Shen Qingtang then came to her senses and looked down at him, meeting his burning gaze. The two were so close that they could see each other's reflections in their eyes.

Shen Qingtang was stunned for a moment before belatedly realizing that the posture was too ambiguous. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she subconsciously wanted to back away.

Shen Qingtang cleared her throat and took half a step back.

He distanced himself slightly, his tone regaining its composure: "Next, we can only lure the snake out of its hole."

She frowned slightly and continued, "It's still unclear how the other party intends to act—whether it's poisoning the food or using other methods. So I need to make a batch of antidote pills first. These pills can temporarily resist common poisons, at least ensuring that we won't be easily poisoned."

"I will make more so that my parents, my older brothers, and Nian'an can all use it."

Shen Qingtang's eyes were firm. "We should prepare for the worst first, and then wait for them to slip up. As long as they still want to use Xiaoping for their own purposes, they will definitely come looking for us."

Pei Wuwang looked at her organized demeanor, his appreciation for her growing even stronger. He nodded in agreement, "Alright, I'll have someone keep an eye on Xiaoping's movements. If anything unusual happens, I'll let you know immediately. I'll also have someone prepare the necessary ingredients for the antidote pills and get them together as soon as possible."

The two reached a consensus, and the ambiguous atmosphere gradually faded away, replaced by a tacit understanding of fighting side by side.

Shen Qingtang turned around and went back to the inn to prepare medicine.

Pei Wuwang immediately arranged for people to secretly set up surveillance, waiting for the person behind the scenes to show up.

Shen Qingtang was calculating the herbs needed to make the antidote pill when she turned around and saw the Second Prince drinking tea in the courtyard of the inn.

His demeanor remained as gentle and refined as ever. Lu Jiaojiao sat affectionately on his lap, while Lu Jin and Lin Peirou stood cautiously to the side, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Lu's mother was also there. When she saw Shen Qingtang come over, Lu's mother deliberately raised her chin, looking as if she had received a great honor.

"Qingtang, we meet again. It seems we are indeed destined to meet."

Upon seeing Shen Qingtang, the Second Prince immediately smiled and began to chatter on and on, each sentence conveying a deliberate attempt to be intimate, as if the two were very close.

Lu Jiaojiao sat in the Second Prince's lap. Seeing that he was only staring at Shen Qingtang while talking, she felt both angry and sour, but dared not show it.

The second prince noticed her mood and turned to ask softly, "Jiaojiao hasn't eaten yet, has she?"

He then ordered his men to fetch some exquisite pastries and candied fruits, all of which were Lu Jiaojiao's favorites.

Lu Jiaojiao instantly beamed with joy, her eyes filled with adoration as she looked at the Second Prince, completely forgetting her earlier unpleasantness.

Shen Qingtang was too lazy to deal with it, so she gave a few perfunctory replies and then turned to leave, but she was suspicious in her heart.

The Second Prince acted too deliberately, always exuding an air of ill intent. After the Second Prince left the inn, Shen Qingtang secretly followed him, chasing him all the way to the residence where he was staying.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was in the courtyard, Shen Qingtang climbed over the wall and went inside. As soon as she entered the pharmacy, she was stunned. It was filled with all kinds of herbs, and some of them were rare medicinal materials urgently needed to make antidote pills.

She sneered. Since the Second Prince was no good, keeping these medicinal herbs was a waste. Shen Qingtang decisively stored all the herbs in the pharmacy into her spatial storage, leaving not a single residue behind.

When the second prince returned to the mansion, he found that the pharmacy had been emptied.

His face changed drastically instantly, and he trembled with rage: "Who did this?! Investigate! Find them!"