After giving her contraceptives, she went mad, criticizing the prince for turning white-haired overn

No.

"I have absolutely no connection with Prince Chen. All those rumors circulating in Yanjing are false."

"The Prince of Chen didn't save me that day, he saved Granny Fang, and the person he held in his arms wasn't me either."

In the darkness, their breaths mingled silently.

Shen Ning was extremely nervous, and she cautiously raised her eyes.

It just so happened that it met Xie Linyuan's unfathomable eyes.

Her explanation did not soften Xie Linyuan's expression in the slightest.

Xie Linyuan's sharp eyes grew even colder.

"What's the point of explaining all this to me?"

His voice was cold and deep, "I don't care at all."

"I will only ask you one question: how did you learn of my relationship with Elder Ling?"

"What else do you... know?"

"I...I don't know anything."

"Don't know?" Xie Linyuan raised an eyebrow, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

He suddenly reached out and pulled Shen Ning's delicate body towards him.

Their eyes met, and he breathed softly, gently brushing her pale cheek.

A sense of danger was palpable.

But Shen Ning knew the truth in her heart.

Xie Linyuan in her previous life died half a year earlier than her and had no idea what happened afterward.

Little did she know that she had been deceived by Shen Rou and Prince Chen.

He probably only remembered how she harmed him and caused the deaths of Princess Chaoyang and Consort Liu during the two years they were married.

And how did they devise a plan to lure him into the imperial city?

Ultimately, he was pierced through the heart by ten thousand arrows from the Prince of Chen.

Shen Ning slowly closed her eyes, recalling Xie Linyuan's appearance before his death, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

At that time, he thought she was in danger in Yanjing City, so he rushed back to Yanjing from the northern frontier to try to save her.

What awaited them, however, was her scheme.

On the day he died, his hair was completely white, and he knelt in a pool of blood, barely alive.

His bloodshot eyes were fixed on her on the city wall.

"Ah Ning, we've been married for two years, do you even have a shred of love for me?"

But by then, she was blinded by hatred.

She stood beside Prince Chen, looking down at him like a victor.

"Xie Linyuan, I've been lying to you all along. The only person I've ever loved is His Highness Prince Chen!"

The man knelt down and gave a bitter laugh, looking at the long arrow she shot from the city wall, then closed his eyes in despair.

In fact, she did have feelings for Xie Linyuan.

But her father died, her brother died, and her sister died tragically.

Even their children died.

At that time, she was only a teenager, and the loss of her closest relatives and children was a devastating blow.

At that time, she was filled with hatred and only wanted Xie Linyuan dead.

Now that she has been given a second chance at life, if she tells Xie Linyuan that she was deceived in her previous life, how could he possibly believe her?

"Still won't tell the truth?"

Xie Linyuan exuded a sharp aura, his piercing gaze fixed intently on her.

His broad, calloused hand gripped her chin tightly.

A faint peach blossom scent lingered around the girl, but Xie Linyuan's face remained unmoved.

"I really...don't know."

Shen Ning said in a low voice, "I'm just guessing."

"Grand Secretary Ling and my maternal grandfather had a long-standing friendship. I overheard my mother mentioning it when I was a child, and that's how I learned about Grand Secretary Ling and Your Highness..."

Shen Ning did not continue speaking.

Xie Linyuan was incredibly perceptive and didn't believe her explanation at all.

"Miss Shen, you remember things from your childhood so clearly?"

"That's a pretty good excuse."

A faint scent of agarwood wafted from the man, and Shen Ning was about to break free.

But then a cold glint flashed in Xie Linyuan's sinister eyes.

Just as she was about to step back, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

She panicked immediately, "Your Highness, someone is coming!"

Immediately afterwards, lights came on outside the room and shone into it.

Shen Rou's voice came from outside the door.

"Ning'er, where have you been so late?"

"Are you in the side room? My sister is coming in."

The door to the room creaked open, and Shen Ning looked at Xie Linyuan with a bewildered expression.

