The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The Hall of Longevity in Xuanxing City is not just similar in appearance, but in spirit.

The icy tassels hanging from the eaves, the planting location of the crabapple tree under the corridor, and even every lotus pattern carved on the window frame are exactly the same as those in Baiyujing.

To this end, Si Xingxuan spared no expense in inviting the original craftsmen who built the Hall of Longevity.

Some stones had long been unavailable, so he sent people to search all over the country for substitutes.

Some wood carving techniques have been lost, so he offered three times the fee to the old craftsman to pick up the carving knife again.

Every brick, every tile, every pattern, and every decoration has been restored to its original state.

It took countless resources to create this perfectly identical palace.

Qi Zhu followed behind his master, listening to him spout nonsense without batting an eye, his heart already churning with resentment.

"What do you mean, 'coincidentally matching blueprints'? Do you even believe that yourself?"

"It was clearly made specifically for Princess Mirror."

"I was so stupid to only realize it so late..."

His arrogant and disdainful master actually had such a pure and innocent moment.

Qi Zhu almost suspected that he had been possessed by some evil spirit.

Tang Xixue stood in front of the hall, looking up at the plaque.

The three characters "Hall of Eternal Life" are exactly the same as those on the Jade Palace, even the shades of gold lacquer are identical.

As she gazed at it, she suddenly felt as if she were in another world.

"I originally thought that the Palace of Eternal Life would be burned to the ground and reduced to ashes."

Her voice carried a sense of unreality, as if she had survived a catastrophe.

"I never expected that not only does it still exist, but there is also one in Xuanxing City."

What was burned in the Book of Fate was not only this palace, but also the bones of those who died in the cold of dawn and dusk.

They fought for her to the last moment; one fell on the white marble steps, and the other was not even left with a complete corpse.

Today, the Hall of Longevity in Baiyujing still stands, and an identical Hall of Longevity also stands in Xuanxing City.

Some people guard the Jade Capital, while others replicate the Starry Sky City.

They were all praying for her in their own ways.

May she live a long and healthy life.

"Zhizhi, what are you looking for?"

Si Xingxuan turned around, the candlelight softening his pale face.

Those eyes, which were always filled with detachment and weariness, now had a rare, vibrant light.

"I can help you look for it."

He looked at the Hall of Longevity before him, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

It was the image of the Hall of Eternal Life from his memory.

"It will guide me."

Tang Xixue held the soul lamp in her hands.

This soul lamp, jointly crafted by the Imperial Preceptor He Lichen and Master Xie Jinlian, uses starlight as its guide and sword energy as its core.

The lamp's body was as clear as ice, with a faint silvery-white light flowing inside, making it the best guiding light on her journey to find her soul.

"The Soul Lamp Seeks the Soul."

Si Xingxuan's gaze fell on the soul lamp, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Is Zhizhi searching for a soul?"

He once took Tang Xixue's pulse, and he still remembers the pulse pattern of that soul-separation syndrome very clearly.

As soon as he finished speaking, he could no longer hide his heartache.

The disease of separation of the soul is a matter of life and death.

He had already noticed it when he took her pulse in Baiyujing, but she didn't say much, so he didn't ask any further questions.

Now that he has seen this soul lamp with his own eyes, he suddenly realizes that she must have suffered a lot in the years he had never seen.

She never spoke of those hardships to anyone.

He simply pulled himself out of the abyss step by step, all by himself.

"Yes."

Tang Xixue responded, holding the soul lamp, and walked into the study under the light.

Si Xingxuan followed behind her and suddenly remembered the Hall of Longevity on that snowy night.

The image of him hiding under the bed.

At that time, he hated her so much that he gritted his teeth.

She destroyed his rare alchemical formula, so he wanted to take her life in retaliation.

He hated the conqueror who possessed her body.

But who would have thought that he failed to kill her that night, and instead witnessed her shocking act of forcibly kissing He Lichen.

He hid under the bed, listening to the ambiguous sounds coming from above him. He was both shocked and furious, and almost crushed the scalpel in his hand.

Thinking about it now, he feels terrible.

He was so angry at that time that he did such an outrageous thing.

The dignified seventh-generation pavilion master, the richest man in the Nine Provinces, was actually hiding under the princess's bed.

If word gets out, his reputation as the Divine Physician Zheyue will be utterly shattered.

