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

It was a very hot summer day, and the onlookers had all been driven away. Only a few uncles and elders were keeping the old lady company in the inner room. Ning Yu knelt in the old lady's small Buddhist shrine, and could see people coming and going through the open door.

Xie Ling knelt on the prayer mat, seething with anger. "You did it on purpose! You deliberately spilled the medicine on my second brother, causing Mother to punish me."

Ning Yu ignored her, her eyes still fixed on the doorway out of the corner of her eye.

"Speak up."

A sharp gust of wind struck from her side. Ning Yu glanced sideways, grabbed her wrist, and said, "Fifth Miss, show mercy when you can."

"Don't give me that lecturing look. You're only a year older than me."

"Speaking of which, Fifth Miss is about to come of age. Noble ladies your age are all at home learning needlework, waiting for the imperial concubine selection and marriage, or for their families to choose husbands for them to marry."

"Fifth Miss should also care about her own marriage, instead of causing me trouble all day long."

Xie Ling's face paled. She had no say in her marriage; she could only wait for the Grand Princess to arrange it for her. But the Grand Princess disliked her, so who knew what kind of person she would choose for her?

She pouted unhappily, her wrist gripped by Ning Yu, causing her to twitch in pain.

"Let go."

Ning Yu didn't have time to argue with a young girl. Just as she was about to let go, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a man coming out of the main room.

Her eyes darted around, and with Xie Ling's help, she suddenly fell backward, her entire body crashing into the threshold.

A scream of agony rang out, drawing the attention of everyone outside the hall.

Xie Ling was startled by the scene. Seeing the person in so much pain that they were about to faint, she was both angry and anxious, and said, "What are you acting?"

"Princess Consort, Princess Consort?!" The old nanny from Rong'an Hall immediately came over and helped her up.

Her frail, boneless body was weak and powerless, and her forehead was sweating from the pain. The old nanny glanced at the hibiscus-shaped face in front of her and sighed with heartache.

Although the princess consort has only been married into the household for a short time, she is truly a remarkable person. She always greets the old lady with impeccable manners, performing all the proper etiquette. She speaks to them in a soft and gentle voice, displaying remarkable grace and poise.

Having grown accustomed to the domineering ladies of large families, she quite liked this Crown Princess.

The weather is so hot now, it wouldn't be good for her to get heatstroke kneeling in this small Buddhist hall. The governor is a good-natured man, it's much easier to plead with him than to ask the princess. As long as the governor gives the word, the princess can go back and rest.

"Governor, the Crown Princess is about to faint. Why don't we let her go back to rest?"

Xie Xun had already noticed the commotion. He glanced over casually and saw the woman's brows furrowed in pain, and several streaks of blood on her red and slightly swollen palms.

"What happened?"

All eyes turned to them. Xie Ling said angrily, "I didn't push her. She accidentally bumped into the threshold."

"This fifth young lady is spoiled and arrogant; she has absolutely no manners."

"Who says otherwise? To speak rudely and hurt someone in front of everyone, you've really disgraced the Xie family."

The pointing and whispering made Xie Ling stomp her foot in anger. "Say something! I didn't even use any force. You couldn't kneel down on your own."

Ning Yu held her forehead, her slender back trembling slightly with pain. "It's my fault for not kneeling properly. It has nothing to do with Fifth Sister."

"See, I told you I was right, I didn't push her."

Xie Ling proudly raised her chin, but seeing that no one believed her, she trembled with a puffed-up face, unsure of what to say.

That damned woman, she's using a feigned retreat to advance; people will think she's the one bullying others.

Just as she was about to continue her rebuttal, she heard her second brother speak up, "Sister-in-law only bumped into the threshold, and she almost fainted."

"---"

Ning Yu sensed a hidden meaning in his words, so she pretended to be unwell, clutching her chest and refusing to respond.

The warm sunlight shone on her face, making it appear gentle and soft. She was breathing heavily with her mouth slightly open, as if she were in great pain.

How could he remember Ning Yu, who was sharp-tongued and had a cold temper when she was hiding in the temple, but who had become a weak woman who could spill soup even when she was holding a bowl of soup, and who couldn't even kneel down properly after returning to the Xie family?

"Second brother, she's just faking it. She has a foxy face and is good at putting on airs."

The voice of someone feigning weakness and complaining reached her ears. Xie Xun's indifferent and piercing eyes turned towards her. Xie Ling was frightened and pursed her lips, not daring to say anything more.

Her second brother seemed to have a good temper, but he was cold and aloof. She always felt very scared and was not as comfortable as when she talked to her other brothers. Her second brother was not close to them in the past, and she never dared to throw a tantrum with him.

"I'm fine."

As Ning Yu was about to kneel down to worship Buddha, she was in so much pain that she couldn't bear it and her body collapsed as weakly as the wind.

The old nanny quickly helped her up with heartache, then looked at the man with a hesitant expression.

The woman's back was slender, and the curves of her shoulders outlined a perfect arc. Perhaps she was in pain, because her chest rose and fell with her movements. Further down, there was her incredibly thin waist, and the swaying of her skirt made all the flowers in the garden seem like mere background.

Xie Xun twitched his lips and turned to leave.

The old nanny was somewhat surprised to see the person leave like that, but she didn't dare to question her master and could only go into the inner room to ask for instructions.

"Princess Consort, please bear with it for a moment. This old servant will go and ask the Princess for instructions."

Ning Yu gave a weak "hmm," but out of the corner of her eye, she secretly glanced at the man's departing figure, a flicker of emotion in her eyes.

After a short while, the old lady's voice came from inside, telling her to go back and rest.

Seeing this, Xie Ling immediately tried to follow, but the old nanny said sternly, "Fifth Miss, continue kneeling. You may return only after you have reflected on your actions."

Old scoundrel.

Xie Ling was furious, but dared not vent her anger on the old nanny. This old nanny was her grandmother's dowry maid, and had been with her grandmother for most of her life. The young ladies and gentlemen of the mansion still had to give her face.

After all that fuss, it was almost afternoon. Ning Yu went back and used burn ointment to treat her wound.

Qinghe looked at the faint red marks on her back and said with heartache, "Miss, how did you get hurt so badly?"

Ning Yu gently pulled her clothes down and looked carefully in the mirror, where she saw the bruises from the impact.

Actually, she didn't use much force; it's just that her skin is too delicate, and it bruised after just a couple of bumps.

"hiss---"

Qinghe paused in applying the medicine and quickly said, "Be gentle, servant."

Each courtyard has a small kitchen. When Ning Yu married into the family, Xie Yan was on the battlefield, so the people in the small kitchen became lax and took it easy. It's almost afternoon now, and no one has come to deliver lunch yet.

"We thought the Crown Princess might have already eaten in the Old Madam's room, which is why we didn't prepare any food. If the Crown Princess is hungry, we have some freshly made snacks that we'll bring to her to try."

Ning Yu lay reclining on the couch, her mind preoccupied with other things. Hearing this, she didn't press them further and simply hummed in response.