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

Xie Heming's face darkened. "What's there to pity about? The person is already in your hands."

"No, I just don't understand what's so good about that woman that she's so infatuated with you, completely disregarding brotherhood."

He genuinely didn't understand and kept nagging, "You and your elder brother only have different political views now, so it's not a reason to fall out. If you cause brothers to turn against each other because of a woman, wouldn't the Xie family be in chaos?"

"Besides, aren't you about to get married? Princess Huayang will definitely try her best to find out if she tolerates you keeping a woman outside. If she finds out that it's your brother's ex-wife, the Xie family will be infamous in the elders' council."

As he spoke, he recalled the appearance of Ning family girl at home.

"Women's hearts are smaller than the tip of a needle. Not to mention how Princess Huayang will deal with her, she herself is not willing to be a proper princess confined to this villa. Women love to fight and be jealous. With your personality, you must be extremely annoyed."

Xie Xun sat on the high chair, his hand that was pouring tea suddenly paused, as if she had never cared about his marriage.

His expression darkened slightly, and he interrupted his rambling, "She's not the type to be jealous or quarrelsome."

Xie Heming didn't believe it. "Which woman doesn't get jealous? Look at the women in my courtyard, they're always bothering me to death. I can't even coax them away. If they don't bother you, it means they don't like you---"

The words had barely left his mouth when a glare shot over. He leaned closer, as if he'd discovered a huge secret, and said, "No way, did I guess right?!"

"What do you know?"

The chilling voice startled him, and he immediately became more subdued. Having been brothers for many years, he naturally knew his second brother's temper.

Just as I was about to ask more questions, I heard him say, "She seduced me first. If she doesn't like me, who else could she like?"

Xie Hemian didn't know about their past relationship, and upon hearing this, she frowned, "So she was willing to be with you?"

"Um."

The cool tone made Xie Hemian fall silent. He flicked his robe and sat down in a chair.

"Since things have come to this, just hide the person well and let this matter pass quickly."

Whatever you do, don't let anyone know that Ning Yu isn't dead. With Second Brother's temper, he'll never let go of what he wants. If that happens, the Xie family will be in an uproar.

Now that the emperor is seriously ill and there are factional disputes in the court, he doesn't want his second brother to waste his time on women.

---

Ning family.

The Xie family was unwilling to hold a grand funeral for Ning Yu, so they only informed them. When Ning's father saw the maid kneeling on the ground with her eyes swollen from crying, he couldn't believe the news for a moment.

Qinghe sobbed, "The young lady's body was taken back to the Xie family, and those bandits were all executed on the spot."

"How could this be?" Everyone in the room was stunned. Madam Ning's eyes were dry. "How could she have suffered such a misfortune? What did that brat have to do in Qingzhou? The capital is so big, isn't it enough for her to have fun?"

Ning Yu wasn't her biological daughter, but she had raised her by her side since she was little and had never mistreated her. She had thought that marrying into the Xie family would be a blessing, but upon hearing this news, she couldn't bear it and collapsed onto a stool.

They didn't have many children to begin with, and that child brought them so much honor after marrying into the Xie family, yet she's gone just like that.

"The fall from the cliff, was it in Mexico?"

Upon hearing the master's words, Qinghe burst into tears. "Yes, Miss was trying to distract the bandits when she was caught up and accidentally fell off a cliff."

Ning's father closed his eyes, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Silence fell over the room.

"What did the Xie family say?"

"The young lady's funeral arrangements were handled entirely by the young master. No one from the Xie family attended, and she was not allowed to be buried in the Xie family ancestral cemetery."

The third young master gritted his teeth in anger, "This is outrageous! My sister was married into the Xie family through proper channels, yet they handled it so hastily."

The Xie family wielded immense power in the court and controlled the Elders' Council. Ning's father was merely a minor official of the fifth rank. Having spent so many years humbly serving in the court, he naturally knew that the Xie family looked down on families like theirs.

"Father, if the Xie family refuses to let my sister enter their ancestral cemetery, then bring her back to our home."

"Nonsense!" the second master immediately scolded. "How can a married woman carry a coffin back to her parents' home? Isn't this a slap in the face to the Xie family? Do you still want to work in the court?"

"What you say is true, sir. I reckon we'd be thrown out before we even stepped inside the Xie family's gates."

Looking at the green shoots on the ground, Ning's father asked, "Where do they plan to bury the person?"

"This servant doesn't know either. I've only heard that they want to bury him in a place with good feng shui, but the young master hasn't made any announcement yet, so I don't know where it will be decided in the end."

The body was to be kept in the Mo Courtyard for seven days. When the Ning family arrived, they saw Xie Yan sitting on a prayer mat with a scruffy beard. The entire courtyard was quiet, and the servants were all guarding the outer courtyard.

Presumably, they didn't want the news to get out, so not many people came to pay their respects.

When Xie Yan saw Ning's father, his dazed state paused slightly. He got up and went over to him, saying, "Father, Mother."

The Xie family only allowed Ning's father and mother to enter. They followed a group of servants and wandered around for more than half an hour before finally arriving at the Mo Courtyard. When they saw the coffin placed in the center of the hall, their hearts sank completely.

Hearing Xie Yan address him like that, Ning's father knew that Xie Yan still had some affection for his daughter. Looking at the dark mourning hall, he couldn't help but burst into tears. It was all fate, all fate.

---

"Princess, the Ning family has arrived. They seem to be discussing the burial with the Crown Prince."

The Grand Princess had been annoyed by Xie Yan's stubbornness these past few days. Upon hearing this, she frowned and said, "Ayan is just too kind-hearted, that's why he feels so guilty."

She didn't believe her son could really fall for that Ning family girl in such a short time and become so despondent for her.

They originally thought that it wouldn't matter if he died and Ning's daughter was spared, but now that he's back, they still need to choose a royal woman for him. How can they let Ning's daughter be superior to others?

"Forget it, let him be. He's still young. Once he comes to his senses, he'll realize that women are just icing on the cake for a man of his stature."

If he remains obstinate and allows Ning to be buried in the ancestral tomb, a separate mausoleum will have to be built for him. After a hundred years, he will still sleep with his new wife.