With the grand wedding approaching, Yu Lingxi finally couldn’t remain calm any longer.

Who knew what Ning Yin was plotting? Could it be that he had truly prepared to perish alongside her?

After all, for a madman like him, “destruction” might well be considered the most beautiful ending.

Seeing Yu Lingxi unusually anxious, Ning Yin’s eyes rippled with the faintest smile as he leaned back in his chair and said, “It’s too late now to compensate for wedding clothes.”

So you also know it’s too late?

Yu Lingxi’s original intention wasn’t actually to demand wedding clothes. She had been waiting for just this response!

With her beautiful delicate face stern, she said, “Since the clothes are too late, I request Your Highness allow me to take one item from the Prince’s Manor as dowry, just as when you left the Yu residence.”

Hearing the word “dowry,” Ning Yin slightly narrowed his eyes.

“I want to take Your Highness’s innocence,” Yu Lingxi said, pressing her lips together.

Ning Yin’s hand, which had been caressing a jade carving, paused as he asked with surprise, “Take what?”

“Your Highness’s innocence.”

Yu Lingxi repeated once more, with utmost seriousness and clarity.

This time Ning Yin heard, his eyes widening slightly, displaying obvious astonishment for the first time.

“Once the rice is cooked, naturally we’ll lose the qualification to marry by imperial decree.”

Yu Lingxi sat across from him, slender-waisted in her simple attire, and continued with affected solemnity, “When things are exposed, I’ll say Prince Jing is my lover, that we’ve long been involved in a secret affair. At worst, we’ll be a pair of ill-fated lovers together.”

After a moment, he laughed briefly and deeply, laughing until the black fox fur on his great cloak trembled slightly.

He laughed until the corners of his eyes turned red, then bent a finger to tap his leg, saying in an indulgent tone, “Come and take it.”

Yu Lingxi stood up and without hesitation sat on his lap.

Since there was no retreat, if she was going to gamble her heart, she might as well be thorough about it.

Ning Yin’s legs were firm and long. When she first sat in his embrace, she could still feel the cold of the winter morning. Gradually, the frost melted away, leaving only scorching body heat transmitted through the clothing, warming her entire body through her bloodstream.

Yu Lingxi bit her lip, undid the ties of Ning Yin’s great cloak, and then raised her hands to loosely encircle his neck.

Her soft, long black hair fell along the curve of her waist, draping coolly over Ning Yin’s fair, well-proportioned fingers.

Ning Yin watched her at leisure, pinching a strand of her hair between his fingers and playing with it carelessly, applying neither light nor heavy pressure, causing Yu Lingxi to feel a numbing sensation at the hair roots behind her ear.

She cupped Ning Yin’s face, looking at the tiny reflection of herself in his ink-black eyes, and suddenly smiled, her eyelashes fluttering like hooks designed to entice.

She first lightly kissed the tip of Ning Yin’s nose, then moved downward, touching his Adam’s apple like a dragonfly skimming water, deliberately ignoring his hungry lips.

Ning Yin’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and the hand that had been leisurely playing with her hair slowed down.

This move always worked.

Yu Lingxi’s cheeks gradually warmed along with the heat pressed closely beneath her, eventually blooming into a splendid crimson-like morning glow. Yet she continued to smile, with obvious satisfaction, intentionally withdrawing her lips and breath.

Ning Yin’s eyes darkened, and he leaned forward, pressing in.

The top became the bottom as their positions were instantly reversed.

The doors to the study remained wide open, with withered branches and remnants of snow in the courtyard, blue-green eaves and black tiles outside, and servants who might pass by at any moment. Yet Yu Lingxi had no attention to spare for this; her eyes were filled with Ning Yin’s approaching handsome face, those deep eyes almost drowning her entirely.

When the voice of a servant in the corridor sounded, Yu Lingxi was startled.

“Your Highness, Miss Yu has come to call, saying she has arrived as scheduled to fetch someone.”

The Prince’s Manor servants were well-trained. When making their report, they stood far away, bowing their heads with eyes straight ahead. Even so, Yu Lingxi instinctively buried herself in Ning Yin’s embrace.

Ning Yin let out a laugh.

So bold in teasing just now, yet now she suddenly cares about her face.

Yu Lingxi’s ears reddened at his laughter, and she felt vexed, not expecting her sister and the others to arrive so quickly.

Today, no matter what, she needed to face this matter and resolve it. This had been arranged in their family letters from the beginning.

