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

The environment of the side hall of the emperor's palace was better than that of the ordinary palace. Ning Yu put Qing He on the soft couch, saw that her legs and feet were slightly swollen, and applied some ointment for a while.

Instead of asking the head maid for medicine, she went to the Imperial Hospital herself, found a simple stove, and bumped into a female official when she tried to go in to get the medicine.

"No unauthorized personnel allowed. Didn't you see that?"

Ning Yu had no money on her and no way to bribe the servants. The servants who had almost been beaten to death because of her were given jewelry, all of which came from the dressing table box in Changxin Palace. She took off the jade bracelet on her wrist and stuffed it into their hands.

"I need some herbs, sir. I'd like to go in and get some."

The female official quickly looked around at the people, and said with disdain, "Oh dear, what are you doing?"

This jade bracelet is of really good quality, it looks a bit like a tribute. Who is this person? I glanced at her face and remembered that she came from the other side of the palace. Could she be the lady who was taken back by His Majesty and then lost favor?

Thinking this, the female official hurriedly tried to return the item, but Ning Yu covered it with her hand, saying, "Please be lenient, sir."

"Everything in the palace is rationed, which makes things difficult for me," she said, feigning difficulty. "But please wait here, Madam. I'll go in and see if we have the herbs you mentioned."

After Ning Yu told her about the herbs he needed, he waited outside the courtyard.

A cold wind brushed against her cheeks, but there was still no movement inside. Ning Yu lowered her eyes and continued to wait.

She knew that even if Xie Xun wasn't targeting her, there were plenty of people in the harem who wanted to take advantage of her because the emperor disliked her; it was just a matter of the palace servants using opportunistic tactics to survive.

I waited in the cold wind for a full hour before the female official finally came out, carrying a bundle, her tone carrying a hint of arrogance.

"Madam, you've been waiting a long time. Everything is here."

After thanking the person, Ning Yu immediately left with his bundle.

The female official watched the departing figure, raising an eyebrow. The lady who used to be so high and mighty that she couldn't even get an audience with her was now begging her for a favor. She had waited outside for so long without daring to complain. This feeling was not bad.

She glanced at the bracelet on her wrist. It must be worth a lot of money. If it were a tribute item, she wouldn't dare to sell it. Wearing it, it's really beautiful.

After returning to the side hall, Ning Yu stayed in the room all afternoon without coming out. She finished refining all the medicine to treat Qing He's injuries and also brewed her a bowl of medicinal soup.

Seeing that she hadn't eaten anything after a busy day, Qinghe quickly said, "Miss, there's still food on the table, please eat something."

The portions of food delivered from the kitchen were also reduced, with only a few cold dishes. Ning Yu didn't have much of an appetite, so she ate a few bites and went to the washroom to wash up.

She only had some scratches on her body, nothing serious. She looked in the mirror and found that there were no traces left.

Ning Yu picked up the medicine and carefully smelled it under her nose. This was the ointment Xie Xun had given her yesterday, saying it was a secret medicine that was even better than the ointment her master had made before. She planned to study the formula.

For the next few days, Ning Yu stayed in the side hall, while Xie Xun returned to Changxin Hall to sleep every day, but neither of them paid any attention to the other.

The singers sent by the Donghu envoys were all young and beautiful, and the emperor's palace was filled with the sounds of playing instruments and singing all night long.

When Ning Yu carried the medicine soup back, she accidentally caught a glimpse of the beautiful dancers. In the dead of winter, they were dressed in revealing clothes, wearing only sewn leather to cover their private parts, and dancing the bold Donghu Whirl Dance. They were unrestrained and sweating profusely.

She quickly looked away and returned to her place.

Inside the hall, Xie Xun, who was leaning against the couch, saw the passing figure, and the veins on the back of his hand holding the wine cup bulged.

His expression didn't change much; his eyes, which looked like he was drunk, were slightly closed as he leaned against the soft pillow. For so many days in a row, there was always a pool of clarity in his heart that kept him awake.

"Where did she get the medicine?"

A cold, sober voice suddenly rang out, and the palace servants in the hall trembled and dared not raise their heads. The head maid stepped forward and said, "The lady went to the Imperial Hospital to get it."

When Qingfeng brought the female official from the Imperial Hospital, she saw the dancers swaying their breasts and buttocks in the hall. The enthusiastic Donghu songs and dances made her feel completely immersed in the intoxicating luxury and sweetness.

She dared not look directly at the emperor's might, and hurriedly knelt on the ground in worship. Her hands, which were raised above her head, were slightly exposed, and her sleeves were tilted up, revealing the bracelet on her wrist.

Xie Xun glanced down and immediately saw the bracelet. His mind was clear, and his voice was as calm as a beast's: "Chop off her hand for me."

The female official, unaware of her mistake, was terrified and immediately begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, spare my life! It was the Lady who threatened me to prepare the medicine; I dared not disobey!"

Qingfeng stepped forward, covered the person's mouth, and pulled the body down. After the torture was completed, he wrapped the bracelet in a handkerchief and said coldly, "If you want to live, shut your mouth."

News quickly spread that the lady-in-waiting had her hand chopped off for delivering medicine to the lady residing in the side hall. Everyone knew that this once pampered lady had lost the Emperor's protection, and even the palace servants who brought her food had begun to change their attitudes.

Ning Yu only heard about the female official's hand being chopped off two days later. A chill ran through her heart and she felt a dull ache in her wrist.

She watched the palace servants coming and going in the palace gardens, cleaning the bloodstains on the ground that they could not wipe clean no matter what they did. One basin after another of water was poured down, and the palace servants, who were crawling on the ground, worked hard to wipe every inch of the ground.

There was no music or singing coming from the Changxin Palace's sleeping quarters all night long; it was so quiet that it was hard to tell if anyone was living there. Ning Yu glanced around, then carried the medicine back to the side hall.

These past two days, when she went to the kitchen to brew medicine, the palace servants must have heard something. They were initially wary of her, but now they were giving her attitudes, and she felt that the medicine wouldn't last much longer.

Fortunately, Qinghe's injuries have healed quickly in the past few days, and she can already walk on the ground. It will take about half a month for her to fully recover, at which time she will no longer need to use the kitchen.

After entering the hall, Qinghe was walking around the room when Ningyu brought her some medicine and carefully examined her injuries.

"The recovery is going well."

"Miss, it's all my fault for dragging you into this."

Ning Yu paused, her brows furrowing slightly. "It's my fault for dragging you into this."

Qinghe hugged her, her eyes slightly red, "Let's run away."

She couldn't sleep at night because of the pain, and she could tell that her mistress hadn't slept all night. She was staring at the bed curtains, lost in thought. She didn't know what the relationship between her mistress and His Majesty was like, she only knew that her mistress was not happy in the palace.

Ning Yu replied in a low voice, "Once you've recovered from your injuries, I will definitely take you out of the palace."