Volume 1, Chapter 28: The Real Heiress Is a Powerhouse 28

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When An Qianqian asked this, her eyes remained fixed on Si Chengnian.

She had been waiting a long time for this answer.

Si Chengnian’s throat moved slightly. Under her gaze, he found himself growing inexplicably flustered.

He did not know why, but he had the distinct feeling that if he failed to answer properly, he might truly lose the woman he loved.

But how could that be?

Qianqian loved him so much.

Back then, all it had taken was a single word from him for Qianqian to willingly follow him to a foreign land.

It was impossible for her to leave him simply because he had failed to answer one question.

He must be overthinking things.

Si Chengnian shook his head, trying to dispel the ominous thoughts in his mind.

After considering his words several times, he finally replied, “This is not my wish. It is something I must do. I want the throne only so that I can stand higher—higher still. High enough to protect those I wish to protect, high enough that no one will dare lay a finger on the person I love.”

An Qianqian said nothing. She merely pressed her lips together.

“System, I think you must have chosen the wrong person. He has already secured the throne, so how could he possibly have no wish?”

【Host, be patient. You agreed to every request he has made so far. Perhaps, by sheer luck, you will somehow complete the mission.】

“No, that cannot be right. It may be that he has already obtained the throne, and since the whole world belongs to him, he no longer has any wish. Perhaps I should give his throne to someone else, so that he will once again wish to seize it—and then give it back to him?”

【Host! How can you have such a villainous thought?! Absolutely not!】

“I was only saying it. I have not actually done anything. Why are you so nervous?”

Seeing that An Qianqian kept her lips pressed together and refused to speak, Si Chengnian’s heart rose into his throat. He softened his voice even further, sounding almost ingratiating.

“Qianqian, Mother Empress has sent over some betrothal gifts. They were all prepared according to the regulations for a queen. Take a look and see if there is anything else you want. I can search the private treasury.”

Only then did An Qianqian raise her eyes and give him a cool glance. Her tone revealed neither anger nor joy.

“No need.”

Those three simple words fell on him like a basin of cold water, chilling his heart.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but An Qianqian had already looked away, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.

Si Chengnian stood frozen in place. After a moment, he forced a smile.

“Then… rest for now. I will come back to see you later.”

With that, he left the An residence, looking back three times with every step.

When he returned to the Eastern Palace, the awkwardness vanished from his face, replaced by a solemn expression.

Director Liu was sorting documents in the study. He watched Si Chengnian sit there, distracted and absent-minded.

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After pondering for a long while, Director Liu set down the scroll in his hands and gave a light cough, breaking the silence. His gaze settled on Si Chengnian, his tone gentle yet probing.

“Your Highness has been troubled ever since returning today. Could it be that you have encountered some difficult matter? I would not dare claim to possess the wisdom to plan everything perfectly, but perhaps I may be able to ease Your Highness’s worries somewhat.”

Si Chengnian remained silent for a moment. When he raised his eyes, a trace of concealment had entered his expression.

“Director Liu, you are married with children, so perhaps you can analyze this for me. I have a friend whose fiancée is distant toward everyone else, yet toward my friend…” He paused. “At times she is so close that it sets his heart aflame, while at other times she is as cold as though separated from him by a layer of ice.”

He recalled those late nights when she had rested her head in the crook of his arm to listen to stories, her lashes brushing against his wrist and leaving behind a faint, ticklish sensation.

Then he remembered the words she had spoken today: “No need.”

They had been as cold as the winter winds of Sheng’an City.

The two sensations twisted together in his heart, stirring up a fear he had never known before.

“Director Liu, do you think…”

Si Chengnian swallowed. When he looked up again, his eyes were veiled with mist.

“Could it be that she does not truly care that much about my friend? Perhaps all that closeness was merely… a passing whim?”

The moment he asked the question, even he was startled.

In the past, he had never doubted her feelings. He had always believed that since she was willing to travel thousands of miles to accompany him, she had given him her entire heart.

But now, the coldness in her manner was like a thorn, forcing him to confront the possibility.

Perhaps her dependence on him had always been mixed with reasons he could neither explain nor understand. Perhaps it was not entirely love.

How astute was Director Liu? How could he fail to realize that this “friend” was none other than His Highness himself? Stroking his beard, he deliberately feigned deep thought.

“Your Highness is worrying unnecessarily. A young woman’s heart is like the weather in spring—sunny one moment and rainy the next. If your friend is truly uneasy, he need only find an opportunity to ask her honestly.”

That was right!

Si Chengnian suddenly remembered that he had asked Qianqian whether she was willing to leave with him, and that he had only ever wanted to spend his life with her.

But he had never asked whether she loved him.

Everything had merely been his own assumption.

The thought exploded in Si Chengnian’s mind like a thunderclap. He abruptly rose to his feet.

“That’s right… I have never asked her.”

Muttering to himself, he strode toward the doors of the palace, his feet moving before he could stop them.

The Eastern Palace and the An residence were separated by only one street. On ordinary days, the journey seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, but today it stretched on endlessly.

Lanterns were being lit one after another along the avenue, illuminating the urgency and fear surging in his eyes.

When he reached the gate of the An residence, Si Chengnian raised his hand to knock, but his fingers froze just before touching the knocker.

What if…

What if she said she did not love him?

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The instant the thought surfaced, his heart seemed to be clutched by an invisible hand. The pain left him almost unable to breathe.

He remembered how calmly she had left the Shang Kingdom with him. He remembered the languid way she listened to his stories. Those scenes had once been irrefutable proof, in his mind, that she loved him. Yet now, before the words “does not love me,” they trembled on the verge of collapse.

His fingers slowly withdrew. Si Chengnian turned around, leaned against the cold gatepost, and slid down to sit on the ground.

He could not ask.

He was suddenly afraid—afraid of hearing the answer that could shatter the obsession he had carried for all these years.

Si Chengnian raised a hand to his chest, where his heart was beating frantically and erratically.

“Whether she loves me or not—what does it matter?”

He murmured in a low voice, with a trace of possessiveness he himself did not notice.

“As long as I love her, that is enough.”

“She is willing to stay by my side, and she is willing to marry me. That is enough.”

“As for love… If I love her a little more, and then a little more still, I will eventually be able to warm her heart.”

Like a drowning man clutching at driftwood, he repeated these words again and again. The fear in his eyes gradually gave way to a tenderness bordering on obsession.

He raised a hand and rubbed his tense brow. Then Si Chengnian stood, straightened his robes, and turned to walk back.

When he reached the corner of the street, he suddenly ordered the eunuch behind him, “Fetch the moonlight-pearl hairpin from the treasury and deliver it to the Crown Princess at the An residence.”

The eunuch acknowledged the order and hurried away.

Si Chengnian gazed toward the An residence, and a satisfied smile curved his lips.

Whether she loved him or not, if he gave her the very best, he would surely be able to warm her heart.

With that thought in mind, his steps grew much lighter, as though the anxious man who had sat before the residence moments ago had never been him.

Several days later, the enthronement ceremony proceeded as scheduled.

The wedding of the Emperor and Empress was held on the same day.

Some of the ceremonial regulations had been revised. In the past, the newly enthroned emperor had worshiped Heaven and Earth alone; now, the Emperor and Empress would perform the rites together.

When the ceremony concluded, Si Chengnian looked at An Qianqian beside him, her expression as calm as ever, and tightened his grip on her hand.

She had not left him today. Instead, she had accompanied him through the entire ceremony. It seemed that she did not lack feelings for him entirely.

After drinking the nuptial wine, An Qianqian and Si Chengnian sat together upon the wedding bed.