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

Xie Yan received the letter from A Zhou that evening. He opened it, read the words on it, and his expression changed slightly.

They didn't go to Lianhua Town, but instead picked up a maid in Fuzhou and parted ways?!

"Master."

A dark figure appeared silently behind them. Xie Yan said, "Send someone to Liangzhou to see if she has entered the city."

"Yes." He paused. "The news that just came in is that the Governor-General has ordered the Governor of Liangzhou to come to the capital."

Xie Yan recalled Xie Xun's threat, his expression remaining unchanged. "What other moves are you planning?"

"Tonight, Lord Ning of Ningyuan City has been summoned to the palace."

Ning's father never expected that the palace would summon him in the middle of the night. He was cautious in court and had never chosen sides with any prince. Now that the court was controlled by the council of elders, what was the palace summoning him to do?

The magnificent palace was empty. The doors behind her were wide open, and a cold wind blew in. Ning's mother looked at her husband with worry, not daring to speak.

After waiting for half an hour without anyone coming, Ning's father went to the door to ask someone for directions. Just then, he saw a man coming from the covered walkway.

Upon recognizing the person, he immediately knelt down to pay his respects. With his eyes lowered, he saw the black boots enter the hall, then quickly turned around and knelt before the person.

Xie Xun sat down in the chair, glanced at the Ning couple kneeling on the ground, picked up the teacup, and asked slowly, "Lord Ning has raised a fine daughter."

The gentle and mild tone of voice was terrifying, and Ning Yuancheng immediately thought of Ning Yu, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

Thinking of Qinghe's strange behavior before she left, saying that Ayu was not dead and that he should not be sad, just assume that she went to the manor to recuperate, he was summoned to the palace today.

He suddenly realized that the man in front of him seemed to have an unusual relationship with his daughter, and dared not think too much about it, pressing his head tightly to the ground.

"I don't know what my daughter has done wrong. Please enlighten me, Commander."

There was no sound from above for a long time, and the Ning couple trembled as they lay prostrate.

"As a daughter-in-law of the Xie family, she has fled the capital without permission and should be treated as a criminal slave." Xie Xun's handsome and refined face remained expressionless.

Ning's father understood the meaning behind his words: A Yu had run away, and the Xie family wanted to find out A Yu's whereabouts from them.

But he really didn't know where his daughter was; he had never even seen her once.

"Your Excellency is wise; I truly have no idea where my daughter has gone."

With a bang, the teacup fell to the ground. The man looked down at them condescendingly. "Does Lord Ning also not know the whereabouts of the maidservant beside her?"

Ning's father was taken aback, his lowered eyes darting around. "This humble official...this humble official doesn't know."

"Master, did you forget? Didn't Qinghe say she was going to Fuzhou? Her family bought a house there and is doing some small business."

Upon hearing Ning's mother's words, Xie Xun glanced at Ning's father kneeling on the ground, scoffed, and got up to walk towards the outer hall. "Go to the streets and alleys of Fuzhou and post notices saying that the Ning family conspired with the Seventh Prince to rebel, and the entire clan will be imprisoned."

Ning Yuancheng, who was kneeling on the ground, turned ashen-faced and collapsed to the ground with a thud, his body too weak to get up.

"Master?" Ning's mother stared wide-eyed at the man's cold and piercing back. Upon hearing the imperial decree, she was so frightened that she sat down on the ground with a thud.

Sha Ying glanced at the Ning couple, then lowered his head. "I'll take care of it immediately."

"Posters were also put up in several prefectures and counties near Fuzhou, and three thousand secret guards were dispatched to search and arrest them in these prefectures and counties."

"Yes."

The man's figure slowly disappeared, and Sha Ying recalled Ning Yu from his time in the mansion.

"What an ungrateful woman! She's been by the governor's side for so long, doesn't she understand how terrifying he is? She just leaves like this. How are the others supposed to live?" He snorted coldly, not caring about the Ning couple anymore, and strode out.

Ning Yu knew, of course, that Xie Xun was no good; he was just a fickle dog, but it wasn't obvious from his expression.

She could imagine that Xie Xun probably wanted to kill her right now.

But the Xie family saw her as a thorn in their side. Staying by his side was worse than death, and there would be no chance of escaping. She dared not hesitate.

These past few nights, she has been dreaming of Xie Xun. Each time, she wakes up in a cold sweat, only to realize that she hasn't been captured and taken back when she looks up and sees the green gauze curtains.

She's hiding so far away, Xie Xun won't find her. Besides, with the Great Xia in such chaos right now, he probably won't have time to look for her, Ning Yu comforted herself in this way.

After passing Luoxi Mountain, you'll reach Xianyang City. The weather in the city is still quite cold in November.

Ning Yu planned to settle down here first, so she rented a courtyard. Every day, apart from going out to check if there were any letters from her at the post station, she would stay in the house and brew tea with Qing He around the stove.

With such a huge commotion in the palace, I can't help but worry about Xie Yun's condition.

Given his health, he should be heading to Leshan around this time of year, but there's still no news of him. If he really died in the palace coup, she couldn't possibly not receive Shuangren's reply.

"Miss, Young Master Shen is here. He said a new eatery near their academy makes lotus flower pastries that are absolutely delicious, so he brought you a portion."

A slightly joyful voice came from outside the door. Ning Yu, who was sitting in front of the tea stove, leaned out and saw the scholar following behind Qing He.

The scholar also lived here, in the courtyard next door. He studied at the largest academy in Xianyang City, and they became acquainted over time. He often brought them some local delicacies from the academy.

The Xiao family school was not a place that ordinary wealthy children could attend; at first, she thought it was the son of some high-ranking official.

But later they discovered that he dressed simply, lived alone in the next room, and did not have a pageboy with him. They wondered how he ended up studying at the Xiao family school in Xianyang City.

"Miss Liu."

Ning Yu snapped out of her reverie, smiled, and invited them in, saying, "It's so cold, come in quickly."

Shen Huijun shivered to keep warm before entering. Seeing her smiling face, he sat down on the stool opposite her and started chatting with her about the interesting things that had happened at the academy.

Ning Yu was amused to see his ears turn red and his shy expression, yet he still tried to act as if he were talking eloquently.

She didn't pry into the boy's feelings, but simply went along with the conversation.

How could there be such a beautiful girl? She has a lovely voice and a gentle personality, just like his sister.

Shen Huijun grew increasingly fond of the conversation, fearing he might leave a bad impression. His palms were sweating with nervousness. When Ning Yu mentioned her exam, he unusually used a boastful tone to describe himself.

However, he wasn't exaggerating. He had been studying for so many years just to rescue his sister. He was going to the capital to take the imperial examination next year, and his teacher said he would definitely pass.