The candlelight flickered and dimmed.
A light knock broke the prolonged silence, and behind the desk, Ye Tinglan’s fingers supporting his jaw loosened slightly.
"How can I trust you?"
Before tonight, he had never heard that the Xuanmen had two opposing factions.
Although this woman’s words were earnest, they could not be fully believed.
Feng Yinwan’s pretty face sank slightly. "I have no reason to risk my own son's life, Your Highness, what do you think?"
"It is my responsibility to eradicate the villain who has betrayed the sect and harmed people with poison. If Your Highness is willing to cooperate, our Xuanmen will offer full assistance. Of course, if not, we will eliminate them ourselves."
There was a moment of silence on the other side. Just as Feng Yinwan’s patience was running out, a slightly cold voice spoke again.
"Tomorrow, at Hai Shi, the Inner Affairs Bureau's treasury. I will see your sincerity."
Feng Yinwan’s brow furrowed in suspicion, but she quickly understood what he meant and nodded.
"Alright, but for now, Your Highness needs to hand over the Hundred Wood Lingxi to me first."
Upon hearing this, Ye Tinglan's eyes suddenly brightened. "You have gathered all the materials to cure the poison?"
The candlelight in the study was extinguished at Wu Geng.
As the long candle burned out, the movement in the room did not cease.
By the time the sky began to lighten, a wisp of medicinal fragrance slowly drifted out, then, like a burst of spring, it became uncontrollable.
As the fragrance swirled, the woman’s beautiful eyes were tightly closed, her three thousand strands of black hair floating behind her head, having come undone at some point.
Ye Tinglan glanced up, then lowered his long eyelashes again.
Chen Shi had not yet fully passed when the medicinal fragrance condensed and converged at a single point.
After the fragrance dissipated, the cauldron fell, and the pill was formed.
The man on the opposite side, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened his ink-black eyes.
His gaze fell upon a pale face. The woman was regulating her breathing with her cultivation, her stamina clearly at its limit.
Sensing his gaze, she pursed her red lips and stood up.
"It's done."
…
Outside Hengwu Courtyard.
Just after mealtime, Feng Jin’an returned from the dining hall. As he approached the courtyard, he saw Yun Shu’s figure.
Upon seeing him, she beckoned him over.
Feng Jin’an’s brows furrowed further, and he looked up at Qi Xuan beside him.
"Uncle Qi'er, I’ll go over there."
Yun Shu was standing behind the flower bushes. If not for Feng Jin’an’s words, Qi Xuan would not have noticed her.
Recalling the displeasure on his lord’s face when he had inquired yesterday, Qi Xuan frowned but could only nod.
"Go ahead."
Feng Jin’an nodded and walked over.
As soon as he got closer, he saw the food box in the maid's hand and was startled.
"Auntie, this..."
She was really bringing pastries again?
Yun Shu curved her lips and reached out to gently brush a grain of rice off his cheek.
"I originally intended to bring it to you before breakfast. Seeing your appearance, you must have already eaten your fill."
Feng Jin’an nodded and leaned back, creating some distance between them.
"I have eaten my fill. Auntie, Uncle Qi’er is still watching. I should go back."
In truth, the breakfast here didn't suit his taste, so he only ate a little each morning.
It wasn't a lie to say he didn't want pastries, but with Qi Xuan watching from a distance, he didn't dare to act against the rules.
Yun Shu, however, seemed not to hear him and ordered the maid to open the lid of the food box.
"It's fine. Since you've come over, have a bite. I'll watch for you, and he won't find out."
Feng Jin’an wanted to say, "Ah, this is not good."
But as the aroma of the pastries wafted over, his stomach immediately rumbled as if a switch had been flipped.
Yun Shu glanced at him, a knowing look in her eyes.
"Here."
If she moved any closer, the pastry would be at his lips!
As if by an unseen force, Feng Jin’an opened his mouth and took a quick bite.
He ate the pastry secretly, feeling extremely guilty, as if he were a thief.
Yun Shu leaned down and gently wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, then suddenly said, "Actually, you don't need to be so secretive."
