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

Ning Yu did not stay overnight in the East Garden. She was worried about Qing He's injuries and made an excuse to slip away.

As soon as she got back, she rushed to the side room. Qinghe lived alone, and only sat up with a hissing sound when she heard the noise.

"Miss."

Ning Yu quickly went to the bedside and helped her sit up. "How are you? Where are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

Ning Yu didn't believe her at all. She tore open her clothes and saw the bruises and wounds on her body. Her anger rose rapidly.

She didn't show it; she just stared at the wound.

Qinghe quickly put on her clothes and comforted her, "Mother Qin has already applied the medicine, Miss, you don't need to worry."

She had been whipped in some way, and there were obvious small thorns on her body. Ning Yu patted her head and said, "This medicine is good. It won't leave scars. It will be fine by tomorrow, and your skin will still be soft and supple."

Qinghe had never seen skin more delicate than her young mistress's, and said with a smile, "This servant will definitely take care of myself to have skin as good as yours."

Ning Yu chuckled, "Okay, does the wound still hurt?"

"It's much better now."

"Tell me the specifics of what happened that day."

What Qinghe said was pretty much the same as what she knew, but she didn't expect that Xie Ling would slap her several times that day and even instigate the Third Madam to order her to be whipped.

"Okay, I understand. You can go to sleep now."

Ning Yu was worried that Qing He might get a fever at night, so she slept in her room and stayed with her all night.

The next day, Qin's mother hurriedly went into the room, but heard no sound from inside. Thinking that she dared not let anyone know, she sent the maids away after they brought her some food.

When she brought food to visit Qinghe, she discovered that Ning Yu was there. She quickly suppressed her suspicions and respectfully went to greet her.

"Princess Consort, why are you sleeping here? How can you rest properly here?---"

Ning Yu interrupted her, "Mother Qin, have the kitchen prepare a medicinal meal for Qinghe and find a maid to come and help watch over her."

Qin's mother was taken aback for a moment, then quickly agreed and went to do it.

At noon, the physician came again and carefully examined Qinghe's wounds. He said there was nothing wrong with it; it was just an external injury and she would recover after a few days of rest.

Ning Yu gave the physician a tip, hoping he would give her the best medicine, and the physician agreed with a smile.

"I don't know if the old lady gave instructions, but recently people from all departments have been very attentive to the Mo Academy. The imperial physician rushed to the Mo Academy as soon as he came out of the old lady's office."

"Steward Li also sent over some brocade supplied from Jiangnan this summer, saying that he wanted to see what style of clothes the Crown Princess liked and had them made and sent over."

This brocade was made specifically for noble ladies to wear in the summer. It was light, thin, and cool. When walking under the sun, the fabric felt cool and smooth. Some were distributed to the palace, and the remaining bolts were in the Xie family's possession. They even sent some to their Mo Academy.

Hearing Qin's mother's smiling words, Ning Yu didn't react much, and instead asked about Xie Ling.

"Is the Fifth Miss still in solitary confinement?"

"Yesterday I heard from the nannies at Pearl Pavilion that the Fifth Miss was throwing a tantrum and refusing to eat. The Second Madam even went to see her and apparently scolded her. Today, she's been staying quietly in her room."

As she spoke, Madam Qin added, "This fifth young lady is about to get married. It is said that the second madam has taken a liking to the third young master of the Prime Minister's mansion and is talking to the eldest princess about it."

The third young master of the Prime Minister's mansion?!

Ning Yu paused, holding the teacup, as if remembering something, and whispered a few words to Qin Mama.

Xie Ling had been bored these past two days because she was locked in her room. Early this morning, her aunt came over and scolded her, telling her to stay away from that Crown Prince's wife in the future.

She just couldn't stand Ning Yu's seductive ways and was taking it out on her maid. She hadn't really done anything to her, so why did her aunt come over and scold her, telling her to stay in the room and reflect on her actions and not to run around?

"Miss, I've found out. The Third Young Master is at Fei Xiang Pavilion."

Fei Xiang Pavilion?! Xie Ling didn't know what this place was, and was curious. "Let's go and see this person."

His aunt said he was handsome and from a good family, but she had never met him and wanted to see if he was as good as his aunt described.

Seeing that the Fifth Miss had secretly slipped out of the manor wearing a veil, Qin Mama immediately went back to report to Ning Yu. Ning Yu was standing by the window watching the carrier pigeons fly away when she heard the words behind her and gave a soft "hmm".

She heard the wind at night; Xie Ling had caused a ruckus at Fei Xiang Pavilion.

She said that she saw the Third Young Master drinking with a man, with maids serving him, and she thought they were doing something shameful, so she started to have doubts in her heart.

Later, she seemed to overhear the two talking about her again. The third young master looked down on her and didn't want the marriage. When she got angry, she went in and overturned the table.

I heard that His Highness Prince Zhao was also inside. Somehow, it blew up and made a fool of himself in front of all the noble young men present. It spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

The Xie family naturally heard the news quickly and immediately sent people to bring the person back.

The Duke of Dingguo was concerned about his reputation and had more than one daughter. Feeling ashamed, he slapped her several times.

She was scolded for being spoiled and daring to cause such a big trouble. Tomorrow, the Censorate should impeach her for causing unrest in her household and failing to properly educate her daughter. There's no way they'll be able to get her a title of county princess.

The Grand Princess added fuel to the fire, causing Xie Ling to be beaten several more times, crying her eyes out. The Duke of Dingguo did not show any mercy and punished her by making her kneel in a dark room.

Everyone in the hall witnessed the commotion, but Ning Yu didn't go to see it. She wasn't particularly happy when she heard the news that she had been locked in the dark room; she simply asked Qin Mama to bring in the medicinal meal for Qing He.

"Princess Consort, you didn't see it, the Duke was so angry that he slapped the Fifth Miss's face until it bled."

Knowing that she disliked the Fifth Miss, Qin Mama continued jokingly, "The Fifth Miss is not very bright. She was still yelling and asking if anyone would plead for her to be locked up together. She even said she would send her to the estate."

Ning Yu simply hummed in response without replying. Upon seeing this, Qin's mother immediately stopped smiling and went to deliver the medicinal meal.