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

When the Duke of Dingguo came in, he saw his son sitting at his desk with his eyes lowered so that his expression could not be seen.

Over the years, Xie Xun has cultivated many henchmen in the court, secured his position as commander-in-chief of the three armies, and held military power. He no longer respects his father, and the power of the elders' council has been gradually dismantled by him, thus consolidating power over the three armies.

"Father." He looked up.

As they got closer, they could see the bite marks on his neck. The Duke of Dingguo thought he was seeing things and stared in surprise.

Looking more closely at his son, his face was as calm as ever, without any outward emotion, but now it was obvious that there was lipstick left by a woman on his lips.

He glanced at the tightly closed inner room, smiled, and said, "There's a woman here?"

Xie Xun gave a casual "hmm" and didn't say anything else.

The Duke of Dingguo naturally wouldn't interfere with his son's sexual affairs, nor would he ask many questions. Instead, he brought up the recent war in the Northwest.

Ning Yu hadn't been inside for long when she heard the sound of people leaving outside, and the door was pushed open from the outside.

She looked up and saw the man entering.

She seemed to have just heard about the war in the Northwest. As far as she knew, the Northwest was the Xie family's stronghold. It seemed that the Duke of Dingguo was asking Xie Xun whether he was forging weapons and raising a private army in the Northwest.

This blatant act of forging weapons and raising a private army is tantamount to treason; Xie Xun, that wolf cub, has a lot of ambition.

"What are you thinking about?"

Cool fingers lifted her chin, and Ning Yu immediately concealed her expression, reaching out to hook her arms around his neck, saying gently, "I heard Grandmother mention the Governor's marriage the other day, asking if you have anyone in mind?"

If that scoundrel gets married and gets tired of her, that would be a wonderful thing. She could then live a peaceful and quiet life as a noblewoman, living a quiet and uneventful life in a secluded corner.

"You're being nosy," he said, lifting her by the waist.

Ning Yu rolled her eyes inwardly, as if nobody cared about him.

She thought this in her heart but didn't show it on her face. Her misty eyes looked at him. "I was also afraid that the old lady would find out. Today at Rong'an Hall, they mentioned Third Master again and thought that there was something between me and Third Master."

Xie Xun bit her earlobe, his voice low and husky, "I'll take care of it."

Ning Yu's heart skipped a beat. Before she could say anything, he suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

She cried out in pain, her tongue numb from his kisses. She tried to push him away, but couldn't budge him. She could only sob and clutch his robe, crumpling it in large patches.

Ning Yu was tossed and turned all night, sleeping and waking up repeatedly. Smoke rose from the incense burner, making the fragrance even more intense.

The next morning, before Xie Xun went to court, Ning Yu rolled over and bumped directly into his arms.

She groggily opened her eyes and glanced at the sky outside; it was already noon.

The blinding sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the disheveled clothes on the corner of the bed. Ning Yu instantly woke up and hurriedly lifted the covers to retrieve the clothes from the corner of the bed.

The arms tightly bound around her waist were incredibly strong; with a single pull, they drew her back into their embrace.

When Xie Xun returned after finishing his business, he saw that she was still asleep, so he held her and went back to sleep. However, he was a light sleeper and was alert, so he woke up as soon as she moved.

"It hurts, be gentle."

His broad chest pressed tightly against hers, without a single gap. Ning Yu reached out to punch him, but he lifted her chin and kissed her deeply.

"He's such a beast so early in the morning—no, in the middle of the day!" Ning Yu grabbed his back in anger.

Xie Xun grabbed her hands and tied them up, then lifted them above her head. With his other hand, he grabbed her beautiful legs and lifted them up, kissing them fiercely.

"Be good."

Today is the Tianzhu Festival, and the mansion is very busy. The Third Madam's nephew, Wei Mingqi, just returned from Qingyang Prefecture and came to pay his respects to his aunt early this morning.

The Third Madam doted on her nephew and said she wanted him to stay for dinner at the mansion today. Wei Mingqi, who had been worried about not having a chance to talk to Xie Xun, quickly agreed.

His investigation into the salt merchants uncovered several powerful figures in the court, implicating a wide range of people and requiring him to bribe officials. He had acquired a pair of jade ruyi scepters during his trip to Jiangnan and was just looking for an opportunity to give them as gifts.

"If this case is solved, Grandfather will value our branch of the family even more."

The third wife smiled with satisfaction, "You are a promising person."

Ambitious?! Everyone in the capital knows that Wei Mingqi is a lecherous and incompetent playboy. It was the Wei family who covered for him in this case of supervising the salt merchants in Jiangnan.

"Young Master Wei."

As soon as Wei Mingqi came out, he saw a slender person standing outside the courtyard, seemingly heading towards Qingyuan.

"Yes, the young ladies and gentlemen are all gathered over there, including the Third Miss. That's why I thought I'd go and take a look."

A rich fragrance wafted into his nose, and Wei Mingqi felt a sudden heat in his lower abdomen. He squinted and couldn't help but glance at Aunt Wen's figure, but he felt disgusted and strode towards Qingyuan.

His mother intended to arrange a marriage with the Xie family and wanted him to marry a young lady from the Xie family. If he found someone he liked, he could go back and talk to his mother about it.

Aunt Wen watched the departing person, a faint smile playing on her lips.

She bought this aphrodisiac from a quack doctor. The Third Master is getting old and impotent, so he likes to use this to light incense, and it's coming in handy now.

I've long heard that Madam's nephew is lecherous and cowardly, and has done a lot of things like abducting women. I wonder if he has the desire but not the guts to do it in the Xie family.

That's fine, as long as it widens the gap between the Third Madam and the Crown Prince's Consort.

Ning Yu was going to have dinner at the old lady's place that night, and didn't dare to linger with him for too long, so she wanted to go back to Mo Courtyard first.

But Xie Xun, that bastard, was exceptionally difficult to talk to. He tormented her again and again, forcing her to cry and beg for mercy until her voice was hoarse before finally letting her go back.

Her legs were so weak that she had to rest for two more hours before getting up.

"Miss, are you really wearing this?"

Ning Yu tied up her long black hair and changed into the clothes Qing He had brought her. They were very simple, but the clothes were light and cool.

"All the masters and mistresses are here today. The young master just left, so it's always good to keep a low profile."

The family banquet was held in Qingyuan. Ning Yu arrived after walking for about half an incense stick's time. Several tables were set up inside, and the place was brightly lit and very lively.

The old lady hasn't arrived yet, and the young ladies and gentlemen in the mansion are all laughing and talking.

She found a quiet spot to sit and idly watched the lively carp in the pond, pondering the matter of contraceptives.

Wei Mingqi had been strolling around Qingyuan for quite a while, and he felt a surge of heat rising in his stomach that made him feel like he was on fire. He was used to indulging in desires and found it hard to suppress this burning desire.

Seeing that the fourth young lady was pretty and charming, they wanted to lure her into the Qinghe Pond.

But then I glanced over and saw a beautiful woman sitting on the veranda watching the fish. She was really very attractive. I wondered which house she belonged to.

He's never been this impatient before, but for some reason today, he just wanted to find a woman to vent his frustrations.

Ning Yu quickly noticed someone approaching her. When she turned around, she saw an average-looking man. He was wearing a camel-colored brocade robe, which was nice, but it couldn't hide his slightly overweight figure. He had greasy hair and a powdered face.

As he got closer, he could see the woman's face more clearly, and Wei Mingqi felt even drier and his lower abdomen hotter.

"I wonder which household you belong to, young lady? Why are you sitting here all alone?"