Chapter 260 Golden Camellia

Feng Qingsui stamped his feet: "What's the matter?"

The wife of the Crown Prince of the Shangguo Mansion was from the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion. She was Luo Yixiuan's half-sister, named Luo Yiwan.

Luo Yiwan smiled apologetically and said, "Bao'er has been crying at night these past few days. The court doctor has prescribed several prescriptions, but none of them have worked. I wonder what advice Madam has for him?"

Feng Qingsui caught a glimpse of Luo Yixuan walking towards Qi from the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but suspect that Luo Yiwan was deliberately stopping her so that his sister could get closer to Qi.

"Have you been to any unclean place recently?"

Luo Yiwan's expression changed slightly.

"What do you mean by unclean, Madam?"

Feng Qingsui said, "A cemetery, an execution ground, or the place where people who died unjustly met their end."

Luo Yiwan shook her head: "No, he has never left the house since he was born. He only walks around in the house..."

Halfway through his speech, his face changed slightly, as if he was thinking of something.

But it was only for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, he regained his original expression and said, "There is a daughter-in-law in my courtyard whose mother-in-law passed away not long ago. She returned home after arranging the funeral. She once held Bao'er in her arms. I wonder if she was contaminated with bad spirits because of this."

Feng Qingsui chuckled: "Get some more sun, or apply some cinnabar, maybe it will be better."

Luo Yiwan nodded: "Thank you, ma'am."

Then he asked Feng Qingsui, "Which camellia do you like best, Madam?"

While Feng Qingsui was chatting with her, he was distracted and paid attention to the movements on Qi's side. He saw Luo Yixiuan and Qi standing by the golden camellia and chatting for a few words, when suddenly a young woman with messy hair and a crazy expression rushed out from the side.

He immediately gestured to Wuhua who was standing behind him.

With his eyes and ears alert, he naturally noticed the young woman rushing out.

As soon as Feng Qingsui made the gesture, she was ready to respond.

The young woman rushed straight towards Jin Chahua, and the servants from the Duke's Mansion who tried to rush over to stop her were pushed away by her. Luo Yixiuan screamed "Ah!" and walked to Qi's side to block the young woman's way.

The young woman was like a wild bull. She didn't stop when she saw someone in front of her, but continued to rush forward at full speed.

The golden camellia was placed on the shore of the lake, which was dotted with strange rocks of varying heights. There was no guardrail, and if the young woman bumped into them, she would surely knock Qi and Luo Yixiuan into the lake.

The guests around watched this scene in horror and had no time to stop it.

The young woman bumped into Luo Yixuan, who pressed against Qi. Qi's body tilted and she fell into the lake.

The lake water in February had just melted, so even if you could rescue people in time, you would probably get sick if you soaked in the icy water.

Luo Yixiuan was so frightened that she reached out to grab Qi.

But she was also falling, how could she be caught?

He could only fall into the water with Qi.

The guests were about to sigh, but unexpectedly, at the critical moment, a slightly plump figure suddenly appeared beside the golden camellia, bent his waist, stretched out his hands, grabbed Qi and Luo Yixiuan's belts, and pulled them up.

“Pah pah pah!”

Immediately, the whole audience burst into thunderous applause.

After Qi stood still, she touched her chest and said with a look of fear, "I was so scared. I almost thought I was going to be soaked in ice water."

After feeling thankful, he thanked Wuhua: "Thanks to you, Wuhua, you are so reliable."

Luo Yixiuan, who had been quite well behaved in front of others just now, stood there in a daze, as if she had lost her soul, and she didn't come back to her senses for a long time.

Qi patted her gently and said comfortingly, "Are you scared? It's okay, we're all fine."

Luo Yixiuan came back to her senses, forced a smile, and thanked Wuhua.

Under the wide sleeves, his nails dug deep into the palms of his hands.

According to her original plan, both she and Qi would be knocked into the lake, and then she would struggle to lift Qi ashore, while she herself would sink to the bottom of the lake due to exhaustion.

Once she is rescued by the servants, she will be revived by the palace physician of Duke Shang's Mansion, who will say that she entered the palace due to a cold, which may affect her offspring.

The life-saving grace plus the sequelae that are equivalent to a dead end for women, through the promotion of public opinion, pressure from the Empress Dowager and the instigation of the court, will surely make Ji Changqing marry her as a concubine.

Because she was worried that Feng would get in the way, she specifically asked Luo Yiwan to stop Feng.

As expected, Shen Shi appeared, and she and Qi Shi were thrown into the cold lake as expected. But halfway through, a fat maid suddenly appeared and picked them up?!

Her chest heaved and her heart almost exploded with anger.

The other guests thought she was too frightened and had not yet recovered, so they gathered around to comfort her.

Feng Qingsui only glanced at Luo Yixiuan, then turned his attention to the young woman who had just knocked Luo Yixiuan down and then pounced on the golden camellia pot.

"Who is this?"

She looked at Luo Yiwan with a puzzled look.

Luo Yiwan seemed to have not expected this. Her face turned pale and she apologized repeatedly: "I'm sorry for scaring Madam Qi and Seventh Sister. I'll have someone take her back to the courtyard."

After saying this, he ordered his servants: "Take the Madam away quickly."

Feng Qingsui gave Wuhua a wink.

Wuhua took a few steps and stood in front of the young woman, blocking the servants from the Duke's Mansion who were about to step forward.

Luo Yiwan's expression changed slightly.

"What does Madam Feng mean?"

Feng Qingsui looked at her intently. "Your family almost killed Madam Qi and Miss Luo Qi, and you think you can let it go with just an apology?"

Luo Yiwan hurriedly said, "We at the Duke's Mansion would never be so perfunctory. It's just that my eldest sister-in-law is mentally disturbed. I'm afraid that if she stays here, it will disturb everyone, so I want to make sure she's settled first."

"Is this your eldest sister-in-law Shen?"

"Exactly."

"Why haven't I heard about the previous prince's wife's mental disorder before?"

Feng Qingsui looked at Luo Yiwan sharply.

Luo Yiwan said ashamedly, "Ever since my eldest brother and nephew died, my eldest sister-in-law has been in a bad mood. We have consulted many famous doctors, but none of them could cure her. This is not something worth publicizing, so we kept it to ourselves."

"Since she has mental problems, why don't you keep an eye on her and let her run outside?"

Feng Qingsui asked.

Luo Yiwan frowned and said, "Madam, you asked a good question. I would also like to investigate this matter."

She looked at a maid standing not far away and asked sternly, "Why did the Madam come here?"

The old woman knelt down with a plop and said, "Madam, the eldest lady took advantage of us having dinner and moved a stool over the wall to get out."

Luo Yiwan angrily scolded: "Can't you take turns eating? With so many people, you can't even look after one person properly. What's the use of you? Each of you will get twenty sticks!"

The old woman knelt down and kowtowed: "I will never dare to do it again."

After bowing, he stood up and went to catch Shen.

Wuhua reached out and pushed her away.

Luo Yiwan frowned, "I've already answered all of Madam Feng's questions. Why are you preventing my eldest sister-in-law from returning to the courtyard?"

Feng Qingsui looked at Shen, who was hugging the flowerpot tightly, her heart and eyes filled with only the golden camellia, and said lightly: "Of course it's because I still have doubts in my heart."

Luo Yiwan: “…”

She patiently asked, "Madam, do you have any questions?"

Feng Qingsui said calmly, "I want to know if this pot of golden camellia was raised by your eldest sister-in-law?"

-

Luo Yiwan never expected that Feng's question would hit the key point.

I suddenly felt regretful.

If I had known this earlier, I wouldn’t have let Feng ask any further.

She clenched her handkerchief and replied, "The camellias in the mansion are all taken care of by the gardener. This pot of golden camellia must have been moved from the greenhouse by the gardener."

"Should it be?" Feng Qingsui's face turned cold. "This is a matter of life and death, and your family is trying to dismiss us with just the two words 'should be'?"

Luo Yiwan almost bit her tongue off.

If she said "should be", she should have said with confidence that it was moved from the greenhouse.

Anyway, Feng didn't know what was going on in their house.

She was about to change her words when Luo Yixuan came over and said with a smile, "It's cold, and it's easy to catch a cold standing still by the lake. Madam Feng, why don't you move to the banquet hall and get to the bottom of this."

Luo Yiwan was interrupted by her and looked around. Seeing that all the guests were standing in a circle, watching their conversation, she suddenly came to her senses and said with a smile, "Seventh sister is right. Let's talk inside."

She was almost led by Feng, but Seventh Sister was clear-headed enough.

Feng Qingsui remained unmoved.

"If you're feeling cold, just go back inside. I need to find out the origins of this pot of golden camellia before I can feel at ease."

Luo Yiwan's smile froze.

"Madam Qi and Seventh Sister didn't take it to heart, so why should Madam Feng be upset? My eldest sister-in-law didn't bump into you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi's voice rang out.

"Who said I didn't take it to heart? Isn't my daughter-in-law seeking justice for me?"

Luo Yiwan: “…”

Feng Qingsui said calmly, "If this pot of golden camellia was raised by your eldest lady, and you placed it by the lake and allowed her to leave the hospital, then you are deliberately murdering someone. If you don't explain clearly, I will report it to the Dali Temple."

Luo Yiwan's face changed drastically.

"Mrs. Feng, be careful with your words! Today is my son's big day. How could we set up such a vicious trap and ruin the good omen?"

"My eldest sister-in-law has no rules when she goes crazy. Today she hugs camellia, tomorrow she hugs a stone, and the day after, she hugs a pillar. She just happened to want to hug the camellia, and the servants couldn't control her. Madam Feng is taking things too darkly."

Feng Qingsui's expression remained unchanged. He simply asked her, "If that's the case, why doesn't the Crown Prince's wife dare directly answer the question about the origin of this pot of golden camellia, but instead avoids the subject?"

"When was I afraid to answer?"

Luo Yiwan was forced by her and said firmly.

"This flower is grown in our greenhouse!"

Feng Qingsui: "In that case, Madam Crown Prince, I think you wouldn't mind if we go to the greenhouse to see where this camellia was originally placed?"

Luo Yiwan's thoughts raced.

If a flower pot is placed in one place for a long time, it will definitely leave marks. These camellia pots exhibited by the lake are all very large and are not easily moved on weekdays, so there should be marks on the original place.

As long as those marks can match this pot of golden camellia, her words will have no loopholes.

Just as she was thinking this, she looked up at the pot of golden camellia held in Shen's arms, and her pupils suddenly shrank.

That pot of golden camellia is in a square pot!

Other camellias all use round pots!

Why is it different?

Feng must have suggested going to the greenhouse to take a look because she saw that the flower pots were different.

Luo Yixiuan also noticed it and felt a little depressed.

She began, "I came to the Duke's Mansion to visit Sixth Sister a few years ago. I went to the flower room to look at the flowers, but I didn't see this pot of golden tea. It must be newly bought, right?"

Luo Yiwan immediately said, "Yes, I just bought it back home and have only been keeping it in the greenhouse for a few days."

Feng Qingsui smiled slightly. "This golden camellia is rare. I'd like to buy one too. Where did you get it from?"

The smile on Luo Yiwan's face froze again.

"I'll ask the steward later and get back to you."

"Mrs. Luo had better call the steward over immediately to find out what's going on."

A cold male voice sounded.

"The law strictly prohibits the private collection and sale of golden camellia. Violators will be punished with 100 strokes of the cane and two years' imprisonment."

All guests: (°□°)!

When did the law prohibit the private digging of golden camellia?!

Regent, please don't speak without thinking!

Ji Changqing walked over to Feng Qingsui and chuckled, "I just ordered someone to write a new law that includes not only the golden camellia but also several rare plants and animals. It will be promulgated soon."

Guests: “…”

Is this really not made up on the spot?

Feng Qingsui found it very funny. His master had indeed mentioned to this guy the issue of protecting endangered animals and plants, but he had never mentioned that it should be included in the law.

In all likelihood, this was a way to intimidate Luo Yiwan.

Luo Yiwan was indeed frightened.

The lie she made up on the spot could not withstand the Regent's scrutiny and was exposed as soon as it was investigated.

"Your Highness, I'm truly sorry. Our servants didn't see the Madam, and Madam Qi was frightened. We will definitely make amends..."

Ji Changqing interrupted her, "I just sent someone to your eldest sister-in-law's courtyard to ask. This golden camellia was personally dug by the previous prince in the deep mountains of Nanyue. It has been kept in her courtyard for the past two years. Why are you lying?"

Luo Yiwan's face turned pale.

This person actually went to the Shen family courtyard to "ask"?

Did you only ask Golden Camellia, or...

She bit her lip and said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I lied just now because I was afraid that Madam Feng would misunderstand me. This golden camellia is indeed grown in my eldest sister-in-law's courtyard."

Ji Changqing sneered: "You specially placed a pot of flowers that are of great significance to your eldest sister-in-law here, and you specially let your eldest sister-in-law out. Do you dare to say that you didn't deliberately murder my mother?"

Luo Yiwan's knees went weak and she fell to the ground.

"Your Majesty, please understand! Even if I had a hundred guts, I would not dare to murder Madam Qi!"

"I only moved the golden camellia from my eldest sister-in-law's courtyard to have more varieties of camellia. I also specifically instructed the servants to keep an eye on her. I didn't expect them to be so careless..."

As she spoke, her eyes turned red.

"I really didn't expect such an accident to happen."

Feng Qingsui took advantage of Ji Changqing questioning Luo Yiwan and walked to Jin Chahua.

Shen turned around and looked at her warily, holding the flowerpot tighter with both hands.

"Can you give me your hand?"

She asked Shen.

Shen waved his hands vigorously, bared his teeth, and looked at her with hostility.

Feng Qingsui sighed, took out a handkerchief and a porcelain bottle from his arms, opened the porcelain bottle and poured some medicine on the handkerchief, and then covered Shen's mouth and nose with the handkerchief in a lightning-fast manner.

Shen closed her eyes and fainted.

Feng Qingsui grabbed her hand, felt her pulse, and then said to Wuhua, "Go back to the clan residence and get my medicine box."

Wuhua took the order and left.

Luo Yixiuan caught a glimpse of the movement coming from her side and her right eyelid twitched.

She looked around and walked towards Shang Zhichun, the heir of the Shangguo Mansion, who was standing by the rockery, and called out, "Sixth brother-in-law."

Shang Zhichun was so angry at his wife's stupid words and actions that he almost told her to get out. But when he saw that it was Luo Yixiuan, he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

"What's up?"

Luo Yixuan motioned him to look at Shen Shi and said softly, "Sixth brother-in-law, the eldest lady seems to have fainted. Do you want to send her back to the courtyard first?"