"That won't do. I can't make Uncle Qi’er uneasy."
Joking aside, he was purely afraid of the "bad guy, Old Wang," escalating his retaliatory measures!
The handkerchief carried a faint scent of powder, which mixed with the herbal scent from Yun Shu's body, creating an unpleasant aroma.
He frowned slightly, wanting to pull away, but Yun Shu’s hand on his shoulder did not loosen.
"I have a way."
Hearing her words, Feng Jin’an paused.
"What way?"
"If you move into my courtyard to live, then no one will find out, will they? And Yan'er is serving in the courtyard, so she can make something for you whenever you want to eat."
Feng Jin’an's round eyes widened, and he blurted out without thinking, "How can that be!"
He had his own courtyard, why would he move elsewhere?
Besides, his maternal grandfather had said that besides his mother, he could only live in the same courtyard as his wife.
Yun Shu's face stiffened, and after a few moments of frozen expression, she said again, "Why not?"
This little brat was more difficult to trick than she had anticipated.
She secretly pondered her words, but then his round eyes looked at her and he said something astonishing.
"Are you my wife?"
"Presumptuous!"
Almost the moment the words left his mouth, the maid reprimanded him.
"The County Princess is betrothed to His Highness. His Highness adopted you as his godson, so the County Princess is your godmother, someone like your mother. How can you speak such nonsense!"
Unexpectedly, Feng Jin’an’s eyes widened even further.
"Mother?! Then it's even more impossible!"
"I have my own mother, why would I need another one? I don't want one!"
What he lacked was a father!
The maid's anger intensified upon hearing this.
"You child, you are truly ungrateful!"
"If you had a mother, why would you still be in the mansion unclaimed? The County Princess is willing to be your mother, which is already lowering herself. You still have the nerve to be displeased!"
If it weren't for the desire to win over Prince Mo, why would the County Princess expend so much effort!
Angrily, she snapped the lid of the food box shut and was about to scold him further when a cold voice suddenly interrupted.
"Who says my son doesn't have a mother?!"
The voice carried a natural gentleness, but when it spoke, it was imbued with an extremely cold intensity.
The maid looked up in surprise and met a pair of frigid, cold eyes.
After a moment of silence, Feng Jin’an’s face lit up, and he quickly rushed forward.
"Mother, you're finally back! If you didn't come back soon, I would have been snatched away to be someone else's son, sob sob sob..."
It was too difficult.
He had waited and waited, and finally, his mother had returned!
Although the little fellow wasn't large in size, he wasn't light when held.
Feng Yinwan stroked his small face and suppressed her fatigue to pick him up.
"Who are you?!"
The maid had never met Feng Yinwan and didn't know her identity, but Yun Shu had. At this moment, her body had already frozen.
This woman... was the one who had abducted her earlier!
She was this brat's mother! And she had entered the Prince's mansion so brazenly!
Who... who was she?!
Without needing to ask, the maid had already voiced the question for her.
"How dare you be so disrespectful before the County Princess! You are simply asking for..."
"Slap—"
A loud, resounding slap tilted the maid's face to the side.
The woman glanced at her, her voice so cold it sent shivers down one's spine.
"Is it your place to speak here?"
With such a fierce slap, she remained standing in place without moving.
She had used... internal energy!
The maid, not understanding these things, thought she had seen a ghost.
Clutching her face, she cried out in terror.
"You... what sorcery did you just use?!"
"Sorcery?"
Feng Yinwan scoffed. "Chen Chen, do you still have the red pills mother gave you?"
"Yes!"
The little ball of fluff in her arms answered without hesitation and immediately fumbled for one in his pocket.
Feng Yinwan glanced at it and nodded with satisfaction.
"Throw one to her and show her what true sorcery looks like."
Having not used elixirs for a long time, Feng Jin’an’s small hands had been itching.
Upon hearing this, he readily replied, "Alright!"
The moment he spoke, the elixir in his hand was thrown.
It landed by the maid's feet and instantly transformed into a crimson cloud of mist.
Before she could even react, the scene before the maid’s eyes had drastically changed.