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

Ning Yu was stunned when she heard the voice and quickly pushed away the man on top of her.

Qingfeng didn't expect that when he went to the washroom, Third Master suddenly came over. Hearing his master cursing inside, he hurriedly came in to see what was going on.

Xie Xun glanced at them with a menacing look in his eyes, picked up the woman from the table, and strode into the study.

Ning Yu felt incredibly embarrassed and covered her face, refusing to see anyone. When she was placed on the couch, she immediately covered her head with a small blanket.

Xie Xun's previously angry expression softened; it was rare to see her like this. She pulled the blanket off her, saying, "If you keep suffocating like this, you'll suffocate."

Ning Yu wasn't embarrassed because she was caught in the act, but because the person was Xie Hemian, a member of the Xie family.

When she caught sight of Xie Heming out of the corner of her eye, she felt incredibly uncomfortable, wishing there was a crack in the ground she could disappear into.

It was an indescribable emotion. Watching her elder brother's dead wife kissing her second brother in his arms, she didn't know what he would think of her, or what the Xie family would think of her!

Xie Hemian knew? He actually knew?!

"Why is your face so pale?!"

She hurriedly raised her face, and when she saw his expression darken, she paused and quickly composed herself.

"It's nothing."

Xie Xun's eyes darkened, and he lifted her chin, his tone devoid of danger, "So afraid of him seeing?"

Ning Yu knew he was suspicious, so she quickly suppressed her embarrassing emotions, her eyes shimmering, "It's never good to be seen by others."

"I've never seen you so timid before."

She was quite aggressive when they first met, but now she's so timid and helpless, only able to cling to him. He should treat her better.

Thinking of this, his expression softened, but his words still carried a hint of warning: "As long as I live, you can only stay with me. The Xie family's affairs are over."

Ning Yu nodded obediently, "I know, you should go out now, Third Master probably wants to see you."

Xie Xun, consumed by lust and with nowhere to vent his anger, came out and glared at Xie Hemian, who was sitting there drinking tea, and yelled, "Who gave you permission to barge in like that?"

Xie Heming knew he had stepped into a trap, and retorted helplessly, "I've never seen you, Second Brother, ever messing around in the study."

Seeing that someone was about to hit him with something, he quickly jumped up and said, "I need to talk to you. The person you're looking for has arrived."

A secret letter was sent out about the collusion between the rebels in Jizhou and spies in the Northwest Army. The letter reported to the Crown Prince and pointed to Grand Commander Xie in every detail. The letter was intercepted, and the person who reported it was found dead in the wilderness that night.

Not long after, Xie Xun issued an order to send someone to Ximisha to bring a monk to the capital.

When the person was brought in, Ning Yu heard the noise. Her body, which was slumped on the bed, paused for a moment. After thinking for a moment, she secretly walked to the door and peeked out through the crack in the door.

The man sat back in the armchair with his back to her. A young novice monk knelt on the ground, his face still youthful. He looked as if he had been severely beaten, his body covered in blood, staring in terror at the man in the main seat.

"Life outside the secular world is carefree; even the monks of Ximisha have such delicate and tender skin."

The slightly gentle voice eased the fear in the young monk's eyes. This person didn't seem as scary as he had imagined. He was handsome, with a gentle smile on his dignified face, much better than the people from last night.

"I've heard that after the Liang Emperor died in battle and the Crown Prince took over the court, the late Emperor's nine sons and one daughter were either dead or deposed, leaving only one person missing to eliminate Shangliang. I wonder if you, young master, could enlighten me?"

Upon hearing this, the young monk's knees buckled, and he prostrated himself on the ground like a wilted eggplant, trembling uncontrollably, "My lord, spare my life! My lord, spare my life!"

Looking at his weak and helpless appearance, Xie Xun spoke gently, "You are neither the eldest son nor the heir apparent, so why did the Liang Emperor risk sending you to Ximisha to live a life of ignominy?"

"My mother was the emperor's most beloved woman."

"I see." Xie Xun, for some reason, thought of the woman in the room. What if she bore him a child—

"Please, sir, have mercy on me. I have already converted to Buddhism."

The terrified voice brought Xie Xun back to his senses. He looked at the little novice monk's pathetic state, as if he were pondering his words.

"Your Highness is a person of noble birth, and indeed should not stay in a place like Ximisha."

Noble?! Ever since his father died, he has been like a stray dog, not knowing where to go.

"If you spare my life, I will serve you as a slave and repay you with my life."

"Your father and I were old friends on the battlefield. Since you are his beloved, how could I possibly wrong you into being a slave? Naturally, I must help you return to Shangliang. Does Your Highness share this sentiment?"

The young monk paused, a strange glint flashing in his eyes as he thought of Murong Huang's face, a greedy hatred appearing in his sinister and cunning eyes.

The young novice thought he had concealed his emotions quite well, but in Xie Xun's eyes, they were completely transparent. He watched the change with appreciation, a satisfied expression on his face.

Looking at the commotion outside, Ning Yu felt that the little monk was stupid. How could he trust someone as ruthless as Xie Xun? In the end, not only would he be used and die, but even Shangliang would be trampled by the iron cavalry of the Great Xia.

"If you help me return to the capital, I will certainly follow your lead."

The obsequious voice reached Xie Xun's ears, and he smiled gently, "Go down."

The young novice followed the person downstairs with trepidation. He didn't know which powerful figure from the Great Xia Dynasty was receiving him today, but he had had enough of that godforsaken place, Ximisha, and wanted to die a quick and painless death.

He wants to go back, to go back and take back everything that belongs to him.

Around the corner, corpses were being carried out one by one. In the darkness, blood permeated the surrounding air. The young monk covered his mouth in fear and quickly followed the people in front of him out.

"The city's garrison commander is dead. What did the generals in the camp say?"

Xie Xun's voice was as indifferent as a beast's, "Kill him."

"They've all been killed?!" Xie Heming frowned. "That's too brutal! How many lives have been lost?"

"Keeping people who cannot be used in the Northwest is a disaster."

The calm voice extinguished any lingering soft-heartedness in his heart. The struggle for the throne was a matter of life or death; choosing the wrong side meant certain death.

"The army from the Northwest has already entered the pass---"

Ning Yu listened to the sounds outside, leaning against the door, feeling icy cold all over.

With the backing of a powerful family like the Xie family, Xie Xun wields considerable power in the council of elders and has risen to the position of commander-in-chief of the three armies. He has already reached the pinnacle of power; what more could he possibly want?!

Just as this thought crossed her mind, his marriage was suddenly brought up again outside. She paused, her eyes widening, and listened intently.

"The wedding date is set for next month. Grandmother has been talking about you these past few days, saying you haven't been home for quite some time. Uncle Zhong also told me after court today to inform you that you must return to the manor tomorrow to discuss the wedding."

Xie Xun, while announcing the folds of paper, casually hummed in agreement.

Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Xie Hemian glanced curiously into the inner room and whispered, "Are you really going to marry Huayang?"

When the person ignored him, he pressed on, "Where's the one inside?"

Xie Xun paused in his flipping through the folded paper, and said, "Keep it."

She had been married to Xie Yan before, and the Xie family would not allow him to openly bring her back. He also couldn't be bothered to deal with those trivial matters.

"Women are most prone to jealousy. If you keep her outside like this, and she just watches you marry someone else, she'll be dying of jealousy."

Xie Xun raised an eyebrow; he had never seen her jealous before.