"Yunfeng, Yunfeng," Cui Yunchu held Cui Yunfeng tightly, patting her back.
Cui Yunfeng half-closed her eyes, coughing violently and spitting up some murky water.
The young ladies standing nearby frowned slightly and immediately took a few steps back. Only the two girls who had just held Cui Yunchu back stepped forward to pat Cui Yunfeng's back.
The young ladies of the Cui family were of noble birth and highly sought after wherever they went. Any jealousy the other noble girls felt could only be hidden in their hearts. Today, seeing Cui Yunfeng make such a fool of herself, there were naturally quite a few who were secretly enjoying the spectacle.
However, on the surface, they still maintained a look of deep concern.
After coughing up a good amount of dirty water, Cui Yunfeng's complexion gradually calmed and regained a bit of color. She leaned weakly against Cui Yunchu's embrace and shed tears.
"Big Sister, I am scared."
Her hair was disheveled, and her body, wrapped in an outer garment, was trembling. She looked thoroughly wretched.
Cui Yunchu tightened her arms around her. "Big Sister is here, do not be afraid."
"I have had people prepare a brazier and fresh clothes in the nearest wing. Hurry and help Second Miss Cui over there."
The person speaking was Miss Chen, today's hostess, and also the girl who had just pulled Cui Yunchu back to stop her from jumping in.
Her eyes were still a bit red, clearly having been badly frightened herself.
Cui Yunchu helped Cui Yunfeng up and they left the back garden.
Just as they were leaving, she suddenly paused and looked back toward the pavilion. On a stone stool in the pavilion, Liu Wanting met her gaze with a calm expression.
"Big Sister, what is it?"
Cui Yunchu withdrew her gaze, said nothing, and continued walking away, supporting Cui Yunfeng.
Li Mengyu slumped onto a stone stool, feeling that her heart had finally started beating again.
That was truly too thrilling.
Liu Wanting smiled. Beneath the face hidden by her round fan was a smile full of disdain.
She did not even consider Cui Yunchu a worthy opponent.
She had won the first round. Tang Qingwan, the road is long, let us wait and see.
Cui Yunfeng was settled in the wing, and Miss Chen invited a female physician to check her pulse.
Although the weather today was not considered cold, soaking in the freezing lake water and suffering such a fright made catching a chill inevitable. The physician prescribed some medicine, and Miss Chen immediately ordered her servants to brew it.
Not long after Cui Yunfeng changed her clothes, Old Madam Cui hurried over. Even Old Madam Chen, who leaned on a walking stick, seemed much more agile, walking with a brisk pace.
"Yunfeng,"
Wrapped in a quilt and nestled in Cui Yunchu's arms, Cui Yunfeng heard Old Madam Cui's voice. The tears she had just managed to stop began to fall uncontrollably once more.
She threw herself into Old Madam Cui's arms. "Grandmother, Yunfeng thought she would never see you again."
"Silly child, what nonsense are you saying."
Old Madam Cui's eyes were red. She looked Cui Yunfeng up and down, and seeing that she was indeed unharmed, the heart she had been holding in her throat finally settled.
Although Cui Yunfeng had lost her mother at a young age, she had been raised single-handedly by Old Madam Cui. She had never suffered any more hardships than the daughters of other noble families. Having suffered such a fright today, she naturally felt extremely wronged.
Madam Chen née Liu's face was ashen. For a daughter of the Cui family to suffer such an incident in the Chen residence, the Chen family could hardly shirk the blame.
"What exactly happened? How could she fall into the water for no reason?" she asked, pulling her daughter aside.
Miss Chen's soul had only just returned to her body, her eyelashes wet with tears. "I do not know either. Second Miss Cui was perfectly fine playing leaf cards with several other young ladies. I had even instructed the maids to serve fruits and pastries."
In the time it took her to turn around, someone had fallen in.
Chen Huaying knew the weight of the Cui family's daughters and had always had people keep a careful eye on them.
Madam Chen née Liu felt that everything was ruined; the marriage alliance with the Cui family was likely going to fall through.
"Then what are you standing there for? Hurry and call all the maids who were serving in the pavilion."
They absolutely had to give the Cui family an explanation for today's events.
Old Madam Cui remained silent, her expression dark, which only made Madam Chen née Liu and Old Madam Chen feel even more uneasy.
The maids were quickly brought into the wing, each one trembling like a leaf in the wind.
One of them spoke up, shivering. "Second Miss Cui and the other young ladies were playing leaf cards and lost. They said there had to be a punishment, so the young ladies joked and played around for a bit. Perhaps they got too close to the railing, and in the pushing and shoving, she fell down."
With one person speaking up, the rest of the maids chimed in to agree.
But how could an ambiguous word like "perhaps" serve as an explanation to the Cui family?
"Useless things! Letting you serve on the sidelines, what exactly are you good for?" Madam Chen née Liu scolded angrily.
Old Madam Cui cast a faint glance at the maid who had spoken. She did not speak harshly, but her look made the maid's scalp tingle.
"Yunfeng, is what the maid said true?" Cui Yunchu asked.
Cui Yunfeng tightly grasped Cui Yunchu's hand and nodded. "They wanted to draw a little turtle on my face. I refused, so we started playing around, and then I do not know who shoved me from behind."
Since the girls were playing rather vigorously, Cui Yunfeng herself thought the fall into the water was an accident.
After all, with all the pushing and pulling, it might have just been the momentum that pushed her out.
"Did you see who it was?"
Cui Yunfeng frowned, thought hard, and finally shook her head. "No."
Madam Chen née Liu asked the maids again, but they all said they had not seen anything.
Madam Chen née Liu then ordered someone to call over the young ladies who had been playing cards together, but they also said no one had seen anything.
Miss Wang cried, "At the time, Miss Liu and Miss Li were leaning against the railing feeding the fish. We were afraid of bumping into them, so we planned to leave, but Miss Li's foot was stepped on by someone unknown, and she suddenly started stumbling around."
This caused the scene to become chaotic. By the time they reacted, Cui Yunfeng was already struggling and calling for help in the water.
The Misses Liu and Li that Miss Wang mentioned were naturally Liu Wanting and Li Mengyu.
Cui Yunchu's gaze suddenly darkened. She looked up and exchanged a glance with Old Madam Cui.
Old Madam Cui asked another question, but indeed no one had seen whether Liu Wanting or Li Mengyu had made a move. Without evidence, they could not make an accusation.
"Not all cases require evidence to serve a sentence," Cui Yunchu said in a very low voice, but both Old Madam Cui and Cui Yunfeng heard it clearly.
Someone came to report to Madam Chen née Liu that the birthday banquet was ready and invited everyone to move over.
But who still had the mood to attend a banquet? Madam Chen née Liu and Old Madam Chen felt as if cats were scratching at their hearts.
Old Madam Cui took the initiative to speak. "My young granddaughter has suffered a fright, so we will not attend the rest of the banquet. Please forgive us, Old Madam."
Old Madam Chen waved her hands repeatedly. "It is my Chen family's poor supervision that caused Second Miss Cui to suffer such a disaster. It is my Chen family who has let you down."
The Chen family was considered very dutiful and polite.
Old Madam Cui nodded slightly and had Cui Yunchu help Cui Yunfeng leave.
Madam Chen née Liu personally escorted them to the gates of the residence, apologizing repeatedly.
"Later this evening, I will definitely come to your door personally to apologize. I am truly sorry."
Old Madam Cui knew that Madam Chen née Liu was worried that the marriage with the Cui family would come to nothing.
Although today's events were unpleasant, the Chen family's traditions and character were considered quite good, so she offered a few words of comfort before getting into the carriage and leaving.
The elders of the girls who had been playing cards with Cui Yunfeng turned pale with fright upon hearing the news. They rushed to the wing to check on her, but unfortunately, they were a step too late; the Cui family's carriage had already departed.
Li Mengyu finally breathed a complete sigh of relief, her mind entirely at ease. "Wanting, is this whole thing really just over?"
"What else did you expect?" Liu Wanting chuckled softly, looking gentle and perfectly harmless.
