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

Under the moonlight, the two stood very close to each other. Ning Yu felt a cold glint fall on her, and hurriedly lowered her eyes, subtly withdrawing her hand.

Xie Yan didn't go against her wishes and leaned back to sit down. "If you're really tired, don't push yourself."

"Yes."

"I heard that my elder brother went straight to the Dali Temple after leaving the palace today and even met with the Crown Prince."

Suddenly, a voice, neither too loud nor too soft, interrupted the lively conversation. Xie Yan looked up and met the man's eyes.

Xie Xun raised an eyebrow. "There are too many people and too many eyes in the Eastern Palace. The Emperor mentioned this matter at noon, saying that the Xie family might have close ties with the Eastern Palace."

This is something that can't be brought up in the open. What's wrong with the governor today?

The others pretended not to hear and remained silent, but Ning Yu noticed a flicker of unease in the man's peripheral vision.

The Duke of Dingguo's expression was not good. The Emperor was old and most averse to the Crown Prince forming factions and engaging in private affairs. He looked at his son below and said in a deep voice, "What are you going to the Dali Temple to see the Crown Prince for?"

Xie Yan's eyelids twitched, and after a moment of silence, he said, "I investigated a case."

What case?! The Duke of Dingguo was not satisfied with his answer, but he couldn't embarrass him in front of everyone, so he didn't continue to ask.

"In the salt tax bribery case, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review's superior is the Crown Prince. Has my elder brother gone to investigate the salt tax case?"

The calm, emotionless voice rang out again, and Ning Yu's expression immediately changed slightly, her hand gripping the handle trembling slightly.

Upon hearing that it was a salt tax case, those who knew the inside story immediately understood who it was for, and all sorts of eyes turned towards Ning Yu.

Ning Yu felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Suddenly, someone covered her hand. She looked up and met his gentle eyes.

Xie Xun patted the back of her hand, then looked across at the other side, "The salt tax case is of great importance, involving too many people. I unexpectedly discovered some things."

Xie Xun smiled. "What is it?"

"Two secret letters, locked away in a high-rise building---"

Before he could finish speaking, the Duke of Dingguo's face darkened, he slammed his hand on the table, and stood up. "Enough! What nonsense are you spouting?"

They were enjoying a peaceful performance when, unexpectedly, the two most favored sons of the clan started arguing. The faces of everyone in the garden turned sour, and they looked at the old lady with embarrassment.

Ning Yu sensed the old lady's gaze directed at her, and pursed her lips without saying a word.

"You two, come with me to the study."

Xie Yan stood up and patted her back. "If you're tired, go back and rest early."

Ning Yu really didn't want to stay here any longer. She composed herself and said to the old lady and the Grand Princess, "Grandmother, Mother, I'll go back and prepare some things for my husband."

The old lady looked at her for a long while, then said, "Go."

Ning Yu turned and left without even glancing at the gaze that fell upon her.

Upon returning to the Mo Courtyard, Ning Yu's expression instantly changed the moment she entered her room. "That bastard, is he afraid others won't notice something amiss?"

First, he came to Mo Courtyard in the middle of the night to sleep with her, and then he openly opposed her brother in front of the Xie family. What a fickle bastard, he wants to kill her!

"Miss, what's wrong?" Qinghe rushed in and, seeing her pale face, quickly asked, "What happened?"

Ning Yu snapped out of her daze, gestured for her to close the door, and then sat down on the couch with a limp body.

She didn't speak, and Qinghe didn't dare to say anything either. She silently went over and lit the incense in the stove to bring peace to people's hearts.

No, this can't go on. Xie Xun is vindictive and unpredictable. He can be all sweet talk to you last night, and today he can turn on you and kill you. He's as nonchalant as if he were harvesting cabbages.

"Miss, you look terrible."

Qinghe carefully brought over a bowl of cold soup. Ningyu raised her eyes, which were misty with tears, and said, "Could you deliver something to the East Garden for me tonight?"

East Garden.

When Xie Xun returned from the study, it was already past midnight. He went back to the waterside pavilion, walked to his desk, and saw the sachet next to the Xuan paper.

He picked it up and glanced at it. Qingfeng immediately said, "It was brought over by Miss Ning's maid half an incense stick ago. She said that there was no moon and incense inside, but there was calming incense inside so that the Governor could have a good sleep."

Xie Xun sneered, played with the sachet as he sat down. It was probably made in a hurry, using ordinary cloth, and the embroidered design was so ugly it looked like a Pixiu. He didn't know what kind of incense was used, but the smell was so strong it almost suffocated him.

"You think you can get rid of me with this piece of junk?"

The gentle breeze remained silent, standing quietly to the side with its head bowed.

"What is she doing?"

"I heard from someone that he has already gone to bed."

Ning Yu didn't sleep. She knew that she couldn't escape Xie Xun's eyes no matter what she did, so she closed the door and turned off the lights early, making people think that she had gone to sleep.

The sachet given to Xie Xun was ultimately a potential problem. Fearing that there might be issues in the future, she planned to embroider several more sachets for the elders in her family.

Qinghe was skilled at embroidery, and she finished quickly using the only light in the room.

Ning Yu moved the candle closer to her. She was not only slow at embroidering the sachet, but she also pricked her hands several times, and they were bleeding. Qing He felt sorry for her and took over all the work.

Ning Yu smiled and ruffled her hair. "I'll give you twenty taels of silver after you finish embroidering this one."

Qinghe quickly said, "I've already saved up a lot of silver, Miss, please don't give me any more."

The young lady was very generous to her. She wasn't born into the family; she was a maid bought by the Ning family. The family was so poor that they sent her to work as a maid.

She started following her mistress when she was twelve. Her mistress would always think of her when she had something good to eat and would often give her some money. A couple of days ago, she sent the hundred taels she had saved back home to treat her mother's illness, which could be considered as fulfilling her filial duty in the end.

Ning Yu smiled and shook her head, then held the candle closer to her.

The two embroidered until late into the night before finally going to bed. The next morning, Ning Yu delivered the embroidered sachets to the main courtyard and also gave one to the old lady when she went to Rong'an Hall to pay her respects.

"There's some calming incense in here. Ayu said it's a good incense from Leshan, and it has a calming effect. It can not only regulate the body, but also help Grandma sleep soundly at night."

The old lady had been suffering from insomnia for some time. People from the Imperial Hospital had come to treat her several times, saying that occasional insomnia was normal for someone her age.

She hadn't slept well last night, but hearing how thoughtful the two of them were, she smiled with relief.

"Thank you for your kindness. Ayan has just returned. You two don't need to come and pay your respects to this old woman. You should cultivate your relationship with your wives and give me a big, healthy grandson as soon as possible. That would be the greatest joy in the manor."

Xie Yan smiled but didn't speak. Ning Yu saw his gaze and her eyelids trembled. She also put on a gentle smile.