Feng Jin returned to her room, still shaken. It had been a close call; a moment longer and the arrow would have pierced her body.
"Young Madam, are you alright?" Chu Qing hurried forward, seeing Feng Jin's pale face.
"I'm fine, I just didn't react in time. It's fine... fine..." Feng Jin said this partly for Cai Qing's benefit, and partly to reassure herself.
"The children!" Feng Jin had just sat down when she abruptly stood up again. The two children were in the next room, and Feng Jin’s heart immediately tensed. She hurried to the door, and just as she reached it, the closed door opened from the outside, and Ling Mo Han’s figure appeared.
The moment Feng Jin saw Ling Mo Han, her restless heart instantly calmed, and she let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"How are you? Are you hurt?" her voice was filled with worry, her gaze scanning Ling Mo Han from head to toe.
"I'm fine."
"The children, Da Bao and Er Bao are still next door. I'm going to check on them." Feng Jin tightly grasped Ling Mo Han's wrist, her eyes full of concern, and she started to move towards the door.
"I've sent people to guard Da Bao and Er Bao. Nothing will happen to them. This time, their target was you." Ling Mo Han’s voice grew tense, his tone deepening slightly.
"I... I still can't rest easy. Please, just let me go guard them." A mother's heart is connected to her child's; how could she be at ease at this moment?
"If you go, you'll only put them in danger. Staying here peacefully is the best choice for them." Feng Jin felt a sharp pang in her heart, a pain so intense it was almost unbearable. As a mother, to be the cause of danger to her own children—it was truly a bitter irony.
"Stay here and be at ease. The children will be fine," Ling Mo Han said in a deep voice. Only after he had calmed Feng Jin did he leave.
"Young Madam, the two young masters are blessed and will surely be fine." Chu Qing stayed quietly by Feng Jin's side, silently praying for their safety. May they all survive this ordeal.
Feng Jin sat in her chair all night, her gaze fixed on the door, eagerly awaiting Ling Mo Han to return with good news. It wasn't until the next morning that Ling Mo Han still hadn't returned. Feng Jin could no longer sit still; she quickly stood up and walked towards the door.
"Young Madam, the Young General said not to let you go out." Chu Qing was anxious and hurried to block Feng Jin's path. The situation outside was still unclear, and rushing out would surely put them in danger.
"Chu Qing, don't stop me. I need to see for myself to be at ease." Staying in the room was like being tormented alive.
"Young Madam, you cannot go out." Chu Qing firmly blocked the doorway, refusing to let Feng Jin leave.
"Chu Qing, get out of the way. Don't force me to take action against you!" Feng Jin said helplessly. She was frantic, her heart like it was being seared on a hot pan, causing her immense distress.
"If you want to leave today, you'll have to kill me first," Chu Qing said resolutely, determined to keep Feng Jin inside and unwilling to take even a single step back.
"You... you really are thick-headed!" Feng Jin was exasperated by Chu Qing's stubbornness, unable to reason with her. With the door tightly blocked by Chu Qing, she could only pace anxiously in the room. They remained in this standoff for nearly half an hour. Feng Jin felt her lips were about to be worn down, yet Chu Qing showed no signs of yielding.
"Young Madam, please stop talking. I will not compromise today, no matter what," Chu Qing stated with unwavering determination, guarding the door without any intention of retreating.
"You really are..." Feng Jin’s throat felt dry. After talking to Chu Qing for so long without any success, the hope of leaving through the main door seemed slim. She took a sip of water to moisten her throat, feeling a little better.
After a while, a knock came from outside the door. Both women in the room instantly became alert.
"Who's out there!" Chu Qing called out louder.
"It's me." The familiar voice entered the room. Feng Jin immediately recognized it: "It's Cai Qing."
Just as Chu Qing was about to open the door, Feng Jin stopped her. "What is in the last layer of the zhuang tai xia zi?" Feng Jin asked cautiously. It was best to be vigilant at such a time.
"It's itching powder, and laughing medicine..." Hearing these words, Feng Jin was certain it was Cai Qing and allowed Chu Qing to open the door.
"Young Madam, why did you ask me those questions just now?" Cai Qing was a bit stunned when she heard them. Fortunately, she knew what was inside, otherwise, if she hadn't answered correctly, she wouldn't have been able to enter.
"It’s because last night, Young Madam was attacked, so we are being cautious..." Chu Qing recounted the previous night's events to Cai Qing, explaining the reason for her vigilance.
"Attacked!" Cai Qing exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. She quickly asked Feng Jin, "Young Madam, are you injured?"
"I'm fine. Have you found any clues about what I asked you to investigate?" It had been all night, and there should be some results by now.
"Slave has investigated and found that after Yu Rong assassinated Granny Sun, she was taken away by a group of imperial guards who rushed in. Yu Rong’s body has already been disposed of..." To confirm that the person was indeed Yu Rong, she had bribed someone to take a look. Seeing Yu Rong's mangled corpse, she found it too gruesome. Her entire body was covered in scars, not a single patch of good skin remained. The left side of her face was burned by a branding iron, her right eye socket was empty, and three of her ten fingers were gone. The sight still terrified her when she recalled it. What kind of perverted person could inflict such cruelties?
"They acted fast." She wondered if the effects of Yu Rong's hypnosis had worn off before her death, and if she had revealed anything.
"Do you know who interrogated Yu Rong?"
"It was too tightly guarded, slave couldn't find out." This information was obtained after considerable effort.
"Was there anyone outside when you came?"
"Slave didn't see anyone." Where had that person gone? Feng Jin couldn't help but worry about whether the two children in the next room were being guarded. She became increasingly restless and suddenly stood up, intending to go out.
"Young Madam, you cannot go out!" Chu Qing shouted loudly, rushing to block Feng Jin. However, it was too late; Feng Jin had already walked out.
"Young Madam, slave begs you, please go back!"