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

The Imperial Study.

The officials waiting in the outer hall all lowered their heads when they saw the emperor approaching.

Regardless of how the new emperor ascended the throne, he was certainly not a benevolent one. He climbed to the throne step by step over the corpses of more than a dozen princes, and used the power of the elders' council to suppress the other princes of the royal family until they could not raise their heads.

Emperors are known for their unpredictable tempers, and this emperor is a prime example of this. Now, he has begun to suppress the council of elders, which is even more terrifying to them than the crown prince's ascension to the throne. The elders' dissatisfaction with the new emperor is growing day by day.

The abduction of women drew various petitions from the elders' council. Xie Xun opened one and found it was full of those old men's impassioned pronouncements, so he casually tossed it aside.

The Xie family elders who entered had been kneeling on the ground for quite some time. Behind them, a group of royal relatives were lamenting His Majesty's absurdity in forcibly taking another man's wife. They argued that the elders' council was making a big fuss about this, which was truly contrary to the Emperor's authority.

"This girl is ignorant of etiquette and dares to address the emperor by his name. This old minister humbly requests Your Majesty to hand her over to the matrons so that she may be properly disciplined and not tarnish Your Majesty's reputation."

The speaker was the old Prince Duan, who had close ties with the Prince An's residence. "Your Majesty was engaged to Princess Huayang before ascending the throne. Now that you've ascended the throne, shouldn't you prepare for the ceremony to establish an empress?"

The Xiao family immediately disagreed. The head of the Xiao family stepped forward and said, "Your Highness is senile. Since the marriage before the ascension to the throne did not happen, His Majesty's empress should naturally come from an elder family. If Princess Huayang wants to enter the palace, then it depends on whether His Majesty will grant her a concubine title."

She's already a princess of the old dynasty, and she still wants to be empress? She's dreaming. This isn't the crown prince ascending the throne.

"I already have someone in mind for my Empress."

A single sentence startled everyone, causing them to turn their heads: "I wonder which young lady Your Majesty favors?"

Xie Xun glanced down at them and said, "Ning is gentle and virtuous; I will make her my empress."

The Ning family?! Is that the woman who lives in the emperor's palace, and she also has the surname Ning?! The Xie family elders were uneasy, but seeing that His Majesty had tacitly agreed, they instantly erupted in chaos.

Upon hearing that it was that woman, the other members of the royal family immediately became restless and stepped forward to criticize His Majesty's absurdity.

How could a commoner woman be fit to be an empress? And a widow who had been married twice, was she trying to make Great Xia a laughing stock of the Red River Continent?

Xie Xun leaned back in his chair, listening to the continuous voices of opposition below.

Today, we must face the question of just how deep his feelings for Ning Yu really are.

He is utterly wicked, and she, a woman who deceived him, should have no good end in his hands. Yet, she is now sleeping peacefully in his bedchamber, and with just one sentence—that she refuses to be a concubine—he wants to elevate her to the position of empress.

Xie Xun frowned, a hint of gloom in his eyes. "Alright, you're giving me a headache."

The emperor's tone sounded gentle, but he was the same during the palace coup. He was smiling as he patted the seventh prince on the head with his sword. He was kind and easy to talk to the crown prince's loyal old ministers, but in the end, their fates were extremely tragic.

The ministers dared not utter a sound, but to establish a woman who had been seized as empress would be a disgrace to their Great Xia.

The new emperor was blinded by lust and so casually bestowed the title of empress upon a woman of unknown origin.

"Order the Ministry of Rites to make preparations."

Ning Yu was not asleep. As soon as the others left, she got up and went to the washroom at the back.

Behind the bathroom in Changxin Palace was a natural bathing pool. Several wine jugs and half a plate of grapes were placed on the velvet carpet by the pool. Ning Yu kicked the half plate aside, and the grapes fell into the water. She then stepped onto the stone steps and entered the water.

The dog emperor has taken it all in, but she has no contraceptive now and can only pray that she won't get pregnant.

She leaned against the pool wall, washing her legs clean. After searching high and low, she couldn't find her clothes, and her heart sank slightly.

She couldn't conceive Xie Xun's child; how could she get contraceptives right under his nose?

The chains on her ankles made a crisp sound with her movements. Ning Yu looked over and saw that the chains had a hint of hatred in their eyes. "You beast that deserves to die!" Ning Yu thought. "You're using shackles to lock her up. You clearly don't treat her like a human being."

When the head maid brought people in to tidy up the room, she saw the person lying on the bed with their eyes open and not moving.

She ordered someone to tidy up the bathroom, and then turned on the incense burner and changed the incense to something calming.

"Madam, this is His Majesty's order. Let me change your dressing."

Ning Yu was so angry with Xie Xun that she forgot about the injury on her neck. But when Xie Xun said that, she felt a stinging pain.

It was just a minor injury that would have healed on its own, but after getting it wet several times, the wound has been slow to heal.

Ning Yu sat in front of the dressing table, looked at herself in the bronze mirror, and took the medicine to change the gauze.

"This medicine is a top-quality royal secret remedy; it won't leave any scars."

Ning Yu didn't say anything. After changing the dressing, she walked towards the bed. She had only taken two steps when she saw the mirror that was as tall as a person.

Recalling the humiliation of being pinned against the mirror by him, she said coldly, "I don't like this. Have someone move out."

The head maid was taken aback; this was a special order from His Majesty, and she had no say in the matter.

"Madam, please speak with His Majesty. This servant dares not act on my own."

Ning Yu realized that her words were indeed useless and only made her a laughing stock. She glanced at the chain around her ankle, looked at the seemingly respectful servants in the hall, and stiffly sat back down in front of the couch.

In this palace, no matter which master's maid you are, the greatest master is His Majesty, and you must be loyal to His Majesty. This is the way to survive.

The current ruler cannot surpass His Majesty, and they cannot risk losing their heads by doing something that would displease His Majesty.

The head maid muttered to herself, glanced at the master who was locked up, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and knelt on the ground.

"Madam is feeling uneasy, but life must go on, mustn't it?"

Ning Yu's absent-minded thoughts were brought back by the head maid. She lowered her eyes and looked at the person kneeling at the corner of the bed.

The head maid was a shrewd person in the palace; she could tell that this mistress was easy to talk to and could also sense the Emperor's special treatment of her.

Since His Majesty has not yet bestowed titles upon the six palaces, she naturally wants to find herself a good master and secure a better future.

"Why are you arguing with His Majesty? A few words are enough to talk things out. Just soften your stance and you'll have everything you need. Why make things difficult for yourself?"

She used to be submissive and try to please him. Even when she was forced to fake her death and was ashamed when the Xie family discovered their affair, she didn't dare to turn against them. But what was the result? She was nothing but a plaything.

After she went to great lengths to escape and the two of them had a falling out in Xianyang City, she no longer wanted to pretend.

It's no use. He won't believe it. He'll just look down on her and watch her humbly try to please him, then give her some treats. She'll be trapped in this palace for the rest of her life, begging for his favor.

He wanted to become emperor and conquer the world; the harem was merely a place for him to rest and relax, occupying a tiny place in his life. But the imperial palace would occupy her entire life, which she neither wanted nor desired.

But she was powerless to change the situation and could only feel frustrated as she watched herself being locked in this small place. As Ning Yu thought about it, the days she spent in Xianyang City flashed through her mind. Although she was hiding and hiding, there was still hope for the future.

The head maidservant, seeing her lost in thought, knew she hadn't taken her words to heart, sighed, and remained silent.