It took a full quarter of an hour before Lu Shi managed to drag and pull the utterly disheveled Feng Ruoyan out. He then unceremoniously dumped her on the ground, showing not the slightest hint of chivalry.
It was truly difficult to imagine that the foremost beauty of the capital had now become this state, to the point where a mere glance was enough to spoil one's appetite.
Feng Jin covered her nose and mouth, barely able to tolerate the foul odor emanating from Feng Ruoyan.
Her gaze, now lifted, fell upon Feng Ruoyan. Feng Jin asked in a calm voice, "Do you know where Chu Yanxi went?"
By the time their group arrived, the manor had long since been abandoned. Not a single living soul was found, and all the gold and silver treasures had also vanished without a trace.
After searching the entire manor, Feng Ruoyan was the only one they found here. Fortunately, they had arrived in time, otherwise Feng Ruoyan would have lost her life by now.
Upon hearing a familiar voice, Feng Ruoyan's head shot up. Seeing that the person opposite her was Feng Jin, Feng Ruoyan crawled and scrambled towards Feng Jin in a frenzied manner, grabbing Feng Jin's skirt. "Please... save me... save me..."
Feng Jin's brows furrowed slightly, feeling increasingly that Feng Ruoyan was not right. She reached out and grabbed Feng Ruoyan's wrist, beginning to feel her pulse.
She was... poisoned...
Her mind flashed back to when she first found Feng Ruoyan, the wet nurse seemed to be holding a wine cup and forcing it into Feng Ruoyan's mouth.
Combined with Feng Ruoyan's current state, everything made sense.
"Lu Shi, go and see if there is any remaining poisoned wine inside."
"Yes, Young Madam!"
Lu Shi went in and emerged a few minutes later, holding a wine pot. His complexion was grim, as if he was suppressing something, but he didn't cast another glance at Feng Ruoyan.
"Young Madam, this wine pot still contains wine."
Feng Jin took the wine pot, opened it, and sniffed. The wine smelled very familiar, as if she had smelled it somewhere before, but her mind was blank now, making it difficult to recall.
However, just in case, she instructed Lu Shi to keep the wine pot. Feng Jin's gaze fell on Feng Ruoyan, who was slumped on the ground. "You still have potent poison in your body. The toxicity is extremely fierce, and it is difficult for me to save you. But what I want to know is why that wet nurse just now tried to kill you?"
"I... I don't know, I don't know anything. My child... the child, my child..."
At this moment, Feng Ruoyan's appearance was truly deranged. If one were to say Feng Ruoyan had gone mad, people would believe it.
"Young Madam, what's wrong with her?"
Lu Shi looked at the seemingly疯癫 Feng Ruoyan, his brows knitted, his face full of confusion. She had seemed perfectly normal just a moment ago; how had she become so crazy in such a short time?
This was no longer the former foremost beauty of the capital; she was no different from a madwoman. The transformation was too rapid.
"It might be caused by the potent poison in her body, or it might be that she is faking it to save her life. What do you think?"
It was difficult to determine whether Feng Ruoyan was truly mad or faking it. Feng Jin's gaze fell on Lu Shi, asking for his opinion.
Suddenly called upon, Lu Shi was slightly taken aback. He quickly replied, "This... Young Madam, your subordinate cannot tell. However, from her appearance, it doesn't seem like she's faking."
At this moment, Feng Ruoyan had crouched down on the ground, cradling a chair and cooing to it. She truly looked like a loving mother.
After calming down for just a moment, she suddenly threw the chair in her arms away, crouched directly on the ground, grabbed fallen leaves mixed with mud, and shoved them into her mouth.
"Delicious... delicious!" she muttered from time to time. Suddenly, her gaze fell on Feng Jin. She walked over with a blank expression, poked Feng Jin's face with her finger, and then smiled foolishly, "You're so pretty... pretty..."
Feng Jin watched Feng Ruoyan's current state with amusement, a playful smile on her lips, making no move to stop her.
Instead, she took out a porcelain bottle from her robes, poured out a reddish-brown pill, and offered it to Feng Ruoyan.
"Do you want to be as beautiful as me? If you eat this candy, you'll be as good-looking as me soon."
"Become beautiful, become beautiful... I want to become beautiful..."
Feng Ruoyan exclaimed with ecstatic joy, snatching the pill from Feng Jin's hand impatiently and popping it into her mouth.
"Young Madam, this..."
Feng Jin raised her hand, stopping Lu Shi's words, and said calmly, "Take her back and lock her up first."
She estimated that the poison in Feng Ruoyan's body had already attacked her nerves, causing her to become so erratic.
But this poison was truly potent. Even a small remnant could have such a strong effect in a short time. It seemed the person who poisoned her hated Feng Ruoyan deeply and had made thorough preparations.
"Your subordinate obeys!" Lu Shi acknowledged. Just as he was about to leave, he remembered something and turned back to ask again, "Young Madam, given Feng Ruoyan's current state, do we still need to interrogate her?"
Feng Jin rolled her eyes helplessly, her gaze fixed on Lu Shi. She couldn't help but wonder if Lu Shi's brain had some issues.
"Do you think she can be interrogated in this state?"
"Naturally, nothing can be asked. Your subordinate also..."
"Take her back and keep her imprisoned. She won't live much longer anyway. Perhaps we can use her as bait."
Didn't Chu Yanxi always deeply cherish Feng Ruoyan? Now that the beauty was in distress, he would surely come out to rescue her. This would also be an opportunity to lure Chu Yanxi out.
"Yes, Young Madam."
After Lu Shi took Feng Ruoyan away, Feng Jin wandered aimlessly. The scenery of the Third Prince's Manor was indeed beautiful, with mountains and water, truly a pleasant place. It was a pity the master was not so fortunate.
After this incident, Chu Yanxi was undoubtedly doomed. This excellent manor would also become unattainable.
"Young Madam, when do we return?"
The soldiers who had accompanied Feng Jin asked cautiously. If they returned late, and the Young General were to blame them, they would be the ones to suffer.
"Let's take another stroll. Perhaps we can find some useful clues."