorced, returned to her mother's family, and died.
This is what a strong-willed woman is like, worthy of a man's sincere love and cherishing.
Thinking of that world, she finally gathered and buried the prince's wife, then went to the prince who was at the end of his life, and explained all the grudges and entanglements, letting him know that the reason his beautiful and noble wife was jealous was only because she truly loved him and would rather die than leave him. Seeing the prince's final sobs and deep regret, she finally felt relieved.
She had contributed to the emperor's ascension to the throne, but in the end she only asked to stay away from the capital, because she knew the principle of "the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked," and indeed it came to pass.
Perhaps she was a woman, and perhaps she still remembered the old friendship she shared with the concubine in her childhood. She lived a good life, but never married, nor did she ever set foot in the capital again.
When the emperor was alive, she always received the most rewards and honors. Everyone thought that she, far away from the capital, was the woman in the emperor's heart. But only she knew that the emperor thought of her only because he missed the innocent days when they were childhood sweethearts, without any scheming or intrigue. Those were the most beautiful times in the hearts of all the royals.
She was far away and not involved with power, so she was tolerated.
Otherwise, the only thing waiting for her is death.
Otherwise, her family would have been overthrown in the blink of an eye by the emperor, and the once illustrious family would have vanished in an instant.
Thinking of this, Shen Wangshu couldn't help but feel her gaze dim slightly. She felt that back then, she could have remained calm and detached, observing everything with equanimity. Once the emperor had dispelled all threats, she could have lived a peaceful life after rescuing several of her family's young, harmless children. Even if she died alone, it wouldn't have mattered. But after meeting Ah Xuan, she felt she could no longer endure it.
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