The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 150: Bickering is a Form of Affection (4)

After Xian Ge left, Rongjing got out of bed and slowly made his way to the table. As he sat down, he realized that the aroma of the medicinal porridge in the room was utterly overwhelmed by the mouth-watering smells wafting from the East Wing. He couldn't help but chuckle, imagining that the woman was likely devouring her food at that moment.

Meanwhile, in the main room of the East Wing, Yun Qianyue was indeed eating voraciously. Not only was she wolfing down the food, but her table manners were almost unbearable to watch. Lord Yun repeatedly urged her to slow down, but Yun Qianyue seemed not to hear. Yun Muhan sat beside her with a bowl of water, ready to assist her whenever she choked, while Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu could only hang their heads in tears, lamenting the suffering their mistress had endured these past three days. No matter how hungry she had been before, she had never displayed such a lack of decorum.

After eating to the point of feeling somewhat full, Yun Qianyue consciously put down her chopsticks. She had to be cautious to avoid overindulging and risking her stomach after three days of starvation.

"Not eating anymore?" Yun Muhan asked.

"Nope!" Yun Qianyue shook her head and drank the water offered by Yun Muhan in one gulp.

"If you don't want to eat, then don't! If you overeat after being starved for three days, it could harm your health," Lord Yun said, looking at Yun Qianyue. Seeing her indifferent expression made him aware of how much he had hurt his daughter over the years. He had been blinded by his own foolishness, neglecting her due to her waywardness and lack of discipline. A look of regret and guilt appeared on his face as he self-reproached, "It's all my fault for not taking good care of you."

"It's not your fault; someone tried to harm me this time," Yun Qianyue waved her hand dismissively. Lord Yun's wrongdoings were not directed at her but rather at the true owner of this body, the real Yun Qianyue. She felt no paternal affection for him nor did she want to express coldness. Let him feel guilty; perhaps that would bring some comfort to the real owner of this body in the afterlife. Before Lord Yun could respond, she called out, "Mo Li, are you there?"

"Yes!" Mo Li's voice came from outside.

"Since you are my personal bodyguard, where were you when I got into trouble?" Yun Qianyue asked.

"Reporting to the young lady, I was secretly protecting you. When you fell into that trap, I was about to come out to save you. But seeing that Young Master Jing had rushed to your aid, I decided to hold back, thinking you would be safe with him. I never expected you to be imprisoned for three days. I will gladly accept punishment for failing to protect you," Mo Li knelt on the ground.

"Hmm, this isn't your fault; after all, no one anticipated it. There's no need to face punishment. Just stay vigilant and continue following me," Yun Qianyue said. She didn't blame Mo Li for the incident, as long as he remained loyal. Now she had to thoroughly investigate who had tried to harm her, first ruling out any internal threats and then looking for external enemies.

"Thank you, miss!" Mo Li stood up.

"Guard my courtyard well. From now on, no one is allowed to enter without my orders," Yun Qianyue instructed.

"Understood!" Mo Li replied.

"Qianyue, what exactly happened? Who wants to harm you?" Lord Yun watched his daughter, noticing that the earlier gluttonous scene had transformed into one of serious focus. The way she regarded him with composure and kindness made him realize he might have underestimated her. Perhaps she wasn't as useless as he had thought, just like how she dealt with Concubine Feng.

"I need to investigate who harmed me," Yun Qianyue said, turning her gaze to Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu. "I've always trusted the three of you. Can you tell me how I ended up poisoned with the aphrodisiac?"

"What? You were poisoned with an aphrodisiac?" Lord Yun shot up from his seat.

"Yes, I was poisoned with an aphrodisiac that day," Yun Qianyue affirmed, staring at Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu.

"Miss, what is an aphrodisiac?" Cai Lian asked cautiously, realizing from the name that it wasn't anything good.

"It's a kind of drug that induces lust. If there's no man to serve as an antidote, one will die," Yun Qianyue explained to the three.

"Ah..." The three of them gasped, their expressions filled with horror.

Cai Lian trembled as she looked at Yun Qianyue's calm face. "Miss... how could I ever harm you by giving you such a thing..."

"I wouldn't do that either! You're so kind to me!" Ting Xue said, her face pale with worry.

"Me too!" Ting Yu echoed, equally terrified.

"Hmm! I believe you!" Yun Qianyue nodded. She considered herself good at judging character and felt confident she was not mistaken about them. The three girls looked genuine, and it seemed that it wasn't an issue of loyalty among them. With Mo Li secretly guarding her, it would be difficult for an outsider to slip in and drug her without being noticed. Therefore, the betrayal could only come from Yun Muhan or from the box of pastries given by Princess Qingwan.

"Qianyue, do you mean... have you already..." Lord Yun's body trembled, nearly unable to stand, his face drained of color as he stared in shock at Yun Qianyue. The unspoken words hung heavily in the air—if she was still alive after being poisoned with an aphrodisiac, it implied something very serious about her purity.

Ignoring Lord Yun, Yun Qianyue turned to Yun Muhan, noticing his ashen complexion as well. She spoke earnestly, "Brother, it's said that the poison from an aphrodisiac requires half an hour to take effect after consuming the inducing agent. That day, after returning from Rongjing's place, I drank a cup of tea left on my desk and ate half a box of pastries. Then, I went to pray at the blessing tree with Cai Lian and the others. The timing of my poisoning coincides exactly with that half-hour. I need to ask, could it be related to you? Because you were also in my room that day, don't take my suspicions the wrong way."

"It wasn't me!" Yun Muhan shook his head vehemently.

"Okay!" Yun Qianyue nodded and continued, "I know you were also poisoned with an aphrodisiac that day. I'd like to know how you ended up with the same poison. You must have investigated this during these three days."

"What? Muhan was also poisoned with an aphrodisiac?" Lord Yun turned in shock to Yun Muhan.

Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu also stared at Yun Muhan, their eyes wide and filled with disbelief.