Xiao Xun stared intently at her rapidly changing expression, holding her ankle, feeling the coolness and slight trembling of her skin, as if drawing strength from it. His Adam's apple bobbed violently before he continued, his hoarse voice slamming into Xin Jiuwei's ears, each word clear and distinct:

"The imperial physician said...it will happen in the next few days. His Majesty has issued a strict decree to ensure that the principal wives of all eligible princes are chosen before the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet."

Before the birthday banquet... the principal wife will be chosen!

The news struck like a thunderbolt from the heavens, exploding in Xin Jiuwei's mind! All the shock, humiliation, and anger were shattered in that instant by this sudden political storm, powerful enough to overturn everything! She finally understood why he had been so unusual tonight! Why he... was kneeling here!

Xiao Xun looked up at her pale face, drained of blood in an instant. His deep eyes churned with a storm of emotions, which ultimately coalesced into a desperate resolve and… an almost humble plea. He held her ankle, his palms burning, his voice low and hoarse like a sigh, carrying a weariness and… vulnerability that Xin Jiuwei had never felt from him before.

"Xin Jiuwei," he called her name, each syllable heavy with emotion, "at the Empress Dowager's bedside..."

He paused, as if the words that followed weighed a ton and would require all his strength:

"Act with me in a play."

Xiao Xun knelt on the ground, looking up at her. The interplay of moonlight and candlelight cast shadows on his sharply defined face, half bright, half shrouded in deeper shadow. In those unfathomable eyes, a complex mix of emotions Xin Jiuwei had never seen before surged—a desperate resolve, the chilling ruthlessness of being pushed to the edge, and a hint of… a fragile plea? This vulnerability was so unfamiliar, so incongruous in this man who could turn the world upside down, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, stirring up chaotic ripples in her frozen heart.

The heat of his palm traveled through her ankles, the rough strips of cloth, still carrying the scent of blood, rubbing against her like a silent brand. The words, "Act with me in this play," hoarse and heavy, echoed repeatedly in her mind like thunderclaps.

The Empress Dowager was seriously ill, and the selection of the principal wife was to be determined before the birthday banquet.

What does this mean? It means that the Second Prince Xiao Zhuo, the Fifth Prince, the Seventh Prince... all those who covet that position will do everything in their power at this final moment to push their most advantageous pawn into the position of principal wife! It means that Xiao Xun, the Sixth Prince who has just regained his identity and whose foundation is not yet stable, is being forced into the eye of the storm! He needs a "shield" that can help him temporarily withstand this turbulent undercurrent and prevent him from being easily manipulated by other forces.

And she, Xin Jiuwei, a woman from a lowly noble family, with no foundation in the capital, and even burdened with the stigma of "climbing the social ladder," became precisely the most "suitable" pawn in his eyes! Her humble background meant she wouldn't bring powerful maternal relatives, wouldn't prematurely disrupt the delicate balance among the princes, and would instead lower the other princes' guard. Her tainted reputation (thanks to him) meant she was easier for him to control, and easier to be discarded after the deed was done. More importantly, she was smart enough, and ruthless enough. He knew her weaknesses, her desires, enough to bind her firmly to this turbulent ship.

A chilling coldness spread rapidly from her ankle, where he held her, to every limb and bone, more piercing than the waters of Taiye Pond. She looked at him, at this man kneeling before her, yet still in complete control, and the anger and humiliation in her heart were replaced by a deeper, more profound sorrow. So, in his eyes, she had always been nothing more than a convenient tool. The night in Yuncheng was the "antidote," the trip to the capital was the "pawn," and now, even her marriage was to be a bargaining chip on his power chessboard!

"A performance?" Xin Jiuwei's voice was terribly dry, with a tremor she herself didn't even notice, yet it rang out with unusual clarity in the deathly silent room. She strained, trying to pull her ankle back, her wrist lashing out to break free from his grip on her left hand. "What kind of performance does Your Highness want to put on? A love as deep as the sea? A vow to marry no one but you?"

Her struggle was desperate, a force that threatened to destroy everything. Her fingernails even scratched the back of his left hand, leaving several thin, bloody marks. Xiao Xun groaned, his brows furrowing, but his grip tightened even more, as if a drowning man were clinging to the only piece of driftwood. The wound on his palm bled again from the strain, staining the already glaring white cloth crimson.

"Xin Jiuwei!" he hissed, his voice hoarse and carrying an undeniable authority, "Let me finish speaking!"

He looked up at her face, slightly flushed with anger and struggle, her clear eyes burning with an indomitable flame, like a small animal driven to the brink of despair yet still proud. This flame strangely scorched his frozen heart. He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, forcing himself to calm down, and dissecting this bloody reality in the most direct and coldest way:

"I need the title of a principal wife to temporarily avoid the limelight and stabilize the situation."

"You need the Xin family's backing, you need Xin Yunzhou to be safe in the Northern Territory, and you need Xin Xiyao's innocence!"

"This is a deal! A deal where each party gets what they want!" Every word he spoke was firm and resolute, filled with a bloody honesty. "I promise you the position of the Sixth Prince's consort, and I promise your Xin family a chance to establish themselves in the capital! After the deal is done, if you still do not wish to stay, I will set you free! I will give you enough money and land to settle down and ensure the Xin family's lifelong stability!"

"Freedom?" Xin Jiuwei seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. A sarcastic smile appeared on her lips, but her eyes were filled with cold desolation. "Is the freedom Your Highness speaks of just being the abandoned wife of the Sixth Prince, despised by the entire capital, and then hiding like a rat in a gutter, barely surviving, while receiving charity from Your Highness?"

Xiao Xun was momentarily stunned by the coldness in her eyes. He had never imagined that "freedom" would look so wretched in her eyes. He thought it was the ultimate goal she sought, but he forgot the unyielding pride that ran deep in her bones.

"This king..." His Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but Xin Jiuwei coldly interrupted him.

“Your Highness, there’s no need to say any more.” She suddenly stopped struggling, her body tense like a fully drawn bow. She lowered her head, her gaze like an icicle, piercing straight into his unfathomable eyes. “I’ll play this role.”

Xiao Xun's heart skipped a beat! He had imagined her anger, her resistance, even her outbursts of abuse, but he hadn't expected her to agree so calmly and so quickly. Beneath this calm lay a deathly despair? Or... a deeper scheme?