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

The next day was the hunting festival specially organized by the Great Xia Dynasty to welcome the envoy from the Upper Liang Dynasty.

The capital of the Great Xia Dynasty is located in the Central Plains, covering an area of ​​hundreds of miles. North of the Chishui River outside the city moat, there is a very good hunting ground for horse racing and hunting, which has been heavily guarded and access is strictly controlled.

It is now summer. Unlike the spring hunts, autumn hunts, and winter hunts, Xia Miao does not hunt young animals or collect bird eggs. In order to let everyone have a good time, the Grand Marshal has brought many wild beasts from the wilderness and imprisoned them all in the beast farm.

At night, for some unknown reason, many wild animals came out of the hunting grounds and made a great commotion.

Ning Yu was sleeping in the tent when she could vaguely hear the sounds outside.

She put on her cloak and left the tent. With her sharp eyes, she spotted a woman in riding attire riding a runaway horse, screaming as she disappeared into the woods.

There was supposed to be a banquet tonight, but she didn't want to go horseback riding and hunting, so she slipped away from the banquet early and went back to rest.

If she wasn't mistaken, the woman who had just been startled by the horse seemed to be Crown Princess Wei Qingrou.

The Crown Prince, how could she have ridden into the hunting grounds alone, especially while pregnant?

Wei Qingrou never expected that the usually docile white rabbit would suddenly feel pain and run wildly into the woods. She looked at the dark grove in front of her in horror, and tried to pull the rabbit's reins but couldn't hold it back no matter what she did.

There were many noble ladies dressed in riding attire in the woods, all hunting with bows and arrows, but none of them looked in her direction; instead, they headed towards the campfire.

She tried to call for help, but her throat felt like it was being choked by the wind, and the sound she made quickly dissipated into the air.

The vast camp was filled with laughter and cheers as the crowd watched the wrestling and horse fighting in the square, their voices loud and enthusiastic.

The terrain in West White Forest is complex and dangerous, with dense jungles and steep mountains that are difficult to cross.

Wei Qingrou's clothes were covered with scratches from tree branches, and blood was seeping from her arms. The wild horse beneath her was galloping extremely fast and was rushing uncontrollably toward the cliff.

She was terrified and tried to jump off her horse, but another spirited horse suddenly rammed into her from behind. Before she could even see who it was, she was thrown off the cliff along with the horse.

At the critical moment, a hand suddenly pulled her falling body. She looked up in surprise and saw a beautiful face.

"Prince Princess?!"

Ning Yu's eyes widened. She gripped the protrusion on the stone wall with one hand and pulled her up with the other.

"Relax your body, step on the protrusions on the stone wall, and grab the vines with your other hand and hand them to me---"

Wei Qingrou, who was hanging on the stone wall, hurriedly did as she was told, but she had lived in the deep palace for many years and had little strength. With this movement, she almost fell down.

Ning Yu was also dragged down by inertia.

Her body tensed up instantly, and she struggled to grasp the tree that had been cut down more than halfway through, her breathing becoming rapid.

Wei Qingrou was losing strength quickly, and a pain came from her stomach, making her face pale and weak. Ning Yu knew that if things continued like this, both of them would fall. She found a good angle and jumped down suddenly.

A piercing scream rang out. Ning Yu grabbed her body, used her feet for leverage, and pulled on the vines with one hand, carrying her up the cliff.

Wei Qingrou felt a wave of dizziness and somehow found herself on the edge of the cliff. Before she could react, sharp arrows shot out from behind her.

My wrist was suddenly grabbed, and my body shot off like an arrow.

---

"Your Highness, we've found out that something happened at Xibai Forest; the Crown Princess's horse was startled."

The Crown Prince had just suddenly and hurriedly led his troops into Xibailin, which clearly meant something had happened.

Upon hearing this news, King Zhao was immediately in high spirits and looked at the man beside him who had drawn his longbow.

Xie Xun had just shot and killed a tiger, piercing its throat with a single arrow. The tiger whimpered and twitched twice before collapsing to the ground.

Just as he was about to speak, the guard whispered again, "Your Highness, there is one more thing. A guard seems to have heard the Crown Princess's cries for help, saying that she is also in Xibai Forest."