But the kindling had only just caught fire, with no time yet to cook the rice.

Yu Lingxi pushed against Ning Yin’s chest, blinked, and called, “Your Highness.”

Ning Yin pretended not to hear.

“Get down.”

He dismissed the servants but had no intention of stopping, his finger flicking at the tie beneath her rising and falling contours.

“Didn’t you want to take away this prince’s innocence?”

He loomed over Yu Lingxi like a wild beast crouching beside its prey, his fingers moving downward, flicking again, “Take it.”

This would take more than a moment to take away.

Yu Lingxi had experience and understood him very well.

“It’s all your fault for not returning an hour earlier,” she said with crimson cheeks, refusing to take responsibility. “Chaos is about to break out, and I need to prepare first.”

Ning Yin said nothing, leaning sideways to enclose her, raising his hand to caress her lightly.

When Ning Yin didn’t want to let her go, Yu Lingxi had no escape.

But with her sister arriving unexpectedly, something must have changed in the household that couldn’t be delayed any longer.

Yu Lingxi tried hard to ignore that cool shiver, looking down at a dragon-patterned jade pendant hanging alongside a fragrance pouch at Ning Yin’s waist.

She reached out to remove the jade pendant, holding it in her palm and shaking it slightly. “This will serve as Your Highness’s token to me.”

Ning Yin looked at the jade pendant in her hand, seemingly recalling something amusing, his eyes darkening slightly.

“Don’t rush.”

Ning Yin raised his hand to lower a dividing screen, saying amidst the flickering fragments of light, “If it’s a lover’s token, of course, it should be the best.”

Though the light was behind him, his eyes were exceptionally bright.

Yu Lingxi knew then that he was about to act mad again.

She felt a hint of timidity and asked, “W-what?”

“Any treasured item in a famous collection bears a private seal to show ownership.”

Ning Yin leaned in close, his deep, smiling voice sounding by her ear, “I’ll stamp a seal for Lingxi, all right?”

“A seal?”

Yu Lingxi saw the jade carving in his palm.

Earlier, preoccupied with worries, Yu Lingxi had only noticed that the ink-jade material he played with seemed familiar and smooth, but hadn’t paid careful attention.

Now closer, she discovered the jade carving was entirely jet black, with soft, undulating lines, carved into the form of a beautiful woman half-reclining in spring slumber, laid horizontally on a square jade base.

The beauty’s posture also seemed familiar. Looking more carefully, she found the hairpin and facial features exquisitely detailed and very familiar, just like… just like…

Yu Lingxi suddenly recalled the autumn day in the canopied chamber when Ning Yin asked her to “serve as a reference for a jade carving,” and her face grew hot.

Ning Yin had simplified and carved this ink jade in the likeness of her face and figure.

“This jade was originally a gift from Lingxi to me. I thought for a long time, and only Lingxi’s appearance is worthy of being carved on this private seal.”

Ning Yin’s cold white fingers lightly pressed along the undulating contours of the ink-jade beauty, black and white intermingling, unmatched in splendor.

He asked, “Do you like it?”

Such a strange private seal, only a madman would like it!

Yu Lingxi’s cheeks bloomed like rouge spreading, and after holding back for a long while, she said breathlessly, “Where are her clothes?”

Ning Yin lowered his gaze, then said “Oh”: “Too troublesome, so I omitted them.”

What a dignified excuse. Yu Lingxi had no words to refute.

“Where should this private seal be stamped?”

Ning Yin seriously pondered this question, his gaze moving downward, and then his eyes brightened slightly. “I have it.”

The next moment, Yu Lingxi felt a coolness in her legs. Before she could react, her slender ankle was grasped by a large hand.

A moment later, Yu Lingxi bit her lip in shock and kicked her legs.

If this were her previous life, she would never have dared to kick Ning Yin again, but the cold sensation still made her react instinctively.

This was worse than cooking rice!

However, Ning Yin easily caught her flailing ankle, set it down, and arranged her skirt properly.

He leaned in, pointing at where he had stamped the seal. “Don’t smudge it. When you return, this prince will verify whether the seal impression is intact.”

Fully dressed as she stepped out of the Prince’s Manor, Yu Lingxi moved with light, lotus steps, wishing she could divide each step into three, feeling awkward with every step.

Her ear tips burning, it was only at the gate that she realized Ning Yin had earlier said “When you return.”

He was certain she would come back.

