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

The Dragon Scale Guards quickly made their way down the slope. The rain was still falling, but it wasn't as heavy or intense.

The guards, dressed in black armor and wearing oilcloths, had their hair almost blending into the night. Ning Yu followed them, her body hunched over, and the rain made her throat itch, causing her to cough.

She looked at the man walking quickly ahead of her. Someone was holding an umbrella for him. His feet were stepping in the rain, and the hem of his robe was wet. In the moonlight, only half of his outline could be seen, but it was still impeccable, giving off a sense of serene beauty.

"Princess Consort, please open an umbrella for me."

Ning Yu recognized him; it was Qingfeng, Xie Xun's lackey who often followed him around.

She pinched her itchy throat and whispered, "Thank you."

Taking the umbrella, Ning Yu felt much better, no longer needing to get wet in the rain. Although she had been acting a bit, she had indeed felt warm from being soaked in the rain.

Thinking of this, she kept glancing at Xie Xun.

Xie Yan's body has already been buried, and she has made absolutely no progress. Even using incense couldn't bewitch him in the slightest. What a troublesome bastard.

The turmoil on the mountain had subsided at some point. After returning to the villa, Ning Yu developed a fever. A physician from the manor came and prescribed medicine for her. She took the medicine and then fell into a deep sleep.

---

The Eastern Palace.

"What did you say? Lord Zhang, Lord Qin are both dead?"

The kneeling attendant kowtowed repeatedly to the ground. "The mausoleum was suddenly shaken by a mountain earthquake, and rocks collapsed, killing several officials of the Eastern Palace."

"Eunuch Li in the palace has also died."

The crown prince rose from his carved chair, his face unusually grim. "Were all the people inside?"

"The Xie family members have all gone inside, and several of them were injured."

"Very well, very well indeed. Those who died were all members of my royal family." He paused, then asked, "Has Lord Gao returned yet?"

"They're waiting outside the hall."

When Vice Minister Gao entered, he saw that the Crown Prince's face was very pale. He immediately lifted his robe and knelt down, saying, "Your subject greets Your Highness."

"You may dispense with the formalities."

"The young master's coffin was smashed, and we rushed out before completing the sacrificial ceremony. We brought all the assassins back to the Dali Temple, but---"

The crown prince, seething with rage, said, "Speak."

"They've all taken deadly poison, but—I suspect they were the Grand Princess's men. The Grand Commander is still at Yueshan, dealing with the aftermath, and hasn't returned yet."

Xie Yan could not possibly have survived the Battle of Nanguan, so why did his mausoleum suddenly collapse?

"The weather has been bad these past few days, with continuous rain in Yueshan. There have been rockfalls and collapses at the foot of the mountain. The mausoleum has not been repaired for many years, so this accident may have been caused by the long-term neglect of some parts."

The crown prince's expression did not improve at all as he listened to what his subordinates were saying, and the subordinates were all trembling with fear and dared not speak.

Crown Prince Xie Jingchen was notoriously tyrannical and ruthless, with insidious methods. He was also privately irritable and easily angered, which led the Emperor to consider deposing the Crown Prince and supporting another prince.

However, the Crown Prince's tenderness was reserved solely for his Crown Princess. He doted on her and even created a nominal Eastern Palace for her, which greatly displeased the officials of the Eastern Palace.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Crown Princess Wei, born into the Wei family of the Elders' Council, was the eldest daughter of the Wei family. When she came of age, she was chosen by the Crown Prince and married into the Eastern Palace in a grand procession.

When Wei Qingrou entered, she felt the oppressive atmosphere in the hall, and a puzzled expression appeared on her gentle face.

Upon seeing her, the Crown Prince immediately composed himself, walked over, and helped her up. "Why did you suddenly come here?"

"The baby in my belly keeps kicking, and I can't sleep."

The Crown Princess had been unable to conceive since marrying into the Eastern Palace, and only recently became pregnant. She even went to a temple to fulfill her vow.

"You may all leave."

"Yes, this old minister takes his leave."

After everyone left, the crown prince picked up the woman and placed her on a soft couch covered with hibiscus silk.

Wei Qingrou was breathless from his kisses, her hairpins and ornaments jingling, her soft white hands pressed against his chest, "Your Highness..."

Xie Jingchen couldn't control himself when he touched her, kissing and biting her, wanting to leave marks on her body.

Remembering the imperial physician's instructions, he lowered his head and kissed her lips deeply before stopping.

Wei Qingrou had eaten all the lipstick off her lips. She reached out and punched him, saying in embarrassment and annoyance, "It's always like this. Didn't you hear what I said?"

The Crown Prince was quite pleased with her shy expression. He laughed and touched her still-not-veiled belly. "Good girl, when she gives birth, I'll beat him up for you."

---

Ning Yu returned to the Xie family with the Xie clan members the next day. She was in good health, and her fever had subsided.

After resting in the room for most of the day, in the afternoon, the nanny from the Grand Princess's side suddenly came to the Mo Courtyard, and the maids around her locked the courtyard gate, forbidding anyone to enter or leave.

When Ning Yu heard Qing He's hurried voice, she had already dressed and gotten up from the bed. She had caught a chill last night and her body was still a little weak.

She calmly sat down at the dressing table, tied up her long, black hair, and waited quietly for the old servant to strode in with an imposing air.

When Granny Zhou came in, she saw the person sitting calmly in front of the dressing table, with tears in her eyes and not daring to say a word. It seemed that she knew the purpose of their visit.

"Princess Consort, the Grand Princess means that since the Crown Prince is now lying dead on the battlefield, to show the Emperor's benevolence, you should go and accompany him."

Ning Yu turned her eyes and saw that the old woman was carrying a tray with a dagger, a white silk ribbon, and poison on it.

She stood up and gave Qinghe behind her a meaningful look.

As soon as Qinghe closed the door, Ningyu didn't give the old woman a chance to react. She slashed down on the back of her neck, and the woman fell to the ground with a thud.

The two maids who followed behind were startled. They widened their eyes and were about to run away when Ning Yu knocked them both down, stuffed a handkerchief into their mouths, and tied them all up.

"Miss, what should we do next? The Princess will receive the message soon."

They can't escape, escaping will implicate many people. What should they do, Miss?

Ning Yu had no choice; she hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. She had to go all in and couldn't wait for anyone to slowly take the bait.

After she had tied everyone up, she took out a bottle of medicine from the cabinet.

"Watch them, and when they wake up, force them to drink this. If I haven't returned by 9 PM, lead them all to the East Garden."

Qinghe quickly took the medicine, and seeing her take the bottle of Biyue and Xianglie medicine with her, she asked anxiously, "Miss, are you going to do something foolish?"

Ning Yu shook her head and put the medicinal fragrance into her purse.

If it doesn't work, she'll make sure the Xie family's scandals spread like wildfire throughout the city, even after she dies.