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

In the dead of night, thieves dared to openly set fire to the temple. The fire spread to Qinglingtai and even reached the Emperor's murals. The Crown Prince was furious and vowed to dig three feet into the ground to find the thieves.

The nobles living in the temple were terrified that someone might assassinate the prince and implicate them, so they all fled in panic, creating complete chaos.

Taking advantage of the situation, Ning Yu followed some nobles living in the temple down the mountain through the forest, but the assassins quickly scattered them.

In the woods behind the mountain, the assassins who had disguised themselves as assassins and set fire to Huguo Temple all returned. When Qingfeng, the leader, saw his master standing with his hands folded, he immediately knelt down.

"My lord, the matter has been accomplished."

Xie Xun glanced at the temple that was still emitting smoke, then mounted his horse, and the others behind him immediately followed suit.

"Did the woman deal with it?"

Qingfeng knew he was referring to Ning Yu. "I have already sent someone there, but there is something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"This woman is the newlywed wife of the heir apparent in the manor."

The lord went to Jiangdong a month ago and did not attend the wedding, so he does not know the bride the crown prince is marrying.

Xie Xun showed no expression upon hearing this, only gave a soft "hmm," and quickly spurred his horse away.

Seeing this, Qingfeng immediately dispatched more men to hunt down the master. The fact that his master was injured in the temple must not be revealed. The princess consort could only accept her bad luck.

Ning Yu knew that the scoundrel wouldn't give her the antidote, but she still didn't expect him to send someone to kill her so quickly to silence her.

In the pitch-black forest, she watched as several assassins chased after her. She instantly realized that they were all coming for her, to kill her and silence her.

With a pale face, she quickly pulled Qinghe into the woods. Amidst the howling wind, the almost inaudible footsteps made Ning Yu's heart pound wildly.

She couldn't hear a single sound; she simply couldn't defeat such a master.

"Listen, these people are here to kill me. You go and run with the others. The Crown Prince's imperial guards are nearby. Hurry!"

Upon hearing this, Qinghe's eyes widened in fright, and she quickly grabbed Qinghe's body as she rushed out, "No, no, if I run away, what will you do, Miss?"

"If we delay any longer, we'll both die. I'm strong and fast, so I won't be caught."

Before Qinghe could say anything, Ning Yu grabbed her and hid her in the bushes, then darted away like a cunning fox.

She hadn't run far when she heard footsteps approaching. They were clearly those of a martial artist, very light and soft, like the slight rustling of footsteps on dry leaves.

She subconsciously looked up at the trees on both sides of the forest. The cold, sharp sound of metal swords gleamed in the dark night. Her eyes narrowed, and she ran even faster, using the cover of the bushes.

But she never expected to be so unlucky as to end up on a cliff.

Presumably because there were fewer people on this side, the assassins suddenly surged out. Perhaps because she was a woman, only one of them attacked her.

With a flick of her wrist, Ning Yu swiftly and ruthlessly slashed down at the neck of a chilling dagger, as mercilessly as if slaughtering livestock.

The assassin hadn't expected such a frail woman to have a knife and seem to know martial arts. He quickly bent over to dodge the fatal blow, but when he looked up again, his entire cheek was kicked away with a thud.

The assassin refused to back down, his eyes, hidden behind the black cloth, suddenly turning bloodthirsty. He no longer held back and rolled over, engaging in a fierce fight.

The assassins nearby watched the fight, their eyes fixed on the dagger in Ning Yu's hand, their expressions seemingly saying, "Isn't that the dagger our lord always carries?"

"All troops, charge! Let's finish this quickly!"

Several masked assassins suddenly swarmed forward. Ning Yu was no match for them and was quickly put on the defensive.

She knew her life was hanging by a thread today, and looking at the precipice behind her, a daring idea flashed through her mind.

The cold, sharp swords slashed down at her like a thunderbolt. Ning Yu dodged to the side, but slipped on the mossy bluestone and fell headlong off the cliff.

