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

Xie Xun, born as the eldest son of the Xie clan, took command of troops at the age of fifteen and became a general at the age of seventeen. In just five years, he consolidated the military power of the elders' council, suppressed the power of the princes, and ascended the throne as emperor by stepping on the corpse of Crown Prince Xie Jingchen, expanding the territory.

He sat in the highest position in the Great Xia Dynasty, and no one would dare to strip him of his military power. No one dared to obstruct him when he was conquering the vast northern territory. He could get whatever he wanted with ease, except for Ning Yu, who was an exception.

A few playful slaps in bed can be considered a form of playful affection between men and women, but this time, Xie Xun had never been hit like this in his entire life.

Qingfeng glanced at his master, who had kicked open the door and entered the imperial study, and dared not utter a sound, because he also saw the bright marks on his master's face, clearly indicating that he had been slapped.

Everyone knows perfectly well who did it.

The palace servants could sense the oppressive atmosphere in the hall. They didn't dare to look at His Majesty's face, and served him as he washed up, kneeling respectfully and humbly on the ground to present his clothes.

Xie Xun looked at the marks on his face in the mirror, took out a porcelain bottle to try to cover the red marks, but the marks were too deep to be easily concealed, and he put the porcelain bottle down with a gloomy expression.

Her martial arts skills should be crippled; she has such great strength.

The atmosphere at the morning court session was very oppressive. Everyone was aware of the red marks on the emperor's face that were not covered up.

Some senior officials thought His Majesty hadn't slept well and offered words of concern, saying he shouldn't overwork himself and should take care of his health. The others wanted to laugh but didn't dare show it.

Some members of the Xie family clan looked quite displeased. It was truly absurd that an emperor could be beaten by a woman. Seeing that the emperor showed no intention of punishing him, they became even angrier.

The Xie clan members couldn't help but suspect that the woman living in the emperor's palace was the Ning family girl, which was why the emperor was so biased towards her.

No one dared to step forward and report on the southern expedition. The Battle of Niangziguan resulted in heavy losses for the Great Xia, and it seemed that someone was behind it all.

Changxin Hall.

After Xie Xun left, the head maid led a group of people in to serve. As soon as they entered, they found the hall in complete disarray, with bedding scattered and torn clothes strewn all over the floor.

The lady on the bed was only wearing a loose bodice, hanging loosely on her body. After being tossed and turned all night, she was incredibly alluring, and her exposed skin was covered with suggestive marks.

The person lay motionless on the couch, their face flushed an unnatural red. The head maid glanced at the messy bedding and hurried over to take a look, only to find that the person's mouth was torn.

She was startled and, disregarding social hierarchy, reached out to touch Ning Yu's forehead.

"I'm fine."

A hoarse, weak voice came out softly. The head maid quickly withdrew her hand, knelt down in front of the bed, and said respectfully, "Madam, please rest for a while. This servant will go and call the imperial physician."

"Need not."

Those two words seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Ning Yu forced herself to sit up and said, "Help me go wash up first."

She was covered in things he had deliberately done to her while humiliating her, and she needed to wash them off.

The chain on her ankle made a slight clattering sound as she moved, and Ning Yu was helped into the bathroom and into the water.

What a beast! How come she never noticed how perverted he was before?

Ning Yu thought of the two of them arguing until their faces were red, and of his licentious laughter, and she was so angry that she wanted to rub the skin off her body.

She was completely exhausted; slapping him had used up all her strength, and she collapsed onto the bed afterward. Now, she felt even lifting her arm was difficult.

After washing up, Ning Yu put on a conservative undergarment and was helped back to bed by the nanny.

The bedchamber had been thoroughly cleaned by well-trained palace maids, and the calming incense in the censer, with its wisps of smoke rising, masked any hint of sensual pleasure.

Ning Yu was in so much pain that she couldn't open her mouth. The nanny carefully took the ointment and applied it to her mouth, then brought her some tea.

She rinsed her mouth, lay down on the bed, and quickly fell into a deep sleep, the gold chain draped over her ankles gleaming softly.

After the morning court session, the Xie family head chased after Xie Xun to the imperial study and began to question him about whether the woman he had brought back was a widow he had abducted or the daughter of the Ning family.

If it were a widow, it wouldn't be so bad, but if it were Ning Shi, wouldn't that be a shocking scandal? How could she be so muddle-headed?

"Your elder brother was just transferred to fight in the Northwest. If he knew that you had brought her back and were going to make her your empress, my Xie family would be famous throughout the land."

"As the emperor, you can have any woman you want. You've been on the throne for so long, you should have already taken in a large harem."

Xie Xun sat high on the dragon throne, leaning back with his head slightly tilted back and his eyes closed. He touched his slapped cheek, and unconsciously recalled the scene of Ning Yu and Eleven fighting in the East Garden.

He wasn't very skilled in martial arts, but he had a lot of strength in his hands. He was the first woman to hit a woman who was still alive.

He suddenly realized that ever since he returned from Xianyang City, he had always been under her control. With his eyebrows lowered, he propped his forehead up and lowered his eyes to hide the gloom in them.

Qingfeng glanced at his master, who was clearly not listening, and then at the Xie family elders who were crying and desperately pleading with him, banging their heads against the pillars. He was astonished.

No matter how much he pleaded, it was useless; his master wouldn't listen. He had followed his master for so many years, and so many women had tried to seduce him, but none of them had taken the bait. Yet, when his mistress took the initiative to approach his master, his master did not refuse.

Moreover, they had originally agreed to kill the lady, but in the end they gave up. They even allowed her to get close to the lady despite knowing her purpose. He felt that his master had become interested in the lady, perhaps because he was more sexually attracted at first.

But he hasn't gotten tired of it even after all this time. He was so angry when his wife ran away, yet he still wanted to make her empress. Doesn't that show he cares?

As Qingfeng thought this through, he couldn't help but glance in his master's direction. Seeing that the man had his eyes closed and seemed lost in thought, and unsure if his guess was correct, he silently withdrew his gaze.

He felt that Ning Yu was the female lead, and these clan elders might as well accept it obediently to avoid making a fuss.

"What does Your Majesty think? There are plenty of women in the palace who have no title or status. Since you favor her, let her stay in the palace, but she is definitely not fit to be the Empress."

The teacup on the imperial table suddenly fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. Xie Xun looked down at the people in the hall with a gloomy face.

The sudden oppressive aura startled everyone, and they immediately knelt down, swallowing their words. Only the Xie family head remained standing stiffly in place, but he dared not speak either.

"My Empress, I have my own decision. Get out of here."

The Xie family members looked incredulous, as if they had been struck dumb. The Xie family patriarch, in particular, felt as if the emperor's words were a slap in the face.

He now has no idea whether agreeing to the rebellion was the right decision.