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

Time passed slowly, and Ning Yu felt that her mouth was no longer usable. She didn't know when she was released, but she collapsed on the couch, covered in sweat, looking at the man on top of her.

"You just said you have to go to the palace later, is it something important?"

Seeing that she was so tired but still had time to ask about those things, Xie Xun squinted and chuckled.

Sweat dripped down her brow bone onto her skin. He pinched her leg and told her without any hesitation.

"The old emperor is failing. Xie Chizhang is bringing his troops back. Don't wander around unless necessary. Just stay in the mansion."

Ning Yu was startled. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and asked in a soft, whimpering voice, "Ah, you're bringing the troops back? Are you going to fight in the capital? When?"

Looking at her radiant beauty, Xie Xun said in a hoarse voice, "It'll be in the next couple of days."

Does that mean she only has these next two days? Ning Yu was afraid he would notice something was wrong, so she hugged him warmly in response.

Xie Xunshuang felt so good he wanted to crush her, so he bent down and kissed her fiercely.

With her mouth gagged, Ning Yu, who wanted to get information, reached out to push him away, but the words that came out were all broken into fragments, and it was impossible to hear what he was saying.

"I might not be able to come back in the next couple of days, so stay here obediently."

By the time it was over, Ning Yu was completely exhausted, and all she could hear were his gentle words.

Before she could ask any more questions, she lifted her tired eyelids and saw him going to the bathroom to change his clothes.

When Xie Xun came out after changing his clothes, he saw her still lying naked on the couch. He went over, bent down, and carried her to the bed, covering her with a blanket.

Ning Yu felt it, but she was too tired to lift her hand. Hearing the footsteps leaving, she covered herself with the blanket and fell asleep.

On the night of the 23rd of the tenth month in the calendar of the Great Xia Empire, a coup d'état without warning appeared on the stage of history, which was also an important turning point in the years of chaos and struggle for power on the Red River Continent.

The seventh prince, Xie Chizhang, under the pretext of rescuing the emperor, joined forces with the Balin tribe in the northeast and led troops straight to the capital. Rebellions broke out in various places, and the court was shocked and quickly dispatched troops to suppress them.

But things happened too fast, and the troops stationed in various places had no time to provide support. Crown Prince Xie Jingchen immediately summoned the central army and the troops stationed in the capital city to Dongfu City, firmly taking control of the capital.

The sharp sound of horns echoed through the skies above the Great Xia, and the entry and exit of the capital city were now heavily guarded.

Ning Yu also noticed something was off these past few days. Xie Xun hadn't returned to the manor for the past two days, and almost none of the Xie family's leaders were in the manor, but the patrols had been reinforced several times over.

On the night of the 25th, she suddenly heard the five long and nine short funeral bells coming from the palace. The booming sound swept across every corner of the capital, solemn and desolate.

She stared wide-eyed toward the palace, and almost at the same time, the ministers in the palace all prostrated themselves and wept bitterly. The enormous wailing of the imperial nobles resounded through the sky.

The emperor has passed away!

A mournful and desolate sound echoed over the empire, and the solemn elders of the council hurriedly headed towards Changxuan Palace.

The princes remaining in the capital were either the sickly Prince Zhao or the Crown Prince. When it got completely dark, he ordered the city guards to hold firm at the four city gates, and the troop movements outside the city became more and more frequent.

Xie Xun returned the morning after the emperor's funeral. At that time, Ning Yu had just finished breakfast and returned from Rong'an Hall.

The old lady had already given her the travel permit, along with a thousand taels of silver notes. She also put the thousand taels she had left at Rong'an Hall into the box and gave her a bracelet.

They said it was part of her dowry, and that its beautiful color was perfect for young girls like her. She couldn't refuse, so she accepted it.

The old lady meant for her to leave tomorrow night while Xie Xun was away. She probably heard something and knew Xie Xun wouldn't be there tomorrow, so she agreed.

I thought I would never see Xie Xun again in this life, but I didn't expect him to come back this morning.

She lowered her gaze, stepped forward and took off his cloak. As soon as she placed it on the rack, he leaned down and hugged her, kissing and biting her neck.

Ning Yu didn't know how he could still be in the mood for this, so she dodged his kiss, turned around, and asked him, "Why are you back at this hour?"

"I'll come back and sleep with you."

Ning Yu rolled her eyes at him.

Xie Xun chuckled, stopped teasing her, and put his arm around her waist as they walked to the waterside pavilion.

In the study, he took out the tiger tally and handed it to Qingfeng, saying, "Give it to Wei Rongxuan; he knows what to do."

"Yes." Seeing that his master showed no intention of leaving, Qingfeng hesitated for a moment and asked, "Isn't Master going to the palace?"

The palace is in such a mess, how come the master still has the leisure to stay in the manor?

The moment his suspicion passed, he saw the person glance at him and immediately turned and walked away.

Ning Yu was standing by the window watching the heavily patrolling soldiers. After they left, he immediately turned around and wanted to talk to them.

As soon as she turned around, her nose bumped sharply against the man's warm chest. She looked up and asked, "Why do you walk so quietly?"

Xie Xun ignored her complaints, looked at the people and scenery outside the window, and leaned down to press her against the window.

"What are you looking at? Think there are too many people watching you?"

Ning Yu's heart skipped a beat, but she changed the subject without showing any expression. "I heard the palace bells last night, and I couldn't sleep all night because I was so worried that something might have happened to you."

Xie Xun was still pleased with her flattering words. He put his arms on either side of her, leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Because of you, my elder brother disagrees with going to Yanzhou and opposes me in court."

Ning Yu didn't know what he meant by saying that to her. Was he complaining?

She paused, then wrapped her arms around his and said softly, "The matter of the young master is over. The old lady told me today that once the riots in the capital are quelled, she will give me a new identity and accept me into the manor."

"Are you willing?"

She nestled in his arms and said gently, "Of course I'm willing."

Whether she wanted to or not, Xie Xun thought to herself, but hearing her say that she was willing made her feel much more at ease.

He lifted her up by the waist with one hand and bent down to kiss her.

The two had been entwined for a short while when Sha Ying's voice came from outside, "Master, the Prince of Dongchang has entered the palace."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xun released the person in his arms, clearly intending to leave.

Ning Yu's eyes were fixed on his features as she watched him pick up the cloak from the shelf and tie it on for him.

"Why are you being so well-behaved today?"

She paused, then slowly and methodically tied the sash for him. "Swords have no eyes, Commander, please be careful."

Xie Xun sensed that something was wrong with her, but he didn't care what she was thinking, since she was right beside him anyway.

As he left, he couldn't resist lifting her up and giving her a hard kiss on the lips. "Be a good girl and wait for me to come back."

Waiting for him to come back?! She won't wait for him to come back.

Ning Yu stood by the door, watching his departing figure, and silently turned around.

Xie Xun, I will never see you again in this lifetime.