The courtyard before her was grand and exquisite, completely renovated from the inside out. To call it a repair would be an understatement; it was practically rebuilt.
The gates were made of the finest nanmu wood with gold threads, and the tiles were specially commissioned jade-green glazed tiles from the Ministry of Works. Most importantly, from the arrangement of the scenery in the courtyard to the furniture and decorations within the rooms, everything was meticulously crafted to mimic her General's Mansion's embroidery tower. It was truly astonishing.
Feng Yinwan stood in the room, momentarily lost in thought.
"Miss, all your belongings have been neatly put away, and even their placement is almost the same as before. I believe His Highness has indeed put a lot of effort into this," a maidservant said.
Whether effort had been put in was self-evident.
Feng Yinwan nodded, about to speak, when Qi Xuan entered the room.
"Princess Consort."
A flash of silvery green was presented before her—her beloved sword.
Feng Yinwan blinked slightly, then heard him continue, "His Highness instructed his subordinate to return your personal sword to you before he departed."
She had indeed mentioned this matter during their time at the isolation facility. She hadn't expected Ye Tinglan to remember. A complex mix of emotions surged within Feng Yinwan.
She nodded, raising her hand to accept it. "Thank you for your trouble."
Sensing her slightly off mood, Qi Xuan bowed and prepared to withdraw. However, before he could turn, he was called back.
Feng Yinwan's delicate hand, gripping the sword, lowered. A sharp glint flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"Qi Xuan, this Princess Consort has a question for you."
Qi Xuan was startled by the sudden chill in her voice and immediately adopted a serious tone. "Princess Consort, please speak."
"I wish to ask, did anything happen the night His Highness returned to the manor?"
She was, of course, referring to the night Ye Tinglan returned to the capital after his campaign.
Caught off guard by her sudden question, Qi Xuan paused, a flicker of hesitation on his face.
"His Highness was ambushed on his way back to the capital and was poisoned that night. He chased after an assassin alone. By the time we subordinates rushed back to the manor, His Highness had already emerged from Lanqing Courtyard. Princess Consort must have seen him..."
That night, Ye Tinglan had arrived with immense power, but a gauze bandage covered his forehead, clearly indicating an injury.
Feng Yinwan's beautiful eyes darkened, her voice growing even colder. "Do you know who was responsible?"
Qi Xuan shook his head. "The subordinate who pursued was a dead soldier, and he was not from Wuxi Pavilion. The technique used... did not seem like that of an ordinary assassin."
They had been ambushed in a valley that night. The attackers had used the darkness to their advantage, and they had found no trace of hidden weapons. To this day, he harbored doubts about whether His Highness had been poisoned or afflicted by something else...
She had initially suspected Wuxi Pavilion's involvement, but to receive a negative answer, Feng Yinwan's delicate eyebrows immediately knitted in a frown.
She remained silent for a moment, her thoughts converging.
"You just said that His Highness, after being poisoned, chased after an assassin alone?"
"Precisely."
Qi Xuan nodded, then looked at her, puzzled. "Princess Consort, is something amiss?"
"In which direction did that assassin go?"
As this question left her lips, Feng Yinwan's heart gave a sudden jolt. As she had hoped, Qi Xuan spoke under her gaze.
"Towards the city."
Indeed!
The reason Ye Tinglan had returned to the manor first was because he was chasing the assassin into the city. As Qi Xuan had said, he was poisoned, which likely led to his injuries.
If even Ye Tinglan couldn't defeat them, could the man in the Water Pavilion that night have been...?
A chill ran down her spine. Feng Yinwan clenched her fingers, hesitant to think further.
Qi Xuan, seeing her reaction, suddenly realized. "Princess Consort, why are you suddenly asking about this? Did you see anything in the manor that night?"
It was not impossible for an assassin to have infiltrated the manor and for Feng Yinwan to have encountered them.
"It's nothing..."
Feng Yinwan pursed her lips, her fingers tightening their grip on the sword's scabbard. "I feel a bit tired. You may withdraw now."
Qi Xuan paused. Seeing that her complexion was indeed a little pale, he immediately nodded.
"Yes."
With her mind preoccupied, Feng Yinwan only managed to fall asleep after lying on the bed for a long time.
Her sleep was intermittent and uneasy. Before she could fully drift off, she was awakened by a commotion.
"Where is that woman? Call her out, this King wants to see her!"
A clamor arose from outside. It was undoubtedly Ye Tingyun's voice.
Yuping rushed forward to block him. "Your Highness Prince Yun, Miss has just fallen asleep. If it's not urgent, please return later."
Unexpectedly, Ye Tingyun frowned. "This matter cannot wait!"
How could he allow his third brother to be cuckolded!
He pushed Yuping aside and made to approach the room, but before he could reach the door, it opened from the inside.
Feng Yinwan, clad in a snow-white inner garment, appeared even paler.
Ye Tingyun was also startled, but after a brief moment, his handsome face flushed red with anger again.
"Finally decided to come out!"
"Miss..."
Yuping wanted to say more, but Feng Yinwan gave her a look and nodded.
"I have something to say to Prince Yun. You may wait outside."
"Yes."
Seeing that Yuping didn't seem to be in the know, Ye Tingyun frowned and stepped inside.
The door was closed softly, immediately muffling the noise from outside. Feng Yinwan turned, facing Ye Tingyun's indignant gaze.
"What is going on? Are you really pregnant?"
What happened to the pretense? This woman had actually made the fake situation real!
This was no small matter, and it was related to the color green!
"Mhm."
Feng Yinwan nodded, implicitly confirming it.
Ye Tingyun's anger intensified. "Is this child the third brother's?"
If she said yes, why would his third brother suddenly barge into his residence to drink last night? If she said no... how could his third brother tolerate this woman carrying another man's child!
Feng Yinwan pursed her lips, her eyelashes lowered. The silence in the room was her answer.
Disbelief flashed across Ye Tingyun's face. He slammed his hand on the table and jumped up.
"Feng Yinwan, how dare you! Third brother treated you so sincerely, and you..."
"Prince Yun! This Princess Consort will explain matters to His Highness herself. You need not concern yourself with it."
There were hidden depths to this matter, and she intended to investigate it bit by bit.
Stopped in her tracks, Ye Tingyun's handsome face flushed with anger, his fury evident in his eyes.
"Fine! I'll see how you explain this to third brother!"
He uttered this resentfully and then stormed out. Yuping, who had heard the commotion outside, rushed in upon seeing him leave.
"Miss, what did Your Highness Prince Yun just say? What do you mean, 'whether it's His Highness's'?"
She knew Miss's "pregnancy" was not a simple matter and had refrained from asking too many questions. But now...
The fatigue on Feng Yinwan's face was evident. She forced a smile. "Go and close the courtyard gate first."
Upon learning the truth, Yuping's small face shifted from shock to anger, and finally, she looked at the wound on Feng Yinwan's shoulder with heartache, her eyes welling up.
"Miss..."
After a long silence, her voice finally broke into sobs. Feng Yinwan reached out to wipe away her tears, but her anxiety did not diminish.
Her own affairs were not yet the most pressing; it was the uncertain fate of General Feng and Feng Jingyuan that truly worried her.
She opened her lips, about to comfort Yuping, when a knock sounded again at the closed courtyard gate.
The next moment, Qin Rulian's voice could be heard through the door.
"Princess Consort, you have unhealed injuries. Rulian has stewed a bowl of eight-treasure ginseng tea and has brought it specifically for you."