With Feng Ruoyan's whereabouts unknown, he was in a passive position, at their mercy.
Moreover, a woman's reputation was paramount. Feng Ruoyan was soon to marry the Third Prince. If news of her disappearance spread, her marriage into royalty would be nothing but a pipe dream.
His years of planning would be ruined. He could only search in secret, making his actions clumsy and restricted.
Madam Sun, worried sick about Feng Ruoyan, prayed ceaselessly before the Buddha.
With no news even late into the night, she paced her room in growing anxiety. Upon Feng Yuanping's return, she rushed to him, asking eagerly, "Master, is there any news of Yan'er?"
Feng Yuanping's face was grim. His gaze towards Madam Sun was laced with disgust. If not for her instigation, this would never have happened. Anger surged, and he slapped Madam Sun hard across the face.
"You vixen! This is all your doing. In the beginning, it was your coaxing that drove a wedge between me and Miao Qing. It was you who told me Feng Jin's fate was too strong, that she would bring misfortune to her father and mother, which is why I sent her to the countryside, leading to estrangement between father and daughter!"
"It was also you who incited Feng Ruoyan to do this, causing this mess. You'd best pray Feng Ruoyan returns safely and marries the Third Prince smoothly. Otherwise, I will divorce you, cast you out of the Feng family, and leave you to fend for yourself!"
All the misfortunes were Madam Sun's doing, causing disharmony between him and He Miaoqing, leading to Feng Jin's current resentment towards him. The Ling family also suppressed him in official circles, and the Emperor's trust in him was no longer what it once was.
His only hope now was for Feng Ruoyan to marry the Third Prince successfully. Once the Third Prince ascended the throne, he would be second only to the Emperor.
But now, with such an incident, his entire plan had been disrupted.
Madam Sun was struck senseless, collapsing onto the ground, dizzy and disoriented. A stream of hot, red liquid flowed from her nostrils. At this moment, Madam Sun paid no mind to anything else, crawling on her hands and knees to Feng Yuanping's feet, tightly grasping the hem of his robe.
"Master, all my mistakes are my fault, but Yan'er is your own daughter, and the Feng family's only hope. You cannot abandon Yan'er, Master, please save Yan'er!"
Madam Sun's face was filled with entreaty, but her eyes were brimming with hatred. Only she knew that as long as Feng Ruoyan married Chu Yanxi and became Empress, she would no longer have to endure Feng Yuanping's temper or grovel to please him.
"I will naturally save Yan'er. From today onwards, you will stay here honestly. If you dare to cause trouble again, I will divorce you."
Feng Yuanping gritted his teeth as he spoke, turning and leaving without looking back.
...
Feng Jin awoke with a sore back and waist. The slightest movement made her feel like her entire body had fallen apart.
The man beside her was fast asleep, his strong, powerful arm resting across her body.
Feng Jin carefully moved his arm, tiptoed off the bed, changed her clothes, and left the room.
"How is his condition?"
"Young Madam, all his wounds have healed, but he has not yet woken up," Cai Qing replied quickly, rising to her feet.
Feng Jin went to check on Yan Yu's condition. His pulse had stabilized.
"The medicine I gave him last night had some sedative added. Let him sleep a little longer."
"Yes, Young Madam."
As Feng Jin reached the doorway, she said with concern, "Have Lu Shi send a few guards to stand watch here."
That old fox Feng Yuanping had probably guessed that Yan Yu had been transferred to the Ling Residence. He had navigated the capital for many years and had deep roots, so it was inevitable that the Ling Residence would have his informants. It was best to be cautious.
"I'll go find Lu Shi and have him send people over now."
Not long after Cai Qing left, Lu Shi arrived with guards, surrounding the room tightly. All food and medicine were provided by the kitchen of the East Courtyard. Cai Qing was asked to stay and take care of him, ensuring Feng Yuanping's men could not infiltrate.
With everything arranged, Feng Jin finally felt at ease.
After breakfast, she took Ling Wan and Ling Muzhu to the medical clinic.
Upon their arrival, the clinic was as usual.
It was completely unaffected by yesterday's events; in fact, business had improved, with a continuous stream of patients seeking consultations.
"Young Madam is here."
Yun Niang, who was dispensing herbs, saw Feng Jin and the others and called out with a smile.
Feng Jin smiled slightly and nodded, attending to patients with Wei Ran.
They were busy until dusk before the number of patients seeking treatment began to decrease.
"Is the Young Madam of Ling Residence here?" A sweet voice sounded at the clinic entrance. A young maid, about fifteen or sixteen years old, stood there with a slightly panicked expression.
Feng Jin recognized the maid as someone by Chu Ning'er's side. "How did you get here? Why aren't you attending to Princess Qingping?"
"Young Madam, the Princess sent me to fetch you. The young master has a high fever and is not getting better."
"I'll go with you right away," Feng Jin agreed immediately, packing everything into her medicine box.
"You two go back to the residence first. Ling Wan, go tell Ling Mo Han that I've gone to the Duke of Yue's mansion and that he shouldn't worry."
"I've noted it all down, sister-in-law."
After Feng Jin finished giving instructions, she followed the maid to the Duke of Yue's mansion.
The carriage sped along the way. In just half an hour, they arrived at the Duke of Yue's mansion.
"Young Madam, this way please." The maid led Feng Jin into the room.
"Your Highness, Young Madam has arrived."
Feng Jin stepped into the room. Princess Qingping was holding the crying child, pacing anxiously like an ant on a hot pan.
Meanwhile, Liang Chen stood beside her with a distressed look, at a loss for what to do, wanting to help but unable to.
"Ning'er, how is the child?" Feng Jin put down her medicine box and quickly went to examine the child.
"He's had a fever since the afternoon. He's taken medicine but hasn't gotten better, and he won't stop crying."
Chu Ning'er held the child, tears welling up in her eyes. The child's cries made her extremely anxious.
"Place the child on the bed first so I can examine him."
Feng Jin reached out and placed her hand on the child's forehead. How could it be so hot?
"The child is wearing such thick clothes, and it's not breathable. How can the fever go down?"
In this September weather, wearing such thick layers, the child was practically suffocating.
Feng Jin asked a maid to bring a set of thin clothes to change the child into. Upon unbuttoning the clothes, she saw that the child's chest and back were covered in dense red rashes.
He had developed eczema from being too warm. No wonder the child couldn't stop crying.
"Sister, why is the child so red?"
Chu Ning'er immediately became worried. She had never seen such a condition before.
"He was dressed too warmly, causing eczema. A bit of medicine will clear it up." Feng Jin took out a purple ointment from her medicine box and applied it to the child.
After applying the ointment, the child's crying subsided considerably.
"The child's body temperature is high, so you don't need to dress him so warmly. Here is this bottle of ointment for you. If he develops eczema again, you can apply it."