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

It was already dark, and the streets were bustling with lanterns. Ning Yu and Qing He squeezed their way into the crowd, not daring to look back to see if anyone was catching up.

Everywhere on the street, there were sedan chairs carried by several people. Ning Yu dodged left and right, using the carriages to shield her view. Amidst the bright reds, pinks, and greens, it was difficult to spot the two women.

Before long, the guards who had been chasing behind lost their way and quickly launched a signal flare into the sky.

With a bang, fireworks exploded in the sky. Ning Yu looked up and saw the pale purple smoke, and ran even faster.

Upon arriving at Chunfeng Tower, she happened to spot the Xie family's carriage, which was easily recognizable by the words "Xie Family" written on the red wooden plaque.

Ning Yu's eyes lit up, and she immediately ran over, but suddenly stopped in her tracks. She quickly pulled Qing He and hid in the crowd.

When the people in the carriage got off and saw Xie Yan, they breathed a sigh of relief and walked over, calling out, "Husband."

Xie Yan was taken aback by Ning Yu's unexpected arrival, and asked gently, "What brings you here?"

"I heard that my husband hasn't returned home all day. I just saw your carriage while I was strolling around the streets, so I came over to say hello."

Xie Yan glanced at the bundle on the back of the maid behind her. "What happened?"

Ning Yu didn't dare tell Xie Yan about those things, so she just made up a few words. When she mentioned Qingzhou City, Xie Yan thought about how many things he was busy with and planned to have someone send her to Qingzhou City first, and then go there after he finished his work.

Upon hearing this, Ning Yu hurriedly said, "Husband, could you come with me? I heard that the rebels from Jizhou have crossed the prefecture pass, and the road is not very safe."

Since he returned to the capital, Ning Yu had never been so clingy. Xie Yan didn't know what was wrong with her. After looking at her for a while, he readily agreed.

"Alright, come in with me first, we'll leave tomorrow."

As the largest banquet hall for high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, Chunfeng Tower was naturally a lively and bustling place.

Xie Yan arranged a superior room for her and had a table of delicious food prepared. "Rest here for a while, I'll come pick you up when I'm done with my work."

Ning Yu glanced at the diners coming and going around her, feeling slightly relieved, and smiled, "Okay."

Imperial Prison.

"If you can't even handle such a small matter, what's the point of keeping you around?"

The adults who had just come out of the public housing suddenly heard the suppressed angry voices inside and stopped in their tracks, not daring to go in.

Inside the room, Qingfeng lowered his head and dared not speak. He needed to prepare for Miss Ning's funeral, so he sent his men to take her away.

Who would have thought that Miss Ning would be so bold as to run away on her own? Having followed her master for so long, doesn't she know her master's temper?

He didn't even dare to think about what would happen to her after she was brought back.

"I went and told the young lady that she should wait at the corner gate at 9 PM. She then turned around and went to the old lady's room and ran out through the west gate."

They were all lying to him, saying one thing to his face and another behind his back. They didn't want to leave Xie Yan at all. Xie Xun's face darkened little by little, and he crushed the jade thumb ring in his sleeve.

Where is she now?

"I went to Chunfeng Tower---" Qingfeng lowered her head even further, "and ran into the young master."

Did you think you could escape his grasp just because you've found a backer? You'll see if Xie Yan can protect you!

If she doesn't want to go with him, then let her disappear completely from this capital city, so that she will never be found again, saving him the trouble of paving a way out for her.

"Keep an eye on her." Xie Xun stood up and came out. "Prepare the horses."

Ning Yu stayed at Chunfeng Tower that night. It had a place specifically for people to stay. Xie Yan was busy most of the night and didn't come to find her until noon the next day. He said that he had finished his work and was going to pack up and take her to Qingcheng.

She had just finished eating when she heard the news and was immediately delighted. She didn't want to go back to the Xie residence to deal with that bastard Xie Xun.

"Husband, have you not eaten yet? Would you like to eat before you leave?"

Seeing her so happy, Xie Yan felt relieved. He deferred the matter of Jizhou to his sixth brother, and could now take her out to play without worry.

"We've eaten. Let's set off in a bit. Everything in the carriage is ready. The scenery over there is beautiful, so I brought you a few extra outfits."

Ning Yu hadn't expected him to be so considerate. A pang of guilt flashed through her heart, but tenderness appeared in her eyes. "Then let's go."

Qingzhou City is located north of the prefectural pass, with a superior geographical location. It is not too far from the capital. In the summer, many noblemen and young masters like to go to Qingzhou to escape the heat and watch boating on the lake.

Inside the carriage, Ning Yu looked at the scenery on the map, and her mood couldn't help but brighten.

Qinghe poured tea for the two of them. Seeing that the smile on the young lady's face was genuine as they talked, Qinghe felt relieved after a night of anxiety.

"I went to Tianxiang Pavilion yesterday, and the manager said they just received a new batch of goods called coral beads, which are used for skincare. Do you like them?"

Ning Yu was taken aback, and then glanced to the side and saw the white jade porcelain bottle that he had handed over on the table.

Seeing her stunned, Xie Yan laughed and said, "Don't you like it? I've already sent someone to Ximisha, but it will take more than a month to go back and forth. You can try this first to see if it works. It was also purchased from the Western Regions."

Ning Yu suppressed her emotions, smiled, and picked up the porcelain bottle. "I'll give it a try."

Under the carriage base was a small, portable gilded bronze mirror, which Ning Yu took out and placed on a small table.

These coral beads are cosmetic rouge made from coral. When you open them, a very faint fragrance wafts out, and the colors are extremely vibrant.

Ning Yu tried it on and could vaguely see the person in the mirror with eyebrows like willow leaves and a face like peach blossoms. Her features were already charming, and with a little makeup, she looked even more stunning.

Xie Yan watched her fiddling with the rouge and powder, a subtle, ambiguous emotion flashing across his usually calm eyes, and his throat bobbed slightly.

Judging from her usual appearance without makeup, I never knew she loved beauty just like the other young ladies in the mansion.

Thinking of this, he chuckled softly. He was a few years older than her and wanted to carefully learn what styles of clothes and beautiful cosmetics were popular in the capital in recent years. In the past, he had been completely clueless and could not talk about anything with women.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was peaceful and serene. Wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner on the small table. Ning Yu could sense the man's gaze fixed on her, and she felt slightly uneasy.

But thinking that she had to get pregnant before returning to the Xie residence from Qingcheng, she breathed a sigh of relief and did not interrupt the ambiguous and romantic atmosphere.