Tang Shilang's men forced their way into the inner courtyard.
Lin Qingwan selected several strong and clever eunuchs and palace maids to protect Feng'er, saying, "Unless the Crown Prince returns, the young prince is not allowed to come out."
"Yes!" The men were also prepared to die.
Even the most carefree Feng'er had never experienced such a serious and urgent situation. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Mother! I want to follow you. I can protect you!"
Don't leave me.
Lin Qingwan felt as if her throat had been cut by a blade. She trembled as she touched Feng'er's cheek. "Your Highness, please be well. When you grow up a little more, you will really be able to protect me."
"Mother, I would rather die than live alone."
Lin Qingwan forced back the tears welling up in her eyes, "Don't say such unlucky things. We won't die, the Crown Prince will come back."
"But..." Feng'er still refused to let go.
Lin Qingwan smiled at him, "There's still room for things to turn around, Your Highness. Trust me, I can stall until the Crown Prince returns. But the condition is that you hide well and don't make me worry, understand?"
Hearing a commotion outside, Lin Qingwan pushed Feng'er's hand away and had the eunuch cover Feng'er's mouth and carry her away.
Lin Qingwan took a deep breath.
Side hall.
Madam Tang was still recounting many beautiful dreams that Tang Yun found repulsive when suddenly the nanny announced, "Madam Wan has arrived."
Madam Tang's face suddenly turned cold. "What is she doing here? Does she still want to bully Yun'er?"
Tang Yun clenched his fist. "Tell her to get out. I will not forgive her, and she should not mess with me!"
At this moment, the palace maids at the door were stopped by Shen Xu, and Lin Qingwan walked in as if no one was there. "I don't want to offend the Crown Princess either. But I didn't poison the cat, and I can't bear this crime."
Madam Tang interrupted her daughter, shouting sternly, "How dare you! Everyone at the gate is dead! Didn't you hear the Crown Princess say she didn't want to see this woman?!"
Shen Xu said in a chilly tone, "If Madam Tang doesn't want them to live, I'll take their lives right now."
He pressed his thumb against the sword at his waist, pushed it out a bit, and then let it fall back down. The fleeting cold light made Madam Tang somewhat wary.
"You bastard! The soldiers outside are all from the Tang family. How dare you act so recklessly!"
Shen Xu coldly said, "Madam Wan and the Crown Princess exchanged a few words. When has Madam Tang ever been in charge of giving orders in the Eastern Palace? It's you who's being presumptuous!"
"You!" Madam Tang was speechless.
Tang Yun shielded his mother behind him, staring intently at Lin Qingwan, "What do you want to say?"
Lin Qingwan raised her hand, and Qiu Hong brought forward a plate of snacks. Tang Yun's eyes immediately reddened again.
"These are the snacks that His Highness made for the cat. The maid brought over this plate the other day." After she finished speaking, she picked up a piece, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it in front of everyone.
Although the taste was really bad, at least it was edible.
Tang Yun narrowed his eyes, "Are you trying to say that there's no poison in your heart?"
Lin Qingwan nodded, "I didn't poison the cat."
Madam Tang said, "Hmph, there are countless ways to poison someone. Who knows if you hid it in your fingernail or clothes? Even a cat can be poisoned if it smells it in your arms."
Lin Qingwan looked over, and her sharp gaze made Madam Tang feel uneasy, as if she were being scrutinized.
“As Madam Tang said, a poison that can make a cat bleed from all seven orifices in the blink of an eye is definitely not a benevolent one. If I were to carry it on my person, wouldn’t I easily bring trouble upon myself?” she retorted.
Mrs. Tang choked up, "In short, they saw the cat die in your arms with their own eyes."
“That’s because the person who actually killed the cat wanted everyone to see it.” Lin Qingwan straightened her back.
Tang Yun's eyes widened slightly. "You hate that the cat caused the young prince to get rubella, and you want to wait for the crown prince to return and complain to him so that he can punish me for it!"
Lin Qingwan immediately retorted, "Who told the Crown Princess?"
Tang Yun didn't hide anything, "If I hadn't heard the palace maids talking about it, I would have really thought you didn't care about this matter."
Lin Qingwan understood.
"But you heard it before the Crown Princess came out of the Warm Heart Pavilion and saw me feeding the cat?"
Tang Yun frowned, "You..."
She was also moved by what she had just said.
Lin Qingwan said, "I have ordered everyone in the Eastern Palace not to mention the matter of His Highness contracting rubella again. The Crown Princess can ask the palace maids and eunuchs around you."
“Before you went to the warm pavilion, I also said that the young prince might not have really contracted rubella from the cat. This matter needs to be investigated.”
"So, what the Crown Princess heard was what others wanted you to hear."
Tang Yun's heart skipped a beat. She looked at the nanny and maid beside her, and they all confirmed that such words had indeed been heard in the main house.
Lin Qingwan continued, "If I really disliked cats, I would have simply told you not to let it out, or instructed the eunuchs in the main house to drive it out. Why make it so bloody?"
Tang Yun felt another dull pain in her chest as she thought about how the cat had died.
Cats are very perceptive. Normally, if she has any unpleasant-smelling perfume on her, the cat won't let her hold it. If Lin Qingwan really has poison on her, the cat won't snuggle in her arms or let her feed it.
Seeing her daughter waver, Madam Tang pointed at Lin Qingwan's nose and said, "Of course you hate that our Yun'er became the Crown Princess!"
Lin Qingwan scoffed. She finally understood who Tang Yun inherited his stupidity from.
“Madam Tang, the Crown Prince and I have a young prince. I have waited so many years, so I don’t care who sits on that seat.”
"Whether I am a concubine or a secondary wife, the Crown Prince only has me in his heart."
“I have everything except a useless title, why would I kill your daughter?”
"At worst, she can kneel in the Warm Heart Pavilion for two days to pray for blessings on my behalf."
Mrs. Tang's eyes widened, her mouth opened several times, and finally she said in a shameless manner, "I don't care, it's you!"
If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, Lin Qingwan would have been unable to hold back her laughter.
"Madam, Changxia's confession." Qiu Hong arrived just in time, handing over a letter still stained with undried blood.
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