WBSGVS Chapter 194 V2

The eunuch stepped out, then returned shortly. “Your Highness, the Sixth Princess has arrived—with the Fourth Prince. She’s here to settle him in.”

Sima Chang immediately stood up. “Perfect. Let’s go meet her.”

Sima Qinghe thought of Sima Qingli’s face, and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly followed behind.

The Qilin Hall was the shared residence for the underage princes. There was no division between main and side halls — just a row of paired rooms laid out in sequence. Several of the rooms near the Third Prince’s had already been occupied. The room being assigned now was the one at the far end.

Qingli stood at the door, holding Sima Yan’s hand, directing the palace attendants.

She wore the same plain outfit that Sima Qinghe had seen her in earlier that morning. It was simple and unremarkable — not even as nice as what the palace maids wore — but the way she stood there, focused and composed, made it obvious that she was in charge.

Even in the face of so many luxurious gifts, she didn’t bat an eye. Calmly and methodically, she instructed the attendants to place everything according to her preferences.

The emperor had sent many gifts, and the eunuch who delivered the decree expressed the emperor’s guilt, saying this was the only way to make up for the past. Qingli genuinely seemed pleased by that.

Since Sima Yan would now be living separately from her, she came ahead of time to help him settle in, worried that he might be scared alone.

After all, he was still young. Without someone looking out for him, there was a real risk the palace staff might try to bully him.

Sima Yan, however, said nothing. He gripped her hand tightly, his face full of reluctance.

He didn’t want to be separated from his sister, not one bit.

But there was nothing he could do to change it, and that made him very unhappy.

It was at this moment that Sima Chang arrived. As he stepped up onto the terrace and saw the siblings standing at the doorway — their posture upright, their aura commanding — his eyebrows twitched. His first impression left him unsettled.

Just as Qinghe had said… they didn’t seem like children raised in the cold palace. Could there be some secret hidden there?

He waited a moment, but no one acknowledged his presence. Left with no choice, he raised his voice and called out, “Sixth Sister!”

Qingli turned her head calmly and gave his attire a once-over before smiling faintly. “Third Brother,” she greeted, then turned to Sima Yan and said, “This is Third Brother. Greet him.”

Sima Yan obediently opened his mouth, “Greetings, Third Brother.”

“Fourth Brother,” Sima Chang replied warmly, stepping forward. He only glanced briefly at Sima Yan before his gaze landed back on Qingli’s face, his eyes stunned. He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly — no wonder Fu Cheng had said the Sixth Princess was stunning. That face — if she were properly dressed up — might even outshine Sima Qinghe.

He looked at them kindly and said, “You two have suffered a lot all these years.”

Sima Yan looked up at Qingli, but remained silent.

Qingli smiled. “We have suffered. But what can you do? When everyone forgets we exist, there’s nothing to do but endure it.”

Sima Qinghe, who had just arrived behind them, happened to hear this and felt her throat tighten. A wave of helplessness rose in her chest — this was exactly the kind of verbal blow that had left her speechless that morning.

Sima Chang, too, experienced Qingli’s ruthless honesty for the first time and found himself completely at a loss. The comforting words he had prepared stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

Because they all knew — everyone knew — that there was a pair of siblings left in the Cold Palace, yet no one said a word, no one offered help. Now to come acting all sympathetic? It was just plain hypocritical.

His face flushed slightly, and he cleared his throat. As his gaze shifted, he noticed Sima Qinghe and quickly brought her over with a smile.

“Sixth Sister, Fourth Brother — this is your Fifth Sister. It was she who spoke to Father on your behalf and helped you escape that life of hardship.”

“…” Sima Qinghe was about to modestly brush it off when her eyes met Qingli’s, and her breath caught. A wave of awkwardness rushed up her face, and she could only respond with a shy, forced smile.

Qingli beamed. “We should thank her indeed. If it weren’t for Royal Sister, we probably would’ve died in that place with no one even remembering we existed.”

Sima Qinghe & Sima Chang: “…”

Good grief, does this girl have any tact?

How could she say something like that? Wasn’t that a direct accusation against Sima Heng?

But she hadn’t said anything explicitly, so they couldn’t argue back—not without looking guilty. Sima Chang had to laugh it off. “Haha, well, if there’s anything you need, just let your third brother know.”

Qingli didn’t hold back. “There is something. A-Yan is still very young, and he’s never been apart from me before. I’m worried he won’t know how to care for himself. We don’t have any personal attendants, either. I’d like to ask Third Brother to assign two of your trusted people to help look after him. I’m sure anyone from your household would take excellent care of him.”

Sima Chang’s gaze darkened. He stared at Qingli intensely.

Qingli returned his gaze with a calm smile. “What’s the matter? Oh… were those words earlier just polite formalities?”

“…Of course not,” Sima Chang exhaled sharply and replied slowly, “I’ll go pick someone out for Fourth Brother right away. If you’ll excuse me.”

Sima Qinghe hurried after him, not daring to linger another second.

Once they were far enough away, Sima Chang’s expression turned grim. He frowned. “How did Sixth Sister grow up like that? She spent ten years in the Cold Palace — how could she be so familiar with the politics of the inner court?”

She was entrusting Sima Yan’s well-being to him. If anything happened, the blame would land squarely on his shoulders. If they ever wanted to make a move, he’d be the one punished first!

Sima Qinghe’s face didn’t look any better. They had seriously underestimated Sima Qingli.

But as they reached the doorway to his residence, Sima Chang suddenly turned in another direction. Frustrated, he muttered, “Forget it. Strike first. No matter how clever she is, once Father issues the decree, she’ll have no choice but to comply. Let’s go request an imperial marriage.”