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To be extra cautious, after Lin left, the old maid added another pill to the marked stewed dish.
However, she didn’t know that Lin had returned just as the dishes were being served.
He found the maid the old maid had instructed and said, “I just remembered that Mother doesn’t like fish glue lately. It would be better to switch to something lighter.”
The maid, naturally, agreed. Thinking that Lin was the princess’s nephew and also a sweet talker, she flattered him, “Young Master Lin is truly filial.”
Lin nodded and chose a different dish.
As for the marked dish, he suspected Princess Zhenyang had tampered with it, so he found an excuse to get rid of it.
He didn’t want to harm anyone innocently.
“Never mind, I’ll personally take it to Mother,” Lin said. He had planned to do this all along, not wanting to rely on anyone else.
“Yes,” the maid replied, quickly arranging a tray for him.
It was rare to find such a filial young man.
Soon, Lin, carrying the stewed dish, emerged from the kitchen and went to where the female guests were seated, looking for Xu Qingyi.
After entering, he scanned the room. Xu Qingyi’s table was neither too close nor too far from Princess Zhenyang’s.
The ladies and young misses present were all momentarily stunned to see a handsome young man enter.
After all, the serving was done by well-trained maids. The sudden appearance of a young master was quite unusual.
Only Princess Zhenyang wasn’t surprised. When she saw Lin, a meaningful smile played on her lips, though she quickly suppressed it and continued to observe calmly.
“Isn’t this Lin? What are you doing here?” the Marchioness of Pingyang frowned, speaking first.
Lin was being incredibly impolite.
Worried that he might embarrass her at the Princess Consort’s banquet, she decided to reprimand him.
“Grandmother,” Lin called out before answering. “I tasted a delicious soup at the banquet, one that Mother likes, so I specially brought some for her.”
A murmur rippled through the room as everyone turned to look at Xu Qingyi.
Everyone knew that Xu Qingyi and Lin were only adoptive mother and son, not biologically related.
No one expected that Lin would be so filial to his adoptive mother.
“…” Madam Qin’s expression was strange. She hadn’t expected Lin, usually so cold and unfeeling, to be so kind to Xu Qingyi.
But filial piety was one thing; showing it at someone else’s banquet was another matter entirely.
It made her, the grandmother, look bad.
So the Marchioness was unhappy and prepared to scold Lin and apologize to Princess Consort Su.
Unexpectedly, Princess Consort Su laughed first, praising him. “Lin is truly a filial child.” She then turned to Xu Qingyi, her expression pleased. “Qingyi, you are truly blessed. It’s truly enviable.”
With Princess Consort Su speaking up, the others who had been observing also chimed in with praise.
For a moment, no one questioned Lin’s intrusion.
Seeing this, the Marchioness swallowed her words.
At the same time, she was filled with confusion. Weren’t Princess Zhenyang and Xu Qingyi rivals?
Why was Princess Consort Su being so kind to Xu Qingyi?
“Lin is indeed filial. It’s all thanks to the Eldest Young Master’s excellent parenting,” Xu Qingyi said, equally unprepared for the scene unfolding before her. Facing the praise and envy, she smiled calmly. “I’m lucky to have three such filial children.”
Upon hearing this, everyone understood. It seemed that Xie Yunzhi’s wife, who had been brought in to ward off bad luck, got along well with her husband’s family and had a good relationship with her three adopted sons.
Lin placed the stewed dish on Xu Qingyi’s table. “Mother, please enjoy.”
“You’ve gone to so much trouble,” Xu Qingyi said, her smile unwavering, but her heart was actually quite conflicted as she looked at Lin.
Should she trust him, or not?
It was a 50/50 chance.
“It’s what a son should do,” Lin glanced at Xu Qingyi. “Wait until it cools down a little before you drink it. I’ve tasted it already; it’s quite good.”
“Alright,” Xu Qingyi replied, her mind racing. Was Lin assuring her it was safe to eat, or was he lowering her guard, luring her into eating it?
After delivering the dish, Lin left.
Princess Zhenyang grew impatient, feeling that he had left too soon. Why didn’t he persuade Xu Qingyi to drink it before leaving?
As the hostess, Princess Consort Su naturally began eating first, signaling for everyone else to follow suit.
“Everyone, please don’t be so formal. Let’s eat,” she said with a smile.
She then lifted the lid of the stewed dish and stirred it with a porcelain spoon.
The guests, no longer hesitant, began to eat.
Princess Zhenyang also took two spoonfuls.
Her mind was entirely on Xu Qingyi, so she wasn’t paying attention to her own food, let alone tasting its flavor.
She couldn’t wait to ask, “Sister-in-law, why aren’t you drinking?”
Princess Consort Su glanced at her, realizing that she had tampered with the soup.
Although she thought her daughter was too hasty, she had to help cover for her now. She smiled and said, “Zhenyang, you don’t know. Your sister-in-law is a ‘cat’s tongue’; she can’t handle hot things.”
Princess Zhenyang continued, “Then how did you know, Mother?”
“Your sister-in-law and your nephew were having tea with me earlier,” the Princess Consort said with a smile. “Unfortunately, time was short, and we didn’t get to chat much.”
“Yes, Your Grace still remembers these small details,” Xu Qingyi said, appearing slightly flattered.
Although she didn’t say much, everyone sensed Xu Qingyi’s respect for the Prince Su’s residence.
Princess Zhenyang thought to herself, ‘She’s so good at playing both sides. You’re not like this in private.’
Xu Qingyi did end up drinking a few mouthfuls of the stewed dish.
‘Let it be,’ she thought.
Lin was too shrewd; he was impossible to read.
As an uninvited guest who had barged into their lives, it wouldn’t be unfair to die at Lin’s hand.
Fearing that Xu Qingyi hadn’t drunk enough, Princess Zhenyang started praising the soup’s exquisite qualities and rarity, encouraging everyone to have more.
It was rare to see the usually proud Princess Zhenyang being so amiable, and everyone readily obliged.
Xu Qingyi obliged as well.
If the soup was indeed poisoned, a few more mouthfuls wouldn’t make a difference.
Seeing Xu Qingyi drink a considerable amount, Princess Zhenyang finally relaxed, thinking that soon, the effects of the drug would take hold.
It wasn’t a hallucinogen; she had lied to Lin.
Princess Zhenyang had given Lin an aphrodisiac, a potent one at that.
There was no antidote; the only way to counteract it was through sexual release. Failure to do so would be life-threatening.
There was still a considerable distance between the Prince Su’s residence and the Pingyang Marquis’s.
By the time the drug took effect, Xu Qingyi would already be delirious and unable to return to the Marquis’s residence in time.
At that point, they would arrange for a man to enter, and the plan would be complete.
Princess Zhenyang thought this, but then she felt her own body becoming uncomfortable; she felt intensely hot, as if being roasted from the inside out.
This…
Even though Princess Zhenyang was inexperienced, she vaguely understood what was happening.
This was the reaction to being poisoned.
But how?!
The symptoms that should have appeared in Xu Qingyi were now appearing in her.
At this moment, Zhenyang understood. She had been tricked by that little brat Lin!
She gritted her teeth, glaring at Xu Qingyi with venom. ‘Just you wait!’
‘I’ll make sure both you and your son die!’
The drug took effect rapidly. Princess Zhenyang panicked and quickly instructed her old maid, “I’m feeling unwell. Quickly help me to rest!”
Princess Consort Su was surprised and concerned. “What’s wrong with my daughter?”
Princess Zhenyang then instructed, “Go and call my husband to see me!”
Princess Zhenyang’s sudden illness caused the guests to stop eating and turn to her with concerned looks.
Xu Qingyi did the same, but not out of concern; it was pure curiosity.
‘What happened? Did she get food poisoning?’