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

An inconspicuous carriage was parked at the entrance of the villa. After Xie Xun carried the person out, he got into the carriage. Without any delay, the carriage drove directly from the outskirts of the capital to the Xie residence located in the imperial city.

It was still dark, and there weren't many maids and servants coming and going in the Xie residence. However, the servants in each courtyard were already busy serving their masters who were about to get up.

The side gate leading to and from the East Garden connects to various wards and markets in the capital. The carriage traveled through the East Market and arrived at the side gate. When the guards at the gate saw that it was their master's carriage, they immediately opened the gate to greet him.

Xie Xun spent the entire journey looking at folded paper, which contained battle reports from various places. Ning Yu leaned against the carriage wall with her eyes closed, resting. The two barely communicated.

"Master, we've arrived."

The sound of a gentle breeze came from outside. Xie Xun rubbed his eyes and closed the folding book. He grabbed Ning Yu, who was silent, and led her out of the car.

Suddenly pulled by his arm, Ning Yu buried her face in his chest. Her expression could no longer be maintained, and she said coldly, "Get me a veil."

The East Garden was a secluded and quiet place, with no one else but the maids, nannies and guards who served the master.

Xie Xun said coldly, "Get out of the car."

Ning Yu did not get out of the car, silently confronting him.

Xie Xun grabbed her waist and forcefully pulled her down.

Ning Yu stumbled as he dragged her, and in the struggle, she angrily ripped off his cloak and wrapped herself up from head to toe, even covering her face.

Xie Xun's face darkened, and he didn't bother with her anymore. He bent down, picked her up, and went inside.

This side gate was reserved for people from the East Garden. There were very few people around at this time. Ning Yu buried her head in his chest, her slender fingers tightly gripping his clothes, listening to the quiet birdsong all around, barely daring to breathe.

Xie Xun walked steadily, but why did this road seem so long? They hadn't even reached the main courtyard yet. After crossing the lakeside path, she could vaguely hear the sounds of maids carrying trays and bowing respectfully. Her body tensed up, and she kept burying her head in his arms.

Suddenly, his hoarse voice came from above, "If you move again, I'll do it to you right here."

animals.

Ning Yu remained stiff and ignored him, the thoughts that had been lingering in her mind all the way becoming clearer and clearer.

She had no way out. If he kept her here, he would anger the entire Xie family and make Xie Yan feel ashamed. And after he married Princess Huayang, she wouldn't have a good ending either.

She now only has one path left to take; he has driven her to the brink of despair.

After returning to the East Garden, Xie Xun placed her on the couch, saying, "It's still early, get some sleep."

Ning Yu ignored him, took off his dog skin, and silently covered herself with the blanket.

Xie Xun still had many things to deal with, but when he saw her cold expression, he paused in his steps, put one foot on the edge of the bed, leaned down, lifted the quilt off her, and half-lifted her up with one hand.

"Blame me?"

Ning Yu didn't want to deal with him, so she simply let him carry her, putting all her weight on him, and said, "I wouldn't dare, I'm just too sleepy."

Xie Xun grabbed her collar and pulled her closer, saying, "Be sensible, or you'll be more comfortable."

He has always used his power to oppress people, both in the past and now. Ning Yu's face was expressionless; she simply raised her lips and gently kissed him on the lips.

Xie Xun felt a buzzing in his head, and his throat tightened as his mouth went dry.

He always forces her in bed; he rarely takes the initiative. This feeling is not bad; she should take the initiative more often.

Looking at her lips, he loosened his grip slightly, half-lifted her up, and lowered his head to kiss her tenderly.

Ning Yu just wanted him to stop getting angry and get rid of the person quickly, but she didn't expect him to continue, and her expression stiffened for a moment.

Xie Xun couldn't feel her response, so he used his arm to press her head down and hold her tightly in his arms, kissing and biting her lips and tongue as if he wanted to swallow her whole.

Ning Yu was overwhelmed by his kisses, her cheeks flushed, and she pushed him away with sobs.

After kissing for a while, Xie Xun felt he couldn't suppress his anger any longer, so he loosened his grip and held her soft body to calm down.

His heavy breathing mingled with hers and sprayed onto her neck. Ning Yu could feel his lower abdomen pushing against her. "You should go to court now, it's dawn."

The situation in the court is currently volatile. The emperor is seriously ill and has summoned the princes to the palace several times to attend to him. The council of elders has held two meetings to discuss matters related to foreign wars.

Foreign enemies invaded, the border was in turmoil, and rebellions broke out in many places. The Seventh Prince personally led several brothers to lead troops into battle, but reports of defeats kept coming in. The Eighth Prince disappeared after the battle of Huaizhou.

The Elders Council has controlled the government for many years. This time, the war between Shangliang and Daxia has been so fierce on the front lines, yet they have been reluctant to send more troops and supplies to the Ministry of War. The Crown Prince's faction and the Elders Council have begun to divide the government and hold their own opinions.

As the head of the elders' council, the Xie family naturally couldn't escape involvement. The Duke of Dingguo had been extremely busy these days, but he didn't see Xie Yan at the morning court session. When he returned and asked, he learned that Xie Yan was ill.

How could someone who was perfectly healthy suddenly become sick?!

The Grand Princess said, "It's nothing serious, just a cold."

"He has guarded the frontier for many years, but now that the border is in chaos, he must don his armor once more."

"No!" Before the Duke of Dingguo could finish speaking, the Grand Princess interrupted him, her face grim. "My son has spent many years on the frontier for the Elders' Association, and only returned after escaping death this time. Is there no one left in the court?"

The Duke of Dingguo was too lazy to talk to a woman like that. Just then, a servant's voice came from outside, "Your Highness, the Commander-in-Chief is here."

The Grand Princess was unaware that her rebellious son had brought someone back. When she saw him enter, a sense of unease rose in her heart.

In the study, the Duke of Dingguo sat in a chair, watching his son enter, and instructed the people outside to close the door.

The door closed, and the Duke of Dingguo picked up the dossier on the table. Just as he was about to ask the man if he knew about the princes' collusion with the northeastern clans, he heard him say, "Father, I want a woman."

Want a woman?!

The Duke of Dingguo was puzzled and asked him what kind of woman he wanted.

The Grand Princess's expression changed upon hearing this. What was this rebellious son planning to do?

What kind of woman do you want?

"Xun'er!" The Grand Princesses suddenly screamed and covered Xie Xun's mouth. "Don't talk nonsense here. You can have any woman you want. You can keep as many women as you want after you get married, but not now."

The Duke of Dingguo didn't want to get involved in his son's private affairs, so he waved his hand and said, "You handle your own private matters. Think carefully about what kind of woman you want, and just don't make a scene."

As she spoke, she thought of her good-for-nothing son, "Don't be like your older brother, letting a woman interfere with your important business."

He wasn't sick; he was just grieving over a woman's death. What a useless thing.

Xie Xun said calmly, "Father, the woman I want is Ning Yu."