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

After leaving the Imperial Study, Xie's face turned grim, and the royal family members behind him dared not utter a word.

"Go find a few women and send them to the palace."

"This—" He paused, "Is this appropriate? Won't His Majesty be furious?"

They were all men; he didn't believe the emperor wouldn't want to experience the pleasures of other women.

The head of the Xie family whispered coldly in a man's ear, "Find a virtuous noblewoman like the Ning family girl, preferably someone who looks similar, and arrange a suitable opportunity for her to appear before the emperor."

"My son will take care of it."

Xie Xun did not return to his palace to sleep that night, and he did not come to Changxin Palace for the next two days. Ning Yu took the opportunity to rest and recuperate during these two days, and her mouth no longer hurt.

Fearing she might fall out of favor, the head maid suggested, "His Majesty seems to be in a bad mood because he and his wife have had a quarrel. Why don't you go to the Council Hall to see him?"

Ning Yu was hoping he wouldn't come; by giving her the cold shoulder and ignoring her, she could finally have some peace and quiet.

"I'm locked up, how do I get out?"

The head maid had forgotten about this and didn't dare to open the mechanism casually. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then this servant will go and inform the eunuch in the Council Hall that the lady misses His Majesty."

The thought of him deliberately getting himself all over her that night and forcing himself on her made Ning Yu so angry she wanted to scratch his face. Now that they met, they would have a huge fight, and he wouldn't untie her chains. What was the point of her seeing him then?

"His Majesty is busy with official duties, Aunt, please refrain from saying anything more."

Her cold voice made the head maid understand her intentions. She was really stubborn. All that flesh and blood she had, she couldn't coax a man.

Regardless of what the palace servants thought, Ning Yu leaned back on the soft couch and looked at the moon outside the round window.

She couldn't remember how many days she had been locked up. Every day, she could only look out the window at the scenery. She could almost count how many floor tiles there were in Changxin Palace. How much longer would she be locked up?

Ning Yu leaned wearily against the soft pillow behind her, looking at the chains on her ankles, and touched her flat stomach with concern.

She eats dishes with carrots and papaya every day. Papaya contains protease that interacts with progesterone to achieve a contraceptive effect, and excessive consumption of carrots can also inhibit ovarian function.

She also specifically asked for the addition of herbs like Cold Moon Grass and Snow Seal Root to the medicinal food she was given, just in case she didn't have any. She just hoped she wouldn't get pregnant.

Palace lanterns were lit in all four corners of the hall, and the head maid waited to serve her. Seeing her staring at her belly, she thought she was pregnant and went forward in surprise.

"Is Madam feeling unwell in her stomach? Shall I go and fetch the imperial physician to take a look?"

Ning Yu didn't want to see the imperial physician; if he knew what she had been eating lately, she would be scolded again.

She shook her head, not daring to look at her stomach any longer, turned to the side and closed her eyes, so that the palace servants inside the hall wouldn't see her expression.

Inside the Imperial Study.

Xie Xun has been staying here for the past two days. The marks on his face have long since faded. He did not go back to his original residence, but stayed in the inner palace at the back after finishing his duties in court.

Having gotten used to sleeping with that woman in his arms, he hadn't slept well for the past two days on the cold, hard bed. He lay on the soft couch, his eyes closed, his face gloomy.

The palace servants inside knew that His Majesty had been in a bad mood these past two days, so they dared not approach him and instead hid outside.

Suddenly, a beautifully dressed woman entered carrying tea. He quickly looked at the head eunuch, who gave his consent, and then opened the door to let the woman in.

The woman who came was the legitimate daughter of a collateral branch of the Wei family. She was beautiful and had just come of age. Her family wanted to send her to the palace, and after seeing the portrait of His Majesty, she agreed to her father's suggestion.

She was the only legitimate daughter in her family's branch. From a young age, she knew that her mother was raising her as a future empress, and the governesses she was chosen were all from the palace.

She originally thought she would marry the crown prince and share a husband with her cousin, but she never expected that the emperor would be a member of the Xie family. Thinking of His Majesty's face, she felt a surge of excitement in her heart.

