Chapter 7

That was the hairpin the Empress loved most while she was alive. Beitang Yun knew there was a secret within it—a secret regarding the love between the Emperor and the Empress. The hairpin was not merely a hair ornament; it was a vow, a talisman for survival!

Before the Empress died, she left a final edict: this hairpin must be placed in the hands of a woman who was kind and truly loved a child of the Beitang family. This hairpin was a life-saving charm; no matter what faults the owner committed, even if she were to commit a capital crime under state or family law, the Emperor was bound to pardon her! And he had to do so three times!

To possess this hairpin was equivalent to possessing a fourth life!

This was the pact between the Empress and the Emperor, yet since the Empress’s death, no one had seen this one-of-a-kind hairpin. Today, the Emperor had brought it out. Could it be…

"Little girl, come here." The aged voice carried a hint of nostalgia and kindness.

An Qixi had no idea what was happening. Like a puppet, she was moved by the matchmaker to stand before the Emperor. She was too nervous to breathe. The Emperor—a legendary existence! At this moment, she felt incredibly fortunate that she had been struck by a pressure point; otherwise, she couldn't guarantee her legs wouldn't have turned to jelly and caused her to collapse.

The old Emperor looked at his granddaughter-in-law, who had approached with graceful, measured steps, neither servile nor overbearing. Although he had previously disliked this An Chuyi, the fact that she had resolutely married Beitang Xian while he was in such a half-dead state was enough for an old man who had been Emperor for thirty-five years to applaud her courage and devotion.

"From today on, you are the owner of this 'Phoenix Spreading Its Wings'!" The majestic voice enunciated every word clearly. Everyone in the great hall felt their nerves tighten with every syllable. As the answer was confirmed, the crowd looked on with varying expressions of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

The matchmaker hurriedly and fearfully reached out to take the hairpin, but the Emperor’s eyes suddenly turned cold, staring fixedly at An Qixi. *Is this girl too calm?* he wondered. *Is there any woman in this world who wouldn't want something that represents such supreme status?*

The matchmaker was covered in cold sweat. She knew An Qixi was immobilized by the pressure point; if this were exposed, she would surely be the first to die. Yet, the situation took a sudden turn. The old Emperor let out a hearty laugh, shouting "Good!" before personally pinning the hairpin into the hair peeking out from beneath An Qixi’s bridal veil, then left with a booming laugh.

No one knew what the old Emperor had seen or felt in that brief moment, but everyone knew that the Princess of Xian had won the Emperor’s favor. For a time, genuine and feigned congratulations rose one after another.

Until she was sent back to the bridal chamber, An Qixi remained in a daze. She could only feel that touch of coldness on her scalp lingering, and the old Emperor’s gaze, which seemed capable of piercing through her, still felt as if it were entangled with her body, leaving her chilled to the bone.

She sat quietly, not knowing whether what awaited her was Beitang Xian’s bloodthirsty cruelty or her own death...

A bitter smile tugged at her lips. *What must I do to survive?* Before she could think further, the door was pushed open with a bang. She could hear steady yet light footsteps slowly approaching. She could hear her own heart accelerating rapidly with every passing second. She could feel a tall, upright figure standing before her; she could hear his breathing and his heartbeat.

Thus, two heartbeats mingled in the room, chaotic and ambiguous, thumping in the silence of the night...

The candlelight flickered, gradually elongating Beitang Xian’s shadow. The crackling of the candles disturbed the heart, singing a solitary song of lingering attachment and pain in the quiet night.

Beitang Xian did not know what kind of mood he was in as he walked toward An Qixi. Excitement, thrill, joy, satisfaction—he finally possessed her. Only at this moment were they truly complete!

He was also finally certain that even after two years of separation, even though they were both young back then, she still loved him—loved him so recklessly that she was willing to marry a "cripple" like him!

"Yiyi, you have finally become my bride." For the first time, Beitang Xian used "I" instead of "this Prince" in front of An Chuyi, which also signified that Beitang Xian had truly accepted her.

His slender hands trembled with a lightness he could hardly ignore. A sense of sanctity welled up in his heart as he slowly, bit by bit, lifted her red bridal veil!

The dim candlelight entered her vision without warning. An Qixi desperately wanted to close her eyes; her heart tightened at finally facing Beitang Xian. She could not move, so she could not escape, and thus she clearly felt the two soul-stirring, scorching gazes emanating from Beitang Xian.

Beitang Xian slowly crouched before An Qixi, his long, narrow phoenix eyes squinting with a smile. His hand, slightly calloused, gently stroked her delicate cheek. His thin lips curved into a doting, satisfied arc, his voice like aged wine—mellow and rich: "Yiyi, my Yiyi, we have finally..."

When his hand finally touched that delicate face, when the words of love were gradually spoken, when his gaze finally locked onto her—everything suddenly... came to a screeching halt!

Time seemed to freeze. The only sound in the air was the crackling of the candles before they burned out. A freezing current flowed between the two, their breath stilled, cold, gradually dropping below zero.

The obsidian pupils within his narrow eyes constricted. In his gaze were confusion, doubt, shock, disbelief, and... monstrous rage!

After a long while, just as An Qixi was about to suffocate under his gaze—which felt like that of a venomous snake or a fierce beast—Beitang Xian finally moved. He suddenly seized her delicate chin, the callouses on his fingertips almost piercing her skin. His thin lips were pressed into a cold, sharp line, his voice bone-chilling: "You are not An Chuyi! Who are you?"

At first glance, he had recognized that she was not An Chuyi. This face was more beautiful than An Chuyi’s; it was pure yet alluring, enchanting without being vulgar. That pair of moist cat-like eyes added a touch of laziness and brightness. This was a face more youthful, younger, and more stunning than An Chuyi’s!

But no matter how beautiful, she was not the woman he wanted!

Rage! When the long-awaited bride was not the woman in his heart, when a strange, slightly youthful yet devastatingly beautiful face appeared before him, all the beauty and satisfaction crumbled in an instant!

Beitang Xian felt a monstrous rage filling his chest, one that threatened to burn away all his reason! He was not foolish enough to believe that the Prime Minister’s estate would mistake the bride! Therefore, there was only one possibility... and he absolutely refused to face that possibility!