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

"You've been dawdling for ages, don't you want to come?" Ning Yu heard the man's sarcastic voice as soon as she entered the waterside pavilion.

Although Xie Xun is not human, he is indeed good-looking, with cold and stern eyes and an elegant and bewitching face. However, beneath that skin, he is dark and ugly.

He was dressed in a black and white robe, with the belt loosely tied at the waist, revealing his muscular chest underneath.

He was incredibly strong, with hard, solid muscles, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. He looked tall and slender when clothed, but you could only tell how muscular he was when he took his clothes off.

When they were intimate, she could never push him away. Her weight was almost entirely supported by his arm. She was quite tall, but in front of him, she looked like a little lamb.

"Ouch, that hurts." She sat on the windowsill, her fingers gripping his stiff upper arm. "Something happened."

The lake was right outside the window, and the lotus flowers in the pond swayed in the wind like layers of mist. She was so nervous that her legs were taut, afraid that someone on the other side of the lake would see her.

"What is it?"

A chill ran down her shoulder, and Ning Yu let out a muffled groan, burying her face in the crook of his neck, and said softly, "I saw someone having an affair."

Xie Xun laughed at her, "You like watching live sex shows? Shall I take you to a brothel?"

Get lost.

Ning Yu cursed him in her heart, but on the surface she was humming and whining in an endearing way, which made his eyes turn bloodshot.

The waterside pavilion was interconnected, and the south-facing windows were open. Ning Yu couldn't resist him, so she kicked his robe with her delicate feet. Perhaps because of the lake water, the soles of her feet felt cool and slippery against it.

She felt her bottom was so sore she could barely sit still, so she reached out and pushed him, "Let's go back inside."

"Right here."

"If someone comes over, I'll be seen."

Xie Xun bit her lip. "So what if you saw it?"

Of course not. He only wanted a woman. Who would say anything? She would definitely be secretly executed by the Xie family to cover up this scandal.

For a fleeting moment, she regretted getting involved with him. Getting involved was easy, but getting out was like entering a wolf's den; she had no choice.

Ning Yu avoided his kiss, breathing softly, "This window frame is uncomfortable, I don't want to sit here."

"Delicate."

He put her down, held her head, and said, "Lie down."

"Hmm~"

There was an underground trading place in the capital that noble young men frequented. It was built beneath the largest brothel and catered exclusively to high-ranking officials and nobles.

Ning Yu had never heard of this place before; this was her first time here.

The second floor consisted of private boxes where nobles could watch the hunting grounds below. The box she was in was the largest in the building, occupied by Xie Xun's cronies.

Ning Yu sat on the stool by the window, looking down at the ferocious beasts in the cages and the group of women who had been released into them. A chill ran through her, and she could barely hold the teacup in her hand.

"Who is that?" Xiao Zhiliu stared at Ning Yu curiously. She was indeed beautiful, but this was the first time he had ever seen Xie Xun bring a woman out. Wouldn't his dear sister be devastated? Hahaha.

Xie Xun glanced at the woman's indifferent face, threw down the blood jade in his hand, and walked over.

A shadow fell over her head. Ning Yu looked up and met the man's eyes. He leaned over her, bracing himself on either side, and glanced at the commotion below. "Scared?"

Ning Yu felt extremely uncomfortable being enveloped by him like this, as both of their gazes were directed at her, scrutinizing her with curiosity and interest.

She had agreed to wear a veil when she came out, but he insisted on threatening her, saying that he was someone who couldn't be seen by others.

However, judging from the two people, they should be his men and wouldn't say anything out of line, especially the man who had been sitting in the chair looking at the blood jade with Xie Xun. He was cold and indifferent and didn't seem like a talkative person.

"no."

As the two were talking, Xiao Zhiliu leaned against the window, casually watching the closed gate. "Hey, the goods delivered today are pretty good. What's the prize?"

"They said it was a Buddha's hand pendant bought from a Hu person, to bring good luck to everyone."

The speaker was Wei Rongxuan, the eldest son of the Wei family. He held a folding fan in his hand, and his back was as straight as a pine tree, resembling the figure of a jade beauty.

The elders' council, headed by the Xie family, is divided into two parallel families: the Xiao family and the Wei family. The three have been friends for many years, fought together in the north, and both hold power in the elders' council.

Xiao Zhiliu chuckled, took the arrow from the quiver, and aimed it at the woman below.

"I'll give it a try."

Ning Yu had no idea what they were doing. She watched as the people in the private rooms on the second floor opened their windows and started shooting arrows down at her. The scene was gruesome, but she kept her eyes closed and didn't look.

The piercing screams kept coming from below. Ning Yu felt like vomiting. How come this inhuman place wasn't shut down by the Dali Temple?

"East Three Pavilions, Three Plans."

The judge's voice came, and Ning Yu subconsciously looked over and saw three glass lamps lit up in the opposite private room.

She subconsciously looked inside and saw a man sitting there. Through the half-open window, she could vaguely see that he seemed to be holding a woman in his arms.

"That seems to be the Crown Prince." Wei Rongxuan narrowed his eyes, staring at the opposite private room with an ambiguous expression.

Upon hearing that it was the Crown Prince, Xiao Zhiliu became even more excited, drew his bow and arrow, and with a whoosh, broke the Crown Prince's arrow in two.

The person in the private room was indeed Xie Jingchen. He originally wanted to bring Wei Qingrou out to relax, but he didn't expect that this would frighten her so much that her stomach hurt. He couldn't care less about having fun now and hurriedly called his personal physician in.

"Your Highness, rest assured, the Crown Princess is unharmed; she was merely frightened."

Hearing the piercing laughter and the sound of crossbows, Wei Qingrou swallowed the pill, her face pale as she nestled in his arms. "I never knew there was such a place in the capital."

The prince stroked her face without saying a word.

Wei Qingrou looked up at him and said, "I don't like this place. Close it."

"Closed?!" Xie Jingchen raised an eyebrow and looked outside. "Look at this place, isn't it beautiful?"

"I think it looks bad, and it's very bloody and scary. The howling of that beast gave me a headache."

Xie Jingchen rubbed her cheeks and laughed loudly, but then his smile vanished as he looked at something.

Wei Qingrou was annoyed by his laughter. Following his gaze, she saw the figure standing by the window in the opposite room.

From a distance, she couldn't see what the woman in the man's arms looked like. Her face was veiled, revealing only her eyes, but she could sense that the woman was very dissatisfied with the way she drew her bow and nocked an arrow, and her body was tense.

The man behind her raised his arm to teach her how to draw the bow; he was tall and almost completely enveloped her in his embrace.

"Is that Commander Xie?"

"That's strange, when did Xie Xun get a woman by his side?"

Hearing her husband's words, Wei Qingrou looked away and comforted him, "The governor is a man too, it's normal for him to have women."

She knew that the Crown Prince and the Governor were sworn enemies, especially in court. Every time she was in the palace, she could hear him cursing the officials of the Eastern Palace, and he had even tried to assassinate the Governor on several occasions.

The Xie family and the Wei family are both powerful clans within the Elders' Council, sharing the same blood and lineage. She comes from the Wei family, so naturally she should prioritize the Wei family's interests, but---

She looked at his face, her fingers gently tracing his brow bone. He was her husband, her everything.

"I really don't like this place; it's too brutal and bloody."

A soft voice drifted into his ears. Xie Jingchen lowered his eyes to look at her and couldn't help but say, "If you serve me well, I will order this place to be sealed off."