"Miss, your servant delivered the food as instructed. They ate it all, but there's been no reaction for the entire day!"
"Your servant felt something was amiss earlier, so she specifically ordered a maid to go back under the pretense of retrieving the food box. Who knew..."
Glancing at Qin Rulian, she muttered softly, "Who knew they would report back saying that woman was unharmed and looked perfectly fine."
"What?!"
Qin Rulian cried out in disbelief, and Fei Se quickly interjected, "How is that possible! That laxative was bought at great expense. Did you not put enough!"
"Of course not! Both big bags were poured in, not a bit was left!"
Qin Rulian's eyes flickered upon hearing this, and her brows furrowed heavily.
"That b*tch must not have eaten it! It's time for dinner now. I'll go and keep an eye on her myself. Let's see what other tricks she can play!"
...
Lan Qing Courtyard.
Feng Yinwan meticulously sorted the medicinal ingredients provided by the bracelet, and by afternoon, she had formulated several prescriptions.
Seeing the sky darken, she stretched lazily and slowly rose.
"Yuping?"
Yuping quickly entered upon hearing her name. "Miss, you called for me."
Feng Yinwan nodded, glanced at the empty round table, and asked, "Has dinner not been sent yet?"
They were so proactive at noon, it was strange.
Yuping shook her head. Just as she was about to speak, footsteps sounded from outside.
In the dim firelight, Qin Rulian, with a veil covering her face, approached gracefully. Several red bumps were exceptionally noticeable on her fair forehead.
This white lotus actually dared to come?
A cold glint flashed in Feng Yinwan's eyes, and she slowly curled her lips.
"Oh, why has Miss Qin come to my humble abode? The Prince has confined me to my courtyard, and I have no tea to offer you today."
Hearing her immediately hit a sore spot, Qin Rulian's pretty face, hidden by the veil, twitched, and her teeth itched with resentment.
Yet, she had to force a smile.
"Sister, you jest. I only learned of this when a servant mentioned it just now, so I hurried over to apologize to you."
"Sister has suffered injustice because of me, and it is indeed my fault. However, Brother Tinglan has always been willful, so you might have to endure this for a few more days."
She feigned a bow and put on a show of sighing.
Feng Yinwan inwardly scoffed, looking at her with a faint smile.
"It's alright. After all, the incident happened within my courtyard. It's only right for the Prince to be cautious."
"I only have to stay in my courtyard for a few days, which is of no consequence. However, Miss Qin, you have so many rashes on your face. You must have suffered a great deal, haven't you?"
Her tone was neither warm nor cold, causing Qin Rulian's anger to surge within her.
After a long moment, she gritted her teeth and said, "Thank you for your concern, Royal Consort. It's just some superficial wounds, nothing serious."
Feng Yinwan chuckled lightly and offered no comment.
"It's this hour, and Royal Consort has not yet dined, has she? I happened to encounter someone from the kitchen bringing food just now, so I brought it along for you."
She beckoned, and Fei Se immediately placed the food box on the table, proceeding to arrange it without waiting for Feng Yinwan's permission.
Feng Yinwan thought the two meals during the day were already quite lavish. That was until she caught sight of the full basin of spicy crab, which directly made her feel like celebrating the New Year.
Spicy Crab!
A whole basin!
Look at its golden color and its plump size!
Alas, it was poisonous.
Yuping was also stunned, instinctively swallowing hard.
Qin Rulian shot a subtle glance, clearly very pleased with their reaction.
"Sister, tasting fresh crab in spring, such large crabs are already quite rare. You must try some quickly."
As she spoke, she deliberately moved the basin closer to Feng Yinwan. The rich aroma wafted straight to her nose, making Feng Yinwan truly unable to look away.
But!
She wanted to eat, not because she was sick!
Glancing at the few people standing stiffly in the room like wooden stakes, Feng Yinwan nodded and picked up a half crab, but she didn't immediately start eating.
Seeing victory within reach, she paused. Qin Rulian couldn't help but become anxious.
"Sister, what's wrong?"
Feng Yinwan pursed her lips and said, as if embarrassed, "I have lived a sheltered life and have never eaten such a thing before, so I don't know where to start."
Qin Rulian felt a surge of contempt, but on her face, she smiled charmingly and patiently.
"It's fine, I'll peel it for Sister."
With that, she picked up a half crab and began to peel it with clean, swift movements. Fei Se wanted to help but couldn't find an opening, so she picked up another crab to peel.
Feng Yinwan watched the mistress and her servant diligently peeling crabs for her and slowly curled her lips.
"If my memory serves me correctly, Miss Qin's ancestral home is in Jiangnan, isn't it?"
Qin Rulian, focused on peeling the crab, replied perfunctorily, "Indeed."
Feng Yinwan nodded. "That explains it. No wonder Miss Qin's crab-peeling skills are so proficient."
By the time she finished speaking, Qin Rulian had already handed over the peeled crab meat and urged her.
"There, Sister, eat quickly."
Feng Yinwan curved her lips into a smile and nodded. "Indeed, I cannot let your efforts go to waste."
Before her words could finish, Qin Rulian's veil was suddenly lifted, and before she could react, a foreign object was stuffed into her mouth.