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

"That's all. It seems they sent Qinghe to deliver a message to the old lady's maid, and then she went to Rong'an Hall."

From the time she died until her burial, his emotions were constantly stirred up. Details he had never thought about before came together, making him feel that something was wrong.

He was so busy after returning to Beijing that he didn't have time to think about the strange things she sometimes showed, always feeling that there was still plenty of time and they would gradually understand each other.

Actually, he noticed something was wrong with her that night. She was carrying a bundle, but he didn't think about it carefully. He just assumed she was in a hurry to go to Qingzhou. Could something bad have happened to her before she went to Qingzhou?

"Where is Qinghe, that girl?"

"She was the princess's dowry maid, and she has returned to the Ning family."

Xie Yan wanted to know everything about her past. "Go to the Ning family and bring them here."

Qin's mother was taken aback, then quickly replied, "Yes."

Xie Xun knew that she was having a hard time in the mansion before she returned to the capital. Her mother had once asked her to be buried with him, but He Mian pleaded for her, and she survived.

So after returning to Beijing, he wanted to make up for it as much as possible and give her a good life, and he agreed to all her requests.

But he hadn't really paid attention to anything she did. Had she encountered some kind of trouble that made her rush to Qingzhou? Could her death have been murdered?

How could that be? Those rebels have already been interrogated. Who has the power to mobilize troops to kill her?

Who could a woman raised in seclusion possibly offend?

Xie Yan leaned back in his armchair, rested his hand on his forehead, and closed his eyes. Thinking of the day she fell off the cliff, the veins on his forehead throbbed and bulged.

Qin Mama sent the guards from the manor to look for her, and they returned more than an hour later, saying that the girl had returned to her hometown a few days ago and was no longer with the Ning family.

When Xie Yan heard this news, he felt even more uneasy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where that strange feeling came from.

"Send someone to find her, and tell me everything that happened to her after she married into the Xie family."

Qin's mother is a long-time resident of the Mo Academy, having served there for many years, so she naturally knows more details.

She didn't seem to mind her dry throat, talking for several hours until it was almost midnight. The faint sound of the night watchman's drum drifted into the room. Xie Yan looked up and exclaimed, "She knows martial arts?!"

Qin Mama was startled by his gaze and hurriedly said, "This old servant was just listening to the nonsense from those maids in the courtyard. When the Grand Princess's maids came to the courtyard, they were all tied up. They probably just have some skills in walking."

If she really knew any footwork, how could she have been so terrified that she lost her footing and fell off the cliff? She was usually gentle and mild-mannered, not an impatient person. Could it be that there was really something else going on with her death?!

As she spoke, Qin's mother seemed to remember something and said, "For a while, the Crown Princess often went out at night, and she had bruises on her neck. I wonder if she was punished by the Madam. If she really knew martial arts, she wouldn't have hurt herself."

"What is she doing going out at night?"

"The Crown Princess prefers quiet, and this old servant is not aware of that."

The atmosphere in the air became somewhat tense, and Qin's mother's voice gradually stopped.

Xie Yan felt details he hadn't thought about deeply before were now impacting his mind. He didn't want to think about them carefully, and his mind unconsciously kept replaying what Xie Liu had said on the way today.

"You can go now."

"Yes, this old servant takes his leave."

"A-Zhou".

The guards who were standing outside came in. "Master."

"Send someone to find that girl named Qinghe."

A-Zhou was stunned for a moment. Why did he suddenly want to find Qinghe? Did the master suspect that there was something wrong with the death of the Crown Princess?

"Yes."

Xie Yan didn't sleep all night. When he got up early the next morning, he went back to his main courtyard. As he passed the corridor, he saw several servants carrying tung oil.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

"What are you doing?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, there are signs of flooding outside the courtyard where the Princess Consort lived before her death. We have moved all these things out and plan to repair them."

Xie Yan followed and glanced at it a few times, then thoughtfully returned to his room to change his clothes before going to court.

---

A separate courtyard.

Ning Yu has probably been taking too many contraceptives lately, because she was in excruciating pain in her stomach at noon.

Incense was burning in the room. When Aunt Tao, who was serving her, saw her like this, she quickly hung up the bird hooks on both sides and knelt by the bed, speaking in a gentle voice.

"This servant should go and fetch a doctor. If anything happens to Madam, we servants cannot bear the responsibility."

Ning Yu knew she had taken too much cooling medicine. Calling a doctor would only result in her drinking a bunch of useless tonics, and Xie Xun would just keep asking her why. If he found out she had taken cooling medicine, she would suffer even more. So she decided to just bear with it.

Seeing her like this, Aunt Tao said helplessly, "Then this servant will go and invite the governor over."

With the governor's wedding imminent, he has been frequently returning to the mansion these past few days. This lady is probably feigning illness to vie for favor. She is the lady's maid, and only when the lady is favored can her life be better.

Thinking this, she quickly got up. "Madam, please bear with it for a moment. I will go and tell the steward right away to see if we can get the governor back."

"Come back."

A weak voice, tinged with displeasure, came from behind her. She turned around and saw the person sitting up hastily, large drops of sweat dripping from their pale face.

"lady."

Ning Yu clutched her stomach, leaning against the bedside, and struggled to open her mouth, "Don't go to him, don't tell anyone."

Aunt Tao asked in confusion, "Why? The Madam is in so much pain, the Governor will surely be heartbroken to see her like this."

He'd feel sorry for her?! He's just lusting after her body and face. Even if she were in excruciating pain, he'd only get angry and tell the doctor to hurry up and heal her to satisfy his beastly desires.

She had finally managed to be busy these past few days, so she didn't have to put up with his attitude or serve him. Now, she didn't want to see him at all.

When Xia Zhu came in, she saw the person leaning against the bedpost in pain and not saying a word. She put down the medicine and went over to help Aunt Tao up. "Aunt, please don't say anything. Madam is very weak right now."

Aunt Tao was dissatisfied with the clumsy maid. She pulled the girl aside and scolded her in a low voice, "What do you know? The governor is about to get married. If the madam falls out of favor, what way will we have?"

None of the maids and nannies serving in the villa wanted to cause the mistress to lose favor; the more favored the mistress was, the more respectable they would be in public.

Xia Zhu pursed her lips, not daring to speak. Aunt Tao was right, but she could tell that the madam really didn't want to see the governor.

"You stay here with the lady, I'm going to find the steward."

They were speaking in hushed tones, but Ning Yu heard them. She was so angry she wanted to curse, but she was in too much pain to open her mouth, so she let them leave.

After Xia Zhu was interrogated last time, she was transferred to work in another place. It was only because the madam pleaded for her that she was able to return.

Serving her master meant less work, easier tasks, and a higher monthly salary; she really dared not make any more mistakes.

It was fine that the lady was so generous to her, but she didn't want to see the lady suffer. Seeing the lady's pale face and unwillingness to speak, she felt guilty and brought over the medicinal food.

"Madam, please drink some medicine. It's a pain reliever prescribed by the doctor in the manor."

Ning Yu took the bottle and drank a few mouthfuls, but couldn't resist the bitterness and didn't want to drink anymore. She rinsed her mouth and lay down, her body limp.