The man remained unfazed, his phoenix eyes radiating an imposing aura even without anger.

There was even a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Since you refuse to speak, then let everyone know that you and I have been having an affair for a long time."

Before Shen Ning could recover from those words, she felt a weight on her shoulder.

Xie Linyuan reached out and firmly pressed down on her shoulder, forcing her delicate body to fall onto his right leg.

The man's presence instantly enveloped her.

He held her trembling shoulder with one hand and pinched her chin with the other.

"no."

"We can't let Shen Rou see this."

But Xie Linyuan suddenly became interested.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Shen Ning, watch closely as I make you tell the truth."

Shen Ning sat on Xie Linyuan's lap with a complicated expression, her whole body tense.

Xie Linyuan was extremely strong, no matter how she struggled.

She wasn't afraid of being seen by the Shen family.

Xie Linyuan holds a high position and wields great power. If she can truly win him over, she might not be bullied by the second and third wives in the Shen family in the future.

But her father was a powerful general with a large army under his command.

Xie Linyuan also wielded real power.

If their relationship is exposed, the alliance between the Shen family and the Regent will surely arouse the Emperor's suspicion.

This could very well plunge the Shen family's eldest branch into an abyss of no return.

In her past life, her father died on the very day Xie Linyuan forced her to marry him.

Moreover, if Shen Rou were to find out about her relationship with Xie Linyuan...

Just like in her previous life, she will try every means to turn her into a pawn to deal with Xie Linyuan.

The man's hand firmly gripped her waist, while his other hand still held her chin.

His thin lips brushed against her ear, seemingly unintentionally.

"Still won't tell the truth?"

"Tell me, if your elder sister Shen Rou came in and saw you in my arms, what would she think?"

"Thank you... Lin Yuan." Shen Ning bit her lower lip tightly.

"For your sake, and for the sake of our Shen family, please let me go."

Xie Linyuan wouldn't listen at all.

Seeing her finally reveal a pleading look only fueled his interest.

"I want to hear the truth."

Shen Ning pursed her lips tightly, refusing to utter a single word.

Shen Rou carried a lantern and walked in from outside the door, step by step towards the inner room.

With each step closer, Shen Ning's heart clenched.

The man behind her stared at her, and seeing her pale face, he slowly leaned closer.

The girl's eyes reddened, and his image was clearly reflected in her dark eyes.

As Shen Rou drew closer, he leaned down and kissed Shen Ning's lips fiercely.

"Well……"

The girl's suppressed moans softly reached Shen Rou's ears outside.

What was that sound?

"This... seems to be..."

Shen Rou's expression changed, sensing that something was amiss.

She quickly picked up the lantern, walked around the screen, and hurried into the inner room.

Upon entering, one sees the purple bed curtains swaying and undulating.

A faint sobbing sound could also be heard from within.

"Second sister, how dare you have a secret rendezvous with someone in your boudoir! I'll report this to Grandmother and Second Aunt."

"I'd like to see which wild man you're messing around with!"

After saying this, Shen Rou dropped the lantern, strode towards the bed, and suddenly reached out to lift the swaying bed curtains.

Before they could even see what was inside, the bed railing snapped and fell with a loud crash.

The sharp wooden edge struck her directly on the forehead.

Shen Ning squatted under the west-facing window, finally able to catch her breath.

She greedily took a few breaths of fresh air, and when she looked up, she saw the chaotic scene inside the room.

Xie Linyuan stood up indifferently and gave her a cold glance.

"I await Miss Shen's answer."

After the man finished speaking, he turned and disappeared into the thick of the night.

Hearing the commotion, several maids and nannies outside rushed into the room.

They hurriedly helped Shen Rou, whose head was covered in blood, to her feet and carried her outside.

As soon as I stepped out of the room, I saw Shen Ning, dressed in purple, walking gracefully from the front yard.

"Eldest sister, what's wrong?"

"Are you injured?"