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

As night deepened, the pale moonlight that streamed into the room illuminated the two figures, adding a touch of ethereal beauty to her face.

Having been in the darkness for a while, Xie Yan could vaguely see the sorrow flashing across her bright red eyebrows by the moonlight. He guessed what she was thinking and comforted her.

"If you don't want to leave now, I won't force you."

Ning Yu's mind sharpened, and she met his gaze.

Xie Yan looked at her and smiled wryly, "What are your concerns?"

Yes, she dared not go with him just like that. She wanted to wait until Qinghe left the capital safely and until he had completed the travel permit and household registration.

If she leaves like this, Xie Xun will definitely investigate her whereabouts when he returns and finds her missing. If things escalate to the point where the two of them become enemies, she'll probably have a hard time getting through the rest of her life.

She didn't want any unforeseen events to occur before she was fully prepared.

"I want to get my household registration and find a chance to leave, so I need a charred corpse."

"You want to fake your death?"

Ning Yu hummed in agreement.

Xie Yan said, "Kyoto will soon be in chaos. I will send you away then. Xie Xun will not be able to take care of you, so there is no need to fake your death."

What's the point of letting Xie Xun think she's dead? She wants him to know that she's still alive and that she doesn't want to be with him.

She wanted him to understand clearly that she only wanted to leave him.

The agony of not being able to find her, the thought of killing someone when you know she might be in another man's bed.

"Is Kyoto going to descend into chaos?"

A suspicious voice came from behind him. Xie Yan suppressed his inner rage and gave a gentle "hmm," asking, "Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

A place only he knew about.

Ning Yu looked at the moonlight outside the window and said calmly, "I know Fuzhou quite well, but Xie Xun must have investigated my past. I can't go to Fuzhou."

"Ayu, when I was fighting in the north, I visited a place where the people were simple and honest, a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. It was located within Baizhi Pass and had not been affected by the war. Would you like to go?"

Ning Yu's eyes lit up. "Where?"

"Liangzhou".

As far as she knew, Liangzhou seemed to be located in the northwest, which was the Xie family's old stronghold.

Xie Yan seemed to know what she was worried about, "The Northwest is a vast and resource-rich region, and Liangzhou is just a small city, far from the political center of the Northwest."

No, she didn't want to go to the Northwest. Even if it meant being far from the capital, she didn't want to go to such a distant place, and besides—

Ning Yu glanced at his expression and felt even less inclined to go to the Northwest.

I'll let you know where I'm going later.

She didn't want to go to Liangzhou. Disappointment flashed through Xie Yan's heart. From the governor to the local towns, Liangzhou had not been infiltrated by Xie Xun's power. It was all his people, but she didn't want to go.

Xie Yan didn't show it; his voice was gentle as he said, "Okay."

The two had been talking for so long, and Ning Yu was really worried that Xie Xun would suddenly come back, but she was too embarrassed to send him away, so she said tactfully.

"Your wound needs to rest and recover. Be careful on your way home."

She wanted to drive him away, even though he was clearly her husband.

Seeing the unease flash in her eyes, Xie Yan suppressed his impulse. Making a scene at the Xie family would only make her lose face.

I'm not reconciled, I'm really not reconciled.

His gaze swept across every corner of the room, finally settling on the bedding and blankets she was sleeping on. Moonlight illuminated the corner of the bed, revealing a pair of pillows on it.

Ning Yu followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at. A feeling of guilt and unease welled up inside her.

The person who should be sleeping in the same bed with her is him, Xie Yan thought, a dark glint flashing in his eyes as he looked at the pair of pillows.

"A-Yu." He looked back, his voice hoarse.

Their eyes met, and Ning Yu, seeing his gaze, realized something and unconsciously took a step back.

Before his hand even touched her waist, he only felt a smooth, slippery touch on his fingertips. Looking at her distant gaze, Xie Yan felt a sharp pain in his heart.

He knew he was being impatient, so he paused for a moment and said, "Your clothes are dusty."

Ning Yu was startled. Looking down, she realized that she had gotten some fine ash from the incense burner on her clothes when she changed the incense. She reached out and patted her clothes.

"Governor, the lady has already gone to bed."

Just then, the voice of the night watchwoman suddenly came from outside, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching slowly, one after another, carrying a strong sense of oppression.

The two people inside the house obviously heard the sound as well. Ning Yu was startled and immediately looked up towards the doorway.

The approaching footsteps were all too familiar to her. Ning Yu clearly heard the footsteps coming up the steps, and felt her heart clench. She quickly went to open the window.

"Your Highness, this way."

Xie Yan didn't want to leave; he even wanted to pull her over and kiss her in front of Xie Xun.

Seeing that she was sweating profusely with anxiety, he remained silent for a moment, then finally suppressed his impulse and climbed out of the window.

As soon as he left, Ning Yu immediately closed the window tightly. The door to the outer room had already been pushed open. She didn't have time to get into bed, so she pretended to have just woken up and touched the teapot on the table to pour tea.

So when Xie Xun pushed open the door, he saw her carrying a teapot, looking half asleep.

He casually took off his outer robe and threw it on the soft couch, then walked over, picked up the teapot, and poured her a cup of water.

Ning Yu took the drink and gulped it down, then seemed to just wake up, looking listless. "You're back."

After saying that, she got into bed to go to sleep.

Dissatisfied with her expression, Xie Xun pulled her close and held her in his arms, only then realizing that she was dressed neatly and securely.

"Why are you dressed so warmly when you get up at night to drink water?"

Ning Yu's heart skipped a beat, but she kept a straight face as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in it.

"I've been waiting for you for several hours, but you haven't gone to sleep yet. You just took a short nap on the tatami mat."

Xie Xun couldn't see her expression or tell whether her words were true or false, but he felt relieved and carried her to the couch.

But when I touched the blanket, it was cold.

He sat on the edge of the bed, glanced at the palace lanterns that were not lit at all, and a vague, unreadable look flashed in his eyes.

Are we waiting for him in the pitch black?

Seeing that he was sitting still, Ning Yu reached out and nudged him, "Go wash up, it's getting late, you should go to sleep."

"Have you washed up?" His eyes scanned the room.

She had naturally washed up, and just as she was about to speak, she remembered the lie she had just told and immediately said, "I was still half asleep, I'm going to take a shower."

Ning Yu hurriedly came out of the washroom and found him standing by the incense burner, with the palace lanterns in the four corners lit, illuminating the room.

Her heart tightened, but she didn't go over. Instead, she went back to bed to sleep.

Xie Xun called out to her, his voice ambiguous, "Has my elder brother been here?"

A flicker of panic crossed Ning Yu's serene and beautiful eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the bandage he was using a silver tweezers to pick up, which was still slightly burnt. After a moment of silence, she hummed in agreement.

Their eyes met, and his lowered brows lingered on her face. Ning Yu felt a little breathless, and her slightly red lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a word.

"come over."