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

Upon arriving at the Xie residence, Ning Yu alighted from the carriage. Qingfeng, seeing her return to the residence, slowly drove the carriage away from the gate.

Having not slept a wink all night, Ning Yu returned to her room and slept like a log.

When she woke up again, she didn't see Xie Yan return. Instead, she heard Qinghe say that someone was looking for her outside.

Ning Yu felt uneasy, and when she went outside, she saw Qingfeng's figure.

She looked around nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"The master asked the young lady if she had made up her mind?"

Did he give her a choice? He gave her a high-sounding suggestion to go back and think it over carefully, but if she refused, she suspected he would simply burn down the Mo Academy to create the illusion that she had perished in the fire, and forcibly take her away.

Ning Yu said tactfully, "I'm not ready yet, you should go back first."

"My master said he would take you away from the Xie family tonight. If you don't need anything, please come with me now."

Are you crazy? That's fast.

"If I leave like this, the Crown Prince will definitely look for me. I should go first---"

Qingfeng interrupted her, "You don't need to worry about these things, young lady. Someone will take care of things after you die."

Ning Yu pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "What are you going to do? Where are you taking me?"

"No need for you to worry, young lady. This matter will not be leaked at all. Your identity and household registration have been re-registered with the Jizhou City Prefectural Government. Your master will give you a respectable identity."

A respectable status doesn't necessarily mean living in his villa and indulging in pleasures; the status is merely a gimmick for him to appease his family.

She would lose her freedom, and her family would think she was dead, reduced to a plaything who could only depend on him.

No, she absolutely refused.

"How could I die so young for no reason? There must be many suspicious points. The Crown Prince won't believe it either. Go back and tell the Commander that I need to make arrangements for my affairs after my death."

"Miss, there's no need to say anything more. These are not things you should be doing. Master will take care of everything." He looked up at her. "Master said that if you don't leave, you will be forcibly taken away."

All the excuses stuck in her throat at this moment. Ning Yu's eyes were dry, and she remained silent for a long while before saying, "Come pick me up at the side gate in two hours. I'll go there myself."

Qingfeng frowned, and just as he was hesitating, he suddenly heard the woman's displeased voice.

"If you dare to utter another word of nonsense, I'll report you to your master in a moment."

"---"

Qingfeng immediately said respectfully, "Miss, please hurry, I'll take my leave now."

With a bang, the door slammed shut. Qingfeng gestured to the guards in the shadows, "Keep an eye on her."

After saying that, the person turned and left.

As soon as Ning Yu returned to her room, she immediately stuffed all the bottles and jars in her cupboard into her bundle. Qing He felt uneasy seeing her anxious expression.

"Miss, should we run?"

"No---" Ning Yu took a tray and handed it to her. "Take this and pretend to take Qin Mama to the main kitchen to get the things. Tell Qin Mama to go find the young master quickly. Go to the old lady's room and tell Wang Mama that the medicine I made is ready."

Qinghe nodded immediately, and the moment she stepped out the door, her face instantly became calm.

The hidden guards, not seeing Ning Yu, did not move.

An hour later, the old lady from Rong'an Hall arrived and said that the old lady wanted to see the Crown Princess and asked her to come over.

The guard frowned slightly as he listened to the commotion inside. Seeing that the person had followed the old woman, he immediately followed after her.

Upon arriving at Rong'an Hall, Ning Yu took the things from the nanny's hands and went into the inner room.

At this time, the old lady had just finished her dinner. When she heard that the Crown Princess had specially sent over medicinal food, she smiled and said, "Good child, how thoughtful."

"I heard from my grandmother the other day that the fragrance of the medicine had relieved her insomnia, so I asked the family doctor to adjust the prescription."

"Because of your husband's matter, I had been suffering from insomnia for a while, but I'm much better now."

Ning Yu smiled and chatted with the old lady for a while. When the old lady got tired, Ning Yu personally served her into the inner hall. The servants also went in and out to serve her, and the gossip would reach the ears of the secret guards.

Upon hearing that it was to deliver medicinal food to the old lady, the guards felt reassured and waited in the shadows.

What he didn't know was that as soon as the old lady entered the inner hall, Ning Yu jumped out of the outer room through the window and ran towards the west gate.

---

After court, Xie Yan was invited to his residence by his colleagues. He had lunch with his friends at Chunfeng Tower at noon, and just as he was about to return home, he was summoned to handle a case.

This matter involved the rebels in Jizhou. After working on it all afternoon, I was summoned to the Imperial Study by the Emperor in the evening because of the case.

By the time he finished his business and left the palace, it was already past midnight. He had just boarded the carriage to return to his residence when, as soon as he stepped out of the Xihua Gate, he heard an official from the Eastern Palace report that the Crown Prince had invited him to the Eastern Palace.

"It's so late now. We'll report the case to the Crown Prince after he wakes up. Please tell the Crown Prince that I will come to see him again first thing tomorrow morning."

"Walk."

The carriage rumbled past the palace gates, heading towards the Xie residence in the inner city.

"Young Master, the Third Master is waiting for you at Chunfeng Tower."

Why does Uncle San want to see him so late?!

"It seems there's been some trouble in the military camp, and they want you to go to Jizhou."

Xie Yan felt uneasy. He had been busier all day than he had been before he returned. He thought of the rebels in Ji Province and tapped the table lightly.

We really can't afford to delay any longer. If this mess gets out of hand, it will involve a whole host of issues in the Northwest.

He hadn't had time to return home yet. He lifted the curtain and peeked outside. It was already late at night, and the streets were bustling with people.

The red and green lights illuminated the pavilions and palaces on both sides, and Xie Yan suddenly remembered the matter he had asked at Tianxiang Pavilion earlier that day.

"Stop when you pass by Tianxiang Pavilion."

The coachman responded.

Ning Yu didn't know where Xie Yan had gone. After escaping from the mansion, she ran to the moat, where Qing He was already waiting, carrying the bundle that Ning Yu had instructed her to pack.

"Miss, what should we do now?"

Ning Yu remembered what Qin's mother had said, so she took her hand and headed towards Chunfeng Tower.

The Xie family's businesses are scattered throughout the streets and alleys of the capital, so she really didn't dare to wander around. Qin Mama said that the young master seemed to be having lunch with friends at Chunfeng Restaurant today, so she had to go and try her luck.

If she couldn't find Xie Yan, and he definitely wouldn't be in the capital for the next few days, she would have no hope left. When Xie Yan returned, he would find her corpse.

When the spies from the East Garden saw Ning Yu running into the mansion, they immediately sent a message to the guards of the Ink Courtyard and followed her.

The guard immediately realized something was wrong and secretly sent someone in to check. They discovered that the Crown Princess was no longer in Rong'an Hall, and immediately sent out several groups of people to search for her.

Following the informant all the way to the moat, he saw people running in a panic, sheathed his knife, and quickly gave chase.

"girl."

They didn't dare hurt anyone, but Ning Yu was startled by the sound. She pulled out some powder and threw it out, then ran away with Qing He.