Seeing Jian Ye peek out from the bushes, his eyes fixed on her, a hint of hesitation clearly visible.
"Miss..."
Their gazes met. Jian Ye pursed his lips and handed her the item in his hand.
Feng Yin Wan reached out and took it, glancing down. She nodded in satisfaction.
"Well done."
After the compliment, she picked up the item and was about to leave. Jian Ye's expression was complicated. Seeing this, he quickly spoke again.
"Miss!"
His eyes were fixed on Feng Yin Wan's hand, and he hesitated to speak.
"You... you truly intend to use this?"
Miss doesn't like Prince Mo, he understood that. But today is a joyous occasion, using this... wouldn't it be a bit too much?
He frowned slightly, clearly wanting to persuade her further. Feng Yin Wan waved her hand, interrupting him.
"That's enough. Don't worry about these things. Keep a close eye on Chen Chen. Absolutely do not let him leave the courtyard today."
She had instructed him early in the morning not to let Feng Jin Chen go out today.
But she couldn't withstand the boy's playful and active nature, and his many schemes. Thinking of the pathetic state the Prince of Ding Nan was in after being angered in the main hall earlier, she felt it was safer to remind him a couple more times.
When it came to Feng Jin Chen, Jian Ye dared not slacken and immediately nodded in agreement.
By the time he came to his senses and wanted to persuade her again, Feng Yin Wan had already left. Seeing this, he could only sigh and give up.
Most of the servants were attending to matters in the front, and there were few guards in the back courtyard. Feng Yin Wan did not attract any attention when she returned.
She had just put the item down when the door was abruptly knocked. Feng Yin Wan's eyes sharpened, and she immediately spun back to the side of the bed.
"Who?"
A voice from outside sounded; it was a guard from the mansion.
"His Highness is worried that the concubine might be hungry and has ordered this subordinate to deliver a meal."
Feng Yin Wan's eyebrows rose at the words. She pulled the veil back over her head and said, "Come in."
The door opened and closed. A brocade box appeared on the table. Feng Yin Wan glanced at it; the dishes were from the "Four Seas Banquet."
She had been called up early this morning and had been busy all morning. With an empty stomach, she didn't intend to be polite and casually picked up a "Thousand Strands Shrimp" and popped it into her mouth.
The moment she chewed, she sensed something unusual. Feng Yin Wan's beautiful eyes flickered almost imperceptibly. She scanned the dishes in the box but swallowed them with a composed expression.
The movement in the room stopped after half an hour.
With a very slight sound, the door was quietly pushed open, and a figure sneakily slipped in, heading straight for the bed.
The tent curtains hung low, obscuring the view within. The person reached out to lift them, but suddenly felt a stab on their back. Their body stiffened, and they were instantly unable to move.
The next moment, a large wedding veil fell from overhead, instantly blocking their vision.
When Ye Tinglan returned to the room, it was already late.
The Prince of Ding Nan had thrown a terrible tantrum at the mansion before leaving. He knew he had been outmaneuvered by Ye Tinglan, but with his personal troops entering the capital, the matter was settled. Even if he were to die of anger, he could only suppress it.
More than half of the food on the table had been eaten. Ye Tinglan glanced at it, his gaze shifting slightly, and he walked towards the bed.
Through the sheer tent curtains, the woman's figure was faintly visible, appearing a little too docile.
The soft and delicate warmth of her palm when he had held her earlier in the hall resurfaced. Ye Tinglan's gaze deepened, and he stopped in front of the tent.
"What happened that day, it was my fault. I shouldn't have laid hands on Chen Chen."
Although he still had doubts about the child's injuries, the physical confrontation was a fact, and he truly shouldn't have done it.
Ye Tinglan pursed his lips and looked back at the figure within the tent. "Can you forgive me?"
When these words were spoken, there was a hint of imperceptible expectation.
He was cold and sharp, always exuding an imposing aura. Let alone apologizing, when had he ever been this hesitant?
Curious.
However, separated by a tent curtain, the woman inside sat upright, as if she hadn't heard a word.
After a long silence without a reply, Ye Tinglan's loosely clenched fist tightened, and his heart grew more anxious.
"You don't want to speak?"
As his thin lips moved, the cold sharpness softened. He spoke, a silent warmth gathering in his eyes.
"Then we'll discuss this later. Let me... look at you first."
They had already performed the marriage ceremony. After the rites were completed, only the final step remained.
The person he had dreamt of was right before him. He feared it was a delusion, yet he couldn't help but want to get closer...
The thin gauze tent was lifted, creating a slight curve. The long candle on the table flickered, and what greeted him was a strange scent of perfume.
The situation was unexpected. Ye Tinglan frowned, and his palm strike preceded him, shaking off the woman's veil.
As the wedding veil fell, he saw Qin Rulian's face. Ye Tinglan's brow furrowed, and his expression instantly turned grim.
"Why is it you!"
As he spoke, his palm strike, sharp and fierce, targeted Qin Rulian, sending her flying to the ground.
Ye Tinglan's gaze swept over, chillingly cold.
"Who let you in?!"
He had told Qin Rulian when he had her thrown out that from now on, she was never to enter the mansion again.
He hadn't expected her to sneak in today.
Having been acupunctured and then struck by a palm, Qin Rulian fell sprawled on the ground, her face contorted in pain.
However, even more tragic was that she had been fed a mute pill!
Now, facing Ye Tinglan's furious questioning, she couldn't utter a single word of explanation.
Watching his anger grow with each passing moment, Qin Rulian became frantic and scrambled up, lunging towards Ye Tinglan regardless of the consequences.
She lunged to hug Ye Tinglan's waist, but she couldn't even get close before being violently thrown back by the wave of anger.
The next moment, a voice filled with cold fury sounded again, directed not at her, but at the roof.
"Are you still not coming down!"
On the roof beam, Feng Yin Wan, who had been watching the show with great interest, tsked and leaped down.
Clearly, the spot she aimed for was an open space, but somehow, as she jumped down, she landed in Ye Tinglan's arms.
To be precise, halfway down, her body was already enveloped by a chilling aura.
Ye Tinglan's long arms encircled her. Besides the cool fragrance, there was also a faint scent of alcohol about him.
He looked at Qin Rulian on the ground, clearly demanding an explanation.
"What is going on?"
Feng Yin Wan thought for a moment and said, "The food contained a sleeping potion. The guard said you ordered it delivered."
Ye Tinglan was taken aback. His thin lips immediately turned stern.
"It is true that I ordered the meal to be delivered to you, but I have no idea who put the sleeping potion in it."
He had been worried she would be hungry, so he had ordered someone to deliver food. Why would a sleeping potion be in her meal?
Feng Yin Wan pointed at the lump on the ground and kindly reminded him.
"She entered shortly after I finished eating."
She had given such a clear hint; anyone should be able to figure it out, even with their toes.
Ye Tinglan's dark eyes narrowed for a moment, and he nodded.
"I understand."
He called for someone to take Qin Rulian away and ordered a thorough investigation into who had delivered the meal and let her into the mansion.
Feng Yin Wan nodded and was about to slip away when her wrist was caught again.
"The ceremony is not yet complete. Where is the concubine going?"