The next day, Feng Yin Wan's legs still felt a bit sore when she got up.
She yawned lazily and called Yu Ping to go to the dining hall for breakfast. Before she could even enter, she heard a scream.
"How could the people in the Imperial Scriptorium know about this! If they write it out like this, won't it become known to everyone in the capital? Brother Ting Lan… how will Ru Lian ever face anyone again!"
Hearing this, Feng Yin Wan knew that the matter she had entrusted Feng Jing Yuan to handle had been successful. She raised an eyebrow and walked straight in.
Upon entering, she saw the little white lotus, Qin Ru Lian, sobbing by the table, her face as pale as paper.
Feng Yin Wan "kindly" inquired, "Miss Qin, what's wrong? Why are you crying so early in the morning?"
Qin Ru Lian, wiping her tears, saw her and her eyes filled with even more hatred.
Was this bitch here to gloat?
Seeing her glare at her hatefully but remain silent, Feng Yin Wan understood her intentions clearly. Her gaze fell upon the Imperial Scriptorium's special paper scattered on the floor, and she casually picked it up.
"Spring Festival Ceremony, a noble lady surnamed Qin was passionately entwined with a mysterious man in the garden, the scene was once incredibly shocking!"
"The Emperor was furious, abandoning everyone and returning directly to Rui Qing Palace, but why?"
"All the court officials sighed in disbelief, repeatedly exclaiming 'unacceptable,' what exactly did they see in the garden?"
Feng Yin Wan read slowly, extremely satisfied with this tabloid.
As expected of the Imperial Scriptorium, the headlines were sensational and eye-catching! She had to buy ten or eight copies to show her support!
She nodded inwardly. Meanwhile, Qin Ru Lian's face turned even paler as she listened to Feng Yin Wan read each line.
Seeing that if she didn't stop her, she would read the entire article, Qin Ru Lian immediately cried out.
"Wang Fei, please don't read any further. Are you, like the people from the Imperial Scriptorium, mocking me?"
Feng Yin Wan raised her eyebrows. "My dear sister, you misunderstand. This Wang Fei was just curious, so I picked it up to have a look."
As if suddenly realizing something, she paused and exclaimed in surprise, "My dear sister just said this report is about you? But this Wang Fei doesn't see your name mentioned anywhere."
Qin Ru Lian's nails dug fiercely into her palm, her rosy lips bitten even harder.
It was true that her name wasn't mentioned, but with "a noble lady surnamed Qin" throughout the article, the timing of the Spring Festival Ceremony, and the detailed description of the events, anyone could tell it was about her!
What was the difference between this and her name being directly stated!
Gritting her teeth, tears welled up in her eyes again, and she looked pleadingly at Ye Ting Lan, her eyes full of sorrow.
"Brother Ting Lan, how could the people from the Imperial Scriptorium do this!"
Yesterday, the Empress had explicitly ordered everyone not to spread this matter privately. How could it be that after sleeping one night…
She was anxious and angry, and coupled with her fatigue, her vision darkened, and she felt a surge of anger.
Seeing this, Ye Ting Lan quickly supported her, cast a cold glance at the report in Feng Yin Wan's hand, and spoke with anger.
"Qi Xuan, go to the Imperial Scriptorium immediately and order them to stop printing this article. Send out more people to retrieve all the reports that have already been distributed, so this matter cannot spread further!"
Qi Xuan, suddenly assigned a major task, was slightly stunned. He thought for a long time before speaking, "Wang Ye…"
Seeing him standing there obediently, looking as if he had something to say, Ye Ting Lan's anger intensified.
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry and go!"
Qi Xuan tried to evade the issue. "Wang Ye, the Imperial Scriptorium was established by His Majesty himself. All matters are decided by him alone. What we say… doesn't count."
Feng Yin Wan couldn't help but let out a "pfft" and chuckle.
Ye Ting Lan's face was already dark to the extreme. Hearing the sound, he glared at her fiercely.
Feng Yin Wan appropriately stopped laughing. She glanced at the sea urchin on the plate and said to Yu Ping, "This sea urchin, it looks spiky, but it's actually quite useless, just putting on a show. It's easily eaten by others."
"It's harmless to be like a sea urchin, but not to be like a person. What men fear most is having little ability and a bad temper. It truly fits the saying 'powerless rage'~"
Sensing that she was subtly mocking him, the veins on Ye Ting Lan's forehead bulged, and his anger reached its peak.
He couldn't stoop to argue with Feng Yin Wan, so Qi Xuan, the unlucky one, had to bear the brunt.
"Useless! You can't even handle such a small matter, what use do I have for you!"
Suddenly being scolded, Qi Xuan shrunk his neck and cried injustice in his heart.
He wasn't wrong. The Imperial Scriptorium was the Emperor's darling. Even a prince like Wang Ye couldn't interfere, so what right did he have to say anything!
If anything, it was Miss Qin's own conduct that was problematic, which gave them an opportunity to write extensively about it.
Although he thought this, he didn't dare to say it, not even a whisper.
Qin Ru Lian began to cry softly again. Ye Ting Lan was annoyed and kicked Qi Xuan in the backside.
"If you can't handle it, then go and guard the entrance of the Imperial Scriptorium! Collect as many as they print, not a single one can be missed!"
He hadn't held back with his kick, and Qi Xuan winced, but still dutifully reminded him.
"Collect them all? Wang Ye, the Imperial Scriptorium prints thousands of copies a day, each costing five taels of silver. This adds up to… who knows how many taels."
Hearing this, Ye Ting Lan's handsome face turned to ice. "Get out!"
"Yes…!"
Fearing another kick, Qi Xuan quickly covered his backside and scurried away.
Qin Ru Lian finally felt at ease. Thinking of the money he mentioned, she looked at Ye Ting Lan with a hint of guilt.
"Brother Ting Lan, Ru Lian has caused you to spend money…"
Ye Ting Lan forced down his impatience and waved his hand. "It's just a few thousand taels of silver. How can it compare to your reputation? Even if it were ten thousand taels of gold, I would do the same."
Qin Ru Lian was overjoyed. It wasn't until she heard a slight "sniffle" that she suddenly remembered Feng Yin Wan was still there. A hint of smugness arose in her heart.
She subtly glanced at Feng Yin Wan, her eyes sparkling, and said sweetly and charmingly to Ye Ting Lan, "Ru Lian knew that Brother Ting Lan treated me the best."
This sentence would have given at least a thousand goosebumps. Feng Yin Wan, who was happily eating a sea urchin, almost spat it out.
She raised her eyes uncomfortably and met the triumphant face of the little white lotus, which made her feel even more disgusted.
But! She keenly noticed a hint of stiffness on Ye Ting Lan's face.
Although he quickly suppressed it, Feng Yin Wan's mood immediately improved.
Knowing that she wasn't the only one disgusted, she felt relieved.