Feng Yinwan's heart tightened.
"What does Your Highness mean by this..."
Before she could finish speaking, she was grabbed by Ye Tinglan and thrown onto the horse. Ye Tinglan glanced at her coldly and then mounted the horse himself.
Sensing his intention, Feng Yinwan immediately spoke.
"Wait, wait... Song Qingan, Song Qingan hasn't gotten away yet!"
Hearing this, Ye Tinglan's already dark face grew even colder. He whipped her delicate buttocks, warning her.
"Dare to mention him again, and I'll throw you off the cliff!"
With that, the horse's hooves kicked up, and the two of them shot out like arrows from a bow.
Feng Yinwan was pressed onto the horse like a sandbag, feeling as if this situation was exactly like the dramatic scene of "a newlywed husband caught cheating with a mistress by his wife."
Already somewhat exhausted from fighting the black-clothed men, the bumpy ride on horseback actually made Feng Yinwan fall into a deep sleep.
When she woke up, she was back in her meditation room.
Feng Yinwan opened her eyes, looking at the familiar ceiling and surroundings, and felt so heartbroken she wanted to cry.
She had indeed been brought back!
"Awake."
A cold voice came from downstairs. Feng Yinwan got up in fear and realized Ye Tinglan was actually in her room.
Adding the incident from noon, with two fires burning in her heart, her words were naturally sharp.
"What is Your Highness doing here?"
Ye Tinglan glanced at her, the fury in his dark eyes having subsided considerably.
"Feng Yinwan, I just saved you."
"If I had known I would be returned to Qingpu Temple, I would have preferred to be killed with one blow, rather than watch people twist the truth!"
Ye Tinglan, who felt implicitly criticized, frowned. "Regarding the peach kernel powder incident, I will give the Empress Dowager and Tingyun an explanation."
Feng Yinwan scoffed.
"I believe, Your Highness, that I seem to need an explanation more than the Empress Dowager and Prince Yun."
The matter of the "little white lotus" harming her would absolutely not be let go easily.
Ye Tinglan's thin lips pressed tightly together.
"I told you, Ru Lian is Yan Zhi's surviving sister, and I cannot treat her this way."
"I will handle her affairs. You have already gained the Empress Dowager's favor and received special honors. What more could you be dissatisfied with?"
Feng Yinwan was so angry she wanted to roll her eyes.
"Does my backside grow lotus flowers, that I should not pursue the one who framed me?"
"Moreover, Your Highness saw just now, even if I wanted to be merciful, Qin Ru Lian might not let me off!"
Those black-clothed men that time had shown no mercy when trying to kill her!
Ye Tinglan's eyes darkened. "Those people were not targeting you. Their objective should have been the Empress Dowager."
The traces they found by the stream on the way here must have been them as well.
"The Empress Dowager?"
Feng Yinwan was slightly stunned.
Ye Tinglan clearly did not wish to elaborate on the matter. He parted his thin lips and looked at her steadily.
"As long as you drop this matter, I can agree to any other conditions you have."
He was determined to protect Qin Ru Lian. Arguing for another ten thousand lifetimes would be futile.
Feng Yinwan's face immediately turned cold. "Since that's the case, let's divorce."
"Divorce?"
Hearing these two words again, Ye Tinglan's brows furrowed, and his expression turned icy.
"We walk different paths and cannot plan together. Your Highness wishes to protect your savior, but I do not possess such a benevolent nature. Who knows if one day I might not be able to control my hands out of displeasure."
"Rather than grow to resent each other, it is better to go our separate ways."
If she didn't run now, she would be a fool.
Go our separate ways.
Ye Tinglan's large hand clenched, and his heart was instantly swept by an unnamed rage.
"Your matter with Song Qingan has not yet been clarified, and you dare to talk about going our separate ways with me!"
How dare she!
Feng Yinwan sneered, "Did Your Highness not just say it yourself? Has it already been forgotten?"
"I can agree to any other conditions, but divorce, you can forget it!"
With that, he flicked his sleeve and left the meditation room. Feng Yinwan's eyes turned cold, and she lay back on the bed.
