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

After searching for so long, all they got were useless messages. Xie Xun's patience was about to snap, and everyone in the Imperial Study was trembling with fear.

When Xie Yan brought the governor of Liangzhou out, he was so frightened that he dared not breathe. Only when he heard Xie Yan's voice did he belatedly come to his senses and respectfully cup his hands.

"Your humble servant understands."

If it's not in the Northwest, then it must be in Fuzhou. But why can't we find any trace of it?!

Inside the hall, Xie Xun stood high on the throne, his eyes lowered and his hands resting on the imperial table.

As he listened to the reports from various places, the sinister look in his eyes and brows was almost impossible to conceal. The lamplight illuminated his handsome features, casting shadows of varying depths.

What an ungrateful woman! Wasn't he good to her? Why did she have to run away? There are so many women in the world who covet power, why is she the only one who is so noble?

After several days of searching for no one, the suppressed murderous intent silently spread in his heart. He closed his eyes, suppressing the ever-growing anger.

The people standing around His Highness had no idea what was going on. They had just come in and were too scared to speak when they saw the wounded Governor Liang being led away by the Crown Prince. The atmosphere in the hall was also very strange.

The Great Xia Dynasty is now on the verge of a change of dynasty. The world is in turmoil, and there is chaos and strife. The Great Xia is internally disintegrating, and wars are breaking out in various places.

Upon assuming power, Xie Xun slaughtered the clans of the Northeast, suppressed the rebellion of the feudal lords, and secretly dispatched troops from the Northwest to fight a brilliant battle, massacring Shangliang and then marching north to attack the capital of Shangliang.

The matter of bringing back the former crown prince has caused a great uproar in Shangliang, leading to a civil war and widespread chaos. King Huaiyou has raised the banner of rebellion, and the crown prince of Shangliang can no longer afford to attack Moon Pass, as his stronghold is about to be destroyed.

Historians dared not openly record that he did not rightfully succeed to the throne, but subtly accused him of rebellion, leaving the death of the crown prince in doubt.

They dared not speak up, as the best course of action in the current situation was to protect themselves.

The candles in the hall burned for most of the night. After all the officials had left, Sha Ying took the letter that Qing Feng had sent back and went inside.

"master."

Xie Xun sat on the dragon throne, leaning against the back of the chair. Hearing Sha Ying's voice, he opened his eyes and looked over.

The eunuch presented the secret letter. He opened it and read it. His face was expressionless, yet it made people feel even more oppressed and horrified.

"Is Fuzhou City really that big? How can a living person have been missing for so long?"

The angry voice startled all the eunuchs and palace maids in the hall, causing them to kneel on the ground in unison.

Sha Ying knelt down and said respectfully, "We have searched the entire city of Fuzhou, including all the newly registered residents, but there is no trace of Madam. Qingfeng said that he has sent troops to Dingyuan, Qinzhou, Xiangyang, Xianyang and other places to search."

These are all prefectures and counties that are relatively close to Fuzhou City.

"I'll give you three more days. If you still can't find it, you'll all have to go to the Imperial Prison and start over."

"Yes."

"Wait a minute." Xie Xun said with a grim face, "Issue a bounty, offering ten thousand taels of gold. Any clue will be rewarded."

Ning Yu has been staying in her courtyard in Xianyang City for the past few days. The carrier pigeons outside her window have flown away twice, but there has been no news of Xie Yun. She can only comfort herself that no news is good news.

Once the war outside has subsided, she will go to Leshan to see if he went there earlier this year.

"Miss, Miss, that group of people is causing trouble again. Young Master Shen just got into an argument with them."

Ning Yu's expression changed, and she quickly strode towards the door. Then, as if remembering something, she stopped, took out a bottle of medicine, and applied it to her face.

"Both are unmarried, so why can't I marry them?"

Shen Huijun's face was full of anger. "Miss Liu told you long ago that she doesn't want to marry you. You're just bullying her by taking advantage of your power."

Ning Yu heard the two arguing as soon as she came out. Looking at the pot-bellied, greasy-haired man, she turned cold.

"Young Master Rong, didn't we already make this clear? What makes you want to cause trouble again?"

She met Rong Yuan on her way to the post station. He was a lecherous man who wanted to take her as a concubine after just one meeting. He sent a matchmaker to tell her, but she refused, citing her status as a widow.

They came to rob us again yesterday, and Ning Yu drove them all away. Today, they came back with their guards.

She really didn't want to deal with this mess; she was so annoyed she wanted to slap Rongyuan's head until it was smashed.

"Young lady, if you follow me, you'll live a life of luxury and be able to do whatever you want in Xianyang City. My aunt married into the capital and holds a very high position; she's someone you'll probably never meet in your entire life."

As Ning Yu listened to him repeating the same old story about the power to oppress others, she couldn't help but think of that bastard Xie Xun again.

This man surnamed Rong is the son of the governor of Xianyang City.

They bully men and women, causing havoc in the area. They take a fancy to a beautiful woman and forcibly abduct her regardless of whether she is married or not. Their smug and despicable faces are disgusting to behold.

She sighed and said helplessly, "Young Master Rong, it's not that I don't want to marry you, but yesterday the axe you left on the ground chopped into my face. After applying medicine, I developed a terrible illness that I can't seem to get better."

Rong Yuan was stunned for a moment. When he saw her remove her veil and the terrifying look on her face, he took a step back in fright.

Shen Huijun was also startled and quickly went up the steps to ask, "Wh-what happened?"

"Pah, pah, pah, bad luck."

Rong Yuan angrily left with his thugs. As he left, he glanced at the beautiful figure, but remembering the face he had just seen, he ran away as fast as he could.

"Miss Liu, your face... let's go to the clinic right away."

Ning Yu smiled and invited him into the house, "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

"This is a facial injury. Women are very particular about their appearance. You need to see a doctor to take a good look at it."

"Look, this is fake." Ning Yu took off the dough, revealing her true face, which was covered in sores—a result of medication she had used.

Shen Huijun stared at her bright and alluring smile, momentarily stunned, his heart pounding as if it would burst out of his chest.

Suddenly, he made up his mind and blurted out all his thoughts.

"Miss Liu, I want to marry you. I know this is too abrupt, but it is a difficult time for women in this world. Without fathers, brothers, or family, without a husband, even if you don't show your face in public, you will still attract covetousness. Would you like to consider marrying me?"

She paused for a moment, then remained silent.

He felt his heart pounding even faster, and with his face flushed, he nervously stammered, "It's okay if you don't want to get married. You can use me as a shield, pretending I'm married to deal with those people. I'll still live in the next courtyard, and we can continue like this, is that alright?"

Seeing that he was so uncomfortable that his ears turned red, Ning Yu laughed and said, "I'm a widow."

"So what if you're a widow? A woman as good as you, if you weren't a widow, it wouldn't be my turn."

Ning Yu, "---"

Looking at his earnest and somewhat awkward appearance, she thought of the matchmaker in the alley, who was always trying to find someone for her, and this excuse saved her a lot of trouble.

"I don't want to get married. My heart belongs only to my husband who died on the battlefield. Isn't using you as a shield hindering your marriage?"

"Didn't Miss Liu say that she might not be able to stay in Xianyang City for long? How could she be delaying me?"

Ning Yu chuckled, "Then thank you very much, Young Master Shen."

When Shen Huijun saw that she had actually agreed, he walked out of her courtyard with unsteady steps, his mouth agape, seemingly dizzy and not knowing what he was laughing at.

Even if it's fake, it's still a step forward in my relationship with Miss Liu.

I'm so jealous of her late husband, who got such a good woman. It's a pity he died young, leaving her to wander and suffer.