Xie Yun's gaze instantly returned to them, "Princess Consort Ning Yu?!"

"Yes."

"Master." Qingfeng, who was originally going to collect the prey, rode closer to Xie Xun and said something. The latter's eyes narrowed slightly.

"She's looking to die."

Unable to fathom his master's intentions, Qingfeng hesitated and asked, "Should I send someone to bring them back?"

"She was such a busybody, she just died there."

Ning Yu knew that the women in the palace had poor physical strength, but she didn't expect Wei Qingrou to be so weak. She practically dragged her along as they ran, but the terrain was rugged, and after only a few steps, she stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Princess Consort, you run first, don't worry about me, my stomach hurts so much I can't run anymore."

Ning Yu's body was as cold as ice. She pulled her up with all her might, her eyes sharp. "Hold on. Once we're in a safe place, I'll distract the assassins."

Wei Qingrou's pale face was filled with fear and pain. She tightly protected her stomach with one hand. Hearing her words, she got up and tried to run again.

But her legs were too weak, and she couldn't muster any strength. The waves of abdominal pain also left her exhausted and powerless.

Seeing the arrow coming, Ning Yu quickly grabbed her and rolled away. But the next second, the rapid sound of horses' hooves swept in like a whirlwind. The assassin fled in panic, and countless imperial guards surrounded them from all directions, almost forming a circle around them.

Before Ning Yu could even see who it was, she was suddenly pushed aside, her back hitting a rock. The pain made her face change drastically, and she gasped for breath.

"Rou'er, Rou'er, how are you?" Xie Jingchen hurriedly picked up Wei Qingrou from the ground, his furious face full of anxiety. "Call the imperial physician, quickly call the imperial physician."

In the dense forest, Xie Xun looked at the woman who had been knocked down and couldn't stand up, his face extremely gloomy. "Stupid woman."

"Bring me arrows."

A sharp arrow flew in from the west wind. The imperial guards, busy chasing the assassin and searching for the imperial physician, did not notice the arrow and it pierced straight into the shoulder of Crown Prince Xie Jingchen.

Xie Jingchen winced in pain, his sinister eyes fixed on his bleeding arm. He snapped the arrow out and quickly scanned his surroundings.

Xie Xun seemed afraid that he wouldn't notice, so he slowly walked out of the woods, followed by a large number of soldiers. At his command, they all went to help capture the assassin.

Xie Jingchen watched him approach, his face ashen as if he had swallowed an arrow. "What are you doing here, Commander?"

"Upon hearing that the Crown Princess had been assassinated, we caught the assassin's accomplice in Xibai Forest on our way here and followed the trail."

Ning Yu had rushed to the rescue on horseback in a moment of desperation, and was not wearing any riding gear. He rolled around in the woods and looked quite disheveled.

Hearing that familiar voice, she quickly looked up. In the darkness, the man's figure was like a snow-capped mountain, his eyes devoid of emotion, and he didn't look at her. She pursed her lips and quietly got up to leave.

Suddenly, he called out to her, "Sister-in-law, what are you doing here?"

Ning Yu paused, noticing the Crown Prince's gaze directed her way, and explained, "I heard the sound of horses startled while I was sleeping in my tent. When I came out, I saw the Crown Princess frightened and had wandered into the woods, so I notified the guards to rescue her."

"I acknowledge the Crown Princess's life-saving grace. Please feel free to tell me if you need anything."

"Your Highness, the imperial physician has arrived."

A hurried sound came from inside, and Xie Jingchen immediately carried the woman in his arms into the makeshift tent, where the Imperial Guards surrounded them instantly.

In the dark, unlit forest, Ning Yu felt a dangerous glint in his eyes. She coughed lightly, "The Commander must still be busy, I'll head back now."

"Ningyu, Ningyu---"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from afar, and the two turned around to look.

A man in riding attire galloped towards them on horseback, his handsome face filled with anxiety.

Xie Xun glanced at the newcomer, his eyes lowered as he looked down at the woman beside him, observing her expression. Then he looked at the newcomer again, his eyes, hidden in shadow, seeming to turn extremely cold.

Xie Yun seemed not to see Xie Xun beside him. He leaped off his horse and landed next to her, taking her arm and anxiously checking on it. "Are you alright?"