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

Ning Yu took the money, rubbed her forehead, and said, "I suddenly feel nauseous. You can go now."

The person in charge, without suspecting anything, respectfully said, "This servant takes his leave."

With the household registration, travel documents, and money all in hand, she can use the two days before leaving as an excuse to buy things and make a quick buck, ensuring her financial security for the rest of her life and providing Qinghe with a generous dowry.

Anyway, Xie Xun's money is wasted if it's not going to be spent. She lost a thousand taels of silver at Rong'an Hall because of him, so she feels perfectly justified in spending his money.

Ning Yu looked at the heavy box of silver notes and grinned from ear to ear.

The maidservant attending to her couldn't see her expression, but said, "Is Madam feeling unwell? I'll go find a doctor to take a look."

"No need, you can go now."

A hint of doubt flashed in the maid's eyes, and she bowed and withdrew.

As soon as the others left, Ning Yu immediately put the box into the cabinet under the dressing table and patted the heavy bills with satisfaction.

That bastard is really rich; he can easily have tens of thousands of taels of silver. I wish she had that much money.

Ning Yu let her imagination run wild for a while, and her mood improved considerably. She then closed the cabinet door.

The news that the emperor's days were numbered had somehow leaked out, making the situation in the court increasingly tense. Various factions were embroiled in complex conflicts, each scheming to choose sides.

Before the news of the Crown Prince's desire to negotiate peace with Shangliang could even leave the border, an even more explosive piece of news came from the previous dynasty.

The seventh prince, Xie Chizhang, who was far away in the northeast, suddenly led his troops back to the capital.

It should be noted that Xie Chizhang was ordered to guard the border. Now that the news of the Emperor's imminent death has come out, the Seventh Prince has actually appeared in the Northeast and, together with Balin and a clan, is leading troops back to the capital under the pretense of wanting to see the Emperor one last time.

Everyone knows that the internal strife over the succession in the Great Xia Dynasty is about to begin.

As soon as the news of the Seventh Prince's return to the capital spread, within a few days, princes and nobles from all over the country returned to the capital under the pretext of wanting to meet the Emperor. Some even openly demanded to mobilize troops, and rebel forces emerged in various places.

Because of the war between Shangliang and Daxia, the rebellions in various places have not been truly suppressed. Crown Prince Xie Jingchen knows that there must be court officials pulling strings behind the scenes.

However, after his father fell seriously ill, the elders took control of the government, and his ability to mobilize troops and issue new policies was hampered.

Back then, it was discovered that the Xie family had connections with the Prince of Huaiyou of Shangliang, but he was busy fighting Xie Chizhang, winning over former officials, and suppressing the Elders' Council, and never had the time to investigate the matter thoroughly.

News of rebellions suddenly broke after the morning court session, while the Northwest Army secretly bypassed Yanming Mountain and headed towards Shangliang Yanzhou. He felt a vague sense of unease.

Why did the Northwest Army rush to Shangliang during the internal strife of the Great Xia Dynasty?

"Your Highness, the Seventh Prince's return to the capital at this time indicates he intends to make a desperate move. Prince Yun, Prince Zhang, and Prince Dongchang will definitely rush back from all over the country, and this is going to cause a huge mess."

"Returning to the capital without an imperial edict is an act of rebellion." Xie Jingchen's voice was gloomy. "Go and inform my uncle that I have something to discuss with him and that he should come to the palace immediately."

The Empress's maternal family was also of high status and nobility; Xie Jingchen's maternal uncle commanded 30,000 troops stationed in the capital region, all of whom were outside the city.

The Xie family was already upset about the matter between the Xie Xun and Xie Yan brothers, and wanted to use the elders' council to put pressure on Xie Xun, but they didn't expect so many things to happen in just two days.

Now they couldn't care less about that matter anymore; they were all focused on what was happening in the palace.

The news that the Northwest Army had been transferred to Shangliang quickly reached the ears of the Xie family's leader, who summoned Xie Xun to his study for a long talk.

Xie Xun has been mostly away from the manor these past two days, and Ning Yu doesn't know what's happening in the court. She feels that there are more sentries guarding the East Garden, with patrol teams every few steps, and her mood is getting heavier and heavier.

In the afternoon, the maid said that the governor had returned to the mansion today, and it seemed that the master had summoned him to the study.

"Madam, please go and wash up and put on your makeup. The Governor has finally found some time to return to the manor; he must miss you."

Although this lady is stunningly beautiful even without makeup, men are fickle and always want to try something different. It's more comfortable to spend a little effort to please your husband.

Ning Yu ignored the maid who was speaking, leaned back on the soft couch, and was flipping through some book in her hand.

Yesterday, she used the excuse of buying clothes and jewelry to go out and buy a map, and she's just waiting for an opportunity.

Seeing that she wouldn't listen, the maid didn't dare say anything more.

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from outside, accompanied by the helpless voice of a guard trying to stop them.

Ning Yu paused, put the map tucked inside the book into the drawer, and looked outside in the direction of the sound.

Xie Ling also sneaked in out of curiosity, but was discovered by the guards. She had no choice but to stand up angrily and say that she wanted to see her second brother.

She overheard her second aunt and uncle chatting in the house at night. Her uncle was furious, saying that her second brother had done something outrageous and had dragged them into a whole bunch of dirty deeds.

She wondered what had happened, so she secretly listened at the door for a while. When she heard her second aunt talking about Ning Yu with a mixture of envy and sighs, she was shocked.

That woman wasn't dead and is still in my second brother's east garden?!

She recalled that when she went to her second brother's villa with Princess Huayang, the servants acted strangely. Moreover, her second brother didn't usually stay at villas; he wasn't home much during that period.

She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, and decided to come and see what was going on. But as soon as she entered the garden, she was discovered.

She pushed aside the guards who tried to stop her, took off running, ignoring the suspicious looks from the servants, and disappeared into the house in a flash.

"Fifth Miss, Fifth Miss, your shoe is gone."

The hurried voice of the servant behind her reached Xie Ling's ears, but she could no longer hear it. She strode into the room and saw the woman sitting lazily on the low couch. She was shocked and opened her mouth wide.

"You...you...you're really not dead?"

Ning Yu looked up at her, her eyes indifferent and devoid of emotion.

Xie Ling came to her senses, her finger pointing at her trembling slightly. When she looked at her again, she felt like a completely different person.

Back when she lived in the Xie family, she dressed very inconspicuously and never caused trouble.

She was wearing a long brocade dress with gold embroidery, and a gold filigree phoenix hairpin with pearls in her hair. Her face, which was free of makeup, was beautiful and luxurious. The gold and jade furnishings around her made her look like a concubine in the palace, exuding a noble aura.

She almost didn't recognize her at first. Then she saw that all the arrogant maids outside were now respectfully bowing their heads and serving her. How could she not understand that what her aunt had said was true?

This woman actually faked her death and hooked up with my second brother, and she even openly moved into the East Garden.

Thinking of her older brother's dejected appearance during that time, she felt her teeth chattering.

Ning Yu put down the embroidery frame in her hands and slowly straightened up.

The Xie family already knows about this, so what if Xie Ling knows? She won't be staying for more than two days anyway.