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

The moonlight was beautiful tonight; Ning Yu could vaguely see the pale moonlight under the eaves of the warehouse, surrounded by a deathly silence.

She leaped from the rooftop, quickly darting to the opposite tree, where she slid down like an eel and disappeared into the grass.

There were very few people walking around in the Mo Courtyard. She hadn't seen anyone in the courtyard where she used to live either, and there were no candles lit inside the house.

She crouched low and quietly slipped under the corridor to the storeroom where she kept her dowry.

Her betrothal gifts and dowry are all in the small storeroom of the Mo Academy. She can't take the jewelry and headdress with her because she doesn't have time to sell them, but she has to take the money inside. Once she leaves the capital, there are places to spend money everywhere.

With a click, a faint sound came from outside the window. Xie Yan, who was leaning back in his chair, opened his eyes and looked out the window.

The room was dark, without any candles or lamps lit. The guards stood at the door, yawning boredly.

I don't know what the young master is thinking. He doesn't live in the main courtyard, but moves to the courtyard where the young master's wife used to live. He doesn't allow anyone to come near her. He has been sitting in front of the dressing table for almost an hour and hasn't eaten dinner.

The door inside was suddenly opened, and the guard, who had been lost in thought, quickly straightened up, looked at the person coming out of the room, and bowed respectfully.

Xie Yan descended the steps, then, as if remembering something, turned back and ordered, "Don't let anyone come over."

"Yes."

The warehouse key was with Qinghe, so Ningyu could only fiddle with the lock a few times with the wire, and with a click, the door opened.

This isn't the main storeroom of the Mo family; it's a room she moved herself to store her dowry after marrying into the Xie family. It's quite spacious inside, filled with her belongings.

Ning Yu felt around the doors and windows, walked to the table, lit a tinderbox, and slightly illuminated the surroundings.

The three large chests of dowry were laid out on the ground. She walked over, opened the chests, gently moved aside the jewelry and utensils inside, and took out the silver notes underneath.

Looking at the thousand taels of silver notes in her hand, Ning Yu frowned and sighed.

After leaving the capital, she wants to eat fine food, dress finely, and live well, and this amount of money is definitely not enough to prepare a dowry for Qinghe.

The betrothal gifts sent by the Xie family included a considerable amount of money, but they were all gold and silver ingots, which were difficult to carry.

Looking at the three large boxes of dowry, which were full of flashy but impractical jewelry, she couldn't help but rummage through them a couple more times.

A memory flashed through her mind of the silver coins the Crown Princess had bestowed upon her; it seemed there were silver notes among them.

When Xie Xun forced her to leave the Xie family, she hurriedly packed up her money and put it all in her bundle. Later, when the post station caught fire, she wondered if it was all lost.

Ning Yu suddenly remembered this and felt a pang of heartache. If she still had that silver note, plus the thousand taels she had, she wouldn't be doing so badly.

That bastard! If she could have parted ways amicably with the Xie family, she could have lived a peaceful and leisurely life as a wealthy lady.

She could have given Xie a legitimate son to solidify his position, and then arranged for him to take a few concubines. They could have lived out their lives peacefully like that. But he just wouldn't let her go. He wanted to marry another wife and turn her life upside down.

Ning Yu was so angry at the thought that she gritted her teeth. The silver notes she was holding were crumpled. After realizing what had happened, she quickly straightened them out. These were her only support after leaving the capital.

Standing outside the window, Xie Yan watched the woman squatting on the ground sorting through the money. Her expression was unlike anything he had ever seen before. As he watched her fiddling with the dowry, a smile unconsciously welled up in his eyes.

Ning Yu didn't notice the people outside. She took a box and put all the silver notes inside. She tried to stuff in a few gold ingots, but found that she couldn't fit them in no matter what she tried.

Left with no other choice, she had to give up. She was afraid that Xie Xun would discover even this one box, so this was the only option.

After closing all the boxes, Ning Yu extinguished the fire extinguisher and quietly took the boxes, intending to slip away.

Just then, the door was pushed open from the outside, and she was startled, quickly looking up.

Moonlight streamed through the checkered curtains of the door, softening the sharp, hard face before him. He stood facing the moonlight, dressed in a simple black robe.

Backlit, Ning Yu could finally see who it was, and instantly felt utterly humiliated, wishing there was a hole she could crawl into.

"Shi---Crown Son---"

Xie Yan entered the room and said gently, "Get up."

Ning Yu's hand, gripping the box, tightened and turned white. She stood up awkwardly and cleared her throat.

Xie Yan didn't think there was anything wrong with it and said frankly, "I will prepare the money you need at that time and ensure that you will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life."

His words made Ning Yu feel even more ashamed.

After a moment of silence, she tucked a strand of hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear and said softly, "You've been so good to me, how could I take your money? This is enough."

"Ayu," he looked at her, a bitter smile on his face, "Do you have to be so formal with me?"

He was her husband. They never divorced, but their faked death caused this whole mess.

Ning Yu didn't know what to say, so she lowered her eyes.

Xie Yan didn't want to pressure her, but seeing her cold demeanor made his heart feel like it was about to explode, so he just stared at her like that.

"The day I woke up, I went to the East Garden to ask you your feelings. You said you wanted to leave the Xie family, so I didn't force you to regain your identity and come back with me. I didn't compete with Xie Xun and make a scene that the Xie family would come to laugh at. Ah Yu, in what way am I inferior to him?"

Ning Yu knew that if Xie Yan insisted on making a scene, the three of them would become the laughing stock of others. He had put the greater good first and endured everything, and she was the one who had wronged him.

"No, you are not inferior to him."

Her voice was low and hoarse. Xie Yan's throat tightened, and all the words he wanted to say were forced back down by her helpless appearance.

"Ayu." He approached and reached out to touch her head. "Xie Xun and I have been in the North for many years. I know his temperament well. He loves power more than anything. He will marry Huayang, and in the future he will have a bunch of women. He is not a good man."

Xie Yan never imagined he would be so despicable in his pursuit of a woman, but most of what he said was true.

If Xie Xun really succeeds in seizing the throne, he is such a power-hungry person that he must have three thousand concubines in his harem. Even if he is biased towards Ning Yu, he will not be able to compete with his power.

To be honest, having grown up together, this was the first time he had ever seen his younger brother act so recklessly for a woman. If it weren't for his wife, he would probably be happy to see it happen.

Feeling the warmth above her head, Ning Yu stiffly hummed in agreement, "I know, it was just a deal between him and me. I will leave the Xie family."

Then, after leaving the Xie family, Xie Yan really wanted to hear her say that she wanted to follow him.

"I have to go back now; the old lady is waiting for me."

Xie Yan felt that she was lying.

Forget it, let's send her away. Only he will know where she is then. There's still a long road ahead.

He never wanted to get involved in those endless power struggles within the imperial court, and leaving the capital was fine with him.

Thinking of this, he suppressed his emotions and didn't expose her, saying gently, "I'll take you."

"No—" She quickly looked up at him, "I'll go back by myself, there are too many people and too much attention on the road."

He remained silent for a while, then hummed in agreement.