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

He handed her a cup of hot tea with his long, slender hand. Ning Yu picked it up and took a few sips, feeling the warmth spread through her body and limbs. Her body felt comfortable and warmed up before she put the teacup down.

"I'll go to the inner palace first."

Xie Xun didn't stop her. He watched her carry the food box into the inner palace, and he lost interest in handling palace affairs.

The temperature inside the hall was just right. Ning Yu sat on the couch and waited for half an hour, but no one came in. She was so sleepy that she closed her eyes and took a nap while hugging a soft pillow.

She slept until it was dark. Ning Yu vaguely felt a warm hand pry open her mouth. She gasped for breath with her mouth open in discomfort. The shameless finger went in and hooked her tongue.

She frowned, as if trying to vomit, but her thick, long eyelashes trembled as she opened them. She seemed to see a dark shadow kneeling on the couch, the shadow looming over her with an oppressive force.

The palace lanterns were not lit inside, but one could vaguely see those eyes staring intently at her. The face in Ning Yu's mind gradually overlapped with the one in front of her: Xie Xun.

Xie Xun lowered his head and looked over her beautiful face. Seeing her pitifully furrowed brows, he pressed down even harder.

A sharp pain shot through him; Xie Xun's fingertip had bled from being bitten. Ning Yu spat it out, her eyes gradually clearing, and she sat up.

Xie Xun raised an eyebrow, looked at the teeth marks on his hand, chuckled strangely, and bent down to bite her as well.

"Hmm~"

This bastard's tastes are indeed perverted. Ning Yu held her breath and waited until he had bitten enough before taking a breath and sitting up straight.

What a stray dog, the kind that eats people without spitting out the bones.

The two were very close, Xie Xun's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked at her lips, which were as red and lustrous as a begonia, and pressed her down to continue kissing.

"Let me bandage you up first."

Intermittent, sweet voices reached his ears. Xie Xun glanced at the teeth marks on his finger. What was there to bandage?

"He is a gentleman of the highest order, so naturally he would not do anything unreasonable. It's just that his wound reopened when he came, so I found him some gauze and he changed the dressing himself."

The distant sound echoed in his mind as if it came from the horizon. Xie Xun released her. "Change the dressing."

Ning Yu got up from the couch, lit the candlestick, took a porcelain bottle from her purse, and then, at his direction, took gauze from the cabinet. She bent down and applied the medicine to him by the couch.

Xie Xun leaned against the soft pillows, comfortably enjoying her service. His eyes were fixed on her face, slowly drifting downwards, finally settling on her eyes as she intently served him. She was truly his nemesis; he could never get enough of looking at her.

Ning Yu could feel his unbridled gaze. Remembering the purpose of her visit, she said calmly, "I heard that a female official in the Imperial Hospital had her hand chopped off. I ran into her today and wanted to ask His Majesty for a favor on her behalf."

A female official whose hand was chopped off? Xie Xun thought for a while but couldn't remember.

"The lady-in-waiting was punished for giving me the medicine. I implicated her, so I would like to ask His Majesty to allow her to leave the palace to seek medical treatment."

Now that you mention it, Xie Xun remembered that the jade bracelet was still in the drawer.

He glanced at the eager fox-like eyes staring at him, and was about to agree on the spur of the moment; it was just a trivial matter.

Before he could even utter a word, he suddenly remembered how Ning Yu had been causing him endless trouble ever since she was brought back to the palace, and he hadn't felt her tender and charming side for a long time.

I only see him occasionally when we're in bed; most of the time I either hit him or yell at him, but he just can't seem to get angry.

"The person you mentioned must have entered through the Ministry of Personnel's examination. I have never interfered in the affairs of the Imperial Medical Academy."

The matter he's talking about seems so complicated, but isn't it just a matter of him saying a few words?

Ning Yu listened to his high-sounding words, put down the porcelain bottle, lowered her eyelids, applied the ointment to his hand, and stood up.

"She's just doing odd jobs in the herbal medicine storehouse, and she's not from a family of pharmacists. She shouldn't be a problem for His Majesty."

Her words were soft and gentle. Xie Xun gently tugged at his lips and wrapped one arm around her waist.

Ning Yu felt a wave of dizziness before he picked her up and placed her on his lap. She didn't flinch, but leaned against him and continued, "Qing He isn't used to life in the palace either. I want her to leave the palace."

Xie Xun's initial desire to tease her vanished instantly. He lowered his phoenix eyes to look at her calm face, reached out and lifted her chin to meet her gaze.

"Send her out of the palace first, then you escape?"

Ning Yu's heart skipped a beat, but she met his gaze without flinching. "Does Your Majesty intend to keep her alive to threaten me?"

Knowing that she had hit the nail on the head, Xie Xun calmly tucked a stray hair behind her ear and said, "Then the physician is at your disposal. If your girl doesn't adapt well to the palace, I will arrange a house for her in the capital so she can stay there. If you miss her, she can come to the palace to keep you company anytime."

Ning Yu looked at his slightly reddened eyes, "Is it not enough that you imprisoned me? Do you also want to imprison and guard her, just to threaten me at any moment?"

Whether she was genuinely heartbroken or just acting, Xie Xun remained silent.

"What if I die?"

"If you die, I'll make your Ning family pay with their lives."

He didn't even bother to be buried with her, you bastard.

Ning Yu cursed him inwardly, but spoke softly, "Let her leave the palace. I will stay in the palace with His Majesty."

"Know me."

Xie Xun stared intently into her eyes.

Ning Yu hugged him, her nose touching his chest, and tilted her little face up.

"Give me a kiss and I'll believe you. I'll agree to everything you say and won't even care where your servants went."

What difference does it make where the servant goes? No one can save her. She can only stay obediently by his side and snuggle up to him.

Finally, after weighing the pros and cons, Ning Yu propped herself up and kissed him on the lips, then dodged away like an eel.

Xie Xun stroked her lips with dissatisfaction, "You're just giving me the runaround."

How else can we kiss?

Xie Xun seemed to understand what she was thinking and said in a hoarse voice, "You should kiss me the same way I kiss you. Didn't you used to be quite good at it?"

Ning Yu couldn't help but recall the scene in Dongyuan when he said that. All the memories came flooding back. She looked at his flawless face, hooked her arms around his neck, leaned down, and licked his lips.

Xie Xun closed his eyes briefly, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

Her eyes were like peach blossoms, feeling his breath and the warmth of his lips. Her breath, slightly ragged, mingled with his, and their lips and teeth rubbed together.

Xie Xun loved her initiative so much he wanted to drown in it. He ran one hand through her hair, pressed her head down, and unconsciously forced her to kiss him deeper and tighter.

In the end, no one knew who was kissing whom, so much so that when Ning Yu was pinned down by him, her whole body was so weak that she had almost no strength left.