Lanqin looked for a long time but still couldn't see anything wrong. Seeing how carefully Lanqin was looking, Fourth Master asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Lanqin didn't notice anything amiss and thought to herself: Hongqiao might have secretly put the poison into Nian's medicine pot when she went to get the bird's nest.

"Did you notice if Hongqiao touched Consort Nian's medicine pot?" Lanqin asked, staring at the young servant.

"This servant never noticed. They're right next to each other. This servant remembers that Consort Nian's medicine pot was on the right, and Consort Fucha's was on the left. Every time Hongqiao came, this servant saw her carrying the one on the left!" The young servant was actually a little guilty. Sometimes when Hongqiao came, he wouldn't keep a close eye on those two stoves, especially since it was lunchtime in the kitchen, and everyone was so busy they wished they could be two people at once. Who would keep an eye on someone who came to the kitchen every day, especially someone so generous?

"Have you been keeping an eye on her? I'm afraid that after a while, you won't even know if Hongqiao has touched Consort Nian's medicine pot, will you?" Lanqin shouted sternly.

The young servant was timid and fearful, and the memory of being punished by Madam Nian was still etched in his mind. Startled by Lanqin's shout, he immediately stammered, "This servant deserves to die! I wasn't keeping a close eye on things when I was busy. Besides, Hongqiao comes every day; this servant truly didn't know she..."

Upon hearing this, Fourth Master knew there was no need to ask any further questions. It must have been Hongqiao who secretly put the poison into Nian's medicine pot when no one was looking.

The maids present all harbored deep hatred for Hongqiao, never expecting her to devise such a vicious method to poison Lady Nian. Baizhi, in particular, had originally intended to use Hongqiao to control Lady Fucha and make her Lady Nian's pawn, but now Hongqiao had become a dagger in Lady Fucha's hand, stabbing her mistress and leaving her covered in wounds.

"Your Highness, this little servant doesn't know anything. Why not fine him his monthly wages?" Lanqin pleaded for him, knowing that the little servant was unaware of the situation.

Fourth Master originally intended to drag the servant away and beat him with a board, but upon hearing Lanqin's words, he waved his hand in agreement.

"Bring me all the jewelry and other items you received from Hongqiao. Also, hand over any items from her that your kitchen staff received. Forget about the silver, just the jewelry," Lanqin said to the servant.

Seeing that he wasn't beaten but only fined his monthly wages, the young servant dared not refuse. He quickly kowtowed to thank Lanqin for her kindness and withdrew.

Feeling a bit annoyed, Fourth Master pulled Lanqin out of the main house and they took a walk together in the east courtyard. All the flowers in the courtyard had been knocked down with long poles, leaving only the lush green leaves.

Lanqin had never properly visited the East Courtyard before, and at this moment she was strolling leisurely along the corridor with Fourth Master.

"Fucha is so vicious. If we don't deal with her, the inner quarters will be in turmoil," the Fourth Prince suddenly said.

"My lord, why don't I see General Nian?" Lanqin knew that the Fourth Prince had always underestimated the influence of the Fucha clan in the capital, but as the Nian family was a rising star of the Han Banner Army, he had to consider it as well.

"He left the manor the day before yesterday. He's just getting anxious staying here anyway. Physician Yang has already figured out what's going on, so he wants to go back and see his eldest uncle," Fourth Master said.

“My lord, Hongqiao is already dead in this matter. She was the key to all of this. If the Fucha clan wants to act, there’s no rush. I have a way to ensure she never achieves her desires, yet still has hope,” Lanqin said. She had been thinking about this method for several days. It could subdue the Fucha clan, restrain the Nian clan, and cause them to fight amongst themselves, leaving them no time to attend to other matters. However, it would also be beneficial to the Fourth Prince, achieving a certain balance.

The Fourth Prince grasped Lanqin's hand and looked at her, saying, "I know it would be unfair to the inner quarters if we didn't punish Lady Fucha. But Hongqiao is already dead, and there is no direct evidence to implicate Lady Fucha."

“So, Your Highness, why don’t you use Hongqiao and Liu Shi to find out about this matter?” Lanqin said. As she said these words, she felt that she was no longer Lin Mengyao, but had truly become Niohuru Lanqin, a woman living in the prince’s inner quarters.

Sure enough, when the people in the kitchen who had received Hongqiao's jewelry returned the jewelry she had given her, Lanqin discovered that these items truly belonged to Liu Shi. At the very least, these items were basically the same ones from the package of jewelry that Liu Shi had used to frame Mu Qingyang.

Although Liu was unaware of this matter, her past and her ruthless persecution of her first love were enough to make the Fourth Prince utterly despise her. Therefore, her presence at Chunhui Courtyard was merely decorative. Although Lanqin had promised to save Liu, she had now persuaded the Fourth Prince to send Liu to Zhanghua Terrace for confinement, which could be considered as saving her life.

Ultimately, the matter of Lady Nian's poisoning was concluded by the fact that Hong Qiao betrayed her mistress, and that Lady Liu, out of jealousy towards Lady Fucha, had bribed her maid to commit such an act. Under the treatment of Physician Yang, the poison in Lady Nian's body was gradually cleared away, and she was eventually saved. However, her health deteriorated drastically, leaving her with chronic illnesses.

When Lady Nian inquired about the matter afterward, the four maids recounted the entire process of the Fourth Master's investigation, making her seethe with resentment. She never imagined that the person she thought she had in her grasp would become her death warrant. If Hong Qiao hadn't already died, Lady Nian would have only hated herself for being tricked by a maid. This inner turmoil, coupled with her already weakened body due to the severe poisoning, left her bedridden.

Not long after Liu was sent to Zhanghua Terrace, news came that she had died suddenly from an unknown illness. Upon hearing this, Lanqin knew that her death was likely related to either Nian or Fucha, but regardless of who it was, Lanqin still felt somewhat guilty towards Liu. Although she wasn't exactly a saint, she had ultimately been framed in the Hongqiao affair.

After listening to Lanqin's words, in order to maintain a balance between the Nian family and the Fucha family, the Fourth Prince favored both Nian and Fucha. He would spend about seven or eight days a month visiting Lanqin, as well as Nian, Fucha, Wu, and others, and the rest of the time he would stay in his study.

Thus, a certain balance was achieved in the Fourth Prince's inner quarters, and all parties accepted this tranquility. Lanqin always remembered what she had said in Fucha's room that day, so she sent someone to be placed in Chunhui Courtyard to keep an eye on Fucha.

Because of her frail health, the Fourth Prince had no choice but to delegate a large portion of her household management authority to Lanqin. Feeling unwell, Nian had no choice but to agree.

Spring passed and autumn came, and the years seemed to fly by. Lanqin managed the Fourth Master's household affairs and also had to occasionally check on the affairs of the Daqing Hot Pot Restaurant. After Lanqin's numerous marketing plans were implemented, the Daqing Hot Pot Restaurant indeed expanded, opening branches in major cities such as Tianjin, Shengjing, ********, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Jiangning, and Wuchang.