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

Every word was like scalding boiling water, searing his very core. Xie Xun just stared at him, his gaze calm yet more terrifying than a raging storm.

Xie Yan seemed oblivious, and continued to pour himself a cup of tea, saying, "Even if you find her, she won't come back with you. She doesn't love you."

The last few words seemed to be deliberately provoking him, each one a barrage of criticism.

The air became so quiet, deathly still as if no one was breathing, with only the faint sound of teacups clinking together.

Xie Xun slowly stood up, strolled over to Xie Yan's side, looked down at his elder brother who was drinking tea, patted him on the shoulder, and leaned down.

"Brother, it's not a good feeling to be driven to the north like a stray dog. We've been brothers for many years, so let's not ruin our friendship over a woman."

The hand on his shoulder felt like it weighed a ton. Xie Yan forced a smile. "Even if you kill me, I still won't know where she is."

A soft laugh reached his ears, and he said, "How could I dare to kill my elder brother?"

"Let me guess, where could they hide?" After a pause, "Yanzhou, Liangzhou, Huaiyuan, after Brother takes them away, he'll settle them in these places, right?"

"I've heard that the governors of these several states are all Brother's men. How about I start by targeting them, killing one and questioning Brother each time, until he's willing to talk? What do you say?"

With his lowered eyelids glancing at his face, Xie Yan remained silent with a cold expression.

Xie Xun didn't waste any words. He got up, dusted off his robe, and walked outside.

"Xie Xun, the Northwest is not your domain. Offending so many people will not end well."

The sound from behind made Xie Xun stop in his tracks. He didn't turn around, but looked up at the sky outside the door.

"The Northwest is not my domain, but the Great Xia Dynasty is, and so will the future Red River Continent. How long do you expect them to hold out in this mere Northwest, Brother?"

Watching the man's tall figure disappear from sight, Xie Yan's face darkened, and he slammed down his teacup.

A cold wind blew past, and Qingfeng, who was standing outside the door, saw his master come out and immediately stepped forward, "Master."

"Withdraw the troops and send someone to keep an eye on him secretly."

Qingfeng was taken aback, but without asking why his master had suddenly changed his mind, he respectfully replied, "Yes."

Xie Xun did not return to the East Garden; instead, he went straight to the watchtower at the North Gate after leaving the Xie residence.

A palace coup had just occurred inside and outside the imperial city. Blood had spread along the palace roads as if washing the ground clean. Palace servants were kneeling on the ground, carefully wiping every corner.

The guard at the city gate had already received the message from the palace and checked all the names of those who had left the palace in the previous two days. When he saw the person enter, he immediately presented all the items to him.

"Reporting to the Governor, the list is all in this booklet. The north gate has been closed for the past two days, and there have been virtually no unauthorized personnel entering or leaving."

This palace coup came unexpectedly, and the situation changed in an instant. Now, the crown prince has left no heir, and all the other surviving princes have died in this palace coup. The world of Great Xia is about to change, and it has completely become the domain of the elders.

Everyone in the capital is on edge. Who would dare offend the elders' council, led by the Xie family? The people before them hold considerable military power. To survive, everyone must carefully assess the situation and be more respectful than before. After all, those who know when to yield are the wise ones.

Xie Xun stood in the sentry post, looking through all the names in the booklet, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"What about the others?"

"Here."

The other city gate guards also presented their lists. General Lin of the South Gate, seeing the increasingly cold-faced governor, broke out in a cold sweat.

When he heard that the governor wanted to check the roster today, he immediately questioned the people on duty for the past two days. The people below secretly revealed that the young master had sent someone out of the city in the middle of the night and did not allow it to be recorded.

He didn't know if the two were related, and he was afraid of offending the Xie family by pleasing neither side, so he was too scared to say anything.

No, there is none. There is no record of Xie Yan leaving the city in the register.

Xie Xun threw the booklet at the head of the Imperial Guard Commander. "Which city gate did the Prince use to escort people out of the city the other night?"

The people below were trembling with fear, looking at each other with their heads down, cold sweat pouring down their backs.

The commander of the Imperial Guards was so badly hit that he saw stars. He immediately yelled at the people behind him, "Using power for personal gain, you generals know what the consequences will be."

General Lin stepped forward and said, "I heard from the soldiers on duty the other day that the young master rode out of the south gate on horseback with a woman by his side. I wonder if the commander wants to ask about this matter."

An intense sense of oppression instantly enveloped him, and he lowered his body even further, hurriedly continuing, "That day, a group of people left the city two hours ahead of schedule."

"My men told me that after the prince rode out of the city with his entourage, the woman got into the carriage of that group and was escorted away."

"Who's escorting us?"

"I am not sure about this, but I had the soldiers on duty that day draw a portrait of the person driving the carriage. I would appreciate it if the Commander could take a look."

Xie Xun took the portrait handed to him by the commander of the Imperial Guards and opened it to look at it.

The general surnamed Lin had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the man look at the portrait, then throw it away and stride out. But when the man walked up to him, he suddenly lowered his eyes to look at him.

He was jolted back to his senses as if struck by lightning. He didn't believe the governor wanted to promote him because he had provided information; his emotionless gaze clearly indicated that the governor had a problem with him.

A chill ran down his spine, and he didn't dare lift his head until the footsteps faded away.

After Xie Xun came out of the sentry post, he instructed the guards around him, "Go and investigate the guard who often follows the eldest brother. Find his whereabouts as soon as possible."

Sha Ying bowed his head respectfully and said, "Your subordinate will take care of it immediately."

"Send three groups of people to investigate the newly registered residents of Liangzhou, Yanzhou, and Huaiyuan, and then inform the King of Qinghai that I want the governor of Liangzhou to come to the capital to see me in person."

Qingfeng knew these words were directed at him, and replied, "Yes."

Xie Xun strode towards the palace. "Go to Fuzhou City in person and deliver my decree. Instruct the Fuzhou City Prefect to investigate all the people who have entered the city in the past few days, and also investigate the surrounding prefectures."

Ning Yu, you'd better wait obediently in these places, or you'll force me to issue a bounty for you throughout the entire Hongchuan Continent.