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

The evening breeze blowing from the lake made the surrounding woods sway gently, and soft, rustling sunlight filtered through the dense, tall branches, illuminating the two of them.

Ning Yu leaned weakly against the tree trunk, and as soon as she was released, she collapsed to the ground.

Xie Xun straightened his robes impeccably, as if nothing had happened.

Her clothes were disheveled, her hair was wet, a few strands were scattered on her neck, and there was still a trace of redness and moisture at the corners of her eyes. She had little strength left and was leaning against the tree trunk, her legs trembling and unable to stand up.

"You're going to sleep here?"

Ning Yu ignored him and raised her arm, which was covered in marks, to gather her clothes together.

Xie Xun didn't bother to look at her expression, so he picked her up, bent down, and carried her horizontally in his arms.

"Are you going out like this to expose things to the public?"

Her voice was hoarse, and she glanced at him sideways.

Xie Xun knew she was feeling aggrieved, but he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Seeing her trying to glare at him while unable to hide her alluring charm made him even happier.

"Have you thought about what I'm telling you?"

Ning Yu knew he was ruthless and didn't dare to confront him directly. "I'll go back and think about it."

Xie Xun was not satisfied with her answer, so he put her on the horse, took a long stride, and leaped onto its back.

The horse swayed and walked away. He bent down and pulled her into his arms. "My brother is a general. He won't stay in the capital forever. What's the point of staying in the palace all alone with him? I'll give you a new identity and let you come with me."

She must be insane to give up her status as the Crown Prince's consort to become a shameful mistress to this beast.

Even if Xie Yan isn't in the capital, she can still live a good life with her child in the Xie family, or she could go with the army to find Xie Yan and leave the capital, which would be better than staying with him.

She truly regretted it. If she could go back to the day she first met him, she would never have provoked him, and she would have stayed far away from him even in the Xie family.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Xie Xun's eyes deepened. Ning Yu thought she had hidden her emotions quite well, but in his eyes she was as transparent as a transparent person.

"If you dare sleep with him, I'll kill both of you."

Ning Yu's back trembled, her hand gripping the horse's mane turned white, and she moved her lips, "No--no."

He tightened his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace, his chin resting on her hair. "I'll give you two days to think it over. I'll have someone prepare your identity and household registration."

It was still some time before nightfall. Ning Yu looked at the shadowy figures outside, placed her hand on his arm, and glanced sideways.

"If you've changed my identity, what about the Crown Princess?"

"Princess Consort?" Xie Xun kissed her hair, then chuckled wickedly. "Of course she's dead."

Ning Yu felt a chill run down her spine. "Then what kind of identity are you going to give me?"

"What kind of status do you want? The daughter of a mighty general on the frontier, or the only daughter of an imperial censor raised in the countryside?"

"Identity can be changed, but what about appearance?" She looked at him. "I can't stay in your villa forever waiting for your favor, and never go out."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Is she his pet? She revolves around him all day long.

Ning Yu felt as if her heart was being squeezed; his self-righteous manner showed he didn't treat her like a human being at all.

She lowered her eyes, her voice barely audible, "Going to such lengths, if the Xie family finds out I'm still alive, it'll cause a lot of trouble. Let's just stay as we are now—"

Before she could finish speaking, he suddenly grabbed her chin and lifted it up. "Now that I know, I can openly and legitimately bring you into the manor. Don't you want that?"

The words that were about to come out stuck in her throat. She moved her lips, but before she could speak, he looked at her and said, "Or is it that you can't bear to leave him?"

A pain shot through Ning Yu's jaw. Looking into his suddenly sinister eyes, she dared not utter another word. For a moment, she felt as if she couldn't breathe, and all the blood in her body seemed to freeze.

Seeing that she was frightened, Xie Xun's imposing aura slowly subsided. He affectionately rubbed her face, and his devilish voice slowly rang in her ears, "I don't have much patience. Be good and listen to me."

There were many guest rooms near the racecourse. After Ning Yu came out of the woods, she followed the servant who was leading the way to a guest room to rest.

As soon as she entered, her expression changed, and she sat down in a chair, wearily rubbing her forehead.

What should she do? How can she get out of this predicament?

He actually wanted to fake her death, change her appearance, and keep her outside. How could he suddenly come up with such an absurd idea? Did he want her to be trapped by his side like a caged bird, only having a chance to live when he got tired of her?

No, she absolutely refused to do that; she couldn't let him ruin her perfectly good life like that.

It felt like a dark storm of raging wolves swept through her mind, and she covered her face, thinking for a long time.

Xie Yan finished his work in the evening and decided not to go down the mountain. He followed his servant to Ning Yu's guest room.

"Ayu?"

Ning Yu heard the familiar voice, her eyelids trembled slightly, and she looked up to see the shadow outside the door.

"Come in."

With a creak, the door opened, and the man, carrying the chill of the mountain air, slowly walked in.

Ning Yu's complexion had returned to normal, and she smiled when she saw him. "Finished with work?"

"Okay, I won't go down the mountain tonight. I'll sleep here." Xie Yan said, placing the cloak on the rack. "Have you eaten?"

"not yet."

"Then I'll have someone prepare a meal, and we can eat together."

Ning Yu glanced at the clothes he had taken off and nodded in agreement.

The people at the racetrack were well-trained and soon had a table full of food brought over. Ning Yu wasn't in the mood to eat, but looking at Xie Yan's face, a thought popped into her head.

She cleared her throat, served him a bowl of medicinal food, and said gently, "I heard you cough a few times when you were teaching me to ride a horse today. I just told the kitchen staff to bring this medicinal food over with the main course. Please have some."

Xie Yan hadn't expected her to be so observant. He smiled and said, "I just returned to the capital and am having some trouble adjusting to the new environment. The feng shui of the border region isn't as good as that of the capital."

"It's so hot right now. I heard that the Xie family has a villa in Qingcheng. Why don't you take me there to escape the heat when you're done with your work, my husband?"

The villa in Qingcheng?! Xie Yan searched his mind for a moment, "You mean the villa on Lushan Mountain in Qingcheng? That's A-Xun's property."

Xie Xun's?! She had only heard that Qingcheng was a good place with good feng shui, and many young masters from the capital were willing to go there to escape the summer heat. The royal family also had a summer palace in Qingcheng.

"Does Ayu want to go to Qingcheng to escape the summer heat?" Seeing her eyes light up, Xie Yan smiled and said, "Sure, I'll hand over my work for a couple of days and take a few days off to go with you."

Ning Yu felt relieved and immediately smiled, "Thank you, my husband."

Xie Yan looked at her upturned eyebrows and, recalling what Xie Zhanyan had said, felt a slight dryness in his throat.

He lowered his gaze and began to eat his meal slowly and deliberately.

After finishing their meal, Xie Yan didn't leave. Seeing that he didn't intend to leave, Ning Yu took the initiative to make up the bed.

"Husband, let's sleep in the bed."

Xie Yan's eyes darkened slightly as he watched her make the bed on the small couch. He said softly, "It's chilly in the mountains, let's sleep together on the bed."

Ning Yu paused in her work of spreading out the bedding. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him approaching, and he reached out to pull her up. "Ayu, we are husband and wife."