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

I originally thought we should keep to ourselves, but it's clear the other party doesn't think that way.

Ning Yu flung her away, stopped helping the dancer, and turned to leave.

The palace servant muttered a few curses behind her back, then bent down to comfort the dancer who was crying out in pain.

The dancer's legs were already aching, and she couldn't stand steadily. With Ning Yu's throw, she fell to the ground. Her swollen ankle throbbed with pain. She gritted her teeth in anger, "Who is that woman?"

The palace attendant frowned. "It should be the lady who lives in the side hall."

Madam?! Clearly, the dancer had heard of Ning Yu, and a hint of hostility flashed in her eyes.

"Last night you won His Majesty's favor, and you will surely receive even greater favor from him in the future. His Majesty doesn't even care about her anymore, so you don't need to worry."

"Gained favor?!" The dancer looked at her feet, which were almost too small to fit in shoes, and her face fell. She wondered if watching her dance the Donghu dance all night counted as gaining favor from the new emperor of the Great Xia.

When Ning Yu turned back to the medicine storehouse, she saw the medicine clerk anxiously peering out and looking at something. She quickly lifted her skirt and took a few steps forward.

"Oh, you've finally arrived! Master is just coming in, come in quickly."

Knowing that she didn't want to see anyone, the apothecary had her sit behind a screen, only showing her hands.

Before long, the physician arrived. Ning Yu had a handkerchief draped over his wrist. He sat on a stool outside the screen and reached out to take her pulse.

The room was completely silent. Ning Yu's heart was pounding. Ever since she fell off the cliff and suffered the impact on her stomach, she had felt something was wrong, and she hadn't had much of an appetite since.

She took her own pulse, wondering if it was because the pregnancy was too early to detect anything or if she was just overthinking it.

After all, she shouldn't have gotten pregnant those two times because she didn't take the medication. Her hopes were probably just a result of her pent-up emotions.

"Does the young lady usually have any symptoms?"

Ning Yu was pulled back from her reverie and hurriedly told the physician everything in detail. The physician remained silent for a while before withdrawing his hand.

"It's a pregnancy test, congratulations, young lady."

Ning Yu was startled, and her face turned pale as she recalled their intimate moments after returning to the palace.

It was the time after she was brought back to the palace, locked up, and woke up that the dog emperor went from the inner palace to the bathhouse, and acted absurdly for a long time. She got pregnant that one time.

"Could you brew me a bowl of abortifacient medicine?"

The physician's words quickly came in: "This is strictly forbidden in the palace, and it's best if you don't drink that stuff, young lady. It's very bad for your health. You haven't been pregnant for a month yet, so you can go back and think it over carefully before making a decision."

After an incense stick had burned, Ning Yu came out of the medicine storehouse. She touched her flat stomach and dragged herself back to the side hall where she lived.

When Qinghe saw her return, she quickly came to greet her, "Miss, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale?"

Do you look unwell?

Ning Yu sat down at the dressing table, looked at herself in the mirror, and paused for a moment.

She checked her own pulse again. Were all the imperial physicians in the palace descendants of the Sage of Medicine? Why couldn't she tell?

Remembering her master's constant scolding, she slowly put down her hands, but she still preferred making drugs.

Seeing her expression, Qinghe stared wide-eyed in confusion. "Miss, are you pregnant?"

Ning Yu looked at her flat stomach with a pale face and didn't say anything.

Inside the Imperial Study.

Qingfeng picked up the memorials from the ground, arranged them all, and placed them on the table.

There was no one else in the hall except him, who stayed by His Majesty's side all day long, living in constant fear that His Majesty would also send him to the desolate lands.

Sha Ying offended His Majesty by saying the wrong thing and has been gone for several days. He doesn't want to go to the southwest, a place full of Gu worms. Ugh, just thinking about it makes him feel terrible.

His Majesty has been in a bad mood these past few days, and no one dares to serve him.

Having served His Majesty for so many years, he knew his temperament to some extent. He clearly wanted his wife to come and coax him, which was why he had been holding back from going to her.

Otherwise, why would he listen to music in Changxin Palace all night long, making it so noisy that no one can sleep peacefully? He can't sleep, and neither can his wife. However, this stalemate can't continue like this.

Qingfeng glanced at the man lying on the couch in the inner hall, wondering if he was asleep or not, as he was not moving.

"If you're going to come in, then come in. What are you dawdling for?"

The sudden deep voice made Qingfeng shudder. He lifted the beaded curtain and went inside. "Your Majesty."

Xie Xun didn't even open his eyes, his voice cold and stern, "What is it?"

Qingfeng recounted what he had said earlier.

The dismissal of Prince An aroused dissatisfaction among the royal elders. The court was already embroiled in factional disputes over the southern expedition, and Prince An's matter provided them with a pretext for further conflict.

The Wei family, which had been suppressed these days, became even more active in this matter, and the elders' indignant folding paper piled up to fill an entire imperial table.

It was clear that His Majesty was not interested in these matters, and after he finished speaking, he did not seem to want him to leave, as if he wanted to hear what he had to say next.

Qingfeng hesitated for a moment, "Madam went to the Imperial Hospital to prepare medicine as usual today, but---"

"Are you waiting for me to beg you to speak, or have you been poisoned and can't finish your sentence?"

A chill ran down Qingfeng's spine. He quickly recounted in detail Ning Yu's conflict with the dancer and palace maid that day. Just as he was about to mention that she had also gone to the medicine storehouse, he heard someone sneer.

"It's just a matter of coming over and giving in, but that damn woman just won't. She's so stubborn; she needs to be taught a lesson."

Xie Xun said this, but when he thought of his woman being bullied by a few servants, a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

He leaned back against the soft pillows, his fingers slowly twirling the jade thumb ring on his thumb. "Bring those two over."

The palace maids hurried over, helping the dancer over. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she was already kneeling at the entrance of the outer hall of the imperial study.

"Your Majesty has heard that Miss Hu Ji is an exceptional dancer. Please go in and continue dancing for Your Majesty's enjoyment."

The dancer's face turned pale instantly. Her feet were swollen so badly that she would collapse after dancing for only a short while. Disrespecting the emperor in front of the palace was a serious crime in the Great Xia Dynasty.

"Father-in-law, my feet---"

With a snap, her father-in-law moved her hand away and had her dragged inside to jump.

The palace maid kneeling in the outer hall prostrated herself on the ground, her eyes not daring to look at the scene inside. The sobbing sounds of her dance came out from time to time, making her feel as if her whole heart was being fried in a pot of oil.

After an unknown amount of time, the music inside suddenly stopped, and a few crackling sounds were followed by the dancer's pitiful pleas for mercy. The palace maid was so frightened that she lowered her head even further.

"You almost tripped and fell on His Majesty while dancing, Miss Hu Ji is really confused. Take her away and serve her well."

When the palace maid saw the person being dragged out, their toes were so bloody and mangled that they were unrecognizable.

"If the master makes a mistake, the maid must also be punished. Take her away too."

The palace maid was startled, instantly realizing that the person was referring to her. She immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!"

The people inside seemed to hear her pleas for mercy, and the guards carrying her paused for a moment.

A calm and unhurried voice came from the inner hall, "Your master is kind-hearted. Go to her and cry pitifully, and you'll have everything you need."