The young woman approaching with measured steps possessed a complexion as crystalline as jade, almond-shaped eyes like rippling waves, and features as exquisite as a painting. Her waist was slender enough to be encircled by a single hand, and the simple white gown she wore accentuated her ethereal beauty even more.
Xin watched as Shang Wantang drew nearer, his gaze filled with undisguised determination.
"Second Miss Shang, your timing is perfect. The banquet is about to begin."
Shang Wantang walked up to Xin and curtsied. "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Xin."
Xin promptly helped her rise. "Why so formal, Second Miss Shang? Your elder sister is betrothed to my brother. By that connection, we are practically family."
Shang Wantang's body stiffened instantly. With great difficulty, she lifted her head, her face turning as pale as snow as she looked at Xin's seemingly oblivious expression.
"Your Highness flatters me," Shang Wantang said, struggling to compose herself. "Although my sister's engagement to the Crown Prince was settled long ago, as Your Highness knows, if not for that accident back then, the one betrothed to the Crown Prince should have been…"
Her voice trailed off, leaving the rest unspoken. But Xin, being who he was, naturally understood what she meant.
Recently, the affairs of the two young ladies of the Prime Minister's residence had become the talk of the capital, though the truth was known only to a select few.
That old fox at the Prime Minister's residence is truly cunning. I almost admire Shang Ding for it, Xin thought with a hint of sarcasm.
Back then, Shang Ding was merely a low-ranking censor. Yet, through some unknown means, he had managed to secure an engagement between the Crown Prince and his daughter, who was not yet three years old.
With the status of a future imperial in-law, Shang Ding's political career soared from then on. In just over a decade, he rose to the position of Chancellor.
Unfortunately, his daughter, who was engaged to the Crown Prince, became a living target of envy. As the future Crown Princess, she threatened the interests of many, making her a thorn in the side of countless people who wished for her death. Over the years, she endured numerous assassination attempts and poisonings, several times nearly losing her life.
Though she survived by sheer luck, she was left with chronic health issues, requiring constant medication and leaving her body frail and weak.
As the Chancellor's only daughter, being a sickly child wouldn't have mattered much—the Prime Minister's residence could afford to care for her, even if she needed medication for a lifetime.
But who could have foreseen that Shang Ding would recently bring another young woman back to the Prime Minister's residence, along with news shocking enough to stir the entire capital—the daughter raised in the Prime Minister's residence for fifteen years was not his biological child, and the one he had now found was the true heir.
Back then, Lady Shang was weakened after childbirth and, in a moment of carelessness, fell victim to a villain who swapped the babies. Now that the truth had come to light, father and daughter were finally reunited.
This newly found daughter was Shang Wantang.
At first glance, it seemed like an amusing anecdote. Many secretly mocked Shang Ding: what did it matter if he wielded immense power? The daughter he had doted on turned out to be someone else's child, while his own flesh and blood had suffered hardships outside.
But Xin knew exactly what Shang Ding was scheming.
There was no mix-up. It was simply that Shang Ding knew the title of future Crown Princess was too conspicuous and prone to attracting resentment, so he found a scapegoat to protect his biological daughter.
Now that the marriageable age was approaching, the true heir had to step into the light.
As for that scapegoat, the original Eldest Miss Shang, it's said she's been missing for some time now, yet Shang Ding hasn't made any grand efforts to search for her. In their past interactions, not a trace of sorrow could be seen.
Xin sneered coldly.
Who knows whether she truly disappeared or was secretly silenced?
Looking at Shang Wantang's delicate and gentle appearance, Xin suddenly felt a malicious urge and directly asked, "Eldest Miss Shang hasn't been heard from for quite some time. Is she really missing?"
Shang Wantang didn't expect Xin to ask such a question and froze for a moment.
But she quickly composed herself, suddenly changing her expression to one of apparent sorrow.
"Elder sister seemed quite unwelcoming toward me. A few days ago, Father merely scolded her a little, and she ran away from home in a fit of anger," Shang Wantang said with tears in her eyes. "Father, Mother, and I searched for her for a long time but couldn't find her. Your Highness, do you think elder sister is still angry? Is she still blaming me for taking what was hers?"
"Second Miss Shang, what are you saying?" Xin quickly comforted Shang Wantang. "None of this has anything to do with you. If anything, she occupied your identity for so many years. You, Second Miss Shang, are the one who has suffered the most."
Xin didn't care whether Shang Wantang's sorrow was genuine or feigned. At this moment, it was enough to simply agree with her.
Hearing this, Shang Wantang stopped crying. She wiped the corners of her eyes with an embroidered handkerchief, looked up at Xin, and said, "Thank you for your comfort, Your Highness. Father has said that although elder sister is not the biological child of the Shang family, she has lived in the Shang residence for so many years. We will all treat her as family and hope she comes to her senses and returns soon, so Father and Mother won't have to worry."
"Second Miss Shang truly has a kind heart," Xin said. "Let's not dwell on these sad matters. The banquet is about to begin. Please take your seat, Second Miss."
Shang Wantang nodded slightly and took her seat to Xin's right.
The guests at the banquet noticed Shang Wantang's slightly reddened eyes and felt even more sympathy for her.
She was just an impostor—who cared where she went? It would be better if she were dead. Having such a willful and unreasonable daughter was a stain on Prime Minister Shang's life.
Shang Yuanjian had excellent hearing and was seated nearby, so she caught most of the conversation between Xin and Shang Wantang.
Given her own precarious situation, Shang Yuanjian should have had no interest in such "aristocratic gossip."
But for some reason, she inexplicably felt a connection to this Second Miss Shang—or rather, her original self had a connection to her.
Could it be that her original self was the missing Eldest Miss Shang?
Shang Yuanjian had a bold guess.
"I've long heard of Second Miss Shang's extraordinary beauty, and seeing her today, she truly lives up to her reputation. How could she be compared to that vicious woman?"
A young man seated to Xin's left suddenly spoke, his tone full of mockery. "What kind of chancellor's daughter is Shang Yuanjian? She committed countless evil deeds, and now that her identity has been exposed, she naturally doesn't dare show her face…"
The speaker was Meng Tongji, the only son of Secretariat Assistant Minister Meng Kuang. He had been bullied by Shang Yuanjian in the past but, due to her noble status, had never dared speak out. Now that he knew she wasn't the chancellor's biological daughter, he spoke without restraint, determined to vent all the humiliation he had suffered over the years.
What Shang Yuanjian?
Shang Yuanjian's pupils trembled violently. She no longer paid attention to Meng Tongji's subsequent words.
If the earlier conversation between Xin and Shang Wantang was based on fifty percent speculation, then Meng Tongji's direct use of the name now confirmed the original body's identity beyond any doubt—she was the imposter daughter of the Prime Minister's residence, Shang Yuanjian.
No wonder the circumstances of Eldest Miss Shang in their conversation bore such a striking resemblance to those of the original body. She had thought it mere coincidence, never imagining they were one and the same.
Such a dramatic turn of events happening to her, and even sharing the same name as the original body—Shang Yuanjian was at a loss for words.
This was simply too coincidental.
Shang Yuanjian sighed deeply as she looked at her own disheveled state. The original body's identity was now clear, but she wasn't foolish enough to step forward at this moment and reveal herself to Xin and Shang Wantang.
The original body's fall to such a state could not possibly have been accidental.
If, as Shang Wantang claimed, the original body had run away in a fit of anger, how could there have been no one secretly protecting her? The original body had nearly died in the imperial prison.
Dressed like a beggar, her face obscured, the original body seemed less like someone who had sneaked out and more like someone in disguise to evade pursuit.
Shang Yuanjian's thoughts raced. She steadied herself and decided to observe the situation a little longer.
At that moment, Xin stood up and walked to the table, selecting a bow and arrow from the array of weapons on display.
"I have long heard of Your Highness's extraordinary valor and unparalleled archery skills, unmatched by few in the capital," Meng Tongji immediately flattered as Xin picked up the bow. "I wonder if we might witness Your Highness's exquisite archery today."
Xin seemed pleased with Meng Tongji's words. He nodded slightly, turned, and drew an arrow from the quiver.
An attendant inquired where the target should be placed, but Xin shook his head, his gaze shifting to the prisoners in the iron cage. A faint smile curled his lips. "No need. Aren't there ready-made ones right here?"
Xin raised his bow toward the people in the cage, squinting slightly as he swayed left and right, seemingly deciding which person to target.
Unaware of the impending danger, the prisoners stood in the cage with blank expressions, oblivious to what was about to happen.
Soon, Xin found his target. His eyes settled on Shang Yuanjian.
Shang Yuanjian's alarm bells rang instantly.
Xin intended to kill her!
The bowstring was drawn taut with immense force. In an instant, the arrow left the string, carrying a chilling intent as it shot straight toward Shang Yuanjian's throat.