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

A biting, cold wind swept around the main courtyard, and heavy breathing could be heard in the rolling wind. Under the cover of night, the courtyard seemed to be shrouded in a huge prison, with countless arrows and crossbow bolts pressing down from all angles.

Ning Yu hadn't expected him to be so crazy. She stared at him wide-eyed, and when their eyes met, she realized that his gaze had been fixed on her, heavy and intense as if he wanted to devour her.

His gaze was as if she had killed his entire family and they were mortal enemies. Was he sick in the head?

Soon, the clanging of metal filled the courtyard. With several loud bangs, the sturdy gate was firmly sealed from the outside. Xie Yan turned around with a grim face.

The only way out was blocked, and all the soldiers he brought were trapped outside. The sounds of swords, spears, and halberds soon rang out.

For a moment, the courtyard was stiflingly silent; it was as if the world itself had stopped breathing.

Xie Yan looked back. The two men were separated by a sharp blade, staring at each other in silence. Neither of them had ever imagined that their former brothers would draw their swords against each other.

"Xie Xun, do you dare kill me?"

Xie Xun raised an eyebrow and slowly raised his hand. "Big brother, don't get so angry."

Qingfeng immediately handed over a dagger from behind. Ning Yu watched him take the knife, and a bad premonition flashed through her mind.

Before the screams could even penetrate their eardrums, a sharp blade shot down, precisely piercing the two men's clasped hands.

Ning Yu felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. In the instant she was thrown away, she saw the blade barely pass through Xie Yan's fingers and pin him to the ground.

The blade swayed from side to side, emitting a buzzing vibration.

She stared at Xie Yan's hand, her face pale. She couldn't tell if the archer was skilled and accurate or if Xie Yan's calculations were precise, because he hadn't managed to hurt him in the slightest.

"Of course I wouldn't dare kill my elder brother, but the Northwest has been without a master for many years. There's nothing wrong with my elder brother returning to the Northwest and becoming a local tyrant."

Xie Yan sensed the threat in his voice and saw how arrogantly he dared to actually attack him, a murderous intent he had never felt before welled up within him.

The two fought for the title, seized power in the Xie family, and took control of the Elders' Council and the military, all through their own abilities, and he never thought of taking action against him.

To be honest, he didn't care much about the Xie family's title and power in the council of elders. He was just following the family's wishes to guard the frontier. He returned from Nanguan because he disagreed with Xie Xun's political views and didn't want him to lead the Xie family down a bloody path.

But now the two are not only at odds over political views, he completely disregards him, bullies his sister-in-law, and beats and kills his own brother; he is utterly arrogant.

Xie Yan remained silent, suppressing the surging anger within him. He turned and helped Ning Yu, who had fallen to the ground, to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"No---it's nothing."

Xie Xun watched the two's intimate actions, a hint of bloodlust flashing in his seemingly cold and indifferent eyes. He slowly walked down the steps, his figure blending into the eerie moonlight, making him appear cold and sinister.

Ning Yu instinctively wanted to push Xie Yan away, but given Xie Yan's current state, she dared not make any rash moves.

"Brother and sister-in-law are so affectionate, it's truly touching. How about this—" Xie Xun's voice was excessively gentle, "I'll give you half an incense stick's time to consider who should leave alive today."

The black arrows around the eaves suddenly lashed out, striking their crossbows like cooked shrimp on their bows.

Ning Yu looked at the man sitting in the armchair, and her expression suddenly turned ugly.

Xie Xun seemed to notice her gaze and casually met her eyes.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she had a feeling that Xie Xun was targeting her because of her choice just now.

"Why don't you choose first, sister-in-law?"

A flat, emotionless voice came through, and Xie Yan said directly, "Let her go first."

Xie Xun didn't answer, his gaze fixed on Ning Yu's direction. "Sister-in-law, are you leaving or staying here with eldest brother?"

Ning Yu looked into his eyes and suddenly realized something.

It wasn't a choice; what he gave her wasn't a choice at all.

If she goes out alone, she will be caught by his men. If she stays here and faces the situation with Xie Yan, she will offend him, and both of them will die.

He never gave her a choice, only one path!

She used to submit to him, telling Xie Yan in front of him that she wanted to follow him, cutting off all her escape routes.

A feeling of suffocating despair lingered in Ning Yu's chest. She stood there stiffly, her lips barely moving.

Xie Mansion.

"What did you say?" Upon hearing the voice of the kneeling servant, the Grand Princess flung open the curtains and rose from her bed.

"It's a message that just came back. It says that the young master has led troops to surround the governor's villa, and it seems he's looking for someone."

absurd!

The Grand Princess's expression changed, and she said angrily, "Has he lost his mind? He buried a lowly woman in their Xie family's ancestral tomb, and now he's even leading troops to surround Xun'er's villa. If word gets out, won't people laugh at us?"

"Why would he do something so absurd out of the blue?"

The servant knelt on the ground, saying, "This servant doesn't know either."

The two men are from the same lineage and have similar political skills. Although she doesn't know how deep the water is in the Battle of Nanguan, they are both from the Xie family, and it is impossible for them to have done such a thing because of court affairs.

The two were fairly close. Ayan was a steady person, so why would he lead troops to surround his younger brother's villa?

"You said he's looking for someone, who?"

"This servant is unaware that the young master has not returned yet. Just now, a soldier rushed back from outside the city to look for the sixth master. It seems that the sixth master took his personal cavalry to the other residence."

A strange sense of panic flashed through the Grand Princess's mind. Her two sons were raised by the old lady and were not close to her, but they would never turn against each other because of power in the court. Ayan was not like that.

What could be the reason?

"Is there a woman in Xun'er's villa? Could it be because of this woman?"

He wasn't feeling guilty towards that girl from the Ning family; she hadn't even gone to find him a wife these past few days, so why was he eyeing the woman in his own brother's courtyard?!

The Grand Princess then realized that she had guessed wrong.

"Who else knows about this?"

"No one knows. I only found out when I saw Sixth Master hurriedly leading his troops away."

No one can know, absolutely no one else in the Xie family can know.

The Xie clan was already divided into factions, with each branch vying for power and profit. If someone else found any fault with her, other members of the clan would set their sights on the power of the elders' council and try to sow discord between her two sons.

"Don't make any noise, or we'll be watched. Come on, prepare the carriage and take me to the other courtyard."

"It's so late, will the princess change her clothes and go to the other residence?"

The fact that troops were mobilized and such a commotion was caused means that something must have happened. Naturally, the Grand Princess was afraid that the news would leak out, so she had to suppress it.

"Don't tell the Duke. Secretly prepare a carriage and take me there."

"Yes."

In an instant, all the maids and nannies in the Champs-Élysées bowed as they entered to serve the Grand Princess, who was already asleep, dressing her in a magnificent palace gown, adorned with jingling hairpins and jade pendants, allowing her to fully enjoy the imperial splendor.