Chapter 59: Chapter 55: Sunk Cost

Song Yun was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh at the moment.

The Princess had humbled herself to the extent of apologizing to her, so crying now would seem ungrateful.

Moreover, these words made the difference between her and the Princess glaringly clear.

She couldn’t let the Princess continue speaking like this, otherwise both Prince Rong and Brother Ming would think less of her.

Song Yun bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and said carefully, word by word, “It’s not that Her Highness did anything wrong, it’s… I, as a concubine’s daughter, got a bit nervous attending such a grand birthday feast for the first time…”

As Song Yun spoke, she reached out to grab the hem of Shen Ming’s garment. He could clearly feel her hand trembling.

Clearly afraid, yet so strong, little sister Yun truly evokes compassion!

A sense of duty arose in Shen Ming’s heart. Although he found the Princess very pretty, his little sister Yun was more pitiable! He had to help Song Yun!

Moreover, speaking of seniority, he was the Princess’s cousin. She should give him some face, right?

“Your Highness, how about we let this matter rest here? Yun’er was just careless, and besides, the White Jade Horse has been repaired. Let’s not turn this joyful day into an unpleasant one.”

With this, Shen Ming essentially pinned the blame for breaking the Jade Horse on Song Yun.

Song Yun was initially a bit unwilling to accept this, but given the current situation, she had no place to speak, so she could only bear it.

She couldn’t help but wonder if things would be different if she wasn’t a concubine’s daughter. Would she suffer such humiliation today? What would her mother do if she were here?

Shen Jingxian intended to let it go as well, but the way Shen Ming spoke, although it seemed he was saying Song Yun broke the White Jade Horse, in reality, he accused her of being unreasonable and making a fuss over nothing.

Old hidden jabs and insinuations.

Would Shen Jingxian tolerate this nonsense?

Better to die than be humiliated! Don’t touch a tiger’s backside! Why are flowers so red! Today, she was going to show Shen Ming and Song Yun that little brats should act like little brats!!

“I wasn’t making a fuss, but Second Miss Song, since you said there’s nothing wrong with my words, then why were you crying? Are you deliberately going against me at my birthday feast, or trying to disgrace the Imperial Family?!”

Seeing this, Song Yun immediately put on an innocent face, and like a little doe, whispered, “No, Your Highness, Yun’er just… just felt sorry for the White Jade Horse. Brother Ming put a lot of effort into preparing this gift, yet it was broken. Yun’er was just too sad…”

As she spoke, Song Yun choked up again, making Shen Ming feel heartache.

Especially since she said it was for his sake, which really struck a chord with him.

There’s no denying that at a young age, Song Yun already understood how to win hearts.

Sure enough, Shen Ming pulled Song Yun behind him, standing protectively in front of her and said to Shen Jingxian, “Your Highness, Yun’er is just too kind-hearted, crying over the white horse. She never meant any disrespect to the Princess, I hope Your Highness… can forgive Yun’er for her earlier impropriety.”

Oh boy, this Song Yun is something else.

Shen Jingxian clearly felt that compared to the first meeting, this manipulative skill of hers had grown much deeper.

Shen Jingxian looked at the White Jade Horse in her hands and then at Song Yun, with a knowing expression on her face. She smiled sweetly and said to Shen Ming, “So that’s how it is. Since Little Sister Song has never attended a birthday feast, she must have never received a gift, right?! Yun’er mentioned she really liked this White Jade Horse, right? Well, this Princess will reluctantly part with it and gift it to you!”

Song Yun looked at the White Jade Horse being handed to her and froze.

Why was it different from her expectations?

In her imagination, the Princess would be angrier due to Brother Ming’s protection of her and would definitely punish her. This way, she could distance Prince Rong Mansion from the Princess and reveal the Princess’s ugly side to everyone.

But why did the Princess give her the White Jade?

If she accepted it, she would completely become a foil to the Princess. The Princess would gain a reputation for being kind and generous, while she would just turn into a lucky concubine’s daughter receiving the Princess’s gift.

What should she do now?

“Doesn’t Yun’er like it? Or is it because it’s been broken that you don’t like it anymore? Don’t worry! Uncle Duan’s craftsmanship is excellent!!”

“This is the Princess’s, and I’m just a concubine’s daughter, how can I deserve…”

“What’s undeserving? If this Princess says you deserve it, then you deserve it!”

The two didn’t seem as tense as before and were instead getting along harmoniously, yet Shen Ming felt strangely uneasy watching this scene.

After all, it was he who spent a hefty sum to create the White Jade Horse, using a piece of jade his mother gave him, and now the Princess didn’t care at all, even intending to gift it to a concubine’s daughter?

Shen Ming couldn’t understand why he felt this way. The White Jade Horse was a gift he prepared based on the premise of presenting it to the Princess, a precious gift! How could it end up in the hands of a concubine’s daughter?

Shen Jingxian saw his expression change and knew she had succeeded.

The White Jade Horse was indeed valuable and became even more so with the Princess’s favor.

But the distinction between legitimate and concubine heirs in Yunyi Country is extremely strict, especially within official families and the Royal Family.

Put simply, if an ordinary thing wins the Princess’s favor, its value becomes extraordinary.

Conversely, if a very precious item ends up with a concubine’s child, its value would accordingly plummet.

Just like this White Jade Horse, in the Princess’s hands, it was a priceless national treasure, but once touched by a concubine’s daughter, its class dropped.

Directly downgraded from a national treasure level to a county level.

This was what caused Shen Ming’s displeasure.

To him, this gift cost him a lot of effort, and there’s a concept in psychology called the sunk cost effect, meaning people are less willing to let go of things they’ve invested heavily in.

Having the White Jade Horse fall into Song Yun’s hands basically equaled destruction for him.

He did like Song Yun, but only somewhat liked her. In his heart, she wasn’t worthy of such a gift.

Shen Jingxian knew Shen Ming very well.

In the original text, he was extremely concerned about legitimate and concubine differences. When Song Yun was a concubine’s daughter, even after she became pregnant with his child, he never promised her the position of Princess.

Only when Song Yun’s mother became the main wife of the Duke Mansion, making her a legitimate daughter, could she marry into the Prince’s Mansion, with a sister inheriting the brother-in-law.

Shen Ming was an irrefutable scoundrel, bearing the imperial family’s common pride, and even if he was momentarily infatuated by Song Yun, as long as someone pointed out: Hey! Look! She’s a concubine’s daughter!

He’d wake up immediately.

Shen Jingxian merely expressed this notion in another way.

After a moment of internal struggle, Shen Ming finally blocked Song Yun’s outstretched hand, “Your Highness, this White Jade Horse is meant as your gift…”

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