So, had he planted some chess piece that he was just waiting to reveal?

Just as she was thinking this, Yu Xinyi, who had been pacing outside the manor gate, brightened and strode over, saying, “Suisui!”

“Elder Sister.”

“Why did you come out so slowly? If there had been no movement, I would have charged in to fish you out.”

Yu Xinyi grasped Yu Lingxi’s hand and spoke quickly. “The Xue family has suddenly moved the auspicious time forward and has already begun preparations for the wedding procession.”

Yu Lingxi was pulled into the carriage by her sister. Taking a final look at the empty gates of the Prince’s Manor, she raised her hand to her cheek and sighed, “Why the sudden advance?”

“Unknown.”

Yu Xinyi folded her arms and said, “Father has already transferred Hong Zhu to the Minister of Justice and, after obtaining her testimony, went to see the emperor along with the Minister. However, we still haven’t found evidence that the Xue family possesses the ‘Hundred Flowers Killer.’ I don’t know if we can get results before the ceremony.”

Yu Xinyi had even prepared to substitute for her sister at the wedding if the plan didn’t go smoothly.

Unfortunately, under everyone’s scrutiny, and with the Xue family knowing the two sisters so well, her idea of taking her sister’s place was almost absurd.

“It’s all right, Elder Sister.”

Yu Lingxi said softly, gripping the dragon-patterned jade pendant in her hand.

She trusted her family, and she also trusted Ning Yin.

On the Xiuyun Pavilion at the west side of the Prince’s Manor, Ning Yin stood with his hands behind his back, watching the Yu family carriage speed away.

The Xue family was very cunning. The flimsy evidence Wang Lingqing had contributed before his death was far from enough to bring the old fox to his end.

So Ning Yin had changed his plan.

The evidence he gave to Magistrate Liu was half-true and half-false. By spreading rumors, he deliberately let those hiding in the shadows know that Magistrate Liu was going to the palace to impeach and report Right Minister Xue, provoking them to disrupt their formations.

Sure enough, with this deception, the Xue family could no longer sit still.

However, this was far from enough.

The streets were empty, the clouds as black as ink, the wind carrying the piercing cold of frost and snow.

Ning Yin gazed at a point without focus and hummed lowly.

Anyway, he would have to snatch her back later.

This time, openly and justifiably “snatch.”

Crushing a mediocre person’s foolish dream at its most beautiful moment, destroying it thoroughly—that was truly satisfying.

“Have everything checked and ready.”

Ning Yin’s eyes held the dark color of ink clouds as he turned and descended from the pavilion. “Let’s go snatch the person.”

At noon, in the inner chambers of the Yu residence.

Yu Lingxi applied light makeup, simply tied up her long hair, and pressed down the heavy and magnificent phoenix crown. Because her previous wedding dress had been destroyed, she wore only a hastily made crimson outfit.

Before a floor-length bronze mirror, Yu Lingxi sat alone, then inch by inch rolled up her skirt and inner trousers, revealing her even, fair legs.

Layer by layer, she rolled to the very top, looking at a red floral imprint barely visible in the shadow of the bronze mirror. Her gaze heated, and she hurriedly dropped the crimson hem of her skirt, patting it smooth to cover up.

She only hoped her father was successful at the palace.

Yu Lingxi rested her chin on her hand and sighed, otherwise, she didn’t know with what courage she would “marry” into the Xue family bearing this seal.

Right Minister Xue had not yet returned from the palace, and Father Xue had temporarily moved the time of the wedding procession forward.

At the third quarter of the second-afternoon watch, the Xue family’s wedding procession headed merrily toward the Yu residence.

According to the old customs of the capital, the groom himself did not personally go to fetch the bride but rather sent a master of ceremonies to escort her.

The hall was filled with festive silk, high red candles burned brightly, and outside the courtyard, guests came and went like clouds.

Xue Chen, dressed in crimson wedding attire, sat properly like jade in the wedding hall, waiting for the arrival of the bridal sedan.

He couldn’t help clenching his fist; this moment was perhaps the closest to perfection in his entire life.

After who knows how long an expectation, the joyful sounds of the returning wedding procession could finally be heard faintly outside.

Xue Chen suddenly stood up, momentarily joyful yet at a loss.

It wasn’t until the matchmaker urged and reminded him that he came to his senses, carefully straightened his official attire, and walked along the red carpet extending for dozens of yards, amid congratulations, toward his bride who was about to enter his household.