So what if she's my sister-in-law? You seduced me first.

The Grand Princess felt like she was going to be driven mad by this rebellious son. "What kind of woman can't you have? Why did you have to take a fancy to that girl from the Ning family?"

Xie Xun didn't want to waste time with this nonsense, and said in a cool voice, "If Mother has nothing else to say, then I'll take my leave."

"You're just leaving like this? Do you think she'll survive tonight?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xun turned around and looked at him with a gloomy gaze. His face was no longer as aloof as it used to be; instead, it was full of cold-blooded malice.

The Grand Princess had never seen her son like this before, and she vaguely knew that if she secretly executed that girl, her mother-son relationship would be over.

She sighed helplessly and said earnestly, "It's not that I want to kill her, but if you don't deal with her, your elder brother will lose face. How can he be content? A younger brother taking his elder brother's wife will cause chaos in the family."

"If this gets back to the clan, the Xie family will be the first to kill her. They won't allow such a thing to get out and tarnish the Xie family's reputation. Are you going to go against the family for her sake?"

"I will handle it."

The Grand Princess nearly choked on her breath at the thought of that lowly-born brat. "Don't forget, the matriarchs of the Xie family have always been royal women, and you will be no exception."

"With you so openly opposing your brother and keeping her in the villa, your household will be in chaos sooner or later after Princess Huayang enters the family."

Xie Xun remained unfazed. "I will take her back to the Xie family."

What?!

The Grand Princess was so stunned by the series of blows that she could hardly process what was happening. Seeing him turn to leave, she said angrily.

"Do you want the Xie family to criticize you two brothers behind your backs, or do you want her to be drowned in everyone's spit?"

Xie Xun paused, the image of her frightened and timid appearance flashing through his mind.

"Listen to your mother, if you can't bear to kill her, let her go far away, otherwise the Xie family will be thrown into chaos sooner or later."

He didn't make such a big fuss just to let her go.

Xie Xun didn't want to say more. "It's almost dawn. Mother, you should go back to the manor first. I will send someone to take care of my elder brother here."

"Stop right there!"

Xie Xun didn't stop and went straight back to the house. The Grand Princess looked at the tightly closed door, her vision went black, and she almost fainted.

"Princess, Princess---" The old woman in the distance rushed over and helped her up.

The Grand Princess leaned against the old woman's body for a while to recover. What a misfortune for the family!

That bitch must be dealt with, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause when Ayan wakes up. Only when she's dead will the Xie family have peace.

This kind of thing that can't be brought to the table must be suppressed. It absolutely cannot be leaked, and not a single word can be let out.

"Go find Liu Lang and have him come and take the young master back to the Xie family to recuperate. Go in through the side gate and make sure no one sees you."

"Yes."

Inside the room, Ning Yu lay on the bed as if she were lifeless. She didn't hear what the Grand Princess and Xie Xun were saying, but she could roughly guess that Ning Yu was definitely not going to have a good ending.

The curtains on both sides were lifted, casting a shadow over her head. She could feel a familiar presence around the bed, but she didn't move an inch.

Xie Xun looked at her tightly closed eyes, her exposed skin covered with ambiguous marks. He bent down, wanting to pick her up and take her to the back washroom to wash.

But as soon as I touched her body, she reflexively moved further inside.

Xie Xun's face darkened; he thought he was going to be the one cleaning her up afterwards.

"stand up."

Ning Yu didn't want to pay attention to him. She kept her eyes tightly closed, and although she was very sleepy, she couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did.

Xie Xun's pleasure from the sexual encounter vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of inexplicable anger. He used one hand to turn her body around.

"You're usually so good at being obsequious and ingratiating, but as soon as your elder brother arrives, you turn into this pathetic mess. Do you want me to kill you both?"

Ning Yu suddenly remembered Xie Yan's chest injury and was afraid that he was really capable of anything. She suppressed her fear and disgust, opened her eyes, and half-bent over to deal with him.

"I'm just too tired, my body feels like it's falling apart."

Seeing the exhaustion on her face, Xie Xun softened his expression as he listened to her words, "You've drunk so much tonic soup, yet your body is still so weak."

Ning Yu didn't argue with him, but propped herself up and asked, "Has the princess left?"

"I'll be leaving in a bit."

As for the young master, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to ask the question she wanted to. Things had already come to this, and she didn't want someone as excellent as Xie Yan to be implicated by her. So she let it go.

"I'll take you back to the Xie residence when it's light. If you get sleepy, you can go back to the East Garden to sleep," he told her.

Ning Yu's gaze froze, and she looked up at him. "What did you say?"

Xie Xun was dissatisfied with her reaction. He looked at her coldly and said, word by word, "I'll take you back to the Xie residence."

"I'm not going back." Ning Yu took a deep breath and said, seeing his face suddenly darken. "How can a dead man like me return to the Xie residence, bearing such a name?"

Xie Xun knew she was afraid and dreaded the Xie clan, so he said, "Go back to the East Garden and I will take care of the clan's affairs."

No, she didn't want to go back. What about Xie Yan? She couldn't face Xie Yan, couldn't bear to see the old lady's disappointed eyes, and dared not imagine how the others would treat her.

Even if he wields immense power, can he silence public opinion?

"My elder brother already knows you're here. There's no difference between going back to Dongyuan and staying in this villa. I won't let you be exposed to the public until everything is under control."

The Xie family will only suppress this matter and won't bring it up. He needs to go back and handle the follow-up matters.

He used all the control over the Xie family to force his father to stand on his side, kept the clan elders in check, and arranged everything that would happen after his eldest brother woke up.

If his elder brother's actions reach the Xie family's clan, he will have to suppress the elders' council's help in overturning this ancestral rule. He won't have time to deal with her and must keep her by his side.

No matter what he said, Ning Yu refused to go back. "Your mother looks like she's going to eat me alive. If I go back to the Xie family, I'll be walking into a trap."

"So, are you going to stay here and wait for your older brother to come find you?"

A cold, sinister voice entered her ears. Ning Yu looked at him and said, "Take me to one of your other villas."

Xie Xun didn't need her to hide like this, and said firmly, "It's almost time for court. I have a lot of official business to attend to. I don't have time to waste here with you. You can choose to leave on your own or be knocked unconscious and taken away."

"You---" Ning Yu's eyes reddened with anger.

"Go put on some clothes."

Seeing that she didn't move, Xie Xun said coldly, "Someone come here."

"What are you going to do?"

"Have someone help you get dressed."

Soon, the old women filed in with their heads down. Ning Yu couldn't resist at all. In no time, she washed up, changed into a beautiful dress, and was brought to his side.

Xie Xun was flipping through the folded paper on the table when he saw her come out. He told Qingfeng to pack everything up, then went over, put his arm around her waist, and strode out.

Noticing her resistance, Xie Xun bent down and scooped her up in his arms. "If you move again, I'll knock you out and take you away."