The thought of He Lichen being under the influence of the Drunken Immortal on the couch, and being intimate with his Zhizhi, made him incredibly jealous.

If he had known this day would come, he shouldn't have practiced that damned Drunken Immortal technique in the first place.

"Huh? These medical books..."

Tang Xixue's voice pulled him back from his frustration.

He looked up and saw the light of the soul lamp pointing towards the wall covered with rare medical books.

Those medical books were once treasured in the study of the Changsheng Palace in Baiyujing, collected by Tang Xiye with great effort.

Each one is a unique copy, extremely rare in the world.

Later, due to financial difficulties, she sold it to him for ten times the price.

He bought the books partly because he was truly obsessed with medicine, and partly, probably because they belonged to her.

Surprisingly, they are still neatly arranged here.

According to the order in her study, not a single one was missing.

Even the orientation of the book spine and the position of the jade paperweight on the desk were exactly the same as she remembered.

It was as if time had never passed, as if she had only gone out for a walk, and when she returned, the study was still the same, the lights were still on.

"This is a gift from Zhizhi."

Seeing that she was staring intently, Si Xingxuan's voice softened a bit.

"I've kept them all safe."

After these medical books were transported back to Xingze Divine Medicine Valley, he specially arranged for a quiet room to be prepared for their storage.

Later, after the completion of the Hall of Longevity, he ordered people to transport it back to Xuanxing City from the Divine Medicine Valley, and invited several old elders from the Seven Generations Pavilion to personally escort it throughout the journey.

For no other reason than fear that it would be snatched away by that scoundrel Tang Xiye, who has no sense of martial ethics.

"Yes. Zheyue has preserved them very well."

Tang Xixue gently brushed her fingertips along the spine of the book; the yellowed pages remained as smooth as new, without even a single crease.

A warm feeling welled up in her heart.

At that time, her relationship with Si Xingxuan was extremely hostile, yet he still preserved these medical books so well.

His love for medicine was truly ingrained in his very being.

"May I look around freely?"

She asked a question.

Even though she and Si Xingxuan are much closer now, she still maintains just the right distance.

These medical books now belong to Si Xingxuan, and she will not overstep her bounds simply because she was their former owner.

"Weaving."

Si Xingxuan raised his eyes and looked at her earnestly, his eyes filled with solemnity.

There's no need for such formalities between us. What's mine is yours. This promise stands forever.

What others say might not seem like much.

Who is Ke Sixingxuan?

The richest man in the Nine Provinces, the seventh generation of Pavilion Master, and the first person to control the wealth and power of the Nine Provinces.

By saying this, he was essentially betting the entire Seven Generations Pavilion on the outcome.

Moreover, he wasn't just talking; he had already given her the Seventh Generation Pavilion Master's Token.

"Okay, I've got it."

With permission granted, Tang Xixue reached out and took the medical book that the soul lamp was pointing to.

She was slightly taken aback after receiving the medical book.

"This book, 'The Medical Records of the Nine Provinces,' is not one of the medical books I gave you."

She thought her soul fragments were hidden among the rare medical books her brother had collected for her, but she never expected that the soul lamp would guide her to this very book.

"Huh? This..."

When Si Xingxuan saw the cover of the book, his handsome face instantly turned red, like a pink lotus flower.

"This is from my private collection, and it's kept with other rare books."

This book, "The Medical Records of the Nine Provinces," is a masterpiece personally written and compiled by Tang Xixue, the Heavenly Physician of Destiny.

After its publication, it was revered as the supreme classic by doctors all over the world, with each word worth a thousand pieces of gold, or even ten thousand pieces of gold.

Its original manuscript is priceless; countless people have searched high and low for it but have never seen its true form.

Si Xingxuan is the number one admirer of the Heavenly Physician of Destiny.

He paid an exorbitant price to acquire the original manuscript of "The Medical Records of the Nine Provinces," and has since treasured it, carrying it with him wherever he goes.

When studying it, I was so careful that I turned the pages, afraid of leaving even the slightest crease on the paper.

It wasn't until the Hall of Longevity in Xuanxing City was completed that he stored all his treasured medical books, along with the "Nine Provinces Medical Records" that he regarded as his lifeblood, here.

Unexpectedly, Tang Xixue found it.

His secret worship, hidden deep in his heart for so many years, was suddenly exposed to the true idol.

"It seems our fate was sealed long ago."

