"Silence, Princess!"
The two, mistress and maid, worked in perfect concert. Ye Ziyun was so enraged she felt her teeth would shatter. Her eyes were fixed on Feng Yinwan, her clenched fists trembling slightly.
"You wicked woman! How dare you bring your maid to bully me! I shall report this to my brother and have him cast you out of the estate!"
Feng Yinwan raised an eyebrow and offered a reminder.
"Princess Qingyun, have you perhaps forgotten that this consort is currently with child?"
She feigned a gentle touch to her lower abdomen, then curved her lips.
"His Highness showered me with favor yesterday, in a manner that was difficult to restrain. To cast this consort out of the estate now would likely be… unrealistic."
Qin Rulian's face, upon hearing the words "difficult to restrain" and "showered with favor," visibly paled.
Yesterday, in the main courtyard, the tone Ye Tinglan used to dismiss her had been colder than she had ever known!
The way he looked at Feng Yinwan held a tenderness she had never witnessed before!
Wicked woman!
Feng Yinwan, that detestable woman, what sorcery had she employed!
Ye Ziyun clearly did not believe her.
"My brother was 'difficult to restrain' and 'showered you with favor'? Towards you?"
"Feng Yinwan, why don't you take a good look at yourself in a puddle? Do you think simply curing your face will make my brother fall for you!"
Her self-confidence was truly outlandish!
Glancing at Feng Yinwan's still quite flat abdomen, Ye Ziyun rolled her eyes without any pretense.
"If you can even conceive, you should be burning incense sticks in gratitude. If not for some underhanded trick you used, how could my brother possibly touch you!"
She had witnessed firsthand Ye Tinglan's disdain for Feng Yinwan.
Therefore, she naturally attributed Feng Yinwan's pregnancy to a "pretext."
Feng Yinwan had no intention of arguing with her, but Ye Ziyun's sharp tongue had become excessively cruel.
Feng Yinwan narrowed her eyes, a hint of coldness appearing in their depths.
"As for what underhanded trick this consort used, Princess Qingyun should ask Miss Qin. She was a witness in the main courtyard yesterday."
Hearing this, Qin Rulian's expression became exceptionally grim.
Ye Ziyun glanced at her suspiciously. Before she could speak, Feng Yinwan coldly sneered.
"Since Princess Qingyun is not here to visit this elder sister-in-law, this consort will proceed with her meal. With Miss Qin accompanying you, this consort is quite at ease."
She left with Yu Ping, her footsteps decisive. Ye Ziyun, seeing this, narrowed her eyes and immediately called out.
"Stop, you can't leave!"
She lunged to stop Feng Yinwan, but Qin Rulian grabbed her sleeve. Feng Yinwan, already striding with purpose, vanished from their sight in an instant.
Ye Ziyun frowned, turning to Qin Rulian in confusion.
"Rulian jie, why did you pull me back!"
"That wicked woman spoke so arrogantly, we should have taken her directly to my brother so he could see her face for himself!"
Qin Rulian bit her lip and looked up, her eyes red-rimmed.
"Yesterday, in the main courtyard, Tinglan gege and her..."
She couldn't finish her sentence and turned her face away. Ye Ziyun, seeing this, knew the matter was not fabricated and stood stunned in shock.
"What did you say?!"
"My brother detests her so much, how could he have touched her!"
...
Being bitten by a mad dog right after going out in the morning left Feng Yinwan in a foul mood.
As she entered the dining hall, Ye Tinglan was wiping his lips with a silk handkerchief, clearly having finished his meal.
Unexpectedly encountering him there, their eyes met, and both were startled.
Ye Tinglan was surprised and pleased.
Feng Yinwan was astonished and furious!
This bastard, who had caused her so much suffering and led to her being targeted, how could he be so comfortably seated here eating!
Thus, gritting her teeth, she was about to lash out.
However, before she could open her mouth, Ye Tinglan's thin lips parted first.
"Have you had the chicken soup?"
This question, carrying a hint of gentle concern, utterly disarmed Feng Yinwan.
As the saying goes, one doesn't strike a smiling face. Feng Yinwan's curses hovered on her lips for a good while before she managed to hold them back.
"If Your Highness truly has your heart, perhaps you should honor your agreement!"
Her beautiful eyes filled with anger, she coldly dropped this sentence and pulled out a chair to sit down.
She was like a bristling wild cat.
Ye Tinglan lowered his long lashes and spoke with a hint of flippancy.
"Consort knows, this prince has always kept his word."
The implication was clear: it was not he who broke the agreement yesterday.
Feng Yinwan was too angry to speak and simply picked up a pastry to eat.
However, after two bites, the gaze from beside her remained intense.
So much so that she couldn't eat!
"Haven't you finished eating, Your Highness?"
She looked at his empty bowls and plates, her eyes urging him on.
To her surprise, Ye Tinglan let out a soft "Mm," as if he couldn't understand human speech, his gaze unwavering.
Her hint had failed. Feng Yinwan gritted her teeth and resorted to direct dismissal.
"Your Highness is busy with state affairs, are you not going to attend to military matters? Or do you intend to stay here and watch this subject dine?"
Was that clear enough?
To her surprise, Ye Tinglan's thin lips curved with an unreadable smile.
"It is not impossible."
For some reason, he found this woman increasingly pleasing to the eye, even when she was trying to chase him away.
Not impossible?
Feng Yinwan repeated the words in her mind, a surge of anger rising within her.
She found it very much impossible!
"How can this subject eat with Your Highness staring at me so intently!"
Ye Tinglan remained unperturbed. He picked up a pastry with his jade-white fingertips and brought it to her lips.
"Open your mouth."
The two words were concise and forceful, carrying an undeniable authority.
However, Feng Yinwan was naturally rebellious.
She raised her delicate eyebrows and slapped his hand away. Just as she was about to haughtily retort, "I won't," footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.
Immediately, Ye Ziyun's furious face appeared.
Ye Tinglan's wrist remained suspended in mid-air, a clear handprint visible on the back of his fair, jade-like hand.
His gaze silently paused for a moment. Before he could react, his wrist was suddenly pulled.
Beside him, the woman who had been resisting and pursing her lips now obediently opened them and took a bite of the pastry.
As she leaned closer, her soft lips even brushed against his fingertips.
Ye Tinglan's eyes darkened, a subtle flame reigniting within him.
"Brother!"
Ye Ziyun and Qin Rulian froze in shock as they entered and witnessed the scene.
Feng Yinwan curved her lips, quite satisfied with the effect.
No one spoke, and the atmosphere in the room became deathly still.
After a long moment, Feng Yinwan withdrew from Ye Tinglan's presence, still holding the pastry, and broke the silence.
"Thank you, Your Highness. This pastry, this subject likes it very much."
Her gaze was gentle and smiling, a stark contrast to her earlier cold demeanor.
Ye Tinglan's lips curled silently. Under everyone's gaze, he unreservedly popped the remaining half of the pastry into his mouth.
"This prince also likes it very much."
This statement was ambiguous.
His tone was suggestive.
Feng Yinwan, scrutinized by his deep gaze, inexplicably held her breath, her heart skipping a beat.
Before she could register that subtle flutter, Ye Ziyun's incredulous voice rang out first.
"Brother, what are you doing!"
He was feeding that wicked Feng Yinwan a pastry?
He was feeding that wicked Feng Yinwan a pastry!