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

The palace gates were heavily guarded, with imperial guards patrolling in shifts. Those who could leave the palace by carriage were either high-ranking officials and nobles or the Donghu envoys who had not yet left. The Donghu guards were all unfamiliar faces and not easily spotted.

I heard it was because of the war in the southwest. I wonder if the Donghu also wanted a share of the spoils. Several important generals were left to live in the palace. Xie Xun received those envoys a few days ago. They should be living in the central hall now.

Ning Yu circled around the treasure pavilion, followed at a distance by the old women behind her. She walked along the path in the woods, watching the soldiers coming and going, her gaze settling on the Donghu people who were dealing with the head of the guards.

A faint voice drifted from across the lake. Ning Yu glanced at the maids behind her and said calmly, "I'll just wander around. You can rest here for a bit."

"This old servant will still follow Madam---"

Before she could finish speaking, a chilling aura emanated from her beautiful face, silencing the head maid.

Ning Yu crossed the bridge and walked to the tree on the other side of the lake.

"Your Majesty's consideration is very thoughtful. We, on behalf of our king, thank the Emperor of Great Xia for his great favor."

"Not at all, not at all. This is just a token of my appreciation. I have already ordered people to pack up His Majesty's gifts, and we will leave the city with the cavalry in a couple of days."

The man leading the group gestured for a while, mixing in broken Central Plains dialect. Ning Yu followed the head guard's words and looked into the courtyard.

Boxes of goods were carried on the backs of horses. The caravan of about a hundred horses was filled with Donghu people loading things. These Donghu people were short in stature, wearing hats and with stick-on beards, so they must be about to leave.

Looking at their attire and listening to the head guard's polite words, she slowly turned around and walked back.

The next morning, Ning Yu discovered that all the palace servants in Changxin Palace had been punished with beatings, and the head maid who had brought her medicine to prevent miscarriage had two more handprints on her face.

"You will die in the palace, no matter what. Leave? Dream on. You deserve to be locked up here until you die."

Was she imprisoned to death because she went out for a walk yesterday, so all the palace servants in Changxin Palace were punished?

Ning Yu stared blankly at the head maid who was walking while enduring the pain, and asked, "You were also punished?"

"This old servant failed in his duty of supervision and deserves to die."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt an unprecedented sense of suffocation wash over her.

The head maid placed the medicine bowl on the couch table, bowed, and stood aside. The chief eunuch had told her last night to keep a close eye on the lady and stay in the palace.

In the past, a new group of people would have been assigned to serve them, but for some reason, they were still on duty.

Ning Yu naturally guessed the dog emperor's intention: to make her watch as everyone was punished because of her, and to let her know who she relied on in the palace.

That beast, he's a complete bastard.

Ning Yu felt a pain in her chest from anger, and she leaned against a soft pillow, gasping for breath.

No wonder a palace maid noticed something was off about her expression when she came in to clean. As soon as she looked over, she immediately lowered her head. It was because of that palace maid that she noticed the strangeness of these people.

"It's me who's dragged you all down with me."

The head maid dared not harbor any resentment towards her; a servant is a servant, and his life is in the hands of his master.

With slender, delicate hands, she opened the makeup box and took out a porcelain bottle. "Take this medicine to them."

Ning Yu then took out some of her own jewelry, saying, "I'll distribute these as a reward."

"Thank you for your kindness, Madam." The head maid said respectfully and sincerely, her slightly plump round face showing her gratitude. "Madam, you don't need to blame yourself. It was my fault for failing in my duties and offending His Majesty. It is only right that I lose my life."

Suffocating. The rules in this palace are truly suffocating.

"It is already an immense favor that the lady has bestowed such good medicine upon us. No one will hold a grudge; they will all respectfully kneel and thank you for your kindness."

Ning Yu raised her eyes. The head maid was still kneeling on the ground, her face trembling slightly. She glanced at her a few times and said, "Auntie, you should go back now."

The head maid breathed a sigh of relief. "This old servant takes her leave."

---

After leaving the inner palace, the head maid was helped to sit in a side room next to her by a second-class palace maid. She would rest here when she was not on duty, as it was close to the lady's bedroom and convenient for being summoned.

She glanced at the little palace maid whimpering on the kang (heated brick bed), her face darkening. "What are you still yelling for? I'm an old man, but I'm not as delicate as you bunch of little brats."

The palace maids dared not disobey and lowered their heads with some resentment.

"Here, this is a gift from the Madam. This medicine looks like a good thing. You all can use it."

The head maid naturally wouldn't give out all the rewards; she pocketed the money herself.

The palace maids thanked them meekly for the gifts. One little maid had a slightly aggrieved look on her childish face. "It was Madam who wanted to go out."

A sharp slap landed on her cheek. The head maid's face darkened, and the palace servants were so frightened that they immediately rolled off the kang (heated brick bed) and knelt on the ground.

"You reckless wretch! How dare you gossip about your mistress? You even dare to complain! Do you want to go back to the kitchen?"

Ning Yu was usually good-tempered and never scolded or beat her servants. The maid thought that if the madam pleaded for them, they wouldn't be punished. She blurted out a complaint, but her aunt slapped her across the face.

The slap jolted her awake. The mistress she served was gentle, and over time, she had forgotten that she was serving the Emperor. If word got out, the Madam might not kill her, but His Majesty would.

She immediately kowtowed several times, trembling as she begged for mercy, "It was my slip of the tongue, please forgive me, Aunt."

"Don't think you've gotten carried away just because you've had a few good days. This is in front of the Emperor. If you dare to speak out of turn again, even eight hundred lives wouldn't be enough to kill you."

The head maid was also punished; her buttocks hurt, and she didn't want to get angry. She gave a few words of advice and then went to rest, supporting her thick back.

The palace maid beside him immediately offered her assistance, offering a few flattering words.

Ning Yu was naturally unaware of these things. She had taken a nap in the morning and wasn't sleepy at night, so she leaned against the soft couch, holding the fox cat in her arms.

The people in the palace feed the cat meticulously, and it has grown quite plump. It stretches out its little head and rolls around in her arms.

Ning Yu was stroking its soft fur in a daze when suddenly, a strange palace servant's voice came from the palace gate, saying that they had come to take the cat master back to rest.

She replied calmly, "Let it sleep here tonight."

As soon as she finished speaking, the palace door was suddenly opened. She squinted and saw a palace maid in palace attire walk in.

None of the palace servants in Changxin Palace dared to barge in so directly. She carefully examined the unfamiliar palace servant and gripped the small knife hidden in her sleeve.

She didn't shout, but carefully looked the person up and down. Even though the palace maid was bending over, she could tell that the person was taller than the average palace maid. She subconsciously looked at the maid's Adam's apple, but there was none.

Is she overthinking it?

"The Crown Princess."