Yuping had already prepared cold water and stepped forward when she heard the words, "Yes!"
A basin of cold water was poured directly over his head, and Pang Liu cried out in shock and suddenly woke up.
The two guards held him down so tightly that he couldn't even move under everyone's gaze, let alone see Qin Rulian's eyes.
Feng Yinwan took a sip of tea and slowly opened her lips, "Awake?"
Pang Liu was still groggy, but when he heard her voice, his body trembled, and he instantly sobered up.
"Princess Consort..."
Feng Yinwan curved her lips, her beautiful eyes flickered, "Don't just call me Princess Consort, say hello to everyone too."
Pang Liu dazedly followed her gaze and saw that several pairs of eyes were fixed on him.
When he saw the source of the chilling air, he was startled and his face turned ashen.
"Your... Your Highness, Miss Qin...!"
How did he get back to Prince Mo's mansion!
Feng Yinwan's voice sounded in his ear at the right time.
"Don't be afraid, as long as you tell His Highness everything you told me earlier, I promise not to pursue the matter any further."
As she spoke, she met Ye Tinglan's questioning gaze. Feng Yinwan raised her eyebrows, "Doesn't His Highness want to know the truth? The person is right here, ask him quickly."
Ye Tinglan's brow furrowed slightly, and he spoke with a stern expression.
"I ask you, what is your relationship with Zhao Si, and who ordered you to transport him into the palace on the day of the Spring Festival ceremony."
Pang Liu's body trembled noticeably upon hearing this. Before he could speak, a low cough was heard from the other side.
Feng Yinwan tapped the teacup in her hand, and her red lips curved into a sneer.
"What's wrong with Miss Qin, is she choking on phlegm?"
Qin Rulian's face turned ugly. Before she could speak, she saw Feng Yinwan staring at her intently.
"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, my elder brother recently got a new antidote. I heard it's colorless and odorless, but once taken, one can only speak the truth, otherwise, their blood will boil and they will die on the spot."
"Coincidentally, he was planning to use it on foreign spies. I thought it would be a pity for such spies to die, so I tried it on Pang Liu. I wonder... how effective it is."
She lazily propped up her chin, her tone as casual as crushing an ant. Qin Rulian's face turned as pale as paper upon hearing this.
The words of refutation had just reached her lips when Pang Liu anxiously interrupted her.
"Your Highness! This lowly one does not know Zhao Si, and I transported him into the palace that day at Miss Qin's behest. It was... it was Miss Qin who wanted to frame the Princess Consort's reputation, and it has nothing to do with me!"
Ye Tinglan frowned instinctively, a hint of anger appearing on his face.
"Nonsense! Why would Rulian frame the Princess Consort for no reason."
Seeing that he didn't believe him, Pang Liu kowtowed repeatedly, "Your Highness, this lowly one dares not lie!"
"It was Miss Qin's jealousy of the Princess Consort's status that made her want to ruin the Princess Consort's reputation so that she would be driven out of the mansion by you, and then... then she could take the position of Princess Consort herself."
"Presumptuous!"
Everyone in the mansion knew Qin Rulian's intentions but dared not speak of them.
Ye Tinglan's handsome face sank uncontrollably.
"Rulian is the younger sister of Deputy General Qin. She respects me as her elder brother, and I have always regarded her as my own sister. Between siblings, how could there be such absurd talk!"
This statement, while seemingly protective, was actually a clarification.
Qin Rulian's face turned livid after hearing this, she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Just then, Feng Yinwan put down her teacup and said indifferently.
"This concubine thinks otherwise. It is understandable for His Highness to think so, but what about Miss Qin, does she think so too?"
Ye Tinglan's sword-like eyebrows knitted, and he gave her a stern glance before looking at Pang Liu.
"If you dare to utter a single falsehood, I will immediately have you chopped up and fed to the dogs."
Pang Liu was so scared that he prostrated himself on the ground, "Your Highness, spare me! Every word I say is true, and I would never dare to deceive you!"
Seeing this, Ye Tinglan's face became gloomy again.
"Guards! Drag him out and give him a hundred lashes. I don't believe I can't pry open his mouth!"
Feng Yinwan was only given twenty lashes just now, but Pang Liu was to receive a hundred.
This was a rhythm of beating someone to death.
Qi Xuan was slightly stunned and was about to step forward when he was interrupted by Feng Yinwan's cold scoff.
"What kind of ability is it for His Highness to scare a servant? Pang Liu has already been given poison by this concubine, and he still dares to lie."
"Is His Highness acting this way because he didn't hear the answer he wanted, and is enraged, wanting to resort to torture to extract a confession?"
Ye Tinglan was choked with anger.
"Feng Yinwan! Don't think that with the General's Mansion backing you, I wouldn't dare to touch you. I could give you twenty lashes earlier, and I can give you a hundred!"
Feng Yinwan was not afraid of him, "His Highness is welcome to try."
She had just been beaten because General Feng Jingyuan's guards were not present. Now that she had bodyguards, could she still be at a disadvantage!
Without a trace of a grimace, she looked directly at Pang Liu.
"You only need to explain everything, and with this Princess Consort here today, no one will dare to touch you."
Pang Liu was so grateful that he was almost crying.
"This lowly one dares not lie. After I transported Zhao Si into the palace that day, it was Feise and I who carried him to the pavilion in the garden."
"After putting him down, Feise sent me away. I vaguely saw her sprinkle some powder in the pavilion, I don't know what it was for..."
He glanced at Ye Tinglan's expression and continued, "Your Highness knows the rest. Miss Qin reaped what she sowed. Afraid that Your Highness would investigate, she sent me out of the mansion. These past few days, I have been hiding in the gambling houses in the West Market, and all news was conveyed by Granny Sun."
As if thinking of something, he added, "Oh, when the Princess Consort found me yesterday, it was Granny Sun who delivered the message, saying that the Princess Consort had found some clues and told me to hide well and not go out."
Feng Yinwan's eyes dimmed slightly after listening.
The powder Pang Liu mentioned should be an aphrodisiac. When she smelled it in the palace that day, she found it familiar. Thinking back carefully, it was the same as the scent from that night in the Water Pavilion.
In her panic that night, she hadn't seen the man's appearance clearly, but the strong and domineering aura emanating from him was undeniable. She had observed Zhao Si carefully on the day of the ceremony, and he was a mere straw bag.
Therefore, the two could not be the same person.
Besides the adulterer arranged by the little white lotus, there was someone else?
Feng Yinwan frowned. Before she could make sense of it, she was interrupted by Zhao Si.
"This is all I know, Your Highness. At this point, this lowly one truly dares not lie!"
Feng Yinwan immediately collected her thoughts and looked up, "Your Highness has heard it all, right? You can send someone to search the Embroidery Spring Courtyard now, and perhaps you'll find that powder."
Ye Tinglan was already furious, his handsome face covered in a thick layer of frost. Just as he was about to speak, Feise suddenly rushed out.
"Your Highness, forgive me, this servant did it all!"
"It was this servant who was jealous that the Princess Consort, an ugly woman, could marry into the mansion, and felt indignant for Miss. That's why I came up with this wicked plan. It has nothing to do with Miss!"