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

Qinghe was released so quickly because the Third Master gave the order. The Third Madam had been wondering why the Third Master would care about such a trivial matter. When she saw Ningyu coming to pay her respects to the Old Madam, she couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.

This Crown Princess Consort certainly has a captivating face.

Logically speaking, although the old man was lecherous, he wouldn't dare to touch this woman, after all, she was Ayan's wife. If the Xie family found out, they would tear him to pieces.

Her mind was filled with all sorts of suspicions, which made her restless. The Third Madam's expression turned even more unpleasant when she looked at Ning Yu.

"The mourning period hasn't even ended, why is the Crown Princess dressed so flamboyantly?"

Upon hearing the accusation, Ning Yu instinctively met the gaze of the Third Madam, and saw her face. She said calmly, "Aunt, where do you see anything ostentatious about my attire?"

Ning Yu always kept a low profile in the mansion. She wore only a plain dress and her hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, without any other decorations.

"Last night, when the master came back, he specifically told me to release that girl, the Princess Consort, immediately. Did the Princess Consort fail to get help from the Old Madam, so she went to your third uncle for help now?"

These words drew everyone's attention, each with a different expression.

The Third Master was also in the hall. He came to the Old Madam's room right after the morning court session and had a meal with her. When he heard his daughter-in-law say this so openly, his old face instantly darkened.

"Yesterday, Hemian mentioned to me that everyone at the dinner table knows I have such a good wife. She's been showing off in the inner quarters, and you've made me lose face completely."

It's Xie Hemian again?!

A young lady from the manor covered her mouth and laughed, "Third brother is so good to his sister-in-law."

Whether these words were intentional or unintentional, everyone couldn't help but recall the time when Third Master Xie Hemian pleaded for Ning Yu, and they looked at her with meaningful glances.

Ning Yu, without blushing at all, calmly said, "Third Master has followed the Young Master since childhood, so he naturally respects his elder sister-in-law."

These words were so tactful that the Third Madam couldn't find a single fault with them. Seeing that the Third Master glared at her, she clutched her handkerchief and remained silent.

Seeing that the old lady's expression was not good, the second wife stepped in to smooth things over and smiled as she let the matter drop.

"By the way, I heard that Aunt Wen is pregnant. Has she been seen by a doctor?"

The Third Madam's face darkened whenever the matter was brought up, but she still had to maintain a facade of composure. "I've seen it, and they say the pregnancy is somewhat unstable."

"Now that you're pregnant, send more people to take care of her," the old lady instructed.

Ning Yu sat to the left of the old lady, listening to them talk about the children, quietly drinking her tea without saying a word.

When she and Xie Xun were intimate, incense for preventing pregnancy would be burned in the room, but when he got excited, he didn't care about anything else. Her body was her own, and she had to find a way to get some contraceptives.

After leaving, Ning Yu didn't rush back to the Ink Academy; instead, she went to browse the library.

Xie Xun, that bastard, only knows about that kind of thing all day long. She doesn't dare to turn against him, nor does she want to go over every night to satisfy his lust. It's best to drag things out until he falls asleep.

The library was near the Emerald Pavilion. Ning Yu walked across the small bridge and stream and saw a woman boating on the lake.

She stopped and looked closely. From a distance, she could only see that the woman seemed to have had a good time. She was being helped ashore by her maids and was walking towards her.

Why did Ning Yu scrutinize a complete stranger so closely? It was because she noticed that this woman looked remarkably like the woman she had seen having an affair with that day, and, upon closer inspection, the scent of rouge on her body was even more similar.

"Princess Consort?!" The woman recognized her and bowed to her, but her heavily made-up slanted eyes gave her a rather shrewish look.

"Aunt Wen, you're pregnant, so please be careful and don't make any big movements." The maid beside her glared at her meaningfully, as if looking down on someone.

Aunt Wen, supporting her pregnant belly, laughed heartily, "Please don't be offended, Princess Consort, my maid just speaks her mind."

Why was the concubine so polite to an unfavored princess consort?

Aunt Wen?! Ning Yu's gaze involuntarily fell on her stomach, a flicker of emotion flashing in her eyes, before she nodded and turned to leave.

"Auntie, what are you looking at?"

"Look at her, how beautiful our Crown Princess is. She's just wearing a simple dress and no makeup, yet she's so eye-catching."

The young maid, not understanding what Aunt Wen meant, asked suspiciously, "So what if she's pretty? The young master is gone."

Aunt Wen chuckled, "I heard she had a big falling out with the madam over a maid. Perhaps this princess consort can lend us a hand."

Aunt Wen and the Third Madam have always been at odds, but the Third Madam is the mistress, and she can't do anything about her. Even if she gives birth to a child, she has to send it to be raised under the Third Madam's name. But the person in front of her is also a mistress. If she pushes her a little, she might make the Third Madam suffer.

There was no one guarding the library, and Ning Yu went up to the second floor to find an unlocked room.

The building was regularly cleaned, and there were many books on the shelves. She picked up a medical book and started reading.

Ning Yu stared at the window for several hours. There were guards patrolling outside with torches. Ning Yu felt her back was aching, so she put down her book and looked out the window.

He should be asleep by now.

Qingfeng went to the Ink Academy but couldn't find Ning Yu, so he went back to report. He was scolded and immediately came out to have the Dragon Scale Guards secretly investigate where the person had gone.

To everyone's surprise, an examination revealed that the person was ill. When the maid went in, she saw the person drinking medicine and lying sickly on the bed.

"Did you catch a chill last night?"

"Yes."

Xie Xun thought of the outrageous things he had done last night. He probably caught a cold then, so he didn't say anything more.

Ning Yu thought she had escaped a disaster, but who knew that in the following days, Xie Xun actually sent his people to her courtyard with a doctor to examine her.

She was just faking it; she only had a slightly itchy throat. With these people watching her, her fever quickly subsided, and she felt much better.

She had no choice but to go to the East Garden at night.

Xie Xun had been at the military camp outside the city for the past few days, except when he was attending court. He hadn't been able to touch her for several days. When they finally met, he couldn't resist picking her up and placing her on the table, then leaning down for a passionate kiss.

Ning Yu was overwhelmed and kicked at his robes.

Xie Xun, that bastard, is quite easy to talk to in bed. Even if she has a bad temper, he won't say anything and even finds it fun in the room, so he torments her as much as he can.

"Commander---It hurts---"

"I caught a chill and had to rest for three days." He bit her lip, seemingly quite dissatisfied.

Ning Yu's heart tightened, and she coaxed him with her alluring eyes, saying coquettishly, "It's all because you do that every time. I'm just being blown around by the wind."

"Governor, the Duke has arrived." Just then, Qingfeng's voice came from outside the door.

Ning Yu's confused and infatuated eyes instantly sharpened. She hurriedly pushed him away, put on her clothes, and ran into the inner room. When she turned around, she saw that there was still lipstick left on his lips. She hurriedly took a handkerchief and wiped it clean for him.

Xie Xun was roughly wiped by her. He grabbed her hand, leaned down and bit her lip without any politeness. "Go inside and wait."

Ning Yu's ears twitched, and she sensed that the person had reached the door. She didn't care about him anymore and quickly went into the inner room.