Before entering the palace, she met with the head of the Wei family, who was also her uncle. After seeing her appearance, her uncle selected her to be sent to the palace.

It was said that as long as she gained favor, her father could be assigned to the Military and Political Affairs Department, and her elder brother could rise rapidly in the officialdom alongside his uncle.

She had to catch the Emperor's eye, otherwise she would just be another pawn abandoned by her family when she returned.

The beaded curtain was lifted, and Wei Qingxue took a deep breath, quietly raising her eyes to glance at the layout of the inner hall. Suddenly, she saw the man lying on the soft couch.

He is very tall, and you can't see his face from this angle, but you can vaguely see that he is sleeping. The proportions of his nose and lips are very good, and his overall profile is impeccable.

Everyone says that Xie, the Grand Commander, was born with a refined and elegant appearance, but if you look closely, his face is rather bewitching, and his eyes and eyebrows are very long when he closes his eyes.

The person seemed to hear the noise and said "Get out" in a cold voice, which startled her so much that she almost dropped the plate.

This is an emperor who holds the power of life and death; if she makes a foolish mistake, it will implicate her entire clan.

Upon realizing this, Wei Qingxue quickly suppressed her thoughts and bent down to go inside.

"Your Majesty~"

Her charming voice was trained and had a unique appeal.

"Your subject, Wei Qingxue, has come to serve Your Majesty tea."

The Wei family's young lady was also so eager to please him. Xie Xun recalled the face of that woman who had begged him for protection and offered herself to him.

He opened his eyes and glanced sideways at the woman kneeling on the ground. "Raise your head."

Wei Qingxue suppressed her excitement, slowly raised her head, and lowered her eyes slightly, not daring to look directly at the emperor.

Although not exactly a perfect match, she bore a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to Xie Xun. Staring at the face before her, Xie Xun felt a sense of superiority.

Xie Xun was not interested in matters of the bedchamber before; he preferred fighting. Watching those wild dogs convulse and spurt blood made his blood boil. Expanding his territory and causing the desert west to flee to the north, he felt extremely satisfied seeing that the elders couldn't do anything to him.

After meeting Ning Yu, he was aroused by that damned woman. He found pleasure in her and didn't want to be with any other women. He only wanted to sleep with her in bed. He preferred sleeping with her to fighting and dealing with those old fogies in the court.

Later, unable to bear seeing her close to her elder brother, he simply took her away and raised her himself. His woman naturally had to follow him, but she was always so restless, daring to think about her elder brother even while sleeping with him, so he gave up on her idea.

But—she actually ran away with her older brother, and even after we found her, she still acted like she didn't know what was going to happen to her. Now she even dares to hit him. If we keep indulging her, will she start to ride roughshod over him?

He needed to sort things out. He treated her differently, but his rational mind, adept at weighing the pros and cons, warned him that he treated Ning Yu very differently.

Even though she beat him like that, he didn't intend to do anything to her. He was even afraid she would cry herself unconscious and leave on her own. That damned woman, however, never once sent anyone to look for him.

"Your Majesty~"

The soft voice gently brought him back to his senses. A fleeting thought crossed Xie Xun's mind: Ning Yu's seductive panting with her mouth open. That woman's voice in bed was much more pleasant than this.

He frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with what he was thinking, and closed his eyes while holding his forehead.

Wei Qingxue often served her grandmother and was very skilled at it. Seeing that His Majesty seemed to have a headache, she slowly straightened up and walked behind the man.

"Your Majesty, may I give you a massage?"

A soft hand landed on the man's shoulder. Xie Xun's voice was cold. "Take your hand off. Take it off."

The first sentence made Wei Qingxue's face instantly lose its color, but when she heard the second sentence, her cheeks immediately turned red, and her beautiful eyebrows and eyes became more delicate.

She took a deep, tense breath. As a noblewoman, this was the first time she'd ever acted so shamelessly, but she was determined. Compared to family honor, what did this matter? Besides—

She glanced at the man's face and physique, and slowly began to undress.