Feng Jinyao shook her head, "I suspect everyone in this courtyard, except for Mama Bai."
Madam Feng fell silent for a moment, carefully recalling recent events. Nothing seemed suspicious.
From the hair oil box, she took out three red porcelain bottles containing pills. She first gave one to her mother with water, and hid the rest in her personal belongings.
Strangely, her throat, which had been burning and itching, felt a wave of coolness after taking the medicine, bringing much relief.
"This medicine is good. It's not bitter, and instead has a refreshing coolness."
"That's excellent. I heard this medicine works in one dose and cures the root in three. Mother will surely get better."
"Mm."
She would get better. Everything would get better.
"What do you plan to do?"
"Mother just needs to focus on recovering. I will handle the rest."
Looking at her daughter's determined eyes, Madam Feng felt for the first time that she had grown up. She was no longer the spoiled little daughter of the past, but someone who could shield her family from storms.
She nodded with relief.
"Regarding Mama Bai, you arrange it. She's sharp at judging people. If you pay close attention, you're sure to find some trickery."
"Yes, Mother, don't worry."
As they finished speaking, Hupo arrived with hot water. Upon entering, she saw Madam Feng drinking medicine and wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.
"Bring some of the preserved fruits from last time. Mother's medicine is bitter; a little sweetness will help."
"Yes."
The mother and daughter acted as if nothing was wrong. They even brushed their hair. Hupo took the empty bowl and withdrew.
Feng Jinyao watched Hupo's retreating back, her eyes filled with suspicion.
Hupo was a top maid in her mother's chambers and was in charge of preparing the medicine. If she had tampered with it, it would make sense.
However, she had never heard of any conflict between her mother and Hupo. If it wasn't for her own affairs, then Hupo might have been bribed or threatened.
It seemed that investigating from this angle might lead to the truth.
After chatting with her mother for a while, she helped her lie down. Perhaps the medicine contained a calming agent, as she soon fell into a peaceful sleep.
Standing by her mother's bed, Feng Jinyao tilted her head to look outside. The winter sun was brilliant, yet she felt no warmth.
The storm was coming, and she needed to be more vigilant than ever. She then turned and left the main room.
Not long after leaving her mother's courtyard, she bumped into the maid, Xiūqiú.
"Greetings, Miss. Someone from the front courtyard reported that Miss Wen wishes to see you."
"Why is she here?"
"She heard that she's coming to return your lost jade pendant."
"The same old excuse."
Miss Wen, named Yuwei, was the daughter of Minister of Personnel Wen Jingsong's brother. She had been sent to the Eastern Capital with her brother years ago, with the clear intention of finding a good marriage.
In her previous life, Yuwei was a smiling tiger. When Feng Jinyao was still useful, she would affectionately call her "sister-in-law." But after the Feng family fell from power, her true venomous nature emerged.
Now, upon entering, she was making sure everyone knew she had found the jade pendant to return it. Wasn't this just to force Feng Jinyao to accept this favor?
This would allow her to approach Feng Jinyao continuously in the future, become "sisters," and pave the way for her cousin, Wen Mengsheng.
The mere thought of "Wen Mengsheng" made the hatred in Feng Jinyao's eyes intensify, radiating a malevolent aura.
Xiūqiú had never seen her mistress look so ferocious and wondered if she was possessed by an evil spirit.
Then, she saw Feng Jinyao calm down again, regaining her noble demeanor, gentle and gracious, with proper etiquette.
Frowning, she shook her head a few times. Had she imagined it?
Before she could resolve her confusion, she heard Feng Jinyao softly instruct:
"Please invite Miss Wen to wait in the Moon Gazing Pavilion. I will be there shortly."
The Moon Gazing Pavilion?
Xiūqiú thought she had misheard. But after her mistress finished giving the order, she headed in the opposite direction, towards Ning'an Courtyard.
"Did this Miss Wen offend our mistress? To send someone to the Moon Gazing Pavilion in this cold weather... Tsk, she's in for it."
She turned to head to the front courtyard and followed instructions.
In the front courtyard, Wen Yuwei stood tall in the covered corridor of the second gate, her gaze steady, her posture upright. Her delicate features carried the gentle charm of a Jiangnan woman, and her smile was exceptionally graceful and dignified.
Anyone who saw her from the outside would praise her, a picture of a young lady from a prominent family.
After arriving in the Eastern Capital a few years ago, she had begged her uncle to find a retired palace governess to teach her etiquette.
Otherwise, at her age of over ten, how could she not be looked down upon for her unrefined manners in a place crowded with high officials and nobles?
Every glance, every smile, every step, every word was in accordance with the rules.
She had practiced diligently for over a year at home to achieve this result. Later, she caught the eye of Miss Wei at a banquet and had been by her side for years, thus integrating into the circle of nobility.
Now, no one mentioned her past. To outsiders, she always presented herself as the legitimate daughter of the Wen family.
It was as if the current Minister of Personnel was her own father.
Unfortunately, while these pretenses might fool outsiders, they were not enough to deceive Xiūqiú, who had served in the circles of the powerful and influential since childhood.
Before Madam Feng fell ill, the family often hosted banquets, attended by the wealthy and noble. She had even met princes and princesses several times.
Looking at Miss Wen's affected demeanor now, it truly fit the idiom: Dong Shi mimicking Xi Shi (a clumsy imitation).
Despite this thought, her face remained respectful. After bowing to Wen Yuwei, she slowly said:
"Miss Wen, thank you for waiting. My mistress is attending to Madam with her medicine and is currently occupied. She has instructed me to first escort Miss Wen to the Moon Gazing Pavilion to rest. Once my mistress has finished tending to her mother, she will come over."
"We are all sisters, there's no need for such formality. Just tell Sister Feng to attend to her mother well."
As she spoke, her tone was full of intimacy. If Xiūqiú hadn't witnessed her mistress's attitude towards her, she might have truly believed they were close friends.
The Feng family's Moon Gazing Pavilion was built over a lotus pond, exposed to the wind on all sides. In the scorching summer, it was the coolest place.
But in this cold weather, the pond surface had long frozen over, and the water lilies had sunk into dormancy.
In this bitter winter, unless one was ice fishing, the servants of the Feng family rarely ventured here.
Upon entering the Moon Gazing Pavilion, Wen Yuwei frowned slightly, secretly annoyed. The Feng family truly didn't know how to entertain guests, and their servants lacked foresight.
If she hadn't had a brief encounter with this Miss Feng before and known her to be a benevolent person who smiled at everyone, she would have suspected this was intentional.
Xiūqiú arranged for someone to bring a brazier. The silver charcoal in the basin was burning well, and the temperature in the Moon Gazing Pavilion rose accordingly.
Xia Lu, Wen Yuwei's maid, felt indignant and spoke rudely:
"Miss, what does the Feng family mean? Are they looking down on our Wen family? I ask you, in the entire Eastern Capital, who would invite guests to the lotus pond in winter?"