When the Feng family's carriage stopped at the entrance, Feng Jin Yao held back the eager Feng Er. Feng Er looked at her in confusion. She deliberately lowered her voice and said,
"Second Brother, the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. Be careful not to reveal any clues."
"Don't worry, I'm an expert at playing the fool!" His handsome face instantly shifted to the nonchalant demeanor of a young noble. It was exactly as he had said.
The siblings entered the house and headed straight for the Cloud Sea Courtyard, where Madam Feng resided.
From the moment they stepped through the courtyard gate, Feng Er, despite his smiling face, scanned his surroundings, trying to spot anything amiss. Feng Jin Yao, however, went straight inside. As soon as she entered, she saw the flowers on the desk, dotted with pale purple, truly beautiful.
Her eyes deepened, but the smile that bloomed on her face spread like spring flowers.
"Greetings to Father, greetings to Mother."
"Get up, come here and let Mother see you. You've worked hard these past few days." Madam Feng looked at her daughter with concern. Her already slender frame was now gaunt, and her complexion was pale. "From today onwards, rest well at home and don't go out. Recovering your health is the most important thing."
With her coming-of-age ceremony in April, if the ladies and young ladies of the Eastern Capital saw her in this state, they might lose half their potential suitors. After all, who would want to marry such a sickly person?
"Mother, don't worry, I'm fine. However, I am a bit hungry after this trip. I love the food in Mother's courtyard the most. Ask Mama Bai to bring me some quickly."
It was rare to see her act so spoiled. Madam Feng quickly instructed Mama Bai to prepare the food. Before Mama Bai left, Feng Jin Yao gave her a deep look. The shrewd Mama Bai quickly understood her meaning.
She subtly dismissed everyone, leaving only the four of them. Feng Jin Lin, having trained in martial arts, had excellent hearing. He listened at the door for a moment before nodding to Feng Jin Yao.
Feng Hai and his wife did not understand the siblings' intentions. Their eyes met, filled with confusion.
"A Yao, why did you send everyone away?" Feng Hai asked first.
Feng Jin Yao took out a silk handkerchief, covering a small portion of the back of the flower and wrapping it tightly before speaking.
"Mother, this thing is poisonous."
"What!"
Feng Hai's first reaction was to pull his wife behind him to protect her, his eyes filled with suspicion. He frowned deeply at the flower, wondering how this could be.
"Divine Doctor Zhang mentioned it last time, but I didn't expect the mistake to come from Second Uncle's chambers."
Second Uncle?
This statement left Feng Hai and his wife bewildered. How could they be involved? Their second branch of the family was far away in Liangzhou in the northwest, and they had always been a close-knit family. How could they harm them?
"The gardener was sent by Second Uncle at the beginning of the year, saying he could cultivate flowers and plants in winter. At the time, I thought having some flowers and plants would be comforting, so I agreed to keep them. Unfortunately, these flowers are harmful."
Although Divine Doctor Zhang had not explicitly stated it, she understood the urgency of the matter.
"In a couple of days, I will send this flower over, and Mother will need to take some medicine to expel the toxins from the flower."
Madam Feng felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this. "Who is it? Someone tampered with my medicine a few days ago, and now they've set up such a big scheme to kill me!"
"What?"
Feng Hai looked at his wife in astonishment. Tampering with her medicine? Could it be that even the imperial physicians in the palace were involved?
Understanding Feng Hai's expression, Feng Jin Yao comforted him, "Father, don't worry. It's likely someone in the courtyard tampered with the medicine while it was being brewed. I had the prescription examined outside, and it was fine."
Feeling uneasy, she managed to utter,
"Is it really your second uncle?"
"Father, I said it was from Second Uncle's chambers, not necessarily Second Uncle himself. There are over a hundred people in the Feng family in Liangzhou. It's normal for there to be traitors among them. I think the intention behind attacking Mother is either to sow discord between us and Second Uncle, or to separate us from our maternal grandfather's family."
Feng Hai, having spent a long time in official circles, found his daughter's words brought to mind some minor details. However, being habitually cautious and never discussing court matters at home, he kept his doubts to himself.
"Don't worry, my dear. I will thoroughly investigate everyone in the courtyard. I refuse to believe we can't find the culprit!"
His gaze towards the flower was no longer as peaceful as before. He could barely suppress his burning anger.
He loved his wife dearly, and that was exactly how Feng Hai was. They had been married for nearly thirty years and were still deeply in love. If the villain succeeded, would they not be able to grow old together?
Thinking of this, the wicked fire surged within him, and he wished he could immediately apprehend the person and beat them to death.
After Mama Bai had arranged the meal, the four people in the room were much calmer. With their family's cunning nature, they had a lively reunion dinner.
After dinner, Feng Jin Yao returned to her courtyard. She hadn't had a good rest in days and indeed needed to adjust.
Yun Xu and Xiu Qiu felt sorry for their mistress. They prepared a bath and added some spirit-soothing dew to the tub. After a pleasant bath, she lay on the familiar yet unfamiliar bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Feng Jin Lin, however, found an excuse and headed straight for the manor outside the city.
The whip struck Chui Yun's hindquarters. The horse neighed and galloped away, quickly disappearing from the Eastern Capital.
On the seventh day of the new year, the news of the Feng family's gate being open spread throughout the streets and alleys of the Eastern Capital, naturally reaching every noble household.
The Wen family.
Wen Yu Wei had been confined to the back courtyard for a long time. The injury on her face had healed well, leaving no scars. She had regained about seventy to eighty percent of her former appearance, but her attendants had been replaced by confidantes of Wen Jing Song, and she couldn't even get news.
Wen Xing Lu, aware of the plans of the Wen father and son, had been looking for an opportunity to connect with the Duke of Wei or even the Ninth Prince. However, due to his low status, he was kept ten miles away without even seeing the main family, and even using Wen Jing Song's name was useless.
Only then did Wen Xing Lu realize that his uncle was merely a pawn in the eyes of these nobles, summoned and dismissed at will, not much better off than they were.
It was precisely for this reason that he became increasingly worried, as anyone who obstructed his and his father's climb would be kicked aside as a stumbling block, or discarded like worn-out shoes after their last bit of value was extracted.
Wasn't his sister in the same situation now?
Pity that she was still unaware, thinking that her uncle would truly stand up for her.
"Sister, have you ever thought if you would have been happier if you hadn't come to the Eastern Capital?"
Who wouldn't desire wealth and glory? But not everyone could be a person of high standing.