“Your subordinate obeys!”
“Lu Shi, take men to the Third Prince’s mansion. Keep a close watch. Once Chu Yanxi returns, apprehend him immediately. If he dares to resist, shoot him on the spot!”
Chu Yanxi’s threat against Feng Jin had thoroughly enraged him. He could no longer afford to consider other matters; Chu Yanxi had to be apprehended as soon as possible.
“Young General, His Majesty’s order was to capture him alive. If he is killed… I fear His Majesty will be displeased, and it will be difficult to explain. This could also implicate the Young General.”
“It’s alright. You proceed with your task. If anything goes wrong, I will bear the responsibility.”
Ling Mohan said in a deep voice. This time, he would absolutely not let Chu Yanxi go.
“Your subordinate obeys!”
Seeing that Ling Mohan was taking full responsibility, she could not say anything further and could only act entirely according to Ling Mohan’s wishes.
…
“You pack of dogs, let me out! When His Highness returns, he will not let you off!”
Feng Ruoyan furiously cursed at the guards outside the window. Liu Meng’an, that bitch, had the audacity to imprison her here. When Chu Yanxi returned, she would definitely make him divorce Liu Meng’an.
However, two days had passed, and she still didn’t know how Chu Yanxi was doing or if he had succeeded. There was no news at all, which was truly agonizing.
If she continued to wait like this, she would be driven mad. Moreover, her child was being held hostage by Liu Meng’an outside; she didn’t know how they were.
Feng Ruoyan was as restless as an ant on a hot pan but had no way to help herself. After all, she could not even protect herself, let alone go out. Even if she had ten thousand methods, none could be implemented now.
With a ‘creak,’ the tightly shut door was opened from the outside.
Feng Ruoyan immediately straightened up and looked outwards. Upon seeing who had arrived, her expression drastically changed: “What are you doing here? Where is His Highness… why isn’t His Highness here?”
“His Highness is busy with state affairs and naturally has no time to see you. This is what His Highness instructed this old servant to prepare for the concubine. Concubine, please eat it early.”
“You…”
Although Feng Ruoyan was displeased, she did not dare to vent her anger for the moment. Who was this person? She was someone by the Empress’s side. Her current situation meant she could not easily offend the Empress. She could only endure for now. When she made a comeback, let alone this subservient servant, she wouldn’t let the Empress, her master, off.
Taking a deep breath and suppressing the anger in her heart, Feng Ruoyan stepped forward. She caught a glimpse of a wine pot and cups placed inside the food box, and her heart immediately felt a sense of foreboding.
Her steps instinctively paused backward, her face showing extreme fear, even her breathing becoming heavy.
“What is the meaning of this!”
“Concubine feels… this is naturally prepared by His Highness personally for the concubine. Please do not disobey His Highness’s wishes and drink this cup of wine early!”
Feng Ruoyan looked at the wine cup placed before her, and her heart suddenly trembled. Her breathing became heavy, and her feet felt as if they were filled with lead, making it difficult to move even an inch.
“This is impossible… impossible. His Highness would absolutely not do this, absolutely not…”
She adamantly refused to believe that Chu Yanxi would do this. This must all be the scheme of that bitch Liu Meng’an. Her doing this was definitely to sow discord.
Taking advantage of His Highness’s absence from the mansion, she intended to put her to death. It must be like this, it must be.
“I will not drink it… Unless His Highness personally brings the wine cup to me, I will not drink it. I absolutely will not drink it now!”
“Since the concubine refuses to toast, then this old servant cannot be blamed. This old servant will have to go to some trouble and personally escort the concubine on her final journey!”
The old woman held the wine cup in her hand and glanced at the servants standing outside the door, instructing them in a deep voice: “What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and come in to escort the concubine on her final journey!”
As soon as the words fell, the servants guarding outside exchanged glances and then walked in together. At the old woman’s signal, they walked directly to Feng Ruoyan and restrained her.
“How dare you… His Highness will not let you off when he finds out. His Highness will kill you!”
Feng Ruoyan’s hysterical screams filled the entire room, suddenly seeming very desolate.
The old woman’s hand holding the wine cup did not falter at all. She stepped forward, directly gripped Feng Ruoyan’s chin, and said, “Concubine, you don’t need to worry about this old servant’s life or death. Now, the concubine should worry about her own life. His Highness has no time to rush back and save you at this moment!”
“But concubine, you don’t need to worry. This old servant will report to His Highness that the concubine was too worried about His Highness’s safety and, in a moment of desperation, chose to commit suicide by poison. At that time, His Highness will surely be touched by the concubine’s affection and will grant her a grand burial. For the concubine to receive such an honor, it would not be a wasted life!”
“You wretched slave, even as a ghost, I will not forgive you. I will absolutely not forgive you!”
The old woman was not intimidated by Feng Ruoyan’s curses. She had lived in the palace for most of her life and had seen such things many times. She paid no mind to these empty threats and useless curses.
After all, Feng Ruoyan was not the first person to say such things to her, yet she still slept soundly every night. No one dared to disturb her dreams, so she naturally did not take Feng Ruoyan seriously. If she was not her opponent in life, what storm could she stir up even after death, turning into a ghost?
The old woman held the wine cup in one hand and her chin in the other, and the cup of poisoned wine was slowly poured into her.
With a ‘swish!’ an arrow was shot. The old woman fell to the ground, and the wine cup in her hand shattered into pieces, the unfinished poisoned wine spilling all over the floor.
Then, two more arrows flew. The two servants restraining Feng Ruoyan also fell to the ground one after another.
Freed, Feng Ruoyan reacted swiftly and grabbed her throat, trying to spit out the poisoned wine she had swallowed.
Feng Jin walked in and saw Feng Ruoyan lying on the ground in a mess, surrounded by vomit. Feng Jin’s stomach churned, almost making her throw up.
“Lu Shi, clean this up, then bring Feng Ruoyan over!”
She did not want to stay in this place for another second, or she would be unable to resist spitting out.
Feng Jin walked out, leaving the mess for Lu Shi to handle, and sat in the sun, leisurely sipping her tea.
“Madam, the person has been brought over.”