The Tyrant's Beloved Empress

2

After the ceremony, the newlyweds were escorted to their wedding chamber.

The room in the Wang Manor's main courtyard had always been barren. The tiny bit of red-colored decorations did nothing to elevate the missing sense of festivity.

The two sat facing each other next to the bridal bed while the xipo handed Xiao Zhige a golden weighing rod1 saying, "Wangye please lift the veil."

Xiao Zhige did not respond. He solemnly looked at the person in front of him, deep in thought.

Seeing his inaction, the xipo awkwardly called out to him, "Wangye?"

Xiao Zhige came back from his daze and cast her glance, "You all can leave now."

The xipo had long heard of his infamous temper. His joyless face even on his wedding day could only mean that he did not like the future wangfei. She glanced at An Chang Qing with sympathy and put down the golden rod, then left quickly, closing the door behind.

In the room, Xiao Zhige lifted the veil without using the golden rod and was relieved to see that An Chang Qing was not in girly make-up. He then frowned and mulled over what to say. Briefly after, he managed to think of something, "Are you hungry?"

An Chang Qing looked at him in surprise. Before, all he could do was look down. Now that he could raise his head, he attentively observed the man in front of him, his new husband.

Previously, in the many years that they had cohabited, he had never looked twice at this person who was tied to a fearsome reputation. Only with a closer look did he discover that he was a man of outstanding facial features. At present, he was only known as the emperor's unloved son. In the eyes of the courtiers, he was the prince who had lost all qualifications to succeed the throne. In the eyes of the common people, he was the bloodthirsty warlord who had killed tens of thousands without blinking.

But at this moment, An Chang Qing was using his heart to look at him. What he saw was a weak young man who still had much to grow. Although he had a brooding expression, it had not reached the later stage where it could stop infants from crying. His eyebrows were sharp as swords with a shallow '川' in the middle. His black eyes were like bottomless pits sitting in a deep pair of sockets. Combined with his high nose and thin lips, it gave his face a majestic and dignified look.

An Chang Qing smoothed his brows and gave him a soft smile. Whether this was real or fantasy, he still had to take the first step. He had once believed the rumors and not only trapped himself but had also wronged Xiao Zhige. This time, he would try to get to know this person.

No one was born cruel. The cold-blooded Emperor of the future was also once a soft-hearted young man who had asked his wangfei on their wedding day if he was hungry. It was just that everyone else had chosen to ignore these trivial details... Including himself.

"Shouldn't we drink the hejin2 wine first?" An Chang Qing smiled at him sweetly and asked.

Once again, he was stricken with surprise. Xiao Zhige did not expect An Chang Qing would present such an attitude towards him. He was stunned briefly before pouring them each a cup of hejin wine, "Alright."

Their arms crossed as they drank the wine, like a pair of mandarin ducks.

Xiao Zhige stood up after drinking the wine, ready to go out to entertain the guests. When he walked to the door, he turned back and said, "The kitchen has prepared some snacks, if you're hungry, send someone to get it."

Without waiting for An Chang Qing's response, he strode out the door.

An Chang Qing looked at his back as he was leaving. There exuded a sense of firmness and vigor, like that of a pine tree, many times more alive than the gloomy Emperor he had once become.