Here, at the Lin State Duke's manor.
Early in the morning, Huo Ying sneaked into Lin Zhenfan's courtyard again.
"Huo Ying, have you found the Thousand Year Warm Jade?" Lin Zhenfan asked her sternly.
"With Huo Ying on the case, how could it not be found?" Huo Ying said with a strange smile.
Then, she slowly took out the Thousand Year Warm Jade from her sleeve and handed it to Lin Zhenfan.
Lin Zhenfan took it and examined the Warm Jade in his hand, carefully discerning its authenticity. When he felt the energy emanating from it, his smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Huo Ying, you've truly rendered me a great service this time," Lin Zhenfan praised her triumphantly.
As he held the Thousand Year Warm Jade against his chest, he soon felt the energy it emitted slowly healing the internal injuries on his chest. Lin Zhenfan was immediately overjoyed.
At this moment, Huo Ying glanced at Lin Zhenfan's expression again and said indifferently, "Since my task is complete, I shall return to Si Xiang Zhuang."
After speaking, Huo Ying turned to leave Lin Zhenfan's room.
"Wait, this Pavilion Master has one more thing to tell you." Lin Zhenfan called out to her as she was about to leave.
"Pavilion Master, do you still have something to say?" Huo Ying asked him impatiently.
"The potent poison you put in the Longevity Soup last night was detected by Leng Ruo Li, disrupting this Pavilion Master's plan and timely saving the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, as well as everyone celebrating the Empress Dowager's birthday in Chaoyang Hall. Then, Prince An was also revived by that woman Leng Ruo Li. Everything we arranged in the palace last night was ruined by that girl Leng Ruo Li," Lin Zhenfan said faintly, looking at the Warm Jade in his hand.
"Hmph, I didn't expect that little girl to have some skill after all, to be able to neutralize the poison I, Huo Ying, administered," Huo Ying said, her smile becoming even more sinister as she spoke.
"Indeed, this Leng Ruo Li is even stronger than her deceased mother," Lin Zhenfan praised her without reservation.
"This little girl surnamed Leng, I shall go and meet her another day."
Huo Ying left these words behind and transformed into a thick black mist, flashing away.
Not long after, as Lin Zhenfan was recuperating on his bed, the dark guards privately kept by Consort Jing suddenly appeared in his room.
"General Zhennan, Consort Jing requests your presence." The dark guard said expressionlessly, his voice icy cold.
"Heh! This Ming Yu Lan has finally come looking for him."
Lin Zhenfan sneered.
"You go back and report to your master first. This general will be there shortly."
Lin Zhenfan sat up, looked at the dark guard, and waved his hand at him.
With that, the dark guard turned and vanished from Lin Zhenfan's room.
Immediately after, Lin Zhenfan quickly sat up from the bed, took out and carefully stored the Warm Jade placed on his chest, tidied his clothes, and slowly walked out of his room.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lin Zhenfan sneaked into the imperial palace from a secluded corner of the cold palace.
At this moment, in Jinghua Hall.
Consort Jing was still incessantly agitated by the loss of the Imperial Seal and the Thousand Year Warm Jade last night.
She had not slept all night after sending Jun Mo Xiao (Prince Ning) back.
Every time she thought of the lost Imperial Seal and the Thousand Year Warm Jade from last night, she became furious.
She raised her hand and smashed all the vases and jade artifacts in her sleeping quarters to pieces.
In fact, Consort Jing had already guessed who was behind it, but she simply refused to believe that he would do such a thing. After all, they had shared so many beautiful moments. She firmly believed he wouldn't fall out with her over a mere Thousand Year Warm Jade.
Therefore, Consort Jing had ordered her dark guards to summon Lin Zhenfan to the palace as soon as she woke up.
But at this very moment, a pair of arms as strong as iron vices embraced her waist from behind, startling Consort Jing greatly.
"Don't be afraid, it's me!" Lin Zhenfan quickly said.
After speaking, he moved his face to Consort Jing's neck, took a deep breath, and said with enjoyment, "You smell so good!"
Although this woman had often done things that displeased him lately, he, Lin Zhenfan, couldn't deny that he had always missed the faint, clean scent she carried.
"Lin Zhenfan, you've finally arrived?" Consort Jing said sarcastically.
"Mmm, why are you thinking of your old lover so early in the morning?"
Lin Zhenfan teased her.
"Get lost! I ask you, did you send someone to steal things from my Jinghua Hall and Prince Ning's residence last night?" Consort Jing asked with an unfriendly tone.
"What, was your Jinghua Hall robbed? However, this general was indeed too busy last night to steal your things," Lin Zhenfan argued evasively.
After speaking, Lin Zhenfan released his hand from Consort Jing's waist, then turned her entire body to face him, looking into her eyes and deliberately avoiding mentioning Prince Ning's residence.
"If you didn't steal it, then who did? Only you and Xiao'er knew about that Thousand Year Warm Jade being in my possession. Moreover, you asked me for the Thousand Year Warm Jade a few days ago. If you really stole it, please return it to me immediately," Consort Jing said, rubbing her forehead with her hand, feeling a headache.
"Perhaps your son, Prince Ning, didn't store it carefully and someone in his residence discovered the secret, and then stole it themselves."
Lin Zhenfan deliberately tried to steer Consort Jing into thinking in another direction.
"Impossible. I know my son Xiao'er's ways very well. He would never be so careless," Consort Jing defended Prince Ning.
"Alright, don't think too much about it. These things are useless to you anyway, so it's fine if they're lost. Come, come, we haven't been intimate for a long time. How about..."
Lin Zhenfan, halfway through his sentence, suddenly extended his hands to hold her shoulders, looking into her deep eyes with a flicker of bewilderment. He slowly lowered himself, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "I want you!"
Consort Jing's face flushed when she understood his intentions. Just as she was about to resist, her lips were captured by two warm lips.
Consort Jing was caught off guard by Lin Zhenfan's sudden kiss, which was like a fierce storm. Before long, her mind went blank from his kisses, as if the entire space had frozen. She forgot to resist, nor did she want to resist, merely instinctively wanting to reciprocate his actions.
A moment later, Lin Zhenfan dragged her towards the bed, but Consort Jing stopped him.
"Not here!"
"Then where do we want to be?"
Lin Zhenfan did not want to let her go so easily.
Upon hearing his words, Consort Jing knew she couldn't escape today.
So, she led Lin Zhenfan into her secret chamber to indulge his desires.
At this moment, Consort Jing and Lin Zhenfan had cast aside the grudges that had accumulated between them for years, wanting only to enjoy this moment.