Tang Xixue looked at his embarrassed expression and didn't tease him any further.

She lowered her eyes and opened the book "The Medical Records of the Nine Provinces," which still smelled of ink.

The moment the book was turned, a silvery-white light slowly rose from between the yellowed pages.

The light was extremely soft and light, like a ray of moonlight forgotten between the pages of a book, quietly hanging in mid-air.

Then it silently and gently merged into her spiritual sea.

Zhuoying Soul, one of the three souls and seven spirits, has returned to its rightful place.

The waters of the Canglang River are clear; I can wash my hat ornaments there.

Si Xingxuan has always been protecting this soul.

Five years ago, he defied fate to protect her ailing body, pulling her back from the brink of death.

At the same time, by sheer coincidence, it also protected her scattered fragment of soul.

His fortune acted like an invisible barrier, protecting this fragile soul within, preventing anyone from taking it away and keeping it from being noticed by the Heavenly Dao.

With his destiny as a celestial being, he unintentionally became the guardian of her soul.

He was completely unaware of this.

"Oh, right."

As Tang Xixue sensed the faint light that had rekindled in her spiritual sea, she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Si Xingxuan.

"Back then, you promised your elder brother to save me. What conditions did he agree to?"

Five years ago, she had a persistent high fever and was on the verge of death. Tang Xiye spent almost half of the imperial treasury's treasures to ask Si Xingxuan for help.

But she always felt that, given Si Xingxuan's personality, treasures might not be able to move him.

His willingness to take action must have come with other conditions.

"My brother-in-law?"

Upon hearing this, a sly glint flashed in Si Xingxuan's fox-like eyes.

He turned and walked to the desk, opened the drawer, and took out a roll of bright yellow silk. His movements were both solemn and tinged with an indescribable sense of pride.

"He gave me a blank imperial edict stamped with the national seal, granting me one request. I had never used it before and hadn't thought of my wish."

As he spoke, he slowly unfolded the imperial edict on the desk.

The bright yellow silk shimmered with a soft sheen in the candlelight.

The imperial seal, in vermilion, was strikingly visible, like a stamp spanning five years, prematurely sealing a predetermined event on the paper of fate.

Above, written in Si Xingxuan's own handwriting, was: "Si Xingxuan is hereby granted the title of consort to Princess Tang Xixue of Jingyue."

"cough."

Tang Xixue looked at the flamboyant handwriting on the imperial edict and at the familiar imperial seal, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

She knew that her brother would do anything to save her back then, but she never expected that he would even dare to give her a blank imperial edict.

He used the imperial seal to sign a marriage certificate for his precious Zhizhi, and the other party was still that same Divine Doctor Zheyue, whom he wished he could kick a few times.

If he knew, his expression would be incredibly interesting.

"Weaving."

Si Xingxuan's eyes were filled with anticipation, like a little fox who had done something naughty but was secretly pleased with itself.

"Now, I have a legitimate status, right?"

He arranged a formal title for himself, using the imperial edict issued by Emperor Shengchen Tangxi Ye, which was legitimate and justified.

What a crazy little devil! He always acts so eccentrically and doesn't play by the rules!

Unfortunately, Tang Xixue is currently traveling outside and has never publicly revealed her identity as Empress Zhiyue in order to conceal her whereabouts.

In the eyes of the world, she is still the rightful Princess Jingyue of the Beichen Empire, the most beloved pearl in the palm of Emperor Shengchen's hand.

Theoretically speaking, he actually managed to gain official recognition by sheer luck from this imperial edict.

"Hmm... sort of."

Tang Xixue couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at his smug yet guilty expression and the blood-red imperial seal.

If someone else were to receive that blank imperial edict, they would likely be filled with ambition and desire immense power.

Or perhaps half of Beichen's territory.

Ke Sixing wrote down his thoughts, only wishing to stand by her side legitimately.

"However, if you truly wish to stay by my side, come to the Cloud Silk Ferry in the Moon Weaving Sea Kingdom on the third day of the third month."

Tang Xixue extended an invitation to Si Xingxuan.

The third day of the third lunar month, the Shangsi Festival, is also her birthday.

The coronation ceremony of Empress Zhiyue will be announced to the entire Nine Provinces on that day.

That was her true identity, the vast empire she ruled, and the new era that was about to begin.

"I will definitely be there!"

Si Xingxuan nodded heavily, as if accepting a military order that could not be ignored.