Below the cliff, a sea of ​​clouds stretched as far as the eye could see, and several assassins rushed over, only to see her plummeting downwards.

"What should we do?"

All eyes turned to him. Sha Ying withdrew his gaze and turned back. "A woman with mediocre martial arts skills couldn't possibly survive falling into an abyss. Our mission is complete. Let's retreat."

After returning from Huguo Temple, Xie Xun went to the villa to rest for the night. Early the next morning, a servant came to report that the old lady had sent someone to urge him to return to the mansion as soon as possible.

The two sons of the Xie family were both outstanding individuals, excelling in both literature and martial arts, and were the dream husbands of every young lady in the capital.

But fate is cruel to the talented; Young Master Xie died on the battlefield, and the governor who was originally on business in Jiangdong was summoned back by fast horse.

After sending a message to the Jiangdong post station, the old lady sent several groups of people to check. Last night, the estate received news of the governor's return, and they rushed to report to the manor early this morning.

The young master's body is still at the frontier and has not been brought back. The Xie family has few descendants, so it's no wonder that the old lady is so anxious about the governor's eldest grandson.

Xie Xun came out dressed in a dark white robe, glanced at the old servant, and casually responded.

The old servant then withdrew to prepare the carriage.

"Is it clean?"

The cold voice had barely faded when Qingfeng, who had been hiding in the shadows, appeared and said, "Shaying reports that the Crown Princess has fallen off a cliff."

"Fell off a cliff?" Xie Xun narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers seemingly tracing the dark brocade trim on his sleeve. "Did you go down to look for him?"

Qingfeng paused, then lowered his head. "No."

Xie Xun remained calm and turned to look at him. His expression was gentle, but the look in his eyes sent a chill down his spine. He knelt down and said, "This subordinate will send someone to find him immediately."

"Has Minister Chen's body been taken out of the city?"

"Everything has been taken care of. I estimate that King Huaiyou will be able to return to the border of Shangliang in three days."

The blame lies with Minister Chen for hearing things he shouldn't have, and for even trying to appeal to the Crown Prince; he had no choice but to die.

If any evidence of the master's treason were to surface, the Crown Prince, given his fear of his master, would investigate relentlessly.

"The Crown Prince has already returned to the capital."

Xie Xun curled his lips and walked out unhurriedly. "We are all brothers of the same clan, why must the Crown Prince be so ruthless?"

A mocking voice drifted in along the roof ridge. Qingfeng followed with his head bowed. The assassin hiding under the eaves glanced at Qingfeng's back, and when he raised his hand to signal, he quickly crouched down and darted out of the villa.

As dawn broke, Ning Yu, hanging on the cliff face, was already on the verge of collapse. Afraid that someone was still searching the area, she dared not move, her feet planted on protruding rocks for support, her wrists entangled in thick vines.

But now her strength is constantly being depleted. The huge impact when she fell caused her arm to bleed from the friction, and it hurts terribly now.

She looked up through the winding, intertwined tree roots, but could no longer see anyone on the cliff face. Without further delay, she struggled to climb up, pulling herself up with the vines.

After climbing for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Ning Yu finally reached the top of the cliff. She quickly tore off her inner garment to bandage her wound, making sure the blood wouldn't seep out and drip onto the ground, before staggering back to the temple.

The fire that raged overnight turned the temple into a charred, iron-black ash. Under the protection of the imperial guards, the nobles inside the temple were all found and safely escorted down the mountain.

Ning Yu mingled with the crowd and followed them down the mountain. When they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw Qing He's figure.

"Qinghe".

"Miss---" Qinghe had just turned around when she was pulled behind a carriage. "Miss, how did you get hurt?"

Ning Yu quickly covered her mouth, "Shh, don't shout."

When word of her appearance reached the Xie family, who knows what kind of filthy rumors would spread about her. In the thirteenth year of Qing'an, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Fuguo's mansion was kidnapped by bandits and was given a white silk ribbon upon her return. She didn't want to end up like that.

Qinghe nodded hurriedly.

"Let's go to the nearby clinic first."