Deep into the night, the tranquility of the temple was broken.
Feng Yinwan was counting sheep with her eyes closed when she heard a commotion outside, seemingly talking about injuries, and faintly mentioning Song Qingan's name.
Her heart tightened, and she immediately got up.
She met a guard as she went out and quickly called out to him.
"What happened?"
The guard saw it was her and nodded. "Reporting to the Princess Consort, Deputy General Song has returned with injuries from an unknown source. I was just going to borrow medicine from the monks."
Feng Yinwan's beautiful eyes widened. "Song Qingan is injured?"
She had thought that with his skills, he would be able to handle it, which was why she hadn't said any more when Ye Tinglan took her away. She hadn't expected...
Hesitating, the guard had already hurried away. Feng Yinwan pursed her lips and quickly walked towards the meditation rooms of the generals and soldiers.
The courtyards that should have been quiet were now brightly lit. Feng Yinwan passed by the crowd and went straight into a room.
Song Qingan was lying on a bed, with several guards surrounding the area. Seeing Feng Yinwan arrive, they immediately made way.
"Princess Consort."
Feng Yinwan nodded, and upon approaching, saw Song Qingan with his eyes closed, his face pale, his gray robe stained with multiple blood marks. He was clearly quite injured.
"Have you invited Imperial Physician Jiang?"
"We have, but Imperial Physician Jiang is already asleep. He is the exclusive imperial physician for His Highness Prince Yun, so it's likely..."
The guards looked troubled. Remembering that Feng Yinwan also knew medicine, they quickly added.
"Doesn't the Princess Consort also know medicine? Please examine Deputy General Song quickly."
Song Qingan's injuries were definitely mostly external. It was inappropriate for her, as a noblewoman, to handle it directly.
Taking out a pill and handing it to a guard, she instructed, "Give this to him. I will go and invite Imperial Physician Jiang."
Forcing Jiang Ru Mo to get up, he was clearly irritable and unwilling. Feng Yinwan made a painful sacrifice, and only when she brought out several spiritual herbs did he agree.
It was already the fourth watch by the time Song Qingan's wounds were treated. Jiang Ru Mo emerged from the room with dark circles under his eyes.
"Deputy General Song has woken up. Does the Princess Consort wish to go in and see?"
Feng Yinwan felt relieved upon hearing this and waved her hand. "It is inconvenient for this Princess Consort to go in. Since there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
Jiang Ru Mo raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over her, then inquisitively glancing towards the room.
As they were preparing to return to the capital, everyone was awakened early the next morning.
Feng Yinwan arrived at the front and heard that the peach kernel powder incident had been investigated. It turned out that a guard had accidentally gotten some on it while preparing medicine. Ye Tinglan had already administered punishment, and the matter was thus glossed over with the Empress Dowager.
Feng Yinwan listened, her beautiful eyes sweeping over Qin Ru Lian, who was unharmed, and the coldness in her eyes deepened.
Considering her "pregnancy," the Empress Dowager had Ye Ting Yun ride in the same carriage and specially arranged a carriage for her.
Feng Yinwan, however, politely declined, citing Ye Ting Yun's incomplete recovery from his heart ailment, and proposed to ride with Qin Ru Lian instead.
"Ru Lian's status is too low to ride with the Princess Consort..."
Qin Ru Lian bit her lip tightly, lowering her head.
Feng Yinwan glanced at her faintly. "We are all from the same manor, so such formalities are not necessary. Miss Qin cannot ride a horse, does she expect to run after the carriage?"
With that, she ignored Ye Tinglan's warning gaze and directly stepped onto the carriage.
With the Empress Dowager's approval, Qin Ru Lian had no choice but to follow, pinching her palm hard and reluctantly following.
However, before she could even settle in, the carriage began to move. Qin Ru Lian stumbled and directly hit the corner of the table.
"Ah..."
She clutched her lower abdomen, her face pale. As she was about to get up, she was ordered.
"Kneel."
Stunned, she looked up and saw Feng Yinwan glaring at her with cold eyes.
"You caused this Princess Consort to receive two beatings. I'm making you kneel all the way to the capital. Is that too much to ask?"