The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Yun Jin sneered, "My poison isn't so easy to cure. Even a Great Immortal would have to ask me for permission first."

Dongxue stood aside without saying a word, waiting for her to continue.

Yun Jin picked up her teacup, took a sip, put it down, looked up at Dong Xue, and changed the subject: "By the way, where did Yun Xiu go when she went out halfway through?"

Dongxue replied, "She went to see the Fifth Prince. They talked for quite a while in the plum garden. The Fifth Prince's men were guarding outside. I didn't dare get too close, but I vaguely heard a few words."

The Fifth Prince promised her that he would ask His Majesty for an imperial decree to grant them marriage after the New Year.

Yun Jin never expected that the saying "Phoenix Fate" would so easily lead to the marriage between Yun Xiu and the Fifth Prince.

It seems that the Fifth Prince is determined to get that position.

"What else did they say?" Yun Jin pressed.

Dongxue thought for a moment and said, "The Fifth Prince also said that the eldest young lady should try to gain the support of the General's Mansion, and that she should get along well with you, so that she can try to get in touch with the Grand Tutor's Mansion through you."

Yun Jin sneered, her eyes full of mockery: "Even the Fifth Prince has asked her to get along with me, yet she still targets me at the Princess's residence. It seems she's quite confident in her 'Phoenix Fate.' She thinks that even without the General's Mansion or the Grand Tutor's Mansion, she can still sit on the Empress's throne based solely on her destiny."

Dongxue did not respond.

Yun Jin then asked, "Have you found the man surnamed Xu and the child in the courtyard under the name of the steward of the Qiu family?"

Dongxue shook her head: "Not yet. No one has gone back from there; they're being very cautious."

"You went in but didn't find the secret passage?"

"No, our men went in and searched the entire courtyard. But they didn't find the secret passage."

"Is that yard still being monitored?"

"Yes. Eagle Claw's men have been keeping watch over there, but no one has come back yet."

Yun Jin was silent for a moment, then said, "Take me there tomorrow. I want to go in person. Also, find that beggar and the vegetable deliveryman; there are some things I need to ask them personally."

Dongxue quickly agreed.

Yun Jin nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.

Dongxue said a few more words, then left and returned to her room. She wrote a detailed report on the day's events, sealed it in a bamboo tube, summoned Eagle Five, tied it to its leg, fed it some dried meat, and let it fly away.

The eagle circled once in the air and flew north.

The northern border, Daning Prefecture.

Xiao Jingyan had just returned from outside, and he was still feeling the chill.

He visited several of the worst-affected villages today and saw with his own eyes that the people received food and cotton clothing, which brought him some peace of mind.

The practice of using heated brick beds and walls has already begun in more than a dozen villages, and the craftsmen are working day and night to complete the projects, which are progressing faster than he had anticipated.

He took off his cloak, sat down at the table, picked up the official documents on the table and flipped through a few pages, but Yun Jin's face kept appearing in his mind.

I wonder how that girl is doing at the Princess's residence.

Can Ya-min handle this situation?

Just then, a hawk's cry came from outside the window.

Xiao Jingyan's eyes lit up as he glanced at Jin Hu.

Jin Hu hurried to the window, pushed it open, and whistled. Eagle Wu landed on his shoulder. He untied the bamboo tube, took out the letter inside, and handed it to Xiao Jingyan.

Xiao Jingyan unfolded the document and read the contents. He saw that it was Dongxue's report on what had happened at the Princess's residence that day, in great detail.

When he saw the message "Chen Wencai and Hongling were drugged, confused, and unable to answer any questions," he couldn't help but smile.

This girl is quite bold and has some tricks up her sleeve, but she's not ruthless enough.

After reading the letter, he leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Jin Hu, send a message to Eagle Eye, telling them to get rid of Chen Wencai's family without leaving a trace."

Since that girl can't bring herself to do it, I'll do it myself. There are always people more skilled than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. If someone can find a cure for the poison, there's no need to create trouble for myself.

Jin Hu paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement and led Ying Wu out.

Xiao Jingyan walked to the window and looked south.

This girl is smart, but she is outnumbered and outmatched. I need to take care of things here as soon as possible and go back to protect her.

……

The Princess's Residence.

Inside the woodshed, Chen Wencai, Honglin, Chen's mother, and Wenjuan huddled in a corner, their eyes vacant, muttering something unintelligible.

It was cold, and the princess, fearing they would freeze to death, specially ordered two more braziers to be added. Honglin leaned against the wall, drowsy, while Chen's mother had her eyes closed, seemingly asleep or perhaps unconscious.

The old woman who was guarding the house had already gone to sleep. There were night patrols in the mansion, and after what happened during the day, there were more and more patrols at night.

That night, it was as quiet as a chicken's nest.

However, the next morning, when the old woman pushed open the door to deliver the meal, she was so frightened by the sight before her that she screamed.

The four people lay sprawled on the ground, their faces purple and lips bluish-black, and they were no longer breathing.

The brazier in the room had gone out sometime ago, and there was a smell of coal smoke. The symptoms of these people were clearly those of carbon monoxide poisoning.

When the news reached Ya Min's ears, she was so angry that she smashed a set of teacups. After taking her people to the woodshed, she berated them severely: "Useless! You can't even keep an eye on a few people! How did you put out the fire? Were you slacking off?"

The old woman knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, trembling with fear: "Princess, this servant truly doesn't know... The brazier was perfectly fine last night, I don't know how it went out..."

The eldest princess rushed over upon hearing the news, her face grim. She glanced at the old woman kneeling on the ground, then at Ya Min, and said coldly, "Enough, cursing won't do any good. The person is already dead; it's too late to say anything."

Ya Min, unwilling to give up, bit her lip and said, "Mother, do you think it might be someone...?"

The princess was silent for a moment, then beckoned. Someone stepped forward to examine the body and returned, bowing, saying, "Your Highness, there are no signs of outsiders entering. It has been confirmed that the person was poisoned by charcoal."

Ya Min blurted out, "Impossible." She couldn't believe it was such a coincidence that all four of them had been poisoned by anthrax.

"Enough!" The eldest princess glared at her, her gaze sharp as she rebuked, "This matter ends here. Drag the person out and bury them, and don't mention it again."

Ya Min dared not say anything more, stomped her foot angrily, and turned to leave.

The eldest princess didn't actually believe it either. She felt that this must have been done by someone, but she couldn't figure out who had the ability to do it.

Yun Jin? Impossible for a fifteen-year-old country girl.

Chu Wanqing? She didn't have the ability to enter the mansion quietly.

She shook her head and stopped thinking about it.

Yun Mansion, Jinshu Pavilion.

The next morning, just as Yun Jin got up, Dong Xue pushed open the door and came in.

Her expression was somewhat grave. She walked to Yun Jin's side and lowered her voice, saying, "Miss, Chen Wencai's family and Hong Lin all died last night."

Yun Jin was combing her hair when she paused, turned around, and asked Dong Xue, "How did she die?"

Dongxue said, "The people from the Princess's residence said that the brazier went out and the woodshed was stuffy, so they were poisoned by charcoal."

Yun Jin was silent for a moment, then asked, "Was it done by our people?"