"A raccoon dog?"

Qi Chengfeng narrowed his eyes, looking thoughtfully in the direction Jiang Xinrui had just left.

If it were any other animal, it wouldn't be so bad, but cats are the most proud and aloof creatures. They don't usually get close to people easily, let alone being chased away so many times.

Something unusual must be going on, and Qi Chengfeng didn't believe there was anything special about it.

He lowered his head and thought for a moment before looking at Qiu San Niang and asking:

"Are you sure there's no antidote for this drug?"

Although Qiu San Niang was reluctant to admit it, she truly had no clue whatsoever, so she dared not hide it at all.

"It's because your subordinates are incompetent."

Qi Chengfeng didn't blame Qiu Sanniang. She beckoned to Qiu Sanniang with the hand holding the fan, signaling her to come closer.

Qiu San Niang was somewhat puzzled, but dared not delay, and hurriedly stepped forward. Just as she got close, she heard Qi Chengfeng say:

"Since we can't produce an antidote, we'll find someone to take the remaining pills without letting them know, and secretly observe how the person who took the pills changes their attitude towards Jiang Xinrui."

Upon hearing this, Qiu San Niang immediately understood Qi Chengfeng's intention, but Qi Chengfeng had not yet finished speaking.

"If this medicine is truly as effective as I suspect, do you think Jiang Xinrui would keep such a valuable medicine for only me?"

Qiu San Niang was slightly taken aback by these words, then her expression changed:

"Master, what do you mean?"

Qi Chengfeng nodded slightly, his eyes darkening.

"I originally thought this woman only wanted to be the empress, but now it seems that her appetite is much bigger than I imagined."

A murderous glint appeared in Qiu San Niang's eyes as she gritted her teeth and said:

"In that case, Master, we can't let her live."

No rush.

Qi Chengfeng gently raised his hand to signal Qiu San Niang to calm down, a playful smile playing on his lips:

"Wouldn't this be even more fun? Keep a close eye on her. If the drug really has a bewitching effect, we might as well turn the tables on her."

Once she thinks she has everything under control, she'll definitely pull out her trump card to help me succeed, and I won't have to try to get her to reveal her hand anymore, right?

For the sake of the benefits of having eyes open, I don't mind playing along with her.

After a moment's thought, Qiu San Niang understood the situation and quickly bowed in flattery:

"Your Majesty is wise; I am ashamed of my own inferiority."

"Okay, go and do your work!"

Qi Chengfeng snapped his fingers in the shadows, and two people quickly appeared in front of him. Without further ado, he gave the order:

"You all heard the conversation just now. Keep a close eye on people, especially how many of the people around me have fallen into her trap. Don't alarm those people; they might be useful later."

But don't let her get away with it again. If she wants to play games, just play along. However, how the play goes is up to me.

"Understood."

The two people who suddenly appeared responded and quickly left, as if they had never been there at all.

Yan Xiao was unaware of the contest between Jiang Xinrui and Qi Chengfeng; she had already entered Yanyun City with the delegation.

Upon arriving at the gates of Yanyun City, they were greeted by people from Yanyun City. However, the greeting was merely a formality; they checked the number of people in the group and the group roster, and only allowed them to enter after confirming that everything was in order.

The group they encountered not long ago was an envoy from Luofeng City. They entered the city together with Yanxiao and the others, and their assigned lodgings were also very close.

After the guides escorted them to their destination, they conveyed Qi Chengfeng's message and left. The gist of the message was that they would wait until all the delegations had arrived before arranging for them to present their gifts.

Yan Xiao wasn't there to give gifts, nor was she there to attend the wedding banquet; she was there to kill the bride.

However, the place they were in was just a manor in the city. Although it was not far from the city lord's mansion, it was obviously difficult to sneak in.

However, she had the Ant King Gu given to her by Lou Guyu. If used properly, this thing could cause chaos in the City Lord's Mansion, and she might then have a chance to sneak in and kill Jiang Xinrui without anyone noticing.

So shortly after the person who was supposed to guide her left, she wanted to find an opportunity to go out and explore, to scout out the place.

As soon as she reached the manor gate, she was stopped by the people at the gate. Judging from their attire, they were the soldiers from the group that had just greeted them.

Yan Xiao frowned slightly, and asked with some dissatisfaction:

"What do you mean by this, young man? Is this how Yanyun City treats its guests?"

The gatekeeper's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, and he simply replied dryly:

"The orders from above are that, for the safety of the group, no member of the group may leave the manor without permission before the wedding banquet ends."

You can tell us your needs directly, and we will do our best to meet the needs of our guests who have traveled from afar.

Yan Xiao was annoyed by these words. She wanted to get angry, but she remembered her current status and held back.

Right now, the more low-key she is, the better; she should avoid conflicts with others.

Moreover, this person is just a watchdog who obeys orders. There's no point in arguing with him here; it might even draw attention to herself, which isn't a wise move.

Thinking this, Yan Xiao gave a disgruntled snort and said sarcastically:

"I was originally planning to visit your Yanyun City to see what kind of place could attract Miss Jiang to go there, but it seems I'm not so lucky."

Everyone knows that Jiang Xinrui used to be from Jiangbei City, and they are even more aware that Jiang Xinrui once admired Shen Muzhi.

However, the sudden betrayal of Jiangbei by Yan Yun, and her rapid desire to marry Qi Chengfeng, is a major topic of conversation everywhere these days.

Yan Xiao's current identity is that of a maid in Jiangbei City. She is easily angered by Jiang Xinrui's betrayal, so it's perfectly normal for her to say a few sarcastic remarks. No one will suspect anything.

After saying that, Yan Xiao turned around and left in a huff, while intentionally or unintentionally observing the environment of the manor as she walked. She then discovered that the manor was no longer the same as when she first entered.

When they first entered, there were no living creatures except for some servants, but now there was an unusual aura in the shadows, clearly indicating the presence of hidden guards.

She didn't believe Qi Chengfeng would be so kind as to send secret guards to protect them; they could only be used to monitor them.

"Tsk tsk~, that's really cautious!"

Yan Xiao quickly looked away and pretended not to have noticed anything as she walked back. However, she soon encountered two of Luo Fengcheng's maids.

The two maids saw her, exchanged a glance, then stepped forward, performed a polite curtsy, and asked:

"Young lady, have you been out?"

Yan Xiao feigned anger and snorted:

"How could that be? The people from Yanyun City said that for the safety of our delegation, we are not allowed to leave here until the wedding banquet is over, unless we are summoned by City Lord Qi."

"What? How could this be?"

"Yeah, isn't this the same as house arrest? Yanyun City is too domineering!"

The two maids became dissatisfied upon hearing this, saying that they had never heard of a delegation being prevented from leaving the country.

The people in the delegation represent their respective factions; to disrespect them is to disrespect their factions.

"Oh well, they said it's for our safety and they'll try their best to meet any needs we have. We can't find anything wrong with it outright."

Yan Xiao shook his head, pretended to be a nice guy, and gave the two a few words of advice before taking his leave.

After Yanxiao left, the two maids went to the door, unwilling to give up, but they were indeed stopped and received the same answer as Yanxiao had given.

After making a few complaints at the door, the two returned empty-handed.

Meanwhile, the spies in the shadows kept an eye on their movements and, not noticing anything amiss, continued to remain hidden.