WBSGVS Chapter 192 V1

The Kirin Hall, where the princes resided—

With the son of Consort Shu Second having reached the age to leave the palace and establish his residence, and the First Prince having died young, and the Fourth Prince forgotten by all, only the Third Prince, along with the still-young Fifth and Sixth Princes, remained in the hall.

During the day, the younger princes had to attend classes at the Imperial Academy, so at the moment, only the Third Prince, Sima Chang, was present in Kirin Hall.

But soon, the quiet was broken—one visitor after another arrived, and the hall quickly became lively.

The first to arrive was Princess Sima Qinghe. As the Emperor’s most favored daughter, she was the fifth in line among his daughters. Four elder sisters were already married, while six younger ones remained unmarried.

The Sixth Princess was nearly forgotten; Princesses Seven through Nine were still too young, and their mothers held no influence, so they stayed out of the public eye.

Qinghe came from her residence, Chaoyang Hall. Her arrival was lavish and grand, the sound of her procession audible from afar.

Sima Chang sensed the commotion and stepped out to greet her. Sure enough, moments later, Sima Qinghe appeared, seated elegantly in a sedan chair.

“Third Brother~” Qinghe greeted with a smile, clearly in a good mood. “Why did you summon me so suddenly?”

Just days ago, their assassination plan had gone smoothly. Except for Fu Cheng’s near exposure, the operation had been flawless. Now that the regent, Zhou Xing, had been injured, he likely no longer had the strength to oppose the declaration of war.

In her opinion, they should’ve acted sooner. Why let Zhou hold onto military power for so many years? He had grown far too entrenched. Now, removing him outright would be risky.

But it had been her father—the Emperor—who had tolerated this for so long. As a daughter, it wasn’t her place to criticize him.

She hadn’t expected Sima Chang’s expression to be so grim. He only shook his head and said, “Let’s go inside first.”

A sense of unease instantly swept over Qinghe. Though she was stunning—every frown or smile could leave men enchanted—her face paled in worry, a look that tugged at the heart.

Even though he was her brother, Sima Chang couldn’t help but soften. His voice turned gentle. “Don’t panic just yet—it’s not a crisis. Not yet.”

Qinghe forced a smile and followed him in.

They’d barely taken a few steps when a man in black appeared. The moment Qinghe saw him, her face regained its color. She called out softly, “Yi Han~”

Unlike Chaoyang Hall in the inner palace, Kirin Hall was closer to the administrative halls of the outer court, so male officials were allowed to enter.

But only Sima Qinghe had the rare privilege to freely move between the inner and outer palace.

Yi Han nodded politely, his tone warm. “Greetings, Your Highness. Greetings, Fifth Princess.”

“Come, sit.” Sima Chang gestured.

The three sat down, dismissing the attendants. Qinghe looked eagerly at her brother. “Third Brother, did something go wrong with our plan?”

Otherwise, why summon both her and Yi Han so seriously?

Yi Han’s expression darkened slightly. He didn’t seem surprised, as though he’d known all along.

Sima Chang lowered his voice. “Yes, something’s gone wrong. Zhou Xing somehow traced the incident back to the Fu family. The entire family is now under surveillance. They managed to get some information out, but the message is clear. If we refuse the marriage alliance, Zhou will take down the Fus with him. At this point, our only option is—”

“Third Brother!” Qinghe interrupted bitterly. “I know I’m the one who got you all into this. If it weren’t for me, none of this would’ve happened. I—” She paused, clearly wrestling with a decision, then said, “I’ll agree to the marriage.”

As soon as she said it, her tears fell like pearls from a broken string—completely heartbroken.

“My dear sister…” Sima Chang gave a helpless smile.

Yi Han spoke coldly, “Why the rush? You know she’s the most innocent of us. Do you think she can handle all these twists and turns?”

“Huh?” Qinghe blinked, confused. Could there be another way? Her heart raced. She twisted her sleeves anxiously. Her older sisters were married, and the younger ones were still children. Were they considering another royal woman?

They had considered it before, but those girls weren’t beautiful enough. The moment they arrived in Chu, they’d be exposed. Then war would be inevitable.

And if Zhou Xing, known for his ruthless revenge, caught them bluffing, the Fu family would surely suffer.

If the Fus were to be dragged down because of her…

Sima Chang laughed. “Fu Cheng already gave us a solution. Don’t forget—you still have a younger sister.”

Qinghe froze. After a moment, she asked hesitantly, “You mean the Sixth Princess?”

Yi Han nodded. “That’s right. Fu Cheng said she’s only half a year younger than you. The right age, and she’s said to be a stunning beauty. With her as the bride, even the Emperor of Chu wouldn’t find fault. They want the most beautiful woman in Jin—then let’s give them that title, just not you.”

“Really?” Qinghe asked again, unable to believe it.

A girl from the Cold Palace… could rival her looks?

She should’ve felt relieved that someone else could take her place, but hearing Yi Han pass on Fu Cheng’s praise left her with a strange pang of jealousy.

Sima Chang laughed heartily. “Even I thought we were out of options. But it looks like fate turned in our favor. According to Fu Cheng, this sixth sister might even surpass you. Sending the most beautiful woman in Jin for the alliance—what could be more perfect?”

Qinghe glared at him. “You haven’t even seen her, and you’re already saying she’s prettier than me!”

“My bad, my bad. She’s hideous! A complete toad!” Sima Chang immediately begged for mercy.

Only then did Qinghe crack a smile.

Yi Han added softly, “Don’t worry. In our hearts, you’ll always be the most beautiful woman in Jin.”

Sima Chang echoed, “Exactly. She’s just a substitute bride. Nothing more.”

Qinghe blushed and lowered her head, shyly smiling. But soon, her face clouded with worry again. “But she’s been in the Cold Palace all her life. She probably doesn’t even have the manners of a lowborn girl. Can she pull this off?”

Sima Chang turned serious. “That’s exactly what we’re here to plan. I’m nearly of age—I can’t just wander the inner palace. But you can go there. Pretend to stumble upon her by chance, save her, then convince Father to restore her status as a princess. We’ll have people teach her everything. We still have time—she’ll learn to act like a proper royal.”

Qinghe nodded repeatedly, though a shadow of concern still lingered in her eyes.