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

After dinner, Ning Yu returned to her courtyard. As soon as she entered, she saw the man sitting on a high chair with an inscrutable expression. A table of cold food was laid out on the table next to him.

Her eyes darted around, and she immediately put on a smile and walked over. "I heard from Granny that you were supposed to be entertaining guests today? Why are you back?"

He reached out and pulled her close around the waist. Caught off guard, Ning Yu fell into his arms and quickly reached out to hug his neck.

"I heard from the old nanny that General Fuyuan was discussing matters with you in the study, so he didn't come back for dinner. Is he still here? What brings you here?"

"You don't want to see me?"

"---" She gave him a reproachful look, "I was just worried that you would neglect the guests."

Xie Xun curled his lips. He was just a general; giving him some face was already being polite.

"The King of Qinghai will be coming over tonight, I'll come back later to keep you company."

"So, are you going to be coming over to sleep very late tonight?"

He looked at her with an ambiguous expression, and Ning Yu felt a pang of panic. She quickly leaned on his shoulder and muttered, "Don't come back smelling of alcohol. You can stay in the study by yourself."

Xie Xun pinched her mouth, "You heartless thing."

Ning Yu felt a pain from his pinch, but seeing that he wasn't really angry, she pressed her advantage and said, "Could you ask the treasury to allocate some money for me?"

"We have everything in the manor, what do you need money for?"

She feigned displeasure and said, "I am penniless and don't even have money to give as a tip to the maid."

Xie Xun raised an eyebrow. "The monthly allowance from the manor is more than they could earn in a year outside."

Ning Yu shook him, "So, are you going to give it to me or not?"

"stand up."

She quickly got off his lap, and Xie Xun led her to the study, opened a hidden compartment on the bookshelf, and a secret door appeared behind it.

She was startled for a moment, then followed him inside.

The moment Ning Yu stepped inside, her eyes widened in disbelief. The gleaming box was filled with large denominations of silver notes and gold.

This was just a villa he had never visited before; she couldn't even imagine how much money his governor's mansion must have, enough to support several armies.

That bastard has quite a bit of wealth; he must have embezzled a lot.

"No need to go to the treasury for money, here's the silver for you."

Ning Yu suddenly remembered a medicinal herb she was missing. This scoundrel is so rich, he must have a good supply of medicinal herbs. Just as she was about to take advantage of the situation, she remembered the most important thing in front of her.

"Never mind, it's more important to leave quickly." She went over and took a few silver notes, then wrapped her arm around his with a smile, "Thank you, Governor."

A few silver notes were enough to make her act coquettishly. Xie Xun thought of something and said, "How about I set up a money exchange for you?"

If she were to open a money exchange, wouldn't she have to register with the government? How could she possibly escape this dilapidated villa? No way.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. If only he hadn't gone to such extremes, he would have given her a money exchange when they separated at the Xie family home. She could have just waited to collect the money every month and been happy.

"I'm not good at managing accounts, so forget it."

"With so many managers under you, do you really need to manage the accounts?"

Ning Yu said, "Those shopkeepers are all seasoned veterans; how could I possibly compete with them?"

Seeing that she clearly didn't want the bank, Xie Xun realized her thoughts and didn't force her. He figured that as long as she stayed quietly by his side, that would be fine.

"Come sleep with me for a while."

Ning Yu usually took a nap at noon. Hearing him say this, she went to the dressing table to remove her hairpins, letting her long black hair fall down. While he went to the washroom, she lay down on the bed.

This jade bed is truly comfortable; no matter how hot it is outside, the room remains cool and refreshing.

She had barely closed her eyes when a warm body pressed against her from behind, and heavy breathing filled her neck. Ning Yu tilted her head back as he kissed her, and his rough fingertips probed into her bodice. She quickly grabbed his hand.

"Weren't you going to sleep?"

"I want to sleep with you." He pinched her soft flesh and forcefully turned her around. "I'll sleep with you."

Ning Yu's chest trembled with anger, and her body involuntarily trembled as she looked at his open collar.

This bastard isn't much of a person, but he has an excellent physique—broad back, wasp waist, and mantis legs—and is ridiculously strong. In the past, she never had a chance to resist him in bed.

She glanced at the time outside the window, and in that instant, he stripped her naked.

Before she could utter a word, it was all swallowed back down, leaving only faint gasps and moans escaping from behind the curtains.

Two hours later, the noise inside the house finally subsided.

The bed was a mess, and Ning Yu lay exhausted, her jade-like body covered only by a thin veil, her exposed shoulders, neck and long legs covered with ambiguous marks.

Xie Xun, already dressed, stood by the bed and gently rubbed her face. "I'll have the kitchen staff make you a nourishing soup later to help you recover and prevent you from fainting so easily."

Ning Yu opened her eyes wearily. "I caught a cold that day and I'm not fully recovered yet. And the governor is such a beast."

Then they scolded him.

Xie Xun didn't argue with her. "If you're not feeling better, stay in bed and don't go out this afternoon."

Ning Yu paused, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and pulled the blanket over her body. "Governor, please go ahead and get busy. I want to sleep for a while."

Go to sleep, get some more sleep, so you don't feel dizzy again at night.

After hearing the footsteps gradually fade away, Ning Yu propped herself up and sat up. Her back and legs ached, and she cursed him inwardly.

After leaning against the bedpost for a while to catch her breath, she put on her clothes and called Xia Zhu over.

"lady."

Ning Yu swallowed the contraceptive pill and handed her a silver note. "Go buy it."

One thousand taels?!

Xia Zhu was stunned. What kind of expensive food was she buying that required so much money?

"Just tell the shopkeeper I want some cold rice cakes, and he'll give them to you." If she had any spare change, she wouldn't be so extravagant; it really hurt her wallet.

"Yes, I'm off."

---

Fei Xiang Pavilion.

Xie Yun heard from his servants late at night that someone wanted cold rice cakes and had brought silver notes.

He was startled, and his numb body, which had been slumped on the bed, suddenly sat up with a jolt, recalling the secret code they had agreed upon before.

She's not dead?! She's not dead?!

"Who is it? Let them in quickly."

The shopkeeper stood outside the embroidered screen; "She's an unfamiliar maid."

This place is where men and women seek pleasure. Suddenly, a maid came in wanting to buy cold rice cakes, and he was completely at a loss. After thinking for a moment, he came to report to the prince.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the person lying inside suddenly sprang out and went out the door.

The building wasn't open today, and the maid standing downstairs clearly sensed something was wrong, her eyes darting around as she looked around.

He looked at the maid who was clearly not hers, and his excited mood calmed down. He then gave an order to the shopkeeper behind him.

"Young lady, you've come to the wrong place. The cold rice cake is sold at the small shop next door."

Xia Zhu looked up and saw the shopkeeper return the silver note, then lead her out and give her directions.

Only then did she see the small building selling cold rice cakes, and she hurriedly and embarrassedly went out.

"Follow them."

Xie Yun waited in the building for half an hour before the guard returned, saying that the woman was a maid from a villa in the suburbs of the capital who had come to buy her master some cold rice cakes.

"Have you found out who owns that villa?"

"It seems to be from the Xie family."

The Xie family?! Xie Yun felt his mind go blank. How could this be? Didn't the Xie family announce her death today? He went to pay his respects and saw the desolate Xie Shizi. Could it be a lie?

What exactly happened? Xie Yan's condition didn't seem fake. If she were still alive, a sudden flash of insight struck him.

He vaguely recalled the hunting party, the time when Ning Yu saved the Crown Princess, and the encounter with Xie Xun at the hunting grounds in the back mountains. A bad feeling welled up in his heart.