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

Shen Qingge didn't want to see his family's expressions, so she shook her head and said, "You go by yourself, I'll just stay in the house."

Her stunningly beautiful face turned slightly pale. Xiao Zhiliu felt a dryness in his throat, so he bent down, wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her up, and kissed her, his voice hoarse.

"Don't be afraid, I've already talked to my family, and they'll take you out for a meal."

Shen Qingge turned her head away, but before she could finish refusing, his gaze darkened. "Be obedient."

She stiffened and obediently nodded.

He usually seemed to have a good temper and was quite gentle with her, but she knew that if she angered him, she would inevitably suffer a lot.

Xiao Zhiliu was satisfied. He touched her face, then her waist, hips, and legs. "Go change quickly. After dinner, go to bed early. I'll take you to see a big show tomorrow."

Inside the sentry post, by the time it was over, Ning Yu's face was pale, and she lay on the ground in a daze, the cramping pain in her stomach causing her to break out in a cold sweat.

With such strength, he wanted to kill her, so why didn't he get rid of the baby in her belly?

Ning Yu gritted her teeth, not daring to let him notice anything amiss. She opened her tired eyelids and glanced at his back as he straightened his clothes. Behind his back, she swallowed the medicine from her purse in one gulp. After a while, she felt that her stomach was not hurting as much.

"Get up now."

It was past midnight, and the lively sounds outside had already faded into the distance.

Xie Xun looked down at the woman lying on the tiger skin, glanced at her body covered in marks, and swallowed hard.

If it weren't for the poor conditions, we would be continuing now.

Ning Yu was too tired to lift herself up, and kept her eyes closed, ignoring everyone.

Seeing that she didn't move, Xie Xun bent down, picked her up horizontally, and placed her on the table.

"Wear it yourself."

Exhausted, she leaned against him without making a sound. He paused, then casually picked up her loosely hanging clothes and put them on. He then draped his crane cloak over her from head to toe and left the sentry post.

I feel dizzy every time I lie in bed. Is it because I practice martial arts?

Stepping out of the sentry post, a biting north wind blew in, and Ning Yu's mind cleared a little. She felt the dog emperor carrying her down the city wall.

The sound of the soldiers guarding the city seeing her off suddenly reached her ears. She vaguely remembered the absurd things the two of them had done on the city wall. She shrank back, too ashamed to face anyone.

They probably won't see it. The grooves along the city wall can completely hide her figure, and besides, neither of them has taken off their clothes.

There was no curfew in the city tonight, but the streets and alleys of the capital were not as noisy at this time. Ning Yu was very tired, but she couldn't fall asleep.

Finally, I vaguely felt my body being placed on soft cotton, and with my eyelids drooping, I somehow fell asleep.

A hot, strong body held her tightly from behind, inhaling deeply. Unconsciously, she frowned, twisted her waist, and moved a little further away.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the new emperor was to lead his civil and military officials to worship at the ancestral temple. Ning Yu woke up around noon, and the man beside her was no longer there.

She stared blankly at the luxurious canopy above her head, her mind blank for a while before she realized that this was the main hall of Changxin Palace, the emperor's bedroom.

The scene of Xie Xun finding her last night replayed in her mind bit by bit. Her expression froze, she lifted the quilt and looked at her body. All the scenes jumped clearly in her mind. She lifted the curtain and went to the bath in the back.

Recalling their nighttime entanglement felt like swallowing flies; Ning Yu went into the water and vigorously rubbed her skin. "You slept with other women and then came to sleep with her? Shameless!"

After finishing his work, Xie Xun returned to Changxin Hall without even going to Jokhang Temple. When he returned, he saw her washing in the pool.

He glanced around a few times, loosened his belt, and went into the water.

Ning Yu looked up and saw it was him. All sorts of images from after returning to the palace flashed through her mind in an instant. She forcefully suppressed her anger and tried to get out of the water.

"Where to?"

Her wrist was suddenly pulled, and she lost her balance and fell into his arms.

"Don't touch me."

The disdainful tone made Xie Xun narrow his eyes in displeasure. "How long are you going to make a scene with me because of a bunch of servants? I've already taken the initiative to apologize to you. How long are you going to keep this up?"

He lowered his head. When has he ever lowered his head? He either forces her with force or bullies her in bed.

Ning Yu looked at him coldly, "Didn't His Majesty abandon me and leave me to fend for myself in the side hall? Let's just live peacefully like this. If you're not satisfied in bed, you can always find someone you like by taking in the six palaces."

There wasn't a trace of resentment in her tone; she genuinely wanted him to sleep with other women.

A vein throbbed on Xie Xun's forehead as he tightened his grip on her waist. "I'll sleep with you, no matter what."

"Your Majesty has slept with other women before, has it been that you haven't found one you like?"

Looking at her indifferent little face and the icy look in her eyes, he felt as if his heart had been squeezed and thrown into a frozen wasteland.

The two looked at each other in silence for a while, then he unusually explained, "I've never slept with anyone else, only you."

The five-legged incense burner, adorned with intertwined branches, emitted wisps of smoke. Outside, the palace servants had already laid out a table laden with the dishes His Majesty had ordered upon his return—all of them Ning Yu's favorites, simmering steaming on the stove.

In the bathtub.

Ning Yu gazed at his features, her eyes tracing his exceptional bone structure, and murmured, "Xie Xun, let me leave the palace. Let's each live our own lives in peace---"

Before he could even finish speaking, the atmosphere around them changed. His gaze was cold and menacing as he looked at her, and the veins on his hands tightened around her.

"Ning Yu, I don't want to hear these words anymore. Stay obediently by my side, and I will protect you for the rest of my life."

His voice softened as he leaned down to kiss her lips, his warm breath lingering around her.

Ning Yu turned her head away and glanced at her body, which was covered in marks.

Xie Xun followed her gaze and realized he had indeed hit her too hard; he should be gentler next time.

After the two finished washing up and came out of the washroom, the waiting palace servants immediately came over to serve them respectfully.

Ning Yu looked at the palace servants, whose expressions seemed to have changed, and felt a sense of unease. She glanced at the food in the outer hall, her mind wandering.

See? When he's happy, she can live in a magnificent pavilion, wear beautiful dresses, and wait to be served. When he's unhappy, she can only live in a side hall and eat cold food.

An arm wrapped around her waist, and he said, "Let's eat first."

He could break her skin from how thin she'd become in just a few days; he wanted to take good care of her and help her recover.