As the convoy passed, the curtain of the carriage lifted slightly.
Inside, the Prince of Dingnan was rosy-cheeked and even more portly than before, clearly having enjoyed a very comfortable few years.
Feng Yinwan watched, her eyes growing colder.
Her father and brother had been loyal subjects, serving their lord with their lives, only to end up as scattered bones. Meanwhile, the very people who had caused their demise were living in wealth and splendor, enjoying such a joyous life!
At this moment, the opulence before her felt utterly ironic to Feng Yinwan.
"Mother?"
Her fingers were tugged.
Her thoughts snapped back, but the convoy had already moved far ahead.
Feng Yinwan's lips twitched, and she reached out to gently pinch the little face.
Although there had been some delay on the road, they still returned to the Prince's mansion just before lunch.
This "just before" was not a mere figure of speech; they were truly cutting it close.
When Qi Xuan ran to report, he hadn't even had time to put down the pastry box in his hands.
Ye Tinglan emerged from his study, and upon seeing Qi Xuan, his eyes immediately sharpened.
Qi Xuan panted heavily.
"Your Highness, the young... young master has been found."
Ye Tinglan's gaze shifted slightly. "Where?"
The space behind him was clearly empty.
Qi Xuan glanced back, and seeing this, he also looked puzzled.
"Strange, he was just here..."
Before he could figure anything out, his Prince had already strode out with a grim expression.
Hengwu Courtyard.
After eating and drinking his fill, a wave of drowsiness inexplicably washed over Feng Jinche.
Feng Yinwan yawned, preparing to indulge in her second sleep, when the courtyard gate was violently forced open.
As the figure in black surged in, Feng Jinche, who had been lounging on a small couch, rubbing his belly, jolted awake and immediately scrambled to flee.
"Mother!"
He ran out and collided with Feng Yinwan, who was rushing to follow. He sniffled and, with tears streaming down his face, lunged towards her.
Wuwuwu, he was so scared.
Under the onslaught of his tears, Feng Yinwan's accumulated anger from the morning instantly ignited.
Her beautiful eyes fixed on Ye Tinglan, who had emerged from the room, and she radiated a murderous aura.
"What is the meaning of this, Your Highness?"
They hadn't provoked him, yet he had come seeking trouble.
The hostility in her words caused Ye Tinglan's expression to darken.
"I believed our agreement was exceedingly clear."
He had traded the Hundred Wood Spiritual Rhinoceros for the child's life, and until the transaction was complete, the child was to remain under his personal tutelage.
Now, this woman had broken the rules.
If he hadn't brought it up, Feng Yinwan might have managed to contain her anger. But now that it was mentioned, the fury from last night surged back.
In an instant, the coldness in her phoenix-like eyes intensified.
"Your Highness also knows we have an agreement!"
She sneered with a hint of anger, but these words fell upon Feng Jinche's ears.
His small face paled, and his pupils widened in shock.
"Mother, what agreement?"
No wonder Mother was unwilling to take him away; she had actually made a deal with that wicked old prince!
She... how could she do this! Wuwuwu!
In the blink of an eye, his dark pupils were filled with tears.
Feng Yinwan pressed her forehead, covering his mouth with a headache-inducing sigh.
Her son seemed to be a bit too much of a drama queen lately.
She raised her eyes to look at Ye Tinglan again, unwilling to say more. "The Hundred Wood Spiritual Rhinoceros. I want to see it now."
When he had refined the elixirs earlier, he had only taken a minuscule portion for her, and last night he had presented a fake one to lure her.
Given his distrustful nature, who knew where he had hidden the genuine article now? She wouldn't feel at ease without seeing it with her own eyes.
Ye Tinglan's brow furrowed and then relaxed.
After a moment, he spoke with a chilling tone, "Follow me."
Feng Yinwan had assumed he was going to show her the Hundred Wood Spiritual Rhinoceros.
However, upon arriving at the study, she realized he had no such intention.
As he repeatedly toyed with a jade pendant, Feng Yinwan's eyes grew weary, and still, he showed no sign of speaking. She frowned.
"Your Highness summoned me here just to look at this?"
His long, thick eyelashes lowered, and he spoke with a hint of nonchalance.
"You will accompany me to the imperial banquet two days from now."
"On what grounds?"
She wasn't asking "why," but "on what grounds."
Her question was bold and implied utter disdain for him.
Ye Tinglan's expression turned icy, his handsome face quickly veiled with a sinister gloom.
"You need to understand, you are the one who has a request of me!"
Feng Yinwan: Yes, yes, you are right.
"This banquet is to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday. Why would Your Highness want me, a subject of your rival nation, to attend? To cause trouble?"
Although the two nations had restored peace, their relationship was far from harmonious.
Moreover, the Prince of Dingnan would also be present. Did Ye Tinglan want her to have a public confrontation with Yun Shu, or did he want her to become a target for the Prince of Dingnan?
Ye Tinglan cast her a glance, his eyes looking at her as if she were an idiot.
"The whereabouts of the person in black point towards the imperial harem."
Feng Yinwan: "...Then why didn't you say so earlier."
Ye Tinglan: "?"
Since it was related to the villain's trail, she naturally had to go.
Subtly raising her eyebrows, she heard him continue.
"Chao'an is gravely ill and should not be overexerted. I will convey her regards to the Empress Dowager on her behalf."
This meant she was not to go.
Feng Yinwan licked her slightly dry lips, a flicker of amusement in her eyes.
"Understood."
In that case, she was determined to be the trouble for the Prince of Dingnan.