The way he uttered the words "a debt of gratitude for saving my life" with such deep emotion, coupled with his shocking claim of a "life-saving medicine" at the prince's residence yesterday...

The gazes of everyone in the hall toward Xin Jiuwei instantly became extremely complex! Astonishment, disdain, jealousy, disbelief... a mix of emotions.

Xin Jiuwei felt a chill run from her feet to the top of her head! Her fingers dug into her palms tightly inside her sleeves, using the excruciating pain to maintain a submissive demeanor and a perfectly balanced blush on her face. Inside, however, lay a desolate, icy wasteland and a raging inferno! Xiao Xun!

He dared to nail her to the pillar of shame again in this way, right in front of the Empress Dowager's sickbed and in front of all the royal family members in the hall!

His so-called "acting" was simply portraying her as a seductive woman who "risked her life to protect" the prince and climbed onto his coattails?!

On the Second Prince Xiao Zhuo's usually gentle and smiling face, a glint of shrewdness flashed quickly in his unfathomable eyes.

He picked up the teacup beside him, gently blew away the foam, and said with a warm smile, "Sixth Brother and this Miss Xin are truly...deeply in love. Such a fate is truly ordained by heaven. No wonder Sixth Brother couldn't forget Miss Xin after returning to the capital."

His tone was gentle, but his words were like poisoned needles coated in honey, completely nailing Xin Jiuwei's "merit" to that ambiguous "affection," confirming her reputation for using her beauty to serve men and curry favor with the prince.

Xin Jiuwei felt as if those gazes were like poisoned needles, densely packed and piercing her body, almost piercing her through. She suppressed the urge to fling away, biting her lower lip hard, tasting a faint metallic flavor of blood.

"So deep...so good..." The Empress Dowager seemed moved by Xiao Xun's affectionate gaze and words, or perhaps it was because she was ill that she was more easily moved; a faint tear welled up in her cloudy eyes. Her withered hand trembled as she reached out towards Xin Jiuwei. "Girl...you...come here..."

Xin Jiuwei felt a chill run down her spine, but she dared not hesitate for a moment. She immediately stepped forward respectfully and knelt down again before the phoenix bed, lowering her posture to the lowest possible level.

The Empress Dowager's withered, cold hand, with a chilling touch, gently landed on Xin Jiuwei's lowered head. Her fingers, like withered twigs, slowly and scrutinizingly stroked her soft hair, as if caressing an object.

"He's a... well-behaved child..." The Empress Dowager's voice was broken, carrying a condescending sense of condescension, "Xun'er... since you like him... cough cough... once I feel better... then... then..."

The rest of the conversation was interrupted by a violent cough, and the palace maids rushed forward to attend to her. Xiao Xun also immediately stood up and gently patted the Empress Dowager's back with concern.

"Grandmother, please take care of your health and do not overexert yourself. This matter... will be discussed later." Xiao Xun's voice was filled with genuine anxiety.

The Empress Dowager, panting, waved her hand wearily, clearly too exhausted to speak further.

Seeing this, the Empress quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty is tired. Everyone, please step down and let Your Majesty rest well."

Everyone rose to take their leave.

Xin Jiuwei bowed along with the others, her head bowed, and followed Xiao Xun step by step out of the oppressive and suffocating bedchamber. Stepping out of the palace and bathed in the cool autumn sunlight again, she almost had the illusion of being reborn, but the cold sweat on her back had already soaked through her inner clothes.

On the palace path, Xiao Xun's steps remained steady, while Xin Jiuwei silently followed half a step behind him. Between the two, it seemed as if an invisible ice wall separated them.

Reaching a relatively secluded corner of the palace garden, Xiao Xun suddenly stopped. He didn't turn around, but his deep voice rang out clearly, carrying a hint of barely perceptible coldness:

"You did a very good job just now."

Xin Jiuwei lowered her eyes, watching her plain white skirt brush against the cold gold bricks of the palace road, a silent, cold smile curving her lips.

"Very good?" Does it mean that she endured all the humiliation and played the role of the humble, submissive, and helpless "Xin family girl" well?

She raised her head, her gaze calm and unwavering as she looked at his tall, yet utterly indifferent back, her voice as soft as a feather.

"I'm glad Your Highness is satisfied. However, this play... has only just begun."

The day the Emperor issued his decree, the autumn sun was bleak.

The eunuch's shrill voice pierced through the thin courtyard wall, nailing each word of "Xin Jiuwei, daughter of the Xin family of Yingzhou, is gentle, kind, respectful, and frugal. She has rendered meritorious service in saving the Sixth Prince. Therefore, she is specially granted the title of the Sixth Prince's principal wife" to Xin Jiuwei's eardrums, and also nailed to the suddenly tense nerves of the entire powerful circle in the capital.

A girl from a lowly noble family suddenly becomes the principal wife of a prince? And it's none other than the sixth prince, Xiao Xun, who just returned to the capital and stirred up a storm. This is like pouring a ladle of cold water into boiling oil, instantly causing an uproar.

“Miss…” Xin Kui watched with concern as Xin Jiuwei accepted the bright yellow imperial edict. Her face lacked the shyness of a bride, instead displaying a calm, icy lake, the bottom of which was a bottomless abyss.

"Pack your things and move." Xin Jiuwei's voice was completely calm as she casually handed the imperial edict to Xin Kui, as if it were just a hot iron rather than the ladder to success that countless noble ladies dreamed of.

Xiao Xun's arrangements were quickly made. It wasn't the grand Sixth Prince's residence, but rather a secluded villa on the west side of the capital, far removed from the center of power—the Quiet Garden. The vermilion gate was neither new nor old; the courtyard, though small, was tastefully maintained. The steward was a taciturn middle-aged man named Chen Qing, with eyes as sharp as a hawk's, and every movement carried the crispness of a soldier—clearly a confidant of Xiao Xun.

"His Highness has instructed that this place be quiet and suitable for Miss Xin to recuperate. All necessities shall be provided in accordance with the regulations for a Crown Princess." Chen Qing bowed, his tone respectful, yet his posture neither servile nor arrogant, carrying a scrutinizing air.

Xin Jiuwei nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the small space. Quiet? Perhaps it was more convenient for surveillance. She knew perfectly well that this villa was both a fig leaf for Xiao Xun to give her the title of "Prince's Consort," and the first shackle binding her as a pawn. She stepped into the main house, which was fully furnished and even filled with the elegant scent of cold plum blossoms, completely different from the cold, pine-black aura emanating from Xiao Xun, yet equally suffocating.

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