The news struck Ye Tingyu like a bolt from the blue. His face paled and flushed, nearly causing him to collapse back onto the bed.
"Imperial Father has awoken? Then he is now..."
The old man had been on the verge of death just two days ago, how could he possibly wake up so suddenly?
Ye Tingyan's expression grew serious as he replied, "He has awoken, but he is still in the same state. By the way, how is the matter I asked you to investigate the other day?"
Ye Tingyu paused for a moment before realizing he was asking about Jiang Rumox. He immediately nodded.
"I've checked. This person has always had no strong foundation in the palace, nor has he leaned towards any political factions. What he said should be true."
"If that's the case, then it's worth a try to see if he can be used by us."
Upon hearing this, Ye Tingyu stepped forward, "Second Brother, do you already have a plan?"
Among their brothers, the Emperor had always placed particular importance on Ye Tinglan. And now, at this critical juncture, his awakening was so coincidental that it seemed to have handed Ye Tinglan a merit on a silver platter.
With this event, their chances of competition had dwindled significantly. Ye Tingyan must have had the same thought as him.
Ye Tingyu's eyes flickered as he was about to speak again, when a heavy dizziness suddenly struck his forehead, causing him to clutch his head and step back.
Noticing his abnormality, Ye Tingyan frowned.
"What's wrong with you?"
Ye Tingyu shook his head, "I don't know."
After a while, the discomfort finally subsided.
"Second Brother, I don't know what's been happening to me these past few days; my mind has been feeling rather confused..."
Initially, he thought it was due to his frequent visits to brothels, leaving his body weak, so he didn't pay much attention.
It wasn't until Ye Tingyan found him today that he realized with a shock that he had even forgotten the Empress Dowager's instructions. Things seemed to be going awry.
Ye Tingyan's expression darkened upon hearing this. He suddenly grabbed Ye Tingyu's wrist, pressed it for a moment, and his expression changed drastically.
"When were you poisoned!"
"Poison?!"
Ye Tingyu's mind instantly sobered from the shock.
"Second Brother, I'm really poisoned?! But I haven't come into contact with anyone unusual recently!"
Although he was dissolute, he was the most timid and cherished his life. Upon hearing that he was poisoned, his legs instantly turned weak with fear. It was Ye Tingyan who pulled him up, preventing him from falling to the ground.
"I warned you long ago to control your lower body. You don't even know when you were poisoned. If it had been discovered any later, you might have been close to death!"
Ye Tingyu's face lost all color upon hearing this.
He clasped his hands together and immediately clutched Ye Tingyan's arm tightly.
"Second Brother, save me... I don't want to die!"
Ye Tingyan narrowed his eyes, pulled his hand away, and pushed him back, "Go back to the manor and behave yourself. This Prince will find a way for you."
He then looked at him again and warned sternly.
"If you still want to live, stay honestly within the manor for these few days!"
...
Prince Mo's Manor.
He had told her to go back and prepare well, but in Feng Yinyuan's opinion, Ye Tinglan had been more proactive in his preparations.
The imperial decree for the wedding was issued in the morning, and the wedding attire and other items were delivered in the afternoon. Everything was complete and varied, as if it had been planned for a long time.
Lifting the veil, a crimson cross-collared wedding dress and a gold-plated phoenix coronet were revealed. Feng Yinyuan's eyelids twitched, and she immediately pushed it back down.
Qi Xuan was still behind her, directing the guards to move the items. Several boxes tied with red silk landed on the ground. Feng Yinyuan stepped forward and took a brief look, summarizing it with eight characters—
Glistening with pearls and jade, dazzling as rosy clouds.
Seeing her, Qi Xuan straightened himself and immediately cupped his hands.
"On the Prince's behalf, I've brought these for the concubine."
Feng Yinyuan closed her beautiful eyes and lightly tapped with her jade finger, "Keep these and these, and take this one back."
Her fingertip stopped at the wedding dress and phoenix coronet covered by the red silk.
Qi Xuan didn't understand these things, but remembering his Prince's orders, he dared not say anything more.
"Concubine, please forgive me. The Prince's order was 'not a single item to be missed, must be delivered.' This..."
Taking it back... that was absolutely impossible!
Seeing him bow his head in sincere apprehension, his body almost bent at a 90-degree angle, Feng Yinyuan frowned.
"Then I will take it back myself."
Saying so, she picked up the tray and walked out the door. Qi Xuan's forehead twitched twice at this, but he still didn't dare to chase after her.
As for the items, he had delivered them. This matter, it was better for the two of them to resolve it privately...
He watched the slender figure disappear at the door and silently nodded. He pursed his lips and decisively waved to the surrounding guards.
"Brothers, let's move out!"
At his command, the guards who had been scattered in the courtyard instantly vanished. In the large courtyard, only Xi Wen and Jian Ye, guarding the bedroom door, were left, looking at each other in bewilderment.
After a while, Jian Ye stared at the boxes on the ground, which looked very much like betrothal gifts, and asked with doubt.
"Is Prince Mo... going to marry Miss?"
Xi Wen's eyes widened, "Marry again?!"
Jian Ye's eyes widened even further, "What do you mean 'again'?"
He had always been a rigid thinker and rarely listened to gossip. Xi Wen scratched his head and took a considerable effort to explain the meaning of "again" to him.
Jian Ye was astonished and couldn't help but exclaim, "Then, does this mean that the young master is..."
"Creak—"
With a sudden sound, the door opened from the inside. Jian Ye immediately became as quiet as a chicken.
Feng Jinchen, who had just woken up from his nap, stumbled out with a sleepy face. The moment he looked up, he saw the many boxes placed in the courtyard and stopped.
"Huh?"
He rubbed his eyes. The boxes were still there.
He didn't know what the red streamers tied to them meant. He tilted his small head and looked at Xi Wen and Jian Ye beside him, smiling and asking.
"Is today a festive occasion? Someone has sent so many gifts at once!"
Jian Ye's emotions were still unsettled. He choked, unsure how to explain it to him.
Xi Wen was more direct. He glanced at him and said lazily, crossing his arms.
"These are all betrothal gifts from your bastard... hiss— your bastard godfather."
After being fiercely pinched by Jian Ye, he had to change "bastard father" to "bastard godfather."
Feng Jinchen's small face creased in confusion upon hearing this.
"What are betrothal gifts?"
Were they also a type of gift?
"It's what a man uses to marry... um."
Jian Ye's hand covering his mouth was a step too late.
"Marry?!"
Feng Jinchen's pupils dilated in shock.
The bad guy, the Prince, was going to marry Mother?!
How could this be allowed!
He was dreaming!
His small face darkened, and he was about to rush to the study to feed Ye Tinglan a couple of poisons, along with a "receive, deflect, and release" combo.
But Feng Yinyuan reached him first and initiated the attack.
She slammed the tray in her hand onto the desk, her cold eyes glaring as she crossed her arms.
"Does the Prince think my life is too long?"
As a mere concubine, to be presented with a bright red wedding dress and a phoenix coronet.
Such an arrangement that exceeded the regulations, was this not wishing for her death?
However, Ye Tinglan seemed to have expected her arrival. He pressed down on the scroll in his hand, revealing his calm, unwavering dark eyes.
"What is inappropriate about it?"