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

The air inside the carriage was completely silent, save for the crackling sparks from the stove.

After an unknown amount of time, Ning Yu felt dizzy. She held her forehead, leaned back on the soft pillow, and took a deep breath.

It probably caught a chill from staying in the seawater for too long.

The two lay there on opposite sides, neither paying any attention to the other.

Ning Yu didn't know when she fainted; she only felt her body burning up in the middle of the night and then lost consciousness.

News of the emperor's return to the palace spread quickly. He had returned by fast horse in the middle of the night, and it was said that someone saw the emperor entering the Changxin Hall with a woman in his arms.

Before long, the imperial physicians were coming and going, making a racket for most of the night. When they saw the emperor at the morning court the next day, everyone gave up their gossipy thoughts, because the emperor's face was visibly gloomy.

Ning Yu woke up around noon. When she woke up, she found herself lying in bed. The curtains, embroidered with intricate patterns, were luxurious and elegant. Her gaze lingered on them for a long time before she quietly closed her eyes.

Several palace maids knelt beneath the closed curtains and bed canopies outside. Noticing that someone had woken up, they quickly used golden hooks to lift the curtains and hang them up, gently calling out to them.

"Madam is awake; it's time for her to get up and take her medicine."

Ning Yu ignored it and turned over. As soon as she moved, a crisp sound came from her ankle. Her left foot was pulled. She sat up in surprise, lifted the covers, and saw a gold chain tied to her ankle.

She instantly flew into a rage, unable to hold back any longer, and cursed, "Xie Xun, you bastard, you beast who deserves to die a horrible death!"

Xie Xun, the current emperor's name, has been a name that no one has used since his ascension to the throne.

The palace maids and nannies serving in Changxin Palace all turned pale. The head maid quickly knelt down by the bed and said respectfully, "Madam, you must not address His Majesty by his name. Be careful what you say."

Ning Yu ignored the words of the head maid and looked at the thin gold chain, her pale face turning red with anger.

The chains were long, one end firmly fastened to the bedpost, and the other end fastened to her fair and slender ankle, leaving faint red marks in the light.

Her gaze swept around the palace, but she didn't see Xie Xun. The magnificent palace was incredibly luxurious, with dragons spitting out pearls as they climbed the pillars, and every item on display was a precious object.

Even though she already had a feeling of certainty, seeing the imperial palace's sleeping quarters still filled Ning Yu with an unprecedented sense of despair.

Her beautiful face trembled slightly as she reached out to untie the chains that restricted her movements. The moment she twisted them, the chains tightened.

Her fingertips turned red from the slight pressure, and she dared not struggle any longer, leaning against the edge of the bed as if all her strength had been lost.

The head maid sent to serve her in the bedchamber knelt down without changing her expression and fiddled with the chains a few times. Ning Yu felt that her ankles were not locked so tightly, and she wanted to examine the mechanism of the chains more closely.

But the head maid was clearly wary of her, blocking her view completely. She quickly stood up and said respectfully, "The imperial physician said that Madam is weak and needs to take some medicine. This servant will help Madam wash up first."

"I'm locked up, how can I move?"

The voice, cold to the bone, did not frighten the head maid, who still said with the same expression, "It will not affect Madam's actions."

The chains were long enough to allow her to move freely inside the house, but not outside.

Ning Yu felt her jaw trembling. She had closed her eyes yesterday before her hair was completely dry, and she could clearly feel that the medicine was not working. Her head was still aching slightly.

She didn't speak, but leaned against the bedpost and closed her eyes.

Since the person was uncooperative, the head maid didn't dare to force them to change their clothes. She silently changed the incense in the room and waited respectfully to the side.

Ning Yu hadn't been eating properly for the past few days. Xie Xun had been forcing her to eat while on the ship. In just a few days, she seemed to have lost weight. She sat there slender and frail, looking delicate and pitiful.

The kneeling palace maid secretly lifted her eyelids to look at the ankle chained with gold. Everyone said that the emperor had snatched this lady from someone else's private residence and brought her back to the palace. How could a woman raised among the common people have such beauty?

Look at those smooth, white jade feet. Luxurious gold chains, gleaming, are wrapped around her delicate ankles, making her skin even more alluring. The soft gauze she wears can hardly conceal her beautiful figure.

She dared not look up, but she remembered the striking face she had seen while serving him last night. It made all the beauties in the harem pale in comparison. No wonder His Majesty had imprisoned her and tried to snatch her away. Why was she not so lucky?

Just as the young palace maid was lost in her own thoughts, a eunuch's sharp, thin voice came from outside.

She immediately snapped out of her reverie, and upon hearing the door open, she respectfully knelt down along with the others.

Xie Xun had just returned from the Imperial Study. Changxin Palace was the emperor's bedroom and was not far from the Imperial Study. However, it was a cold winter day, and his cloak was chilly.

He glanced at the woman leaning against the bedpost without saying a word, then let the servants help him take off his outer cloak before walking to the bedside.

"All of you, get out."

The authoritative voice made everyone lower their heads even further. The head maid bowed and responded, then led a group of servants out.

The door closed, and Xie Xun had just sat down when his leg, adorned with a gold chain, slammed into him and struck him hard on the leg.

He frowned slightly, ignoring her anger, and asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"How dare he act like nothing happened?" Ning Yu gritted her teeth, "What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

"If you disobey me, I will have no choice but to lock you up."

"I am not a slave."

Xie Xun curled his lips. "Then I'll change your status to that of a slave."

Ning Yu choked on his words, "You bastard!"

"I didn't want to come to your palace, so you locked me up. I ran away once, and you put me in shackles. Are you crazy?"

"Are you crazy?!" Xie Xun tilted his head back and rubbed his temples, speaking slowly, "I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it."

What chance did she have to obediently pretend to be submissive to him, humbly admit her mistakes and beg for his forgiveness, admit that she shouldn't have run away from the capital, shouldn't have run away from him, and happily follow him back when he came to arrest her?

Who doesn't love wealth and status? She's not exactly a high-minded person.

But the power and favor he gave her were like swords hanging over her head. The strict and complicated rules and regulations in the palace were even more terrifying than those in the Xie family. She feared imperial power and did not trust a ruthless man like him. She did not want to die in a pool of blood one day without knowing why.

So she told him clearly that she didn't want to go to the palace, but he just wouldn't let her go, tormenting her again and again, forcing her to agree to go back to the palace with him.

She sensed something was off about him when they were in the carriage. Now, thinking back on it carefully, she realized he was dissatisfied with her answer, but he didn't show it. He had already planned to chain her up. What a beast!