"Mother Consort?"
Suddenly being driven out, Ye Tingyun was even more at a loss. The next moment, facing the stern look in Consort Li's eyes, he could only comply.
"Yes."
There was a moment of silence in the hall. Feng Yinwan's eyebrows were tightly knitted, and she questioned.
"Consort Li?"
Hearing this, Consort Li's stern expression completely receded, leaving only a bitter smile on her lips. "You saw through it all?"
Feng Yinwan's heart tightened, and she nodded truthfully.
Consort Li's body had a condition of using musk, although the dosage was light, the medicinal properties were extremely strong. She dared to assert that this musk was definitely not ordinary musk!
The moment this thought emerged, she began to doubt again.
The Emperor valued Consort Li so much, and her pregnancy would naturally not be taken lightly. How could she... come into contact with such a thing?
Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Consort Li lowered her eyelids, her voice deep and devoid of emotion.
"Ink Prince Consort, your medical skills are indeed superb, but my body is an old ailment of many years. Whether it can be cured is no longer important."
Her brows furrowed, and she looked up, her expression serious.
"Everyone in this palace lives in fear. Those who keep secrets suffer more than those who are kept in the dark. It's better for you not to know some things."
The more one knew, the faster one died. Feng Yinwan understood this principle.
She pursed her lips slightly and immediately nodded, "Thank you for your guidance, Consort Li."
Matters could be left unasked, but illness could not be left untreated.
Adhering to the good medical ethics of only treating illness and not prying, Feng Yinwan pondered for a long time and wrote down a prescription.
"Consort, this is an old ailment of many years, and it is indeed difficult to treat. I will first prescribe a formula to replenish qi and blood. After your body has recuperated, I will help you expel the impure qi from your body."
Before she finished speaking, Yunxiu entered with a teacup, and Ye Tingyun followed behind timidly, secretly observing Consort Li's expression.
"Ink Prince Consort, please have some tea."
Feng Yinwan's brush had not yet been put down when Yunxiu respectfully placed the teacup on the desk and withdrew.
Seeing that Consort Li did not stop her, Ye Tingyun immediately emboldened himself and walked forward.
"Mother Consort, how did your chat... go?"
What was it that he, her own son, couldn't hear? Huh?
Consort Li glanced at him, but her beautiful eyes turned to Feng Yinwan, and she nodded, "Everything will be decided by the Ink Prince Consort. I trust your medical skills."
"Yes."
After the two finished speaking, they went to admire the lotuses, and Ye Tingyun, who came in late and didn't hear the conversation, said: it was very frustrating!
The pond in Chunhe Palace was specially built by the Emperor. The green lotuses and koi in the pond were also moved from the imperial lake with great effort, all for the purpose of entertaining Consort Li in the palace.
Feng Yinwan looked on with envy. (It was definitely not because of the golden crane statue inside, no, definitely not!)
Putting aside the polygamous system, in this dynasty, the Emperor's favor towards Consort Li could indeed be called deep affection.
The eunuch's report of Consort Ning's indisposition at noon was still fresh in her memory. Love or not, the Emperor's attitude was clearly defined.
Seeing her inexplicably sighing at the pond full of koi, Ye Tingyun frowned, sensing that something was not simple.
In the innumerable moments of Feng Yinwan's melancholy, his eyelids twitched, and he immediately spoke, "Why are you sighing? Third Brother built this grand palace for you, which is no less than how Father Emperor treats Mother Consort!"
"Moreover, Third Brother has never been so attentive to any woman. Even with Qin Rulian, he only asked me to take care of her!"
Before their marriage, Third Brother had been campaigning outside for many years and didn't have much time to stay in the capital. However, he was loyal and valued kindness greatly, which was why he entrusted the care of Qin Rulian to him.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, objectively speaking, Third Brother had no romantic feelings for Qin Rulian.
Feng Yinwan raised her eyebrows upon hearing this, noncommittally.
"To tell Prince Yun, I seem to remember that you didn't have this attitude at first?"
She was still picking holes!
Ye Tingyun pouted and reminded her in a low voice, "Are you afraid you've forgotten how you got married?"
If he hadn't mentioned it, Feng Yinwan would have almost forgotten.
Before she arrived, the original owner was an unsociable and disfigured ugly woman. Such a woman, relying on the power of the General's Mansion, forced marriage. Let alone the proud Son of Heaven Ye Tinglan, any man would find it difficult to accept.
Feng Yinwan briefly imagined herself being forced into marriage by an ugly man, and immediately felt that this matter... could not be entirely blamed on him.
Ye Tingyun glanced at her and then said, "Besides, after you married him, did Third Brother ever mistreat you in any way?"
Feng Yinwan thought of her small rundown courtyard before and retorted righteously, "Yes!"
The way the little white lotus treated her was also mistreatment!
"You!"
Realizing what she was referring to, Ye Tingyun's furrowed brow tightened. After a long pause, he spoke again, "Those things were not Third Brother's intention."
Frantically running a hand through his hair, he decisively decided to end the topic.
"Forget it. You'll understand these things later. Third Brother is currently still..."
He didn't finish the latter half of his sentence.
The memorial from the army stated that Ye Tinglan had fallen into an ambush and was severely injured. His condition was unknown. Ye Tingyun was extremely worried but had no way to get news. He pursed his lips and could only suppress his emotions.
"I'll be going back first."
After he spoke, he stepped forward and informed Consort Li before leaving. Feng Yinwan, however, remained slightly stunned, staring at the koi in the pond, her mind in a turmoil.
She had no experience in matters of the heart and was truly not good at them.
The result of being unrestrained and acting according to her will was that her relationship with Ye Tinglan had always been developing in a very subtle way.
She had not inherited the original owner's strong affection, so there was no talk of hatred. Ye Tinglan was, at first, just a stranger to her.
There were misunderstandings between them, suspicions, but also trust and mutual support. Their relationship seemed to be a natural outcome of their interactions.
All along, there had always been other things surrounding her, too many things to deal with, and she was tired of coping, never truly settling down to ponder their relationship.
And now, this suddenly appearing child seemed to be the opportune moment to clarify this matter?
"Ink Prince Consort?"
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Looking up, she met Consort Li's concerned gaze. Feng Yinwan was slightly startled and immediately came back to her senses.
"Consort."
"I saw you lost in thought just now. Do you like these koi?"
Taking her silence as agreement, Consort Li waved her slender hand, her face beaming with excitement. "Don't be polite. If you like them, I'll order someone to catch one for you to take back."
After she finished speaking, she was about to beckon a eunuch to get a net. Feng Yinwan was both amused and exasperated, and quickly waved her hands.
"Consort, you've misunderstood. That's not what I meant."
After much persuasion, she finally managed to convince Consort Li to abandon the idea of catching fish. Fearing to linger, Feng Yinwan immediately bowed and took her leave.
She strolled back to Jiuzhou Xiangxie. Just as she was about to enter, she saw two figures emerge from inside, one after the other.
The one in front was Lvqin, who served Consort Rong, and the one behind was Qingruo, who served her.