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

Ning Yu's arm trembled inexplicably, and she subconsciously wanted to brush his hand away. She was still not used to being so close.

No, she had to adapt—adapt to his scent, adapt to his body, adapt to the fact that he was her rightful husband.

She wanted to sleep with him and get pregnant with his child so she could stay in the Xie family legitimately.

"Ah Yu—doesn't she like me?"

Ning Yu's eyes widened. Xie Yanfeng was handsome, kind, and from a good family. She had no reason not to like him; it was just that they hadn't known each other for very long.

"My husband, I—I just haven't gotten used to it yet, can we wait a little longer?"

Her body was now covered in Xie Xun's marks, filled with alluring images. She dared not, and could not, sleep with him like this. She had to find a suitable opportunity to sleep with him and give birth to the child in one fell swoop.

She didn't believe that Xie Xun would dare to do anything to her now that she had a child; the Xie family members weren't pushovers either.

She absolutely refused to be taken away by him and become a shameful thing.

Xie Yan didn't pressure her. He simply suppressed the restlessness in his heart and said gently, "I just got back. You're not used to it yet. Take your time."

A flicker of guilt crossed Ning Yu's eyes. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on his arm. "Husband, teach me archery when we get to Qingcheng."

Xie Yan smiled and patted her head. "Okay."

The moment he lowered his hand, he accidentally touched the purse at her waist, and the loosely tied purse fell to the ground with a thud.

Just as Ning Yu was about to pick it up, he had already bent down and picked up the bag, looking suspiciously at the black pills that had fallen out.

Her heart tightened, and she quickly took the purse and put the pills inside.

Are you sick?

"This is deer antler cream for beauty and skin care. I bought it at the market. It's good for the skin. Many ladies from prominent families in the capital use it."

Xie Xun sometimes gets carried away and doesn't care about anything else. She's afraid of getting pregnant, so she always carries contraceptives in her purse. She buys the herbs herself and makes them so they won't harm her body.

Whether Xie Yan believed her lies or not, he stared at her supple skin and chuckled, "You're still young, you don't need to eat these things."

Ning Yu lied and said, "I've noticed that Miss Wu often uses pearl powder. My husband is a man, so naturally he doesn't understand a young lady's thoughts."

Listening to her girlish ramblings, Xie Yan's heart, which had been heavy for a long time, suddenly skipped a beat. He chimed in, "I've heard that there's a fragrant herb in Ximisha, made by frying orchid and ze-lan in oil. The girls there love to use that to nourish their hair."

"I'll have someone go to Ximisha to buy it for you. They have a lot of things that girls like to use on their faces. If you like, buy them all and try them out."

Ning Yu was taken aback. Before he could refuse, he turned and went to the washroom at the back. "A-Yu, you should go to sleep too. We have to get up early to go back to the manor tomorrow."

He wanted to take a few more days off to take her to Qingcheng, but he needed to finish up all the affairs of the court before he could leave.

---

On the open ground of the racetrack.

Xie Xun was talking to Wei Rongxuan when Qingfeng came up from behind and approached.

He walked outside a bit. "What is it?"

A low voice carried on the cold wind, and Xie Xun's face darkened. A man and a woman alone in a room for so long, and they still haven't come out?!

He was fed up with constantly imagining the two of them together, and the best decision he could make was to take her away.

Seeing that his master's expression was not good, Qingfeng silently took two steps back. Ever since the young master returned, the Dragon Scale Guards had been watching the couple like freaks, reporting every little detail of their every move.

This arduous task is easy to get scolded if you're not careful, so it's not as good as the intelligence gathering work that Sha Ying and the others do.

"Come closer."

"Why does your face suddenly look so scary? What happened?" Wei Rongxuan asked, frowning, thinking something had happened in the Northwest.

"Some things at home."

"About your older brother?" He paused, then continued, "You two brothers grew up together. Right now, the only disagreement is about matters in the Northwest. Before long, he'll realize that your decision was right."

Qingfeng received the look and bowed as he withdrew. Xie Xun looked up at the moonlight on the ground outside, his voice so calm that it was impossible to discern any emotion, "My elder brother has been spending too much time in front of Buddha, and the blood in his bones has long been worn away."

Wei Rongxuan chuckled lightly, then, recalling the woman he had seen at the brothel, he asked with a half-smile, "What do you plan to do with that Miss Ning?"

Xie Xun remained silent.

Wei Rongxuan raised an eyebrow and said, "I ran into her at the pharmacy a couple of days ago, and that's when I found out that the woman you were with that day was the bride the Emperor arranged for Xie Yan to have a happy marriage. When did you become so absurd?"

"Where is it absurd?"

"---" He choked up, "You're at the height of your fame right now, so it's best not to let these bedroom matters get out, lest the elders find something to use against you."

"It's just for fun, it won't get leaked."

"You've been playing around for a while now, and Xie Yan is back. Stop being so outrageous. She's just a woman. You can have any woman you want. I'll go to Ximisha another day and pick out a few women for you to send to the Governor's Mansion. They're all just as beautiful as the Ning family girls."

Xie Xun glared at him. "Why don't you just sleep with any woman?"

Wei Rongxuan was taken aback by his words. After a moment, he laughed and said, "Since it's just for fun, you must be getting tired of it by now."

The room was completely silent, with only a single moon in the sky. Xie Xun looked at the endless mountain range in the distance and recalled the woman's unwilling appearance, and curled his lips in sarcasm.

"Even if I get tired of it and don't want it anymore, it's not anyone else's turn."

Xie Xun knew that he couldn't maintain the same level of interest in women as he did in power, but right now, he really hadn't had enough sleep.

Once the initial excitement wears off, he'll settle things for her from now on. If she's unruly...

Disobedient?! How she'll cling to him, demanding status or position? Thinking of her domineering nature, Xie Xun's anger subsided considerably. He had never seen her so unreasonable before.

As a longtime friend, Wei Rongxuan knew his temper and was too lazy to persuade him, so he brought up the matter he had just mentioned.

"The Prince of Jin is in the guest room. If he makes a move tonight, should we just sit on the sidelines and watch?"

Xie Xun recalled that the two of them had slept in the same room, and a hint of malice flashed in his eyes. "He wouldn't dare to make a move, so I'll help him by giving him a boost."