He chuckled, a cruelty bordering on innocence: “But I can’t swim, I can’t save Second Sister.”

Her face turned ashen, and she closed her eyes in despair, feeling her body gradually sinking to the bottom of the lake.

From a distance, the Fourth Princess called impatiently: “Second Brother, let’s go!”

…

If it weren’t for the palace servants hearing the commotion and rushing over in time, she might have slept forever at the bottom of the cold lake.

She didn’t know who saved her. After being rescued, she fell into a coma and lay in bed for ten whole days before recovering.

After waking up, she became even more fearful of the palace, staying in her own chambers, never daring to step out, even His Majesty’s comfort was of no use.

The Fourth Princess was the instigator of the lake incident, and the Second Prince was the cold-blooded accomplice.

Meeting the Second Prince’s gaze, the feeling of despair from being surrounded by the icy lake water enveloped her heart again.

Jiang Yingwan unconsciously clung to the arm of the person beside her, avoiding the Second Prince’s gaze, her palms icy cold.

The Emperor felt her body trembling slightly. She was afraid and uneasy, and this emotion came from his Second Prince.

He gently stroked her head and said to the Crown Prince and Second Prince: “You two go out first.”

Only when they were alone in the hall did he look down at his trembling second daughter.

“Late Late, what are you afraid of?”

Control

Only Late Late completely depended on him.

What was she afraid of? She feared many things.

Jiang Yingwan weakly raised her face, her eyes sparkling with tears, with a hint of timidity and innocence, yet revealing deep dependence, gazing at him.

She was

like a little rabbit cautiously poking its head out of a hidden thicket, finally mustering the courage to sniff the surrounding air with a slightly trembling nose, testing the warmth of the outside world.

The Emperor gently stroked the top of her head. His large hand was broad and strong, giving her a sense of reassurance and complete protection.

“Late Late, don’t be afraid.” He comforted her in a low voice, his cold tone revealing warmth.

Jiang Yingwan’s heart suddenly calmed down.

His Majesty told her not to be afraid, he would protect her.

She cautiously asked: “Would Father Emperor think I’m too timid?”

Before the Emperor could answer, her eyes welled up, her voice soft and糯: “But I grew up among commoners, I don’t understand the many rules of the palace. I’m afraid to eat, afraid to sleep, afraid of making a mistake and losing face for Father Emperor…”

Her words were half-true, half-false, but her trembling body was real, and the fear in her eyes was also real. These were enough to dispel the Emperor’s doubts.

Jiang Yingwan vaguely thought, don’t treat this person as the high and mighty Emperor, just treat him as her own father.  How she acted before her own father, she would do the same before him.

No father could refuse a timid but dependent daughter.

This tactic worked every time on her father, but she didn’t know if it would have the same effect on His Majesty.

She was a little nervous, then she felt His Majesty’s hand slide from the top of her head down her hair to her neck, stopping there.

It was a comforting gesture, reminding her of when she was frightened as a child, her father and mother would each hold her and Yinghan in their arms, comforting them gently.

She had won her gamble.

Jiang Yingwan suddenly felt like crying. She had finally seen a path to survival in the darkness ahead.

“Father Emperor…” Her eyes were full of admiration, “Your daughter is naturally foolish and clumsy, but luckily Father Emperor has shown me kindness and care. In the future, your daughter will definitely strive to be filial to Father Emperor.”

A filial daughter, a gentle and considerate daughter. Even if her false identity was eventually revealed, His Majesty would have some pity and reluctance in his heart, wouldn’t he?

“Who says my Late Late is foolish and clumsy?” The Emperor thought, how could she be foolish and clumsy? She clearly knew who in the palace could protect her, and how to soften his heart.

His other children were born into privilege and would never show weakness to him like his second daughter, telling him that she had no one to rely on but him, her father.

She restrained all her sharp edges in front of him, showing him only her softest and most harmless side.

Everyone has compassion for the weak, and the Emperor was no exception, especially since his second daughter was exceptionally weak.

She held her arms, like a dodder vine clinging to a tree, trembling with her small, soft, white petals in the wind, completely dependent on this tree to bloom and survive.

Everything about her was under his control.

His other children, even the Crown Prince, whom he valued most and raised under his eyes, had their own ambitions.

Only Late Late was different. She simply depended on him, her father.

Jiang Yingwan stared blankly: “Father Emperor…”

“Late Late,” the Emperor smiled, “You only need to depend on Father Emperor.”

His late-arriving, most delicate, and most pleasing daughter.

Jiang Yingwan couldn’t remember how she left the Xuanzheng Hall that day, only that after that day, His Majesty’s attitude towards her had changed dramatically.

The Emperor’s gifts flowed into Yongning Palace like water, some of which even the Crown Prince didn’t have.

The Emperor no longer dined in Yongning Palace, but often summoned her to the Zichen Hall to dine together, sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with the Crown Prince.

Once, during a meal, Jiang Yingwan couldn’t help but argue with the Crown Prince about their eating habits. When she looked up and saw the Emperor listening silently with a smile in his eyes, she suddenly realized that she, like the Crown Prince, had gradually become distinct from his other children in his heart.

So it was so easy to get special treatment from His Majesty. Why in her past life had she been so afraid of him, avoided him, and not even dared to look at him?

Jiang Yingwan felt that she had been a complete fool in her past life.  She had initially received the most of his affection, a treatment that other princesses did not have. She had arrived three months earlier than Yinghan, yet she had done nothing!

If only she had gone to His Majesty more often, complained to him more, even if Yinghan had returned later, she would still have had a chance to let His Majesty hear her explanation.

She hadn’t intentionally impersonated the princess; the royal family had made a mistake.

She was so stupid.

“What’s wrong, Late Late?” Li Mu saw her smiling happily a moment ago, her eyes curved like crescent moons, but suddenly her face drooped and she looked dejected, and couldn’t help but wonder.

Jiang Yingwan frowned: “Crown Prince Brother, do you think I’m clumsy with words?”

In her past life, she could have questioned Wang Zhaoyi, why, as a mother, she couldn’t even recognize her own daughter, why the royal family had accepted her as the lost princess without verification, but she had just been stunned, unable to speak up for herself.

Li Mu couldn’t help but laugh: “It’s just that you couldn’t answer the origin of douhua, why would you say you’re clumsy with words?”

Jiang Yingwan remembered their argument, pouting her lips: “Hmph, anyway, sweet douhua is delicious.”

Li Mu glanced at the douhua drenched in sauce on the table, “Brother still thinks douhua with sauce is more delicious.”

Jiang Yingwan thought of how he had used various references to prove that salty douhua was better, making her head ache, while she couldn’t even explain the simple origin of douhua, so she turned to seek help angrily.

“Father Emperor…” She tugged at his sleeve with misty eyes, looking utterly wronged, demanding a response.

The Emperor had been an outsider, finding it amusing to watch his two most favored children bicker.

The Crown Prince had always been calm and composed in his mind. He rarely saw the Crown Prince so lively, and his Late Late had finally become bolder. Although she still spoke slowly and lacked confidence, she had learned to retort.

Now she was seeking his help again. His Late Late seemed to have grasped his weakness, knowing that he couldn’t bear her tearful eyes.

She would cry when she was unhappy, cry when she was wronged, and cry when she was bullied by her brother, and she would cry in front of him, letting him see her reddened eyes, like a little rabbit’s eyes.

“How delicate,” the Emperor sighed softly.

What would happen when she got married and he wasn’t there to spoil her?

“Father Emperor…” Jiang Yingwan held onto his sleeve.

She was actually used to acting spoiled. When she was young, Yinghan was more lively and cheerful, and she learned things faster than her. Her parents and her teacher always praised Yinghan, making her seem insignificant as her older sister.

Later, she discovered that when she cried, her parents’ attention would turn to her, so she learned to cry, to show weakness, and to read people’s expressions.

Before, she didn’t understand why, even though they were both her parents’ children, her parents favored Yinghan more. Although the things they gave her and Yinghan were ostensibly the same, they were more careful and protective of Yinghan.

Only after Yinghan’s identity was revealed did she understand that her parents had known all along that Yinghan was from a wealthy family. The jade pendant in Yinghan’s swaddling clothes was not something ordinary people could have.

They had searched Yuezhou with the jade pendant but couldn’t find its origin, so they could only adopt the child. But in her parents’ hearts, the child had suffered a grievance by falling into the Jiang family, merchants.

But she had also suffered grievances.

“Father Emperor, please judge for me,” she said aggrievedly, “Crown Prince Brother is bullying me.”

The Emperor looked down at his second daughter’s hand clutching his sleeve, thin and weak, her fingertips red, unable to grip anything firmly